A better Saturday I honestly couldn’t say I’d ever had. Other than the insanity of Ava’s pickup, that was. That little girl could put on quite a show and so could her mother. Harper dealt with both of their temper tantrums like a pro. I couldn’t say I’ve had that same kind of self-preservation.

My ex-wife knew what buttons to push, and she did. Frequently. It was difficult for me to let shit go, but I had to think of what was best for Ava. So, quite often, that meant I had to eat my words in order to keep what little peace we had.

After the ruckus left, my day with Harper was perfect. She let me back into that hot little body of hers, and then we ate and watched one of my favorite movies. I had to kiss the tears from her cheeks at the end when she said, “I’m not crying. It’s my allergies.” Fuck, she was adorable.

Then I kissed her in other places that made her moan and scream my name. A few times. That was fun, too. But the best part of the day was just having her around. Her smart mouth always caught me off guard and made me laugh.

The only bad part was when I had to leave for work. I’d canceled some shit I was supposed to do so I could finally spend time with Harper, but I couldn’t bail on the nightshift as well. I held her hand as I walked her to the car. “Thanks for today,” she said and leaned into me. Looking down at her, I smiled.

“Best day I’ve had in a long fucking time,” I said as I pulled her in for a long, deep kiss. The earliest I’d see her again would be tomorrow, and I already ached for her.

She kissed me back and then asked, “What time are you off?”

I sighed at the look on her face. She felt it, too. Whatever this was between us. Not wanting to be away from the other. It was sweet, and there was no way to describe how happy I was that she finally forgave me. The dumbass move I made almost cost me the woman I loved. Holding back information seemed like a good idea at the time, but it was really just an excuse. My fear of losing her turned into reality anyway.

“I’m guessing midnight at the earliest?” I told her as I brushed the hair back from her face. My hands ran down her arms, wanting to soak in our last minutes together.

“You want to come over after?” she asked. The grin I sported must have pleased her because she smiled right back.

“I always want to come over. It’ll be late, though. Are you sure you haven’t had enough of me?”

She giggled and got up on her tiptoes. “Not even close.” Her lips found mine and again showed me how much more she wanted.

“We should probably stop before I shove you in the back seat of your car and have my way with you,” I said, grabbing her even closer.

“Hmm, that sounds nice,” she whispered against my lips, and that had me cracking right up.

“Trust me, there’s nothing else I’d rather do, but I’ll have a mutiny on my hands if I don’t show up at the restaurant tonight. I’ve still got your key. You want me to call before I come? Or just walk in?” I tipped her chin up so I could see her beautiful face one more time before I left.

“Just walk in,” she said, making my evening, too.

I watched her drive away, savoring the feeling in my chest. We hadn’t discussed her jerk of an ex-husband yet. And that was one thing I wasn’t looking forward to.

When I got to work, my usual warm welcome evaded me. “Chef, a moment?” my sous chef, Louis, asked, looking pissed. I couldn’t blame the guy. He’d been covering for me the last two days while I had the boys and then while I had Harper.

My eyes cased the room, and I had a bunch of quick looks and furtive glances. Yeah, they were all ticked off. Shit. I nodded and led him to my office. He shut the door behind him and sat down, exhaling loudly. “We get that you had to help your friend out. But man, two days? You know how much we need you down here. And especially this afternoon, you said you’d make it down to help but didn’t show up.” He looked at me with a blank expression. “The staff is mad. And not just because you’ve been impossible to deal with the last few weeks since… Well, anyway, when Gerry dropped off your order last night, the doorman said he’d make sure you and your lady friend got it.” His hands gripped the edges of the arms of the chair and tightened.

“We get that you need your time to yourself, but it was a fucking madhouse here last night, and to know that you were off doing whatever. That just stings.” The red had crept up his neck, and now his entire face was a light shade of fuck right off and die.

I sat back in my chair, assessing the situation. Fingers steepled, I said, “First off, thank you for covering my ass and doing a damn good job at it. I knew I hired the right guy for this job, but you just confirmed it. I like that. Secondly, thank you for telling me what the mood of the staff is. I respect you for addressing issues before they become unmanageable. Thirdly, I was looking after my friend’s twins and my own child, and Harper and I somehow got back together during that chaos. And there was chaos, my friend.” I smiled up at Louis.

His body relaxed and hit the back of the chair. “You got back with Harper? With three kids around? Man, you are good. You need to write the rest of us a manual or something,” he said and laughed hysterically and slapped his knee. “I’m happy for you. Good for you. After what you’ve been through, you deserve a good woman like that, with legs like that.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

“Thanks. I’ll go talk to the staff about…” I started, but didn’t finish. Louis was shaking his head vehemently.

“Nah, I’ll handle it. And, no offense, but everyone’s going to be fucking thrilled you won’t be walking around here like somebody stole your ice cream anymore.”

My passion was my work, and my work was my passion. I’d chalk it up to luck, but that’d be a lie. Everything I had, I worked tirelessly for. Work, school, work, school, there was no such thing as a break when you were responsible for your own education. One thing I had to be grateful for was my focus and drive. That likely came from my father’s side. He wouldn’t take any credit for what I accomplished, though. Mainly because he didn’t think I had accomplished anything.

As I drove to Harper’s place for the first time in three long weeks, the biggest, stupidest smile crossed my face. Anyone passing me would have thought I was insane. Luckily, not many people were out at two o’clock in the morning. The streets were dark, but quiet. Over the years, I came to love this time of the night. The blackness, the quiet, everything seemed so peaceful.

I pulled into Harper’s complex and ascended the stairs as quietly as I could. Key out, I entered her place and grinned. She always left the table lamp on for me, and there it was, welcoming me home. As I walked, I dropped my clothes haphazardly on the way to the shower. Fuck, I was tired.

A quick shower and towel off later, I breezed into Harper’s room, inhaling the lingering scent of her perfume. She was on her side, facing away from me when I got into bed beside her. Her beautiful lips mumbled something, but all I said was, “Shh,” before I settled behind her, forming my tired body to hers. Home. That’s the only word that popped into my head as I held my woman close and we both fell into a deep sleep.