Chapters (89)
- Dedication
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
- ONE
- HENRY
- TWO
- EMMA
- THREE
- HENRY
- FOUR
- EMMA
- FIVE
- EMMA
- SIX
- SEVEN
- HENRY
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- HENRY
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- EMMA
- THIRTEEN
- HENRY
- FOURTEEN
- HENRY
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- EMMA
- SEVENTEEN
- HENRY
- EIGHTEEN
- HENRY
- NINETEEN
- HENRY
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- EMMA
- TWENTY-TWO
- EMMA
- TWENTY-THREE
- HENRY
- TWENTY-FOUR
- EMMA
- TWENTY-FIVE
- EMMA
- TWENTY-SIX
- EMMA
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- HENRY
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- EMMA
- TWENTY-NINE
- HENRY
- THIRTY
- HENRY
- THIRTY-ONE
- HENRY
- THIRTY-TWO
- EMMA
- THIRTY-THREE
- HENRY
- THIRTY-FOUR
- EMMA
- THIRTY-FIVE
- EMMA
- THIRTY-SIX
- HENRY
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- EMMA
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- HENRY
- THIRTY-NINE
- HENRY
- FORTY
- EMMA
- FORTY-ONE
- HENRY
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- EMMA
- FORTY-FOUR
- EMMA
- FORTY-FIVE
- HENRY
- EPILOGUE
- ALSO BY CHELSEA CURTO
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PW: What do you mean, J? Those are words every woman wants to hear.
HD: You aren’t helping. I’ll text you guys after.
Slipping my phone away, I sidestep a baby carriage, grinning as I approach Emma outside Beans and Brews. She hasn’t noticed me yet, and I take five seconds to stare at her. Her head is turned toward the sun, a content smile on her face. Bronzed arms are on display, courtesy of our beach trip last weekend. Her golden hair glows in the light, a beacon that literally draws me closer, feet scurrying across the pavement.
“You’re late,” she says, bringing her chin down and smiling at me. There’s humor behind the chastising, and I’m glad I didn’t make her wait too long.
“Sorry,” I apologize, hugging her. “Meeting ran long. Hi, Sunflower. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” With a peck to my cheek, she tangles our fingers together, giving my palm a squeeze. “Where’s this new restaurant you wanted to try?”
There isn’t a restaurant I want to try. It was a lie I fed her to get her out of the office for more than three minutes.
“I’ll show you.” Leading the way, I hustle her onto the busy sidewalk, merging into the pedestrian traffic. “We need to hurry.”
“I don’t understand why we’re in such a rush and you’re acting so secretive. Are we meeting someone?”
I stop in front of a building, reaching our destination. “You trust me, right?”
“Of course,” she answers immediately.
The last two years have been blissful and nothing short of perfect. Other couples tell us the honeymoon phase should be ending soon, and we’ll start to grow sick of each other, yet Emma and I are as strong as ever. In fact, our relationship is stronger now than it has been in 24 months. Even with our contrasting personalities and lifestyle enjoyments, we’ve blended our lives together seamlessly. We work very hard to keep each other happy, but it’s never felt like a chore or burden.
Our social calendar is always busy, spending frequent nights out with friends. She gets along great with the guys, and, more importantly, their other halves. The women hang out more than we do, having formed a quick bond they continue to develop with frequent bookstore trips, hikes, and visits to new donut shops and cafes with delicious pastries.