“And sign here.” Franklin, Randolph’s colleague in the Philadelphia office, pointed to the final tabbed ‘SIGN HERE’ flag in the stack of documents on his desk.

“You are now the proud sponsor of the budgets of about twelve organizations throughout Philadelphia and LA. Congrats.” He shook my hand, pumping it up and down. He was one of the good ones, and I was glad I’d sent Avery to him for the B&B deal.

“How did the meeting go with Avery?”

“You know I can’t talk about another client’s work with you.” His smile was still firmly in place. “Everything went well. It’s refreshing to work on things like that—no mergers, no acquisitions, just people building new things for themselves and their communities.”

“I’m glad it went well.”

“I’m supposed to have my trust meeting with my parents and Harold in a few weeks.”

The flash of displeasure on Franklin’s face made me laugh. “What? Not your favorite person?”

“Let’s just say we went to law school together and I’d sooner trust a pack of ravenous hyenas with a bag of raw meat than him with my money, but most clients are quite satisfied.” Flipping through the papers, he made sure everything was in order. “Good seeing you, Emmett. Randolph is always singing your praises at our partner meetings. It’s good to meet you in the flesh.”

“Good to finally meet you too. Once I turn twenty-five in two years, I’ll have full access to my trust. I’m starting to make plans for moving back to the East Coast, and it would be great to have someone else on my team I can count on for that. My friend Colm is also interested in giving more as well.”

“If you give me his information, I can have everything set up for him. Randolph and I can get everyone squared away.”

“Perfect.” I left Franklin’s office and stepped out onto the bustling Philadelphia street, thinking maybe I should sell the penthouse. I could start over somewhere new with Avery, no old memories haunting the place for me, maybe something with some more vibrancy or humanity, like the guys said. It hadn’t been until Avery and I had stepped over the threshold together that I’d seen my apartment through new eyes. It was as cold and impersonal as my parents’ house, something I’d sworn I wouldn’t be.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, Emmett. We heard you were at Stevenson & Decker today.”

“Yes, I was finishing up my foundation giving.”

“Always so nice of you,” Dad chimed in. “Anything else?”

“Hey, Dad, I didn’t know you were there. No, nothing else. Just finalizing everything and impoverishing myself until my birthday.” I laughed and looked both ways before crossing the street. Avery would have loved the look of my bank account right then. I’d finalized the paperwork to sign over my entire pro salary to charitable causes. The team was eating it up and would be running articles about it leading up to the new season: Do-gooder pro athlete plays entire season for only $1.

“We wanted to see you while you’re in the city. We’d love to see you and Avery.”

I considered that maybe I shouldn’t have told them we were coming back to Center City.

“That would be nice, Mom. I’m sure we could figure something out, but we’re going back down to the shore for the Fourth of July, so maybe after that.”

“Okay, we’ll see you soon.” My dad’s voice sounded tight.

I stared at the phone for a second while standing outside my building. The weirdness factor was off the charts with those two, but I had nothing to compare it to. Everyone else always groaned about how much their parents were on them to call every week, asking about who they were dating and such, so I decided to just chalk it up to standard parent stuff.

My smile widened with each step closer to my apartment. Since I’d stepped out the door after Avery left, this was the moment I’d looked forward to—coming back to her.

The smell hit me the second I stepped off the elevator. It was the same comforting, mouthwatering one that had wrapped me up so tightly in her back at the beach house and at my house in high school, like she knew the specific recipe to get me to fall so hard for her my knees sported bruises that could never be erased. If I hadn’t been on the hockey team back in high school, someone would have had to wheel me through the halls of Rittenhouse Prep in a wheelbarrow.

Opening the door, I was overtaken by the full force of her culinary experimentations. It was like a switch snapped and the outside world melted away. She was there and so beautiful, all covered in flour. I’d never get tired of being her taste tester.

Her excitement about trying out new recipes for Syd was infectious. I didn’t think there’d ever been anything in my life I was as enthusiastic about as she was about baking, other than her. When I sat on a stool in the kitchen, it felt like I’d always thought it would, like a kitchen was supposed to—like a house was supposed to. It wasn’t a museum or a monument to the perfect statement pieces to impress whoever stopped by, but a place where people lived, laughed, and loved—and ate.

Her eyes were wide like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. From the smell of it, she’d been baking enough to fill an entire warehouse of cookie jars.

I couldn’t keep my eyes off her and how the light dusting of flour made her look like an angel come to life. Her hair was held back by a gingham red and white bandana, her tank top was fitted, and the curve of her breasts called out to me from above the half-apron wrapped around her waist. She looked so much like she had before, and it almost hurt to see. A dull ache hit me right in the center of my chest, but I pushed it away.

I set down my bag and the papers from my visit to the lawyer’s office as she wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and brushed back some of the light brown wisps that had escaped her bandana. It was all too much, so sweet and unassuming, so real it made me question everything about myself and the life I was living.

I told her about my meeting with Franklin. The happiness I felt at her telling me how proud she was of me made every cent I gave even more worthwhile.

Lifting the spatula, I swirled it around the dark mixture in a nearby bowl.

“Is this icing?”

