“Jared, I swear to God, I will flay you alive if you don’t bring me my coffee in the next five minutes!” I exploded over the phone. My stress levels were at their peak ever since I returned to work and even with reduced hours (fifty-eight instead of eighty hours a week), I was still struggling to juggle it all. It didn’t help that my boyfriend’s surprise birthday party was happening tonight at Mahoney’s West and there was a good chance I’d be late for it. If I missed it altogether, the guys would be furious. They’d closed down Mahoney’s West on a Friday night, so they could decorate and pull this off without a hitch. They wouldn’t even take my money, either. I owed them, big time.

Jared came in with my macchiato and a severely apologetic look on his face. “I’m so sorry, Rose, there was awful traffic and I—”

But I wasn’t listening to a word my assistant said, because my attention was focused on the man standing behind him.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, standing and pushing away from my desk. “Thought you were working today? The Patterson’s birthday party?”

Theo produced a huge bouquet of roses from behind his back. “Didn’t feel like working on my birthday, so I cancelled last week.” He flashed me his pearly whites.

“What are you doing here? I don’t get off work till five.”

“Feel like ditching early? It is my birthday,” Theo coaxed, holding out the bouquet, as if that could buy a yes from me.

I took the roses and held them to my nose, inhaling their sweet fragrance. “It’s your birthday, not mine. But I appreciate these. Thanks.” I handed the flowers to Jared. “Can you put these in a vase…please?” I added the please as an afterthought, so I didn’t seem like a total bitch in front of my boyfriend. I wasn’t usually this demanding, but stress had a way of turning me into a bit of a cunt. Okay, a lot of a cunt.

Once Jared was out of earshot, Theo said, “You overwork that poor boy. He deserves a raise, now that you’re executive producer.” Then, he leaned in and French-kissed the shit out of me.

Once I caught my breath and straightened my blazer, I replied, “Just because I got a promotion doesn’t mean my assistant deserves more money. I swear, that boy is so clueless sometimes. Drives me crazy.”

“Relax, babe. Remember what your therapist told you? Deep breaths.”

“I know, I know, I’m working on it,” I said. “It’s just…new position, a lot of new responsibilities and—”

“Hey. Hey,” Theo said, pulling me up against his chest. He took my lips and bent me over, giving me another kiss that stole my breath away. I would never get tired of his sultry kisses. “I’m the birthday boy, and I say you play hooky and come out with me. We’ll paint the town red.”

I glanced at my watch. “It’s eleven in the morning, Theo. I just got here two hours ago.”

“I only bought parking for fifteen minutes. That was seven minutes ago,” Theo said, looking at his watch. “Come on, let’s go.”

“I didn’t say yes.”

“But you didn’t say no either.”

“No.”

“You’re just saying that because I challenged you.”

“I’m already behind—Sorry babe. If I want to come to your—I mean, I’m going to see you later, after work,” I said, trying to keep Theo’s roving hands off my ass.

He pinched my ass cheeks. “I already know about the party. Beckett let it slip two days ago.”

“Shit. Beck cannot keep a secret. Always goes and ruins everything.”

“If it helps, I’ll pretend I don’t know. I’m pretty good at acting when I want to be.”

“No, no, I don’t want you to fake anything.”

“But before the party, I want to take you out.”

“Just for lunch. Then I have to be back by 12:30.”

Theo considered it for a moment, then nodded. “Sure. Let’s go then.”

Once we got into Theo’s car, I asked, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” Theo said ambiguously.

“Gimme a hint?”

“Nope, no hint. It’s a surprise.”

After a fifteen-minute drive, he pulled up to a one-story bungalow in Westbridge. The exterior had seen better days, and the stucco was in rough shape. A small brown awning covered the front stoop.

“Who—are we visiting someone?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Who?” Theo didn’t know anyone in Northbridge really, outside our group of friends and a few clients who booked him for the odd gig here and there.

Theo didn’t say more. He opened the car door for me and we walked up to the house, hand in hand. The front door opened for us before we even reached the last step. An older man with a head full of wavy brown hair flecked with gray and a sweater vest greeted us. He wore ratty gray slippers and what looked like rayon pajama pants.

“Is this Rose?” the man asked, sizing me up.

“Yup, this is her,” Theo confirmed.

“Pleasure to meet you,” the man said, offering a callused, rough hand. “Name’s Will.”

I shook Will’s hand, still confused as ever. “Nice to meet you too, Will,” I said reluctantly. Theo and I had been dating for six months and he’d never mentioned a Will before. The older man looked harmless enough, like a grandfather figure.

