by Jenna Sutton
Andrea nodded. “We made a mistake when we got divorced. I made a mistake. Zeke didn’t want the divorce. I did.” She smiled wryly. “What’s that saying… ‘You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone’… That was me. I didn’t realize how lucky I was to have Zeke.”
Margo couldn’t help but think that Andrea was a very stupid woman. If he were Margo’s husband, she would never let him go.
Andrea eyed Margo thoughtfully. “You probably aren’t old enough to have the kind of regrets that I do.”
You’re wrong about that. I have a lot of regrets … like letting you into the building.
Andrea smiled wistfully. “Zeke and I always planned to have kids. It’s not too late for us. We still have time.”
The thought of Andrea having Zeke’s babies made Margo physically ill. She wanted to be the mother of his children.
Andrea had already had her chance with Zeke, and she’d blown it. It was Margo’s turn now.
For a brief moment, Margo thought about telling Andrea exactly where she had been this morning and what she’d been doing. But she swallowed the words.
She loved Zeke with her whole heart. He had suffered too much, and she wanted him to be happy, even if that meant he was happy with someone else.
“Did Zeke say when he’d be home?” Andrea asked.
“No, but I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” Margo snapped her fingers to get Roby’s attention. “I’m going to take my dog for a walk so you and Zeke can talk privately.”
Andrea smiled. “I’m hoping we’ll do more than talk.”
She looked away from Andrea’s smug face. She couldn’t bear the thought of Zeke and his ex-wife together … couldn’t bear the thought of him kissing and touching Andrea less than twelve hours after he’d been buried inside Margo.
Desperate to escape, Margo hurriedly clipped the leash to Roby’s collar and pulled on a lightweight sweater. “Please tell Zeke that I’ll be back in a couple of hours … around eight o’clock.”
She grabbed her keys from the metal hook next to the door and rushed out of the apartment. It wasn’t until she was halfway down the block that she realized she’d left her phone and wallet at home.
She had no money for dinner or even a cup of coffee. But that was okay because she wasn’t hungry. The conversation with Andrea had obliterated her appetite.
Margo wandered through Pacific Heights with no destination in mind. Summer in the Bay Area wasn’t like summer in other places. It wasn’t warm and sunny; it was chilly and cloudy. This evening was no different, and it fit her mood perfectly.
Zeke had screwed Margo even though he was working things out with his ex-wife. What a jerk!
As she walked, she silently berated herself for falling in love with him. Not only was he a jerk, he was emotionally unavailable.
Any man who talked to his ex-wife every day clearly hadn’t moved on. Any man who wanted his ex-wife to visit wasn’t ready for a relationship with someone else.
And any woman who ignored those red flags deserved to be miserable.
With no way to keep track of time, Margo relied on the sun to let her know when it was time to head home. When the sky darkened to twilight, she reluctantly led Roby back to the Victorian.
There was no way she was going to stay here with Zeke and his ex-wife, not even for one night. As soon as she found her phone, Margo planned to call Jenny and ask if she could stay with her. And if she couldn’t reach her friend, she’d book a cheap hotel room and stay there until Andrea left.
As Margo stood on the sidewalk in front of the house, she recalled the day she’d met Zeke. She never could have predicted that she would fall in love with her roommate, who also happened to be a big jerk.
After letting herself into the apartment, she released Roby from his leash and hung up her sweater. The Doberman immediately dashed off, probably heading for his food bowl.
She stood in the small foyer for a moment, listening for voices. When she heard nothing, she exhaled a relieved breath. Zeke and Andrea had either retreated to his bedroom or gone out, and she was glad she wouldn’t have to see them together.
The living area was empty and dark, but the dining room wasn’t. Zeke was there, sitting on a barstool. He wore a plain black T-shirt that revealed his muscular biceps and sinewy forearms and a pair of faded jeans. A bottle of beer was on the table in front of him.
She moved deeper into the room, and he shifted on the barstool, turning his body toward her. His expression was impassive, and she couldn’t read his mood.
Reaching the table, she curled her hands over the back of the barstool adjacent to where Zeke sat. She needed something to hold on to because her knees were shaking with a combination of anger and anxiety.
“Where’s Andrea?”
“I don’t know,” he answered flatly.
He picked up the beer and took a big swallow of the brew, his dark eyes surveying her over the lip of the bottle. He returned it to the table with a soft clink.
“If I had to guess, I’d say that she’s probably at the airport, trying to get a flight back to BWI. Or she could be at a hotel.” He shrugged. “I don’t really care where she is, as long as she’s not here.”
“I don’t understand. She said that you discussed her coming out to visit.”
“Yeah, we discussed it. And I told her not to.” He tilted his head. “What else did she say?”
“She said that you were getting back together.”
He stared at her for a long moment before asking, “You think I would have sex with you when I’m planning to reconcile with my ex-wife?”
“I don’t know,” she retorted. “Would you?”
“No, I wouldn’t.” His shoulders seemed to droop a little. “Is that the kind of man you think I am?”
