They say when life comes at you with its pants down, you can either bend over or go home, and I chose the latter. When I showed up on my mother’s door with nothing more than my purse and my mascara down to my chin, I didn’t expect her to let me in with open arms, but she did. I didn’t expect her to draw me a bath or warm my PJs in the dryer and have them waiting for me when I got out, but she did that, too. And I didn’t expect her to give me time to sit in my old bedroom, cry into my pillow at what a mess I’ve made of my life for days on end, but she did that, too. But on Wednesday afternoon, exactly four days after my life imploded on me, she invites me down to the kitchen and makes us both a cup of steaming hot tea and pulls out those biscuits she knows I can’t resist that she seems to have a never-ending supply of. We take a seat at the wrought iron dainty breakfast table my father painted white about a million years ago. I can still see him in the yard with cardboard on the grass. My mother eschewed his desire to putter around the house. They could more than afford the help, but my father said hard work grounded him. Just the memory makes me wince. I had become intolerable even to myself.

“This is about a boy,” she says knowingly, waving her teacup, powder blue Wedgewood china. Nothing but the best for our impromptu tea party. Her dark hair frames her face, softening her features as her sky blue eyes glow over the rim of her teacup. My mother doesn’t take her gaze off me, and while I was growing up, she never did either.

“You always know, don’t you?” I give the round little cookie a quick dunk and burn the tips of my fingers.

“I was young, too, once, you know. Had my heart stomped on a time or two before meeting your father, and he’s not getting a free pass either. Before we were engaged, he said some hurtful things to me. I reacted much like you did before I decided it was time for him to come crawling back to me.”

A light laugh tickles me from the inside. “He did love you something fierce. Can I ask what he said that was so terrible?”

Her jaw tightens as she sets her gaze to the ceiling. “He accused me of being materialistic.” She shakes her head with disappointment. “I believe the word he used was shallow, but that’s what he meant. I was so concerned about the things he could give me. I needed a man who I could trust to build a future with me. My mother drilled it into my head that it was just as easy to marry a rich man as it was a poor man.” She points a freshly polished red fingernail my way. “You better believe it’s true.”

“Oh, I know it.” I tap her knee with my foot. “My own mother told me the same thing. She beat that into my skull every day with a diamond studded hammer.”

She chortles at the thought. “Hammer of love, dear. Hammer of love.” Carefully, she sets down the fine china in her hand. “Listen, I just wanted the best for you.” She reaches over and picks up my hand. “But a rich man can break your heart just as easy as a poor man. And I don’t want that to happen. Love is far more complex than any world currency. I’m afraid there is no shelter from a broken heart when you get down to it.” A heavy sigh expels from her. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for giving you such God-awful advice. Is it too late for an apology? Or have I ruined your sweet young life?”

“You’ve ruined it,” I say, placing my own teacup next to hers, and I get right down to brass tacks, telling her about my time abroad, missing Brody, loving Brody from afar once I came back. My horrible attitude toward him and The Pelican.

She waves it off. “Dear child, that’s a handful you’ve got there. But I agree with you on that last point. Why would you ever want to work in a bar when you have an MBA from a prestigious university?”

I open my mouth and close it. “To be truthful, I thought it was beneath me. It was a great job for Low, even Lex in all her madness—but me? I couldn’t pick up a rag and start mopping up countertops.” I hide my face in my robe a moment before coming back up for air. “Everyone was right about me. I’m a terrible person.”

“Nonsense.” She slaps my knee. “You are an amazing young woman. A strong young woman who understands what’s best for her. Levi can’t pay you what you’re worth. Why take a demotion in life when you could be earning high six figures and traveling the world? You’re young, with no attachments, no husband, no children. I think this is a prime opportunity for you.”

Anguish a mile wide rides through me, and my mother holds up a finger as if to stop me.