“Come in, please. Would you like some coffee or tea?” Will asked.

“Coffee would be nice, thanks,” I said. I followed Theo to a cracked leather chesterfield in the living room. Will’s house was cluttered, but in an organized way. It was filled with all sorts of sports memorabilia, old newspapers, and magazines as well as some action figures, but everything had its own niche. Will disappeared into the kitchen and reappeared minutes later with a piping hot mug of instant coffee. It tasted like crap, but I didn’t complain. I blew on the drink to cool it down before taking a tentative sip. As I set the mug down, I realized it read, ‘I <3 Farts’ across the front.

“My granddaughter gave me that last Christmas,” Will explained. “We like to exchange gag gifts around the holidays.”

“Ah, I see. So, mind telling me what’s going on?” I asked, adjusting my position on the couch.

“She doesn’t know?” Will asked, glancing at Theo and waggling his bushy eyebrows.

“Nope. I wanted us to tell her together,” Theo said. He turned to me, interlocked his fingers and said, “Rose, Will is my sponsor. I’ve been going to a gambling rehab center downtown. Completed the two-month program, and now I’ve been clean for six months.”

I sagged into the couch, floored by Theo’s announcement. “Wow, Theo. You didn’t tell me…”

“I wanted to surprise you,” Theo said. “Well?”

Will nodded. “He’s been doing very well, and hasn’t relapsed. You should be very proud. I know I am.”

“I am,” I nodded fervently. “I am so proud of you, baby.” I lunged at Theo and squeezed him tight. “I can’t believe you waited all this time to tell me, though.”

“That’s not everything,” Will added. “Theo, why don’t you tell Rose about your P.I.F. project?”

My eyes lit up like a thousand watts. “Your project?”

Theo nodded. “I wanted to wait at least six months before I started it. To make sure I was strong enough to commit to the project and see it through.”

“What is it?” Butterflies swarmed in my chest, threatening to fly out of my mouth.

“I’m planning to become a sponsor myself.” Theo beamed. “I met this kid, he’s only eighteen, and I see a lot of my old self in him. Lived below the poverty level his whole life and got sucked into gambling when he was sixteen. He went through the month-long rehab program and he’s looking for a sponsor now. I want to help him the way Will has helped me.”

“Wow, are you sure, Theo? That’s a huge responsibility,” I said. Especially for someone like Theo, who’s been on his own for so long. Who’s never been responsible for anyone but himself all his life.

Theo nodded. “I’ve given it a lot of thought. All my life I’ve been selfish and scared of commitment. Till I met you, Rose. Now I’ve changed for the better, and I want to help someone else do that too.”

“I’m so proud of you,” I reaffirmed, kissing Theo on the cheek. “This is so amazing, Theo.”

Theo swallowed hard, eyes watery. “You helped me take the first step, baby. All I did was follow through and stay on the straight path.”

I nodded, trying to hold back tears myself. “This deserves a celebration.”

“It’s your birthday today, isn’t it?” Will said. “I’ve got something for you.” He dug into his pocket and fished out a keychain with a dented, scratched-up medallion attached to it. “My mentor gave this to me when I turned eighteen. I want you to have it. It’s not much, but it has a lot of history behind it. I hope it gives you strength.”

Theo palmed the silver keychain and nodded. “I came to you looking for help, Will, but found a lifelong friend instead. Thank you. Seriously.”

“Anytime, Theo. Now go and have fun. Celebrate with your girl.”

We nodded and stood up. After we said our farewells to Will, Theo drove me back to work. But once we were parked outside, my gut grumbled loudly, and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day. Only a few sips of macchiato sloshed in my roiling stomach. I looked up at the stormy gray building where I worked and figured I could play hooky for the day. And if it all went to shit tomorrow, I’d fix it, like I always did. I was great at my job, and I finally received the recognition I deserved. I had a lot more power and control now, and with that came some liberties, too. During my suspension, Grayson had done a crappy job replacing me. Despite his qualifications and experience, his repeated blunders worked in my favor. When I returned to work, I finally got the validation and recognition I deserved. It was about damn time, too.

“Let’s go for lunch, babe.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be back by 12:30?” Theo asked.

I gave him a wink. “I think they can do without me for the day. Besides, we have a lot to celebrate.”

“In that case, let’s go back to your place, fuck like bunnies, order takeout, eat, then fuck some more.”

“Sounds like a hell of a lot of fucking.”

“Your favorite activity,” Theo said with a wink.

“Our favorite activity,” I corrected.

