Quincy ran his hand through his hair, still wet from the shower he and Roni had taken, and grabbed his shirt as he walked out of his bedroom. His heart thudded faster at the sight of Roni wearing one of his T-shirts, dancing bare-legged and beautiful in front of the counter, her wet hair swaying over her shoulders.

She bent over the counter to write in her choreography journal. She worked so hard to get things right for the kids. He wished he could convince her to get on that stage and show the world how incredible she was.

Maybe one day…

She wiggled her butt as she wrote, sparking memories of last Saturday night, when they had planned to make her grandmother’s pie and had ended up devouring each other in her kitchen instead.

He dropped his shirt on the couch and went to her, running his hands down her hips as he kissed her neck, knowing that drove her wild. She smelled fresh and sexy, like promises of sunny afternoons and loving nights, scents of a future he never thought he’d have—and now couldn’t imagine without her in it.

“Hey, beautiful. How’s your hip this morning?” They’d gotten a little wild last night. He tried not to be too rough, but sometimes they got carried away. Roni never complained, but sometimes after they’d made love, or after a long day of work, he’d catch her rubbing her hip. He almost always gave her a rubdown in the evenings, and one night he’d drawn her a hot bath. They’d soaked in it together, and that seemed to help ease her pain, too. Aside from making love with her, there was no greater pleasure than taking care of her, emotionally and physically.

“I think my body’s getting used to us,” she said. “I’m okay, but I could use a few more kisses right here.” She moved her hair over one shoulder, baring her neck for him.

He was falling hard for her beautiful mind and loving soul, but the areas that were scarred—her body and her confidence—held special places in his heart. He gave all of them extra love, letting her know how beautiful she was, inside and out, as often as he felt it, which probably made him sound like a broken record. But he didn’t care. He enjoyed lavishing her with loving truths. It had been hard for her to walk around without pants on in front of him at first, but last Tuesday night after they’d made love, they’d talked about it as openly and honestly as they talked about everything else. She was a little embarrassed, but by morning, when she’d woken up to him kissing the scars on her back, she’d understood that when he’d said he thought every inch of her was beautiful, he’d meant every word.

He kissed her jaw and said, “Nothing could have prepared me for how incredible it feels to wake up next to you.”

They’d just made love in the shower, and still his body thrummed with renewed desire. He usually had Sundays off and wished he hadn’t offered to fill in for another employee today. But he was getting off at three, and they were taking Kennedy and Lincoln on a date together.