“All right, if I don’t get out of this truck now, I never will.” I laugh, and he places his finger under my chin, forcing me over to his side of the truck. Leaning as far as I can over the center console, he inches his mouth closer and kisses me. Gentle and loving without an ounce of his usual possessiveness.

“Go break it off with Mr. Suave,” he says and winks. My shoulders slump, and my heart races with the thought Dex knew this whole time. “He’d be crazy not to ask you for a second date.” He raises his eyebrows in question.

“I already had plans to do it,” rushes out of me before he can doubt.

“I’m not worried, Chrissy. I mean come on, look at me,” he kids, his hands descending his body.

I laugh. “Modest, huh?” I tease him, and he joins in the laughter.

“Go. I want him to know you’re mine.” A quick peck on the lips, leaving me with the taste of his minty toothpaste to remember him by for the next several hours.

I reluctantly stumble out of the truck and give Dex a wave before sneaking into the gallery. The smell of coffee already brewing fills the air, but there’s no sign of Ryland. Since he’d be the only one to open the door, I take another look, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Even the bathrooms are empty. Then the back door swings open and a gush of cool air wafts through the space. In walks a smiling Ryland easily holding a box in his arms.

The door shuts, and he begins to walk my way. Dropping the box to the side, he doesn’t skip a step before closing the gap between us. “Good morning,” he says softly, leaning against the wall. The smell of his expensive cologne floats around the two of us, and that weight sinks deeper in my belly.

“Good morning,” I reply, and he tilts his head at my demeanor, his smile faltering.

“You okay?” he asks, giving me an opening.

“Something kind of happened after you dropped me off the other night.” I begin to break whatever this was off.

He nods his head slowly, a smirk forming across his lips. “Okay,” he rolls it off his tongue, waiting for more information.

“Remember the guy in the truck?” My eyes divert to my shuffling feet, anxiety slowly building inside of me. I play with my fingers, pushing myself to spit it out. He’s a grown man, and it’s not like I’m much of a girl.

“Yeah.” He pushes himself off the wall.

“Well, um … I’ve known him a long time and um.” Why won’t the words come out?

“Chrissy.” He places his finger under my chin, raising my face to meet his. A reminder of Dex’s movements only minutes earlier and courage snaps in me.

“He’s my boyfriend now,” I spit out and cringe, luring laughter from him.

“You should look a lot happier about that,” he jokes, and the weight lifts in my stomach a little.

“Oh, I am. It’s just I feel bad. I never meant to steer you wrong or —” I ramble. Honestly, I did enjoy my date, and I may have been using him as a distraction to my problems with Dex, but I didn’t do it expecting Dex to come around like he did.

He shakes his head, a grin splashing across his face. “I didn’t think that. You don’t really seem like the manipulative type. I completely understand, Chrissy, and I wish you both luck. That’s not to say, I’m not a little disappointed because I did enjoy our date.” He pats my shoulder and begins to walk down the hall. My shoulders fall in relief, and the pounds disperse in my stomach. I’m finally able to truly enjoy the fact that this thing with Dex and me is real. “Oh, and he better not try to make you quit because you’re here until Jessa returns.” He laughs.

“NO! He would never,” I shout, but bite my lip, because it’s something I could definitely see Dex doing. Then again, wouldn’t he have suggested that this morning?

Ryland’s laugh bounces off the walls of the hallway. “Hmm … I’m pretty sure if you were mine, I would.” Then he retreats to his office, and I rush over to my desk to start the day, relieved the dread has been lifted. Ryland would make a great boyfriend to anyone, but to me, only one could hold that place and sadly it wasn’t him.

AFTER MY CLASS, in which I didn’t accomplish much, since I mostly leaned back in my seat with a blank screen on my laptop, my eyes looking out to the room, with visions of Chrissy dancing through my head. The ones where she’s naked, lying in my bed. Her tits, ass, and every damn curve of her body I’ve committed to memory the first night. God, she gorgeous, and now that I stopped being a lame ass and have admitted my feelings, I can honestly say, I’m different. It’s not just Chrissy’s body that has me wrapped so tight, it’s the whole package of Chrissy Dawson. It’s just a bonus that her kind-hearted, smart and funny self is wrapped in a hot-ass package.

It’s an odd encompassing feeling of security, or safety, that overcame me that night. I was going to wait, not divulge my love for at least a month. Isn’t that the norm? Hell if I know, but I couldn’t stop the words. Her body molded to mine, the smell of her new fruity shampoo tingling my nose. A frightened sense took over me, and I had to tell her how I felt. How much I’ve always loved her before she left or doubted me.

That protective part of me that has always shined through when it came to her told me to tell her, to put her fears at ease that I really did have an epiphany. That I do love her and always have. But that didn’t even compare to when she spoke them back to me. Just like that, I understood all of my friends. With those four words, I love you, too, I’d empty pockets, I’d give her my keys … everything of mine was instantly hers. Most importantly, she owned my heart. She held the one part of myself I kept hidden from most people. My friends, the only ones who truly saw any redeeming caring quality of mine, weren’t even aware of that part of me.

With her, though, I wanted to be that guy. Brady, Grant, and Trey’s sudden personality shift; choosing to spend a night in with their girlfriend, cancelling shows, and ditching out on guys’ night out all made sense in that instant. I finally understood why they left after the shows to hold their girls in their arms rather than get drunk and screw a random chick.

The shuffling of bodies jerks me out of my daydreaming and I scramble to grab my things. Swinging my backpack over my shoulder, I file out of the room. A few girls and guys I know from almost five years of school, saying pleasantries to pass the time until we reach the door.

A half hour later, I’m jogging on the treadmill at Barbells when Grant walks up. “So, rumors are flying.” He leans against the vacant machine next to me. “You’ve jumped.” His cocky grin plastered on his exhausted face.

“Man, you look like shit,” I comment, glancing over for a second before grabbing my water bottle.

He laughs and nods his head. “I don’t disagree. I’ve been working a little too much because of the second location we’re opening. Jessa’s exhausted when I get home, but I try to take over some feedings so she can rest.” He palms his face, dragging it down past his chin.

“Yeah, I’ve heard those babies are exhausting.” I chuckle.

“You think it’s funny, huh? You could be next.” He cocks his eyebrows up at me, and I shake my head because that’s not happening for a long time.

“You’re insane,” I laugh him off, but his face is serious.

“You already made the first step.” He pushes his body off the arm of the treadmill at hearing his name being beckoned over the speaker. I’d be lying if his words didn’t scare me a little. That is until the thought of Chrissy holding our baby creeps into my visual, calming me instantly.

“That I did,” I say, not an ashamed bone in my body.