“But you’re a woman in love.” She tosses a hand in the air. “And love makes just about anything possible. Even working at a bar for minimum wage just to be near the boy you can’t seem to keep away from.” Her eyes connect with mine. “Brody Wolf.” A horrible moan works itself up her throat. “Ah, what the heck. He’s always been a sweet kid. He’s got that boyish face that will never grow old and thick head of hair I’m betting he’ll keep. Make sure he watches what he eats, and you could have a handsome young man on your hands for the next five decades if you’re lucky.”

A dull laugh bounces through me. “He is the best.” My voice grows threadbare. “But I’m afraid he’s done with me. I have the whole world convinced I’m a gold digger. And just a few short months ago, they probably would have been right.” I tell her all about Brody’s good fortune, and she about inhales all the oxygen out of the room.

“Well, I’ll say.” She taps a hand over the table like a gavel. “But you know what? They would be wrong. You’re no gold digger. You’ve been hanging around that bar trying to get his attention, and at the time he didn’t have two naked nickels to rub together. You remind him of that while you’re fighting for his heart.” She pulls me up by the hand and marches me in the direction of my old bedroom.

“Fight for him? Wait, isn’t he supposed to fight for me?”

“What do you think all of those phone calls of his you’ve been ignoring meant?”

“Well, I know, but—”

“But nothing.” She gives me a firm shove into my bathroom. “Get cleaned up and get yourself back down to that bar. I’m afraid you’ve overstayed your welcome.” She gives a sly wink. “Please make a mental note to your future self. You must not let your children linger too long or they will never build up the strength they need to fly.” She flicks her fingers at me while closing the door. “Now get. I want to hear water running.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I say as I lean against the door. I’m going to get Brody back. And I have my mother’s blessing to do it. But will Brody want anything to do with me? Life couldn’t be more bittersweet.

The Sloppy Pelican is popping on this cold as a witch’s nose evening. Growing up, Chip would always say the euphemism the right way, but I despised the word tit, still do. But, right now, I’d be thrilled if that was the only word in Brody Wolf’s lexicon so long as he spoke to me tenderly, spoke to me in general. I can’t stand the thought of having Brody upset with me—God forbid he’s pissed. In fact, I hate it when anyone is angry with me. It ties my stomach up in knots. And right about now, my stomach is a tangle of steel cables impossible to rectify even with the strongest of hands.

I head over to the bar and stop cold. There he is. Brody Wolf is yapping it up with Jessie Bo I-Beg-You-to-Peep-at-My-Underwear.

Holy hell. I growl at the sight of them. I cannot do this. I cannot beg Brody to kiss and make up while he’s kissing and making up with someone else. It’s humiliating! It’s debasing. Okay, so they’re not kissing, but her bright pink fingernails just tap-danced over his arm, and he laughed up a storm. As I see it I have two options. Run like hell. Or—take that empty seat to her left and take back what’s mine. In the least I can make them very, very uncomfortable.

My feet move in their direction, even though I haven’t quite made up my mind yet. This is going to be hell if I don’t nail the sarcasm, the anger, the outright cat claws that demand to come out.

I land in the seat next to the blonde strumpet with a bounce, and both Brody and she look over with their mouths open.

That perennially dirty summer blonde hair, those marbled yellow-green eyes, those full lips I miss with every ounce of my being, there he is—my Brody. It feels as if Brody and I have been together for a lifetime—most likely because I’ve known him that long. But tonight, with the bar lights surrounding him just right, the way the rambunctious music fills the air, the laughter and the general chatter from the clientele, Brody stands out like the only three-dimensional object in a flat sepia world.

Mojo speeds over and offers a genuinely happy-to-see-me smile. “Look who the cat dragged in. My favorite Raven. What can I get for you?”

Brody leans in with that heavy-as-my-heart stare, his golden eyes bearing hard into mine. “I got this one.”

“Apparently, you’ve got this one, too.” I glance to the busty Bo Peep shedding her blonde ambition all over the place.

