Now, the only thing that snuck into my thoughts was her. The girl I couldn’t have. Somehow, that just made me want her more.

Growling out a frustrated noise, I smacked my hand on the steering wheel and turned up the radio. It was ridiculous talkback radio, but it did its job of distracting me.

When I pulled into the garage at home, I took a moment to center myself. Grabbing my briefcase with a couple of business case studies I wanted to go over this week, I climbed from my car. I didn’t bother putting on my suit jacket again, instead just strolling into the house through the garage door.

And stopping dead.

Holy. Shit.

Nova had dressed up to go to dinner at Muss’s house. She looked… breathtaking. Her dark brown hair was curled lightly, hanging down her back in shiny, soft waves. She was wearing a sundress in a burnt orange color, making her golden skin look radiant. It had tiny buttons all the way down the front, hitting her mid-thigh, and I wanted to undo every single one of those buttons with my teeth.

I clenched my jaw as she turned in my direction and smiled so widely, I could barely breathe. “You’re home! Look how cute Huey is in his outfit,” she said excitedly, lifting Huey up. I couldn’t help but smile. He did look fucking cute in a little pair of dark shorts with attached suspenders, and a tiny bow tie that clipped onto his blue button-up.

Studiously not looking in Nova’s direction, I held my hands out. “Looking dapper, little guy,” I cooed, and he grinned at me, melting my heart again. He did it every single time. Kid was going to give me cavities, he was so damn sweet.

Nova grinned, her eyes trained on the baby too. Then she let out a little gasp. “Wait, wait!” She disappeared for a moment, returning with a tiny pair of socks shaped like black high-top Converse sneakers.

“Did you turn our son into a hipster?”

She froze. I froze. It had slipped out, but I refused to take it back. He was our kid. My son. Her son. River’s son. Maybe not by blood, but in every other way that counted. He would be raised with so many parental figures, he’d know nothing but love. I wanted him to know that this wasn’t some kind of game, that we truly wanted him. Her too—I wanted her to know that we wanted him. I didn’t want her to walk away in three months.

And not just because of Huey.

Nova cleared her throat. “Well, this is his first dinner party, I think. We went all out.”