* * *

That night, after three back-to-back afternoon sessions of mind-blowing sex, we drove together to Mahoney’s West, where all our friends waited for us. Even though we weren’t surprised when they jumped up and yelled, ‘SURPRISE!’, we still laughed and gasped. Everyone brought their kids, and we all looked like one big family celebrating in a bar that’d seen more than its fair share over the years. When Mahoney’s West first opened, Kieran was still an ex-con fresh out of prison. His brother took a chance on him, and that chance changed his life. Kieran paid it forward by helping Ryder put his shattered life back together. Then the two of them gave Beckett a hand when he was at his lowest and struggling. Finally, they all came together to save me and offered Theo a chance to join the fold. Together, the eight of us would be friends forever. We’d grown together, laughed together, and cried together. Weathered unimaginable storms, and came out on the other side safe, alive and, most importantly, happy.

Despite the hardships Theo experienced in the past, or perhaps because of them, my boyfriend was now a stronger man, and better for it. While I was suspended from work, I realized there was much more to life than just a career. Theo and I began dating and despite a few initial bumps, we began to grow together. He still nagged me about my workaholism, and I still nagged him about leaving his dirty underwear on my floor. But most importantly, we loved each other and because of that, we settled our differences and made love, not war.

I looked at my friends and thought about all the times during our early twenties when we’d lament over boys who’d broken our hearts. Now they were all married with kids and couldn’t be happier. Then, I looked at the birthday boy drinking beer beside me and in him, I could see my future, too. Maybe we’d never get married or have kids like the rest of my friends, but I didn’t need any of that to be happy. I just needed a man who echoed the desires in my own heart. One who not only encouraged me to aspire to greatness, but also kept me grounded at the same time. A flawed man with unlimited potential. A magician both in and out of bed. One who set my heart on fire with every kiss and made me see stars every time I climaxed. Yes, Theo had a tragic past and may have been a rogue, but he was my badboy rogue. One who had a promising future with me.

“I love you,” I murmured, nuzzling Theo’s neck. “And I couldn’t be more proud of what you’ve accomplished over the past six months.”

“I’m just getting started,” Theo reassured me. “I have plans to expand my business and I’ve actually started saving a portion of each pay check. I’m going to invest that money and watch it grow. One day we’ll have a big house in the suburbs, maybe a couple dogs too, running around. And maybe, if you’re up for it…a kiddo or two. What do you think?”

I kissed Theo on the cheek. “With you, baby, anything is possible.”

Theo leaned over, trailing kisses along my neck. “I suppose I am a magician, aren’t I?”

“The Great Thelonious,” I said.

“I’m the luckiest man alive, aren’t I?” Theo murmured against my ear.

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Think I’m lucky enough to get a yes?”

“A yes for what?”

“A yes to my question.”

It suddenly dawned on me that he was popping the big question. Holy crap, I wasn’t prepared for this. I wasn’t even dressed for this. My blazer had a ketchup stain on it! I held up my hands and began to shake my head.

But Theo took my hands into his own and said, “Relax, Rose, I was just going to ask if you wanted another beer.”

“Oh,” I said, exhaling. “Yeah, sure. That’d be great.” Heat flushed through my body. I couldn’t believe I thought he was proposing! We’d only been dating for six months. Of course, he wouldn’t rush into something like that.

Theo came back with beers for each of us. “To the greatest girlfriend in the world.”

I took the beer and clinked it against his. “Cheers.” As I took a pull of the Budweiser, I noticed something on the bottleneck. I set down the bottle and turned the metal ring around. Attached to the other side was a key.

“Move in with me?” Theo asked, putting down his beer. “I found us a new place. With a view. I promise, you’ll love it.”

I leaned back and stretched. “You’re just full of surprises today, aren’t you?”

Theo grinned. “Is that a yes?”

“I dunno…” I said, pretending to consider his offer.

“Oh, stop teasing the poor boy,” Cally said.

“Don’t leave him hanging,” Sisi added. “It’s his birthday, Rose.”

“Okay, okay, since everyone is here, how could I say no?” I laughed and removed the keyring. “When can I start packing?”

“We move in next Friday,” Theo said. “I’ll help you pack tonight if you want.”

“You just want an excuse to sleep over,” I said.

Theo winked. “Maybe.”

“Happy birthday, babe,” I said, giving him a kiss. “And you can definitely sleep over. I can’t wait to start the next chapter of our lives together.”

Theo peppered my cheeks with kisses. “Love you too.” Then, in a lower voice he added, “Not sure how much sleeping we’ll be doing tonight, though.”