"Hey, kiddo. What do you know?" Sam glanced up from something he was working on and smiled. "I got a call from your father, and he said you would be out for a couple of weeks. No?"

"Nope. My dad doesn't run my life. I'm a grown woman." I walked around the counter and put my purse up before wrapping my arms around Sam. "Thanks for letting me work here. I know you know who my family is and stuff."

He chuckled. "Jenna, we love you here. You know that. You're like family to me and Cynthia."

"I know, but sometimes dealing with people like me and my family-"

"Like your family." He picked up a small cookie and handed it to me. "Stop loving on me. You're making me blush."

I laughed and took the cookie, popping it into my mouth. Nate and I had moved in together a few days back, which was fast, but then again, when you knew you were going to spend the rest of your life with someone, what was the sense in waiting to start living?

My family accepted him right in, which was good and yet a little odd. Something told me that my father was a little iffy over it, but he wanted more time around me, and somehow that meant keeping his opinions to himself. Him and Nate got along almost too well though. It was funny. The criminal and the DA.

They closed down my brother’s case a week after everything went down, and changed the files to reflect the murder. Denise’s remains were found, and her dental records identified her as being Ashley Talmant. After digging through everything, my father connected the dots and sealed the case. It was heartbreaking, but it was over. The full range of evidence showed only one person involved in Darek’s death… his pretty young wife. Relief was mine.

Cynthia’s voice pulled me from my thoughts as she stood from kneeling and gave me a warm smile. "Your friend Grace stopped by earlier today."

"Oh yeah? She knows my schedule. What did she want?"

"Something about a big event coming up in November at the library? I don't know, but they wanted to order some cookie trays and stuff."

"Oh yeah. Holiday time is always nutty for them. Poor thing. She hates social events." I picked up my apron and tied it around my waist as I walked around the counter to check on the tables. "You guys been busy?"

"No, not much." Sam leaned forward as I turned to face him. "Your guy friend hasn't been back. I think my theory holds true."

"What's that? That he's coming for something other than the coffee?" I couldn't help but wonder if Sam hadn't seen me and Nate kiss on more than one occasion before everything went crazy.

"Exactly." He stood up and smiled.

"Maybe. Who knows?" I shrugged and turned as Nate walked into the shop with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

Sam laughed loudly behind me. "I told you so."

"Here," Nate handed me the flowers and studied my face in a way that always left me hot and bothered, "smell these and I'll take them out back to the dumpster."

I snatched them from him and laughed. "Asshole. I only did that because we were heading to the park."

"Mmmm... that the day we tried to get your dress fitted for you?" He licked at the side of his lips.

"Stop it." I pressed my hand to his chest and moved closer to him. "What are you doing in here? I'm coming home to you in five hours."

"Far too long of a wait." He kissed the tip of my nose and moved around me. "Hey, Sam."

"Hey, buddy. I kept your secret pretty well."

I turned and put my hand on my hip as Nate ordered a cup of coffee. "What secret?"

Nate glanced over his shoulder. "I've been coming here since I was a kid. Sam's always taken good care of me. He told me about you when you started working here. Worked out pretty well, hmm?"

"What? Sam, you told me that he didn't like coffee." I moved beside Nate and glanced up at him. I was close to being consumed by the passion between us, and it wasn't dying down, but getting hotter and hotter.

"It was all part of the gig." Nate reached over and tapped my nose. "God, you're beautiful. Did I tell you today how gorgeous you are?"

"Hush." I looked over at Sam. "So he does like coffee?"

"What? No. He hates the stuff." Sam chuckled and picked up a cup. "Coffee?"

"Black, please. No cream or sugar." Nate glanced over at me and winked. "You can't know all my secrets, baby girl."

"Brother." I rolled my eyes and walked back out to the center of the restaurant to clean up a few more tables.

Nate moved up behind me and wrapped me in a tight hug. "Not everything is conscious. Some things have to be planned out to work right."

"Like us?" I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"No, we were destined to be together no matter what." He leaned down and brushed his lips by mine. “We’re going to have to figure a few things out, Jenna.”

“Like?” I almost enjoyed how serious he looked.

“Like which one of us is going to kill your boyfriend Thomas.”

I snorted and bumped my hips against his. “Stop it. He’s just a friend.”

“He doesn’t know that.”

“I’ll take care of it. Something tells me that I’ll handle it much better than you will.”

His eyebrows lifted. “From what Erik tells me, you’re pretty damn scary.”

“I can be.” I shrugged. “Since when did you start listening to Erik?”

“Good point.” He licked the side of his mouth and leaned in to brush his nose by mine. “Tell Thomas you belong to me. I don’t want to break his neck over a misunderstanding.”

“Alright.” I glanced down, trying to think through how the hell I was going to fulfill my part of the bargain with Erik. I promised him that I would destroy the records on my father’s computer for him for helping me out. I couldn’t go back on that promise.

“What are you thinking?” Nate’s voice was soft, drawing.

I glanced back up. “I have to put a virus in my father’s computer. It was part of the deal I made with Erik.” I let out a soft sigh. “I just don’t want my dad to go through any more shit, but it’s not like I can turn my back on Erik. He’d likely put a knife in it.”

“I’m not too sure about that, but I’d just do it. They’ll have backups and your dad will deal with it. Just be careful.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “You don’t need to get caught. That would be some shit, right?”

“Yeah. You do it for me.” I smiled, hoping to get him to take my dirty deed.

“No way. You need to know something, baby.”

“Tell me.” I pressed my chest against his.

“I promised Erik a long time ago that I would help him when the day came when he would need my help.” He searched my face, but for what, I was unsure.

“And? Is that day here?” I reached up and cupped the side of his face, trying hard not to swoon over him.

“Yeah. I don’t get to be a good guy anytime soon.” He pressed against my palm and closed his eyes for a second before turning to kiss my palm. “You gonna be alright loving a bad boy forever?”

“Do I have a choice?” I pulled him down for a series of kisses, each growing hotter than the last. Still so many unanswered questions, but I forced my thoughts away. There was a lot I didn’t know, but it was better that way. Ashely died for what she did to my brother and the rest was the past. I didn’t want to crack open another door. It might mean losing the only person I could see myself with forever.

It wasn’t perfect, and it didn’t mean I wouldn’t wonder, but whatever Nate had done in the past… it had to stay there. I just prayed my dirty deeds would stayed buried too.

"Nope, you don’t. Let's go make out in the park. Tell Sam you're not feeling good." He brushed his hand down the back of my head. “Let’s stop being so fucking serious. Life’s been jacked up enough lately. We’ll take things day by day and what happens, happens.”

He was right.

"I can hear you guys. I'm right here. Jeez." Sam scoffed.

I leaned closer to Nate. "By make out, you mean fuck?"

"You know I do." He growled softly and leaned in for a long kiss. "It's been awhile since I've made you uncomfortable."

"It was this morning when you wanted to fuck on the bathroom sink." I lifted my eyebrow.

"Really? You took it in the ass like a champ."

"I hate you sometimes."

"Naw... You love me more than should be legal. Deny it."

"Never." I lifted to my toes and let my thoughts dive back into my morning of letting Nate explore parts of me I wouldn’t have let anyone near before. He knew where to touch me, what to say to open me up wide and leave me begging for more when I once would have denied him access.

"You're thinking about it, aren't you? Me driving into your sweet, tight ass." He smiled and licked at my mouth.

"Of course I am, you bastard."

"Your bastard, princess." He leaned in for another kiss, stealing my breath, much like he stole my heart. “Yours… forever.”