She heard the disappointment in his voice … the accusation threaded through it. It made her defensive.
“What am I supposed to think?” she demanded. “You talk to Andrea every day. Every day.”
“So?”
“So?” she repeated, aware that her voice was dangerously close to a shout. “No man talks to his ex that much unless he’s still in love with her … unless he wants another chance.”
“You think that I’m still in love with Andrea? Jesus.” He shook his head. “I talk to her because I owe her. She took care of me after I lost my leg, and I can’t ever repay her for that.”
He sighed. “I know it’s not a good idea for us to talk so often, and I told her that a couple of days ago. I also told her that there was no chance of us getting back together. That’s why she flew out here… She thought she could change my mind.”
Lifting the beer, he drained the rest of it in one gulp. After depositing the bottle on the table, he stood.
“Andrea thinks it was a mistake for us to get a divorce, but I know it was the right decision. She wasn’t happy, and neither was I, although I didn’t realize it at the time.”
He came to stand beside her. Dropping her hands from the barstool, she turned to face him. She had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes.
“Andrea divorced me because she wanted to be loved passionately. I didn’t love her like that. I couldn’t love her like that even if I tried.”
He tucked a loose strand of Margo’s hair behind her ear. “But that’s how I love you, Go-go.”
She was afraid she’d heard him wrong … afraid that she was imagining this whole conversation. “You love me?”
“Yeah, I do.” His deep voice softened. “Passionately. Endlessly. Without reason. Without limits.”
Cupping her cheek in his palm, he rubbed his thumb over her lower lip. “You light up all the dark places inside me. You brighten my world. When I’m with you, I feel alive and hopeful and excited. You make me happy.”
Her emotions overwhelmed her, and tears welled in her eyes. “You make me happy, too.”
“I kept telling myself that we didn’t make sense.” He caught one of her tears on his fingertip. “But we
do.”
She nodded. “Yes, we do.”
“I kept telling myself that I wasn’t the right man for you—”
“You are,” she insisted. “You’re the right man for me because I love you.”
“Why don’t you say that last part again,” he suggested.
“I love you, Zeke.”
“I love you, too.” A slow smile curved his mouth. “I think we need to modify our sleeping arrangements. I want you in my bed every night, and I want to wake up with you every morning.” He bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “Roby can’t sleep with us, though.”
“Why not?”
“Because my bed isn’t big enough for all of us.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “And we’re going to be doing things that an innocent dog shouldn’t see.”
She laughed, happiness bubbling up inside her like hot springs. “Your bed is not the only place we’re going to do those things.”
Zeke’s eyes darkened with unmistakable desire. Suddenly, he picked her up and set her on top of the dining room table. As he untied the drawstring of her pants, he said, “You’re right. We need to get him a blindfold.”
EPILOGUE
One year later
The lobby of the Hudson San Francisco was much busier than Margo had expected. The historic hotel must be hosting a conference today.
As she crossed the marble floor to the elevators, her phone vibrated in the back pocket of her jeans. She reached for it, knowing she’d see a text from Zeke.
His message read: “I’m here. Where are you?”
She typed a reply: “Almost there. Just getting into the elevator.” She added a heart emoji before sending the text off.
Once she was inside the elevator, she pressed the button for the second floor and shoved her phone into her messenger bag. She wasn’t running late, but Zeke was always early, and he usually ended up waiting on her. Fortunately, the man had the patience of a saint—when it came to her, anyway.
The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Stepping out, she hooked a left toward the catering office. Menu tasting was one wedding-related task that she didn’t mind.
She and Zeke were getting married in less than a month, and they had to make their final food selections today. Her fiancé’s aptitude for organization and attention to detail had come in very handy over the past few months as they’d planned the ceremony and reception.
Zeke’s family had been astounded when he and Margo had gotten engaged. No one had expected him to remarry.
When they had flown to Asheville so she could meet his family, his mother had welcomed her with open arms. She’d confessed to Margo that she had been afraid her oldest son would die alone.
Margo had assured her future mother-in-law that Zeke would never be alone again. And she’d promised to make her a grandmother, several times over.
Because this was Zeke’s second marriage, Margo had been willing to have a small ceremony at the courthouse. But he’d insisted that they have a traditional wedding. When she’d asked why, he had said, “Because I’m never going to do this again. And neither are you.”
She had planned to scour consignment boutiques for a wedding dress. A lot of women gave their dresses away, especially if their marriages didn’t work out.
When Zeke had found out that she was going to wear a “tainted” dress—his words, not hers—he’d called Jenny. They had ganged up on her, and somehow, she’d ended up with a brand-new wedding dress that cost more than the monthly rent on their apartment.
As Margo walked down the carpeted corridor, she heard instrumental music drifting from the speakers in the ceiling. Listening closely, she identified the tune as “Ex’s and Oh’s” by Elle King.
The song made Margo think of Zeke’s ex, and she couldn’t help but smile. Zeke and Andrea talked infrequently, maybe once a month, and Margo had no problem with it. During their most recent call, Andrea had revealed that she was pregnant, despite the fact that she wasn’t in a relationship.
