Thirty-five and Single

She flushes again, and I know we aren’t getting any sleep tonight.

“Come on,” I say, determined to go forward with my plan.

We walk down the street, which is quiet on a Monday night. A couple of blocks down to M Street won’t be the same, full of college students, tourists, and anyone who enjoys nightlife. Instead, we walk a couple of blocks to P Street and stop in front of a renovated and restored historic home.

“This is amazing,” she says.

I pull up the listing on my phone and scroll to the pictures of the inside. Her eyes twinkle when I show her the images.

“It’s incredible,” she admits.

“I’m thinking about buying it.”

Her eyes pop as she points to the seven-figure price tag.

I shrug. “Real estate is a good investment and my lease will be up soon.” She nods, but I see a flicker of disappointment. “I also thought since your lease is up next month, maybe you’d consider moving in with me.” Her eyes grow comically large and I laugh. “What? You think I would move anywhere without you and our kid?”

“I didn’t know what to think,” she says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and finding the ground to stare at.

I tip her chin up. “Olivia. The only way you’re going to get me out of your life is if you ask me to go.”

There’s fear in her eyes and I want to kill Corey for putting it there.

“I’m not him. There’s only one woman for me, and it’s you. I see us growing old here, you, me—” I touch her belly. “—our child.” I pause. “There is one other possibility.” I take a deep breath, knowing this could be a deal breaker, but if I know my girl, it won’t be.

“Aaron,” she says.

I couldn’t love this woman any more. She gets me. “Yes. If Rhett can’t cut it, I’m going to fight for custody. Aaron’s going to be five. He needs stability, and I’ve checked and the schools here are great. We could also go private.”

I pause in my excitement, unable to read Olivia.

“Of course. Anyone important to you is important to me.”

I sweep her off her feet and kiss the living hell out of her.

When I set her down, I take her hand. “Okay, there’s just one more thing we need to do.”

Olivia

“Where are we going?” I ask.

His baby blues land on me with amusement. “Impatient, aren’t we?”

He pulls me close and I enjoy the walk with his hand in mine.

It’s not far and we end up where this all began, at his shop. We slip inside the parlor, and he locks the door behind us. We navigate by the moonlight flowing in from the window. At one side of the large room, he flips a switch on a lamp that only illuminates the area around us. He sits on a small round seat with wheels and rests his arms on his knees and his chin on his fists.

“Show me.”

This man has seen me at my worst, and hopefully at my best tonight. Hell, I’d been naked in his bed not an hour before. Still, I feel self-conscious as I play with the hem of his shirt for a second.

“You’ve already seen it.”

“I was a little preoccupied every time,” he says with a twinkle in his eye.

“You have seen it?”

He shrugs. “I caught a glimpse. Now I really want to see.”

“I was drunk,” I say. “Don’t judge.”

He chuckles. “I like you drunk. That’s how I got you naked.”

Yes, he’s seen all my curves on top of curves. So I push up the fabric slowly, wondering how he could find me sexy with thighs that touch when I’m standing and hips that jut out a little too far. Then I push down my leggings.

“Jesus,” he whispers when my thong is revealed. “Your ass is perfect.”

“But you can’t see my ass right now,” I say, laughing.

He stares at me with a sloppy grin. “My imagination is good enough, as I’ve seen that ass,” he says reverently like he remembers it fondly.

Not knowing how to answer, I reveal the tattoo I’d gotten on my birthday. He angles the light to shine on it.

His reaction is to howl in laughter. “That’s the one,” he says. “Now come here.”

I’ve seen that look, like he wants to eat me alive. After everything we’ve been through, I’m not afraid.

I move to stand before him. His hands instantly grip my thighs, and he stops chuckling.

“Playing with fire, aren’t you?” he asks. I shrug, enjoying the power to gain his utter attention. “Well, I can fix this.” His hands take over, holding up his shirt and rubbing a finger over the tattoo. “Since it’s inked in red, I can easily fill it in and cover up the words sperm bank.”

There is amusement in his voice, but it goes husky and dark.