After we stuffed our faces, I went upstairs and filled the tub for Dylan to take a bath. Upon reentering the kitchen, I found Luke washing pots and pans at the sink. Calla sat in her high chair next to him, banging toys on the tray and giggling as Luke narrated what he was doing in a silly pirate voice to entertain her.

This was a fantasy come to life. I ate a dinner I did not have to cook, someone else was cleaning my kitchen, and the cherry on top was the smoking-hot man who I loved so much entertaining my daughter and making her laugh. I watched his fine behind in his jeans, and the muscles bunching and un-bunching across his back as he scrubbed the pots and wondered if it could get any better. If I had the guts to invite him into my bed tonight, that might make it better. Were we in that place yet? As I stood there watching, my hope started blossoming out of control. We would be in that place soon, every minute spent with him made me more certain. I leaned a side against the frame of the entrance to the kitchen and closed my eyes. My heart burst with fierce longing.

He heard me sigh and turned around with a grin. “I’m all done. I’m going to go pick up Rocky from Jed and come back. Is that okay? I want to help tuck the kids into bed.”

I nodded at him. I was in another Luke love haze. This one was worse than when we’d turned twelve and I’d realized that boys were not yucky, especially Luke. He was the least yucky boy in all the land, and I’d wanted to kiss him. I wanted to kiss him now. I wanted to do a lot of things to him now. I sighed again as he gently lifted Calla from her high chair.

“Who’s a little princess?” he asked her. She slapped his cheeks and gave him a slobbery kiss on his chin. He laughed and crossed the four steps to get to me and handed her off. “Baby, I’ll be right back. Don’t start bedtime without me. I’ll have to take your car, mine is still at the office.” I nodded again. He smiled and leaned down to kiss my lips, then he took off. Calla sighed and watched him leave.

“Oh Calla, we’re in big trouble, aren’t we?” She blew out a raspberry, then put her hands on my cheeks and said, “Mama.”

“Let’s go check on Dylan.”

When Luke returned, I was curled up under Gram’s quilt on the couch nursing Calla, and Dylan was sitting on the floor playing Minecraft on the new Xbox One that Jude and Levi had bought and installed. Rocky made a beeline for Dylan and curled up next to his side.