Jess coos and giggles. “I guess that means it’s official!” She taps a finger over Brody’s arm. “You and I are official.” She bubbles with laughter, gyrating those double Ds so hard it’s an honest to God seismic event. “I’ve got a table in the back that needs my attention, but I’m off early. You up for some one-on-one time? I got a brand-new sofa delivered this morning. I’d love for you to break it in with me.”

She bats her lashes so fast my hair blows back from the breeze.

Brody offers a sorry smile her way, his affect growing weary. “Sorry, honey. I’ve got someone special in my life.” He pulls the rag off his shoulder and taps her hand with it. “And she’s sitting right next to you.”

She sucks in a quick breath, tilting her head in my direction. Her features go from stymied to happy for me. She bites down over her bottom lip and moans.

“I knew it. The way you hung out at this bar night after night, I knew you had your heart set on someone. And no, I didn’t think it was Mojo.” Her cheeks flush bright as a neon sign. “I played myself for a fool.” She gives Brody a pained side-eye. “I should probably quit and then hide under that new sofa of mine.”

“No, don’t do that.” I hear myself say and silently kick myself for it. “I mean, you have bills. And well, who could blame you for crushing on the Wolf Man? He’s tall, dark, and handsome. Not to mention naughty in all the right places. He’s practically every girl’s fantasy come to life. It’s not your fault he happens to be taken.” I bite down on a smile. “That would be mine.”

Jessie gives a nervous laugh as she hops up from her stool. “Well, I’m glad things worked out for someone.” She glances past Brody’s shoulder to the other end of the bar. “I guess this means Mojo is free.”

“He’s all yours, honey.” I don’t take my eyes off Brody. “This one belongs to me.”

Jess scuttles off, and it’s just Brody and me alone for the first time since our lives flipped upside down.

Every emotion known to man begs to bubble out of me. “How about you tell the boss you’d like the rest of the night off? Rumor has it, there is a lot of ass kissing you need to do to that girlfriend of yours. I hear she’s awfully high-maintenance. Has she driven you to drinking away all your profits yet?”

He pushes out a dry smile. “I don’t have a girlfriend.” His lips dig into his left cheek and sets off a comma-like dimple. “I have a wife.” He sheds that miraculous grin that makes me believe in unicorns and fire-breathing dragons. “I love that smile on your lips,” he hums out the words like a motor. “Are you thinking of me?”

“Actually, no, I was thinking about fire-breathing dragons.”

“Funny you should say that. I happen to have a fire-breathing dragon who’s anxious to see you.”

“Really?” I can’t help but laugh. “Because I have a hairless kitten who is often chilly and would love to snuggle up to your fire-breathing dragon.” I reach over and brush my finger over his arm in a slow figure eight. “How about you give that nasty boss of yours the finger and walk out the door right now with me? I hear the sunset at the lookout is an amazing sight to behold.”

“I happen to be that nasty boss.” He grimaces. “And before we go, I feel like I should apologize for being a nasty boyfriend.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend. I have a husband.”

“Yes.” It expires from him in less than a whisper. “You do.” He takes up my hand, and we walk to the door like a couple. No sooner do we get outside in the bitter chill than Brody wraps his arms around me. He cups my cheeks in his hands and looks tenderly at me, heartfelt, with tears glossing his eyes. “I’m sorry, Raven. I’m sorry that I ever even remotely thought you might be out for—”

“Don’t say it,” I whimper. “I couldn’t take hearing it from you. And I’m the one who needs to apologize. All of those months hanging out at the bar, thinking I was too good to work here? When I desperately needed the cash? I’m ashamed of my behavior. Who could blame you for wondering? And who could blame my brother for being so hideous?” I scowl at the thought of Levi. Him I’m still a little miffed at. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull this beautiful being in. Brody Wolf is so damn handsome he makes my entire body go pitter-patter. “I love you so much. I never meant to hurt you. There is no one on this planet I would rather be with. A world without you in it isn’t one I want a part of.” My chest bucks with emotion as I struggle to fight back tears.

