The next morning, Danielle managed to stay focused enough to get a draft of the cover she was working on ready to send to the author.

She held her breath as she emailed it. It had a completely different couple on it from what they agreed on. Danielle wasn’t sure what she was going to do if the author asked for the original couple. It was a good thing she hadn’t posted her picture on Facebook or the company website. She’d prefer that no one know that she was the girl on the cover.

She was watching the door more than she was watching her computer as she scrolled through a website looking at potential images to make a premade cover.

The minute he stepped off the elevator, she saw him. Her heart rate increased to dangerous levels, and she stared at her computer screen so he wouldn’t know she was watching for him.

He pulled off his sunglasses and grinned at her. Her heart melted. He hadn’t shaved today, so he had a bit of a shadow on his face. She wanted to run her hands along his cheeks to see what it felt like.

Instead of sitting across from her like he usually did, he walked up to her and kissed her right on the lips. “Hi,” he pulled a white rose from behind his back and handed it to her.

“Hi.” She gazed at him, unable to think. She sniffed the rose and held it next to her cheek.

“What are you working on?” Apparently, he didn’t have the same problem with his thought processes.

“Oh, I um… I finished the cover.”

“Can I see?”

She opened the file and pulled the cover up on her screen.

He studied it with a ridiculous grin on his face. “We look good,” he said. “And the cover is nicely done, too. I’m impressed.”

“Thanks. I just hope the author likes it. This one’s a little more personal.”

“So the author won’t know it’s you?”

“I hope not.”

“That’s probably good. Avery was right. We look like we need to get a room.”

Danielle laughed. She could see it, too. Then she gasped. “Oh no.”

“What is it?”

“My colleagues are going to see it.” She nodded toward her door leading to the other offices.

He seemed unconcerned. “They might want to hire us as models. It could open a whole new career for you.”

She patted her stomach. “I think not.”

“Right. Well, you won’t be pregnant forever.”

“Are you sure?” It seemed like it was all she could think about.

“Do you want the usual for lunch?”

“Do you mind terribly?”

He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Your heart’s desire is my command.”

Taking her hand, he led her through the lobby. It was empty, but it felt like a public announcement that they were seeing each other.

“Did I tell you my mom is coming in tomorrow?”

“You mentioned it,” Samuel held the elevator for her. “Did she say how long she’ll be staying?”

“Not yet.”

“How long does she usually stay?”

“I don’t know. She’s never visited.”

“Really? Never?”

“I lived at home until I moved here.”

“Ah.” He held the elevator door open when it stopped on the first floor.

“What about you? Where do you live?”

“Similar, I guess. My parents have what I guess you’d call a pool house behind their house. I live in it. It’s a little two-room place, but I have privacy. Until now, I was rarely home anyway.”

“Right. The whole taxi driver thing.”

He grinned and helped her into the truck. “You’re a fast learner.”

He walked around the truck and got in the driver’s seat. “So… do I get to meet her?”

“You want to meet my mom?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

She shrugged.

“Too soon?” He put on his blinker and made a U-turn to get into the Pappa’s parking lot.

Danielle laughed. “Maybe.”

“Are you going to tell her about the baby?”

“I told my dad, so, yeah, I need to get that over with, too.” She bit her lip as she said the words and looked down.

“Want me to be there with you?”

“She might get confused.”

“Really? I thought your mom was a successful business owner.”

Danielle laughed. “She is. Okay, I might get confused. Or distracted.”

He took her hand as they walked into the restaurant. The guy at the counter already knew what they were going to order.

It was crowded today, so they sat across from each other at a small booth for two.

He held out his hand, and she put hers in his.

“You haven’t told me anything about your dating history.” A shadow crossed his features and wiped away his smile. She immediately wished she could take back the words. “You don’t have to talk about it.”

“No. It’s okay. I’ll tell you. It’s just not a good story.”

“I’m not looking for a good story. I just want to know about you. After all, you kinda know about me.” He definitely knew what she’d done with her previous boyfriend.

Samuel smiled again. “You don’t have to tell me.” His expression growing serious, he took a deep breath and lifted his chin. “Six years ago I met a girl – Jessica. We started dating and got engaged after about two years. Right after that, she was deployed to Afghanistan. She actually did one tour, came home, and had just started her second when she was killed.”

Danielle gasped. “Oh no!”

“Yeah. That was two years ago. I haven’t dated anyone since.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

He shook his head. “There’s nothing to say. She was my only serious girlfriend. So… I don’t date. Until you.”

Danielle gazed into his eyes and squeezed his hand. This man who hadn’t put himself out there until her. It made it all the more special that he liked her.

“I’ve gone on lots of dates,” she told him, lowering her voice. “But I only slept with two. Scout’s honor.” She raised her hand and made the Vulcan “V” with her fingers.

He laughed, as was her intent.

“I’m not worried about your past. As far as I’m concerned, we’re starting with a clean slate.”

“I like that.”

Maybe it was time she began thinking of him as a boyfriend.