Every morning, Josh made her breakfast. He cooked her dinner once a week; she loved cooking, and he didn’t, but it was the thought that counted. He set up a weekly flower delivery for her office, so every Monday as she shook off the faint melancholy that the weekend had ended, there was a fresh bouquet of flowers in her office, never with lilies, because they gave her a headache. The fact that he remembered that about her was as romantic as the flowers themselves.

He still worked a lot, often leaving bed while she slept. On the nights when she did something without him, he worked, and if she fell asleep watching a movie on a Sunday afternoon, she’d wake up to see him with his laptop, working on a design that would save humanity from whatever problem he had in his sights.

One night after they’d made love and lay tangled in the bed, heart rates returning to normal, she said, “Do you remember the first time we met? You told me I was too pretty and shallow. You could barely deign to look at me.”

He looked at her with a half smile. “I do remember.”

“Was I so bad?”

He shrugged. “You were so . . . different from me. So confident and popular and . . . socially graceful. But I think even then, I knew.”

“Knew what?”

“Knew you’d be trouble.” His hand grazed her ribs, tickling her.

Oh, God, she loved him. She loved them. His hermit days were over, thanks to her, and he learned to live more like a human and less like a feral raccoon. He emptied the trash before it was overflowing and tried (though failed) to wipe down the counters so they were spotless. He said he loved her daily, and he still blushed over the words sometimes. He made small talk with her mother and hugged Jen awkwardly when she came over. And when he looked at her with those dark-flame eyes, she felt him in every cell in her body.

Life, as they say, was perfect. Every day was so full, so peaceful, so bright with joy and warm with contentment. When she thought of the future, Lauren felt a palpable thrill zing through her blood. Babies. (They would be so cute! Maybe Josh would do that DNA test so they’d know his ethnic background on his paternal side a little more, since Steph claimed not to know.) They’d take vacations. Buy a house. Raise a family and grow old together.

More than anything, she loved thinking about that . . . the endless unfolding of days.