In Full Bloom (Second Chances 1)

“It’s way early yet, but I’m pretty sure.”

His sister smiled and said, “I really can’t wait to meet her, then.”

“Soon,” he promised. “And I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t blab to Mom.”

“My lips are sealed. She’ll be tenacious if she even suspects.”

“No kidding,” he said. “That’s why I asked.”

By the time he got home, his stomach was grumbling. It was almost six. He’d finally gotten out of his sister’s house, but it had taken an hour longer than he intended. Doug had come inside from mowing and they had gotten to talking about football.

When he walked through the door of his apartment, the first thing that hit him was the smell. There was a rich, earthy smell in the air that he couldn’t quite place. Taryn was in the kitchen chopping something.

She looked toward the door and smiled at him almost shyly. She gestured to the counter and said, “I hope you don’t mind. Your kitchen has a lot more space than mine.”

“Of course not,” he said. Walking over, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. He pressed his mouth to the side of her neck, then said, “This smells amazing.”

She tilted her neck, so he continued to press light kisses against her skin until she eased forward. She said, “We’ll never eat if we start that.”

“You’re right,” he said, reluctantly easing back. “I’m starved right now, too. Is there anything I can do to help?”

She resumed chopping some parsley and said, “Nope. Dinner should be ready in ten, I think.”

“Okay. Did you want wine with dinner?” he asked, moving to the rack in the dining room.

“I went to the store earlier and picked up a Riesling. I thought it would go nicely with the pasta. It’s already chilling,” she said as she dropped the pasta into boiling water.

“How long did you sleep?” he asked, curiously.

“Oh, only an hour or so,” she said. “I didn’t even mean to fall asleep.”

“You were out, baby,” he said as he moved to grab plates and wine glasses from the cabinet. “The phone rang, then I got out of bed and showered. You didn’t even budge.”

She laughed and said, “You wore me out.”

He grinned, albeit smugly, and said, “Oops.”

While she worked on dinner, he set the table. He moved a white pillar candle from the shelf and set it on the table, then lit it. He went downstairs and snagged a fresh lily from his stock and put it in a bud vase.

He walked back into the apartment as she was dumping the pasta into the strainer. He moved the flower to the table and then walked into the kitchen to grab the wine. He uncorked it and poured some into each glass.

By the time the table was set, she was rounding the half wall with a large bowl in her hand. He watched as her eyes softened. She took in the table and then moved to set the bowl down. She moved toward him and stretched up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.

“The table looks beautiful,” she said. “Thank you.”

She went back into the kitchen and grabbed the truffle and what he assumed was some sort of slicer off the counter top.

He waited until she’d sat down before he served them both some of the pasta. It had a creamy sauce on it, and it looked amazing. There were large chunks of the mushrooms that she’d purchased earlier in the day.

She reached across the table and started slicing pieces of truffle over his pasta. He sniffed the air and said, “Wow. That smells awesome.”

She grinned and said, “It tastes even better,” as she sliced the remaining portion of the truffle over her own. She looked at him expectantly.

She’d put some parsley in the pasta so it looked almost too good to eat. It looked like one of the plates you’d see in a magazine.

He speared a large hunk of mushroom, twirled some pasta onto his fork, and then scooted a piece of the truffle onto it. He took a bite and moaned, “Oh my god. This is so rich.”

She smiled at him and said, “Good, right?”