“Yeah. It’s triple chocolate. I was going to use it on the cupcakes.”

“I think I have a better idea.”

The glass bowl rumbled across the counter as I dragged it closer. Each scrape of glass on granite fanned the spark between us into something more.

“What kind of idea?” She wiped her hands on the towel and dropped it onto the counter.

“I think you’ll like this one.”

“Oh really?” Her lips curled up into a playful smile.

Dipping my finger into the bowl, I dragged the rich substance across my tongue. Its flavor was second to only one other. “It’s really good, but there’s one problem.”

She pressed her palms into the counter. “Too rich? Not enough sugar?”

I stared down into the icing, stirring it with the wooden spoon. Taking her hand, I slid mine to her wrist. Her pulse pounded against my fingers. I dipped one of hers into the icing and slowly drew it into my lips.

My cock thickened in my pants, and I cursed the distance between us. It tasted even better off her.

“So what’s wrong?” Her words came out choppy.

“I’m not inside you yet.” I stared into her eyes and they widened.

Quicker than she could react, I grabbed her around the waist and set her down on the counter beside the bowl. With one swift yank, her tank top came down, bra and all. Her breasts tumbled out at just the right height, and both toffee-colored nipples pebbled in the cool air.

She braced her hands on the edge of the counter, sucking in a sharp breath as I pressed myself between her spread legs. Taking the spoon out of the bowl, I ran it along her collarbone and trailed it down to her stiff peaks, giving myself a delicious trail to follow. I savored the flavor of her mouthwatering body right along with the chocolate treat I could have eaten all day.

Her fingers dug into my hair, her nails raking against my scalp. I kissed and sucked my way up her body to her neck. The sweet moans from her lips were music to my ears and I drank them down, swallowing each sound.

“I missed you.” I bit the base of her neck and she squeezed her thighs tight around me.

I was home.

Rolling over and watching her naked body disappear behind the bathroom door, I lay back in bed and stared up at the ceiling. Three minutes, that was all I needed. Three minutes to recover and I was back in there.

The patter of water came from behind the door. I would definitely join her in there. Throwing off the sheets, I swung my feet over the edge of the bed. My phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Randolph: Glad things went well with Franklin. Everything is finalized for the foundation. Letters are already rolling in from the grateful schools and organizations.

Me: Stop working and get back to your family!

I stood and spotted Avery’s bag in the chair beside the door. A legal folio poked out of the top, and I flipped through the pages, which had Avery’s name listed at the top. It was something she’d been preparing for since I’d known her, and pride swelled in my chest. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t do.

Fourth of July was only a few days away. The party had tapped out the last of my checking account, but I could live on credit for a few weeks until my birthday. That was how I’d handled things since I got money from my trust: plan out my giving and spend what I didn’t already have designated somewhere else. It made me feel less shitty about the hand I’d been dealt being born into my family.

Going back to my house in LA held less appeal by the second, but I couldn’t quit the team—Avery would murder me if I tried. I’d stick it out until my foundation commitment was up and then make a decision. Maybe I’d get traded to Philly in the meantime, become an investor in Bread & Butter and convince her to open a second location in LA so we could be closer all the time.

Mom: Arrangements made, we’ll be down this week!

I glanced at the gap in the shower door. Avery ran the loofah down her side, over the curve of her breast. My mouth watered.

Me: Sounds good, we’ll see you soon. I’ll add you to my visitor’s list at the front desk.

I dropped my phone and pushed through the door. Her humming filled the steamy room along with the steady drone of the water. Silently, I stepped into the open shower that flowed into the rest of the bathroom.

She jumped when I kissed her shoulder, my lips pressing against her wet skin. I nipped her before wrapping my arms around her waist.

“It’s official—I’m getting you a bell.” She laughed over her shoulder, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

“My parents are coming down here at some point.”

She went rigid in my arms.

“Relax, it will be fine. I know you’ve never been big on the whole meeting-the-parents thing, but it was bound to happen eventually. They’re trying to smother me with attention lately. It’s freaking me out.” I took the loofah from her and worked up a lather.

“Maybe we should go back down to the shore.” She peeked over her shoulder.

“As much as I’d like to avoid them, we’re going to have to face them eventually.”

“What do you mean?” She whirled around.

“They’re already talking about spending Thanksgiving and Christmas together.”

“Things are really different with them now, huh?”

“It’s so weird. I’ll be the first to admit I thought they were up to something, but then my dad told me about the heart attack and it made sense. I guess they’re finally seeing how much they fucked up.”

I ran the loofa down the front of her body and through the valley between her breasts.

“It’s way late, but it can’t hurt to let them try.”

Worry creased her eyebrows and she nibbled her bottom lip. Her gaze jumped from where I was lathering up her stomach to my eyes, the concerned expression quickly disappearing.

“I’m glad you’re finally getting a chance to have that time with your parents.”

“Don’t think you’re getting out of it that easily. You’re going to be right there beside me.” I backed her up against the shower wall.

“Just let me know when they’re coming so I can make sure everything is perfect for their visit.”

“With you here, it’s already perfect.” I kissed the tip of her nose.