The second part of my day had been full of meetings, suspenses, and the never-ending pile of emails that were in my inbox. So, I was a little later than I’d planned when I strolled into the house with takeout.

“Hey, guys, I’ll get you in a minute,” I said to my excited dogs, who were jumping at my feet, trying to get my attention.

I dropped the food on the counter, then ran up the stairs, unbuttoning clothing as I moved. The dogs were trailing behind me, but as I was pulling off my slacks, I saw their ears perk up before they took off back down the stairs and started barking at the front door.

“Shit,” I muttered, trying not to fall over as I hopped on one leg, trying to get my socks off.

I pulled on a pair of shorts and was just pulling a T-shirt over my head, when I heard the knock on the door.

“Coming!” I yelled as I barreled down the stairs, jumping off at the bottom and rushing to the door.

“Stay,” I told the dogs, then threw the door open and said, “Hey.”

Laurel stood on the other side, looking fresh as the morning air and holding a pie in her hands.

“Hi,” she replied, then took in my heaving chest and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah… just got home… was getting changed,” I huffed.

Damn, looks like I need to get back in the gym.

“Please, come in,” I said, when it registered that we were still standing in the doorway.

I shifted to the side to let her by, commanding Copper and Penny to stay down, so they wouldn’t jump all over her. Once the door was shut, I turned back to her and did what I’d been wanting to do all day. I lowered my head and captured her lips

We moved backwards until Laurel’s back hit the wall, then I moved in closer, careful not to crush the pie she was still holding between us.

She made this sweet little purring sound at the back of her throat that drove me nuts, so I figured I’d better stop the kiss, or I’d be taking her against the wall within moments.

I pulled back slightly, brushing my thumb against her full lower lip as I smiled down at her.

“Hi,” I said again, softly.

Her lips turned up and she whispered, “Hi.”

“You hungry?” I asked, my body stiffening when her blue eyes darkened and she replied, “Oh, yes.”

I cleared my throat, found my will, and backed away.

“Then, let’s eat.”

I led Laurel into the kitchen, saying, “Is sweet and sour pork from China Garden still your favorite?”

“Oh my gosh, yes, I haven’t had China Garden in ages.”

“I got other stuff too, if that’s not what you want, but I always remember you devouring the sweet and sour whenever you were over for dinner.”

“I can’t believe you remember that,” Laurel said, placing the pie down on the counter and turning to give me a weird look.

“Of course I remember,” I said as I pulled out plates and began to open the various cartons of food. “You were as much a part of my childhood as my cousins. At every holiday, special occasion, and most dinners. There’s a lot I remember…”

When she winced, I knew she was thinking about the pranks and how often I used to yell that she and Jazzy were driving me nuts, so I moved to her and placed my hands on her biceps. And when her eyes met mine, I admitted, “Not all of it was bad, Laurel, I remember the good stuff too. That may not have always been the case, but when I think past the jokes and pranks, I remember that you were always there for me, and that I could always count on you to have my back.”

“You do?” she asked softly, her tone full of hope.

“Yeah, remember that time, sophomore year, when Taylor Thomas got pissed that I said no when she asked me to the Sadie Hawkins dance and wrote that crap about me on the wall in the girls’ bathroom? You were the one who took in paint the next day and painted over it.”

“You knew about that?” Laurel asked, her eyes widening.

I nodded.

“Jasmine told me. She also told me about the time you called Jessica out for spreading rumors about me, and when you gave Joshua Spencer a purple nurple for picking on Reardon in the fifth grade. She always made sure I knew you were one of us, even when I was railing on about how crazy you made me.”

“I didn’t know she did that…”

“You still make me crazy,” I admitted, getting closer and closer with each word. “Just in a different way.”

“Oh yeah?” Laurel asked, her arms coming up around my neck as I settled my hands at her hips.

“Definitely. Totally. Crazy.”

This time I kissed her softly. Taking my time to savor her lips as the kiss went deep and she melted against me.

When she pulled back, Laurel pit her lower lip, and said, “You know, I’m not really that hungry right now…”

“Yeah, I had a snack around four,” I said with a slow grin, then I swung her up into my arms and carried her toward the stairs, her laughter ringing out as I started to jog.