When Jace pulled up to the center with his whole car full of apples and oranges, he wasn’t prepared for how the whole group of people surrounded him. The little kids with hunger in their eyes broke his heart.

He got the fruit out of his car and began handing it out. It took a little over an hour before all the people had been given fruit and began to disperse. As he looked into the eyes of the children and parents, he knew he really did have so much to be grateful for. He also knew this was his community and that he would be different. He was different because of her.

“Hey, Harding!”

He looked up from where he was standing and saw Addison, staring at him, standing next to the center’s doors.

Without thinking, he ran to her and pulled her into him, breathing in her coconutty scent.

“Hey.” She let out a light laugh. “What’s going on?”

When he let her down, he couldn’t help it this time, staring into her eyes and then at her lips. Maybe he wasn’t ready. Maybe she wasn’t ready.

Maybe this was all wrong, but all he could do was bend and meet her soft lips.

At first, she froze. He pulled her closer, loving the feel of her round tummy against him, the feel of her soft hair, and then the feel of her returning the kiss.

Pulling away for a second, he stared into her eyes. “I can’t help myself. I think … I think I’m falling in love with you.”

There were tears in her eyes, but she didn’t make excuses as she had last night.

Laura cleared her throat.

He let Addison go, but he found her hand and kept it inside of his own, where it belonged.

“Okay,” Addison said, her eyes wide. “Thank you, Jace.” She was already pulling him toward his car. “Bye, Laura. We have to move Jace’s car.”

When they got to the car, he helped her in, and everything inside of him felt clear. Like he was ready for that last touchdown to win the game.

Ready. Capable. Better than he’d felt in a long time.

Getting into the car, he took off, expertly weaving through all the one-way streets in Denver’s downtown and turning on the radio to distract himself. He wanted to talk about this with her, but he didn’t want to ruin it by explaining it away.

After getting onto the interstate, he let the car go. He knew he was speeding before she pointed out he was, so he didn’t say anything, only took her hand and slowed down a bit.

“Jace.”

“Shh,” he said, trying to focus on the road and not all the possibilities that had suddenly popped into his mind.

“We need to talk about this.”

“No,” he said, keeping her hand.

“Okay, so we’ll wait.”

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up to her house. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t even think about the bad things that had happened to him in this neighborhood. There was only her. The sun was just beginning to set, and the sky glowed orange and yellow and red. He turned to her. “The sky is so beautiful right now.”

Taking a long look, she nodded. “It is.”

Getting out, he opened the door for her and took her hand. He didn’t rush her to the house. Instead, he stared into her eyes. “You’re beautiful.”

She looked away and shook her head. “Jace, you were married to a supermodel.”

Gently, he reached out and touched her face with the back of his hand. “I think the best thing about your smile is the way it starts slow, tentative. Then, I know this sounds cliché, but it just lights up your whole face.”

She didn’t resist when he pulled her closer.

“You’re prettier than Stacy ever was. You make me feel different. Like I could change the world.” He felt himself choke up. “Like there’s so much good I could do. I want that. I’m so grateful for you.” Pulling back, he saw a tear trickled down her cheek.

She brushed it away. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you the past couple of weeks, but …”

He put his hand on her tummy. “I want this. I want to be part of this baby’s life. Your life. I want to cook for you.”

She laughed.

“I want to rub your feet even when your ankles aren’t swollen. I want you to want me.” He’d never felt so vulnerable.

She pulled his head down to hers, and they kissed. It was like sunshine and summer days and the perfect catch. Then she pulled away, looking pale.

“Crap,” he said, holding her hand and moving for her front door. “We have to get you something to eat and into bed.”

Squeezing his hand, she let out a laugh. “Jace.”

When he got to the door, her turned to her and smiled.

“I can’t believe this. For so long, I …”

He kissed her again. “I know—you just thought I was the hot jock across the street.”

She laughed.

Feeling so good, he pushed the door open then leaned down and picked her up.

“What?”

“Shh.” He carried her to her room and gently laid her down. “Let me take care of you, okay?”

She flushed but nodded. “Okay.”

Gently, he took her shoes off and tugged the blanket over her. “You sleep for a bit.” Walking out of the room, he knew that, while he had no idea what he was doing, it felt good.