Brody relaxes in my arms, his warm breath brushing soft against my face. “You know I could never stop loving you. And I have a confession to make. I’ve wanted you for as long as I can remember. I held every girl up to your standards, and that’s why I’ve been alone all these years. No one else could ever live up to you.”

A quivering breath escapes me, and just like that, the dam breaks and tears flood out of me faster than the icy wind can lick them away.

“I have a confession to make, too.” A rumble of laughter trembles through me. “I left my career to come back for you. I left everything just to give us a chance.”

“Raven.” He ticks his head back a notch as if I’ve gone too far. “You did that for me?”

“I did that for you—for us.”

His brows knot together, and I recognize that worried look. “I can’t have you throw your life away just for me. You worked hard to get where you were. I don’t want to take that away from you.”

I shake my head furiously into the bitter wind. “I swear, it’s not what I want. I thought it was. I thought advertising was my calling, but I hate it. I missed you and Hollow Brook so bad I would have given every inch of my hair to get it all back.”

He tips his head back and barks out a laugh. “Now I know you’re serious. Those tresses are one of the naughtiest things about you.” He grabs a handful and twists it around his wrist twice like a threat.

“I think I like where this is going.” I jump up on my tiptoes and take a gentle bite out of his bottom lip. “And I think I know where we’re not going. The overlook might be better suited for another day. I hear kittens and dragons like to play in dark, warm quarters, preferably on a soft surface.”

He offers a playful, sinister look. “I hear Jessie has a new sofa she needs broken in.”

I’m quick to swat him over the arm. “Say it again and the dragon is down one playmate.”

Brody wraps himself around me completely, covering me in the entirety of his warmth. “Maybe kittens and dragons are better suited for another day, too.” For a second I get lost in those deep, soulful eyes, but my hairless kitten is quick to snap me out of it.

“Hey!” I butt my nose to his. “I was promised a fire-breathing good time, and I’m collecting. You might be able to wiggle out of your debts with those vendors you use to supply the bar with, but not with your wife. I can assure you she is meaner than any fire-breathing dragon, demonic leprechaun, or haunted troll you have to offer.”

“Troll?” he mouths the word.

“Come at me, bro, and see what I bring with me.”

“I’m a bit terrified to find out. Why are we talking? My mouth has far better plans for yours.”

“Prove it.”

And he does. Brody lands a kiss to my lips, parting my mouth with his own as he swims inside me, warm, relaxed as if he were home, right where he belongs—and he is. Brody Wolf belongs right here with me, in me, warming my body with his.

We fly to Hollow Brook Hills, to his little perfect house with its white picket fence, and Brody picks me up as we cross the threshold as if I were a new bride, and in a lot of ways I feel like one. He rushes us to his bedroom, to his overgrown king-sized bed, and we utilize every square inch of it as our bodies leash together as one. Brody makes love to me with his whole body. He leaves no stone unturned in his unadulterated act of outright worship. This bedroom is transformed into holy ground as we unite in body and soul. Every move, every lick, touch, and feel exudes our love for one another. This is far more penetrating to the quick of who we are than anything we’ve had before. His every last kiss is far more intense, far darker, richer than those we’ve previously shared. We swim in the deep end of our love, our affection, our outright lust for one another all night long. And we do pull an all-nighter, a long morning, right up until a late afternoon when we collapse over one another like a dying star. Brody and I expend all of our affection and pour our love into one another right down to the marrow. It’s as if all of those years we spent pining, yearning, and aching for a subtle act of affection had detonated, and it almost took us right out with it—but it didn’t. We survived and here we are. We charge the sheets with our electricity. We spark a fire that rips through the proverbial walls of our love. Brody and I altered one another’s destinies forever. We seal our hearts together, melt them over one another like wax, leaving them inextricably intertwined, forever entangled. And that’s exactly what I want to be with Brody—forever inextricably intertwined, entangled in the very best way.

My lids flutter open, and I’m still dizzy from our love-fest while Brody lies peacefully sleeping.

“I love you, Brody Wolf,” I whisper. “Forever and always.”