Margo had been sitting next to Zeke on the sofa when Andrea had made her announcement, and his response had been hilarious. He’d said, “How the hell did that happen?”
When he’d ended the call, Margo had offered to show him how babies were made. He had taken her up on the offer, and she’d introduced him to the reverse chair position. Afterward, he’d proclaimed it to be his favorite position, which was what he said every time they tried something new.
As Margo reached the catering office, she took a moment to comb her fingers through her hair and straighten her floral peplum blouse. She’d found the top in a thrift store near the Art Institute and had paid five bucks for it. The Anthropologie label inside told her that it had probably cost at least a hundred dollars brand-new.
She pulled open the glass door and immediately spotted Zeke. He was sitting at a round table with the hotel’s wedding coordinator, Heidi Lynch, a petite brunette in her mid-thirties.
Zeke and Heidi were looking at the binder he had put together to keep track of wedding details. When he glanced up and saw her, a sexy smile curved his mouth.
It was a special smile—one that he gave only to her. It made butterflies take flight in her stomach every time she saw it.
He stood, and she let her gaze travel the length of her hot husband-to-be. He’d dressed up a little for their appointment.
He wore a cream-colored button-down shirt with a red-and-blue Tattersall pattern, dark-washed Rileys, and brown leather lace-up boots. He looked so delicious she wanted to gobble him up in one bite.
Leaning down, he pressed a light kiss on her lips. “Hey, Go-go.”
“Hi.”
He turned toward Heidi. “I need to talk with Margo for a moment. Is there someplace private we can go?”
“Sure,” Heidi replied. “There’s an empty office down the hall, second door on the right.”
Weaving his fingers through Margo’s, he tugged her down the hall to the vacant office. The door was open, and he flipped on the overhead light before ushering her inside.
As Zeke closed the door, she asked, “What’s up?”
“That’s a good question.” He took her hand and pressed it against his zipper. “Here’s your answer.”
She stroked his erection through his jeans. “Does looking at your color-coded wedding binder turn you on?”
He chuckled. “The thought of marrying you turns me on.”
“Is this”—she lightly squeezed his hard-on—“what you wanted to talk about?”
“No.”
Before she could ask another question, he slid his hands into her hair and cupped her head in his palms. He maneuvered her back against the door, and then he kissed her as if he hadn’t seen or touched her in years. When he finally lifted his head, her mouth felt bruised and puffy, her legs felt like overcooked spaghetti, and her panties were more than a little damp.
“How was your day?” he asked huskily, dropping his hands to her hips.
“Same stuff, different day.”
“So you had a great day.”
She nodded. She loved working at Bay Area Animal Care, and Jon and Tricia had mentioned that they’d like for Margo to become a partner in the business.
“What about you?” she asked. “Did anything exciting happen at Riley O’Brien & Co. today?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” He smiled. “Brent pulled me into his office today and told me that he wants to retire in eight to twelve months. He’s going to recommend that I take over the entire supply chain and logistics department.”
“Oh, my God, Zeke!” She lunged up on her tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck. “That’s crazy awesome! I’m so proud of you!”
He hugged her to him. “I love you, Go-go.”
“I love you, too.”
“I wish you were naked right now,” he added.
She couldn’t help but laugh. “As soon as we finish with the wedding tasting, we can go home and—”
“I can taste you,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.
“Yes,” she agreed.
Heidi was waiting for them near the glass door when they returned. “Ready for the tasting?”
She and Zeke nodded their assent. As the three of them made the trek from the catering office, Heidi asked if Margo and Zeke were going to honeymoon after the wedding.
Zeke looked at her as if she had spouted horns and turned into the Minotaur. “Hell, yes, we are.”
“Where are you going?” Heidi asked.
“Hawaii.”
Zeke had picked their honeymoon destination without any input from Margo. She had been stunned when he’d told her where they were going. She wondered if his subconscious had heard her when she’d talked about her dream of going to Hawaii with him.
“Which island?” Heidi asked.
“Maui,” Margo said.
“Have you ever been there? It’s beautiful.”
Margo shook her head. “Neither one of us has been there.”
“I know I’ll enjoy the scenery,” Zeke said, winking at Margo.
As Heidi pushed through a swinging door, she said, “Our kitchen is busy today because of the conference, and our executive chef isn’t available to meet with you. But the sous chef and pastry chef will join us after you’ve had a chance to taste everything.”
The wedding coordinator led them to a small tasting room attached to the kitchen. A rectangular table filled the space, covered with a crisp white tablecloth.
Heidi gestured to the chairs grouped around the table. “Please have a seat.” She turned to a young man dressed in a black chef’s smock and matching baggy pants. “Bring out the hors d’oeuvres.”
As Zeke pulled out a chair for Margo, he said, “Wait.”
The young man froze, and everyone’s attention swung to Zeke, Margo’s included. He glanced down at her, his eyes lit with love and his mouth tilted in a smile.
“Life is short,” he said. “Let’s eat dessert first.”
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