“Where’s Todd?”

She looks around the room. “I don’t know. I thought he was here.”

I dial Todd’s phone and fly out the door. His ringer echoes through the dark sky, and my eyes find him leaning against the wall.

“I thought you left.” I exhale the breath that was locked in my throat. I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing myself against his body.

“Let’s go home,” he says, disregarding that he scared me.

Home. My heart lightens with the one word.

“Thank you,” I say.

“For what?” His smirk gives him away.

“Does Tracker’s Gallery ring any bells?” I tap his forehead and he chuckles.

“Maybe?” He shrugs.

“I appreciate it, but with the restaurant and everything, you can’t afford it. I can’t accept—”

He places his finger to my lips.

“You can and will accept it. It’s an investment.” He winks that blue eye filled with softness and love.

“Thank you. I could never repay you.”

“I can think of some things,” His hand grazes down my back before he grips my ass.

I smile. “Take me home.”

“I’d love to.”

I’ve waited years for a man like Todd to come into my life. I have an urge to pinch myself to make sure my wish really has come true.

He swings his arm around my shoulders, and I tuck my hand around his back. We roam down the dark streets, and I’m thinking we should have gotten a taxi. He stops at the light to wait for traffic.

I twist in his arms, and I brush my hand along his light stubble. I can’t hold it in any longer. I don’t care if I say it first or that we’re surrounded by garbage and filthy sewers.

“Have I told you that I love you?”

He smiles down at me, and his lips capture mine. “I love you more,” he whispers.

I swat at him.

A loud laugh erupts out of him, and he tugs me tighter into his chest. “You’re the first and last woman I’ll ever love.”

EPILOGUE

Amelia

I trudge up the steps of Todd’s new apartment above his restaurant. My head hurts from the banging I woke up to this morning because he’s renovating the place. It’s convenient for him, but I wasn’t happy when he moved away from me.

The keys jingle in my hand, and I search out the one he gave me the day he moved in. I insert it into the lock and twist the door open.

Todd’s whizzing around the kitchen, chopping, pouring, and mixing. I watch him doing what he loves.

Soon, I itch to touch the man I love. I slowly sneak up on him as quietly as I can. He’s stirring something in the pot, and I reach my arms around his stomach.

His hand covers mine, and I plant a kiss to his back.

“I made you dinner.”

“Yum.” I peek to the right of his body and spot something new.

Todd’s been experimenting with new dishes for his menu. If they make it past me, then we take them to my family. They’ve been kind enough to trade out their typical Italian dishes on Sundays for Todd’s. My grandma is having a big say in what stays and what goes, but she is a little disappointed he decided not to serve her gravy recipe.

He twists around, and his palms cradle my face. “Jim’s coming over tonight.”

“Okay.”

Jim’s still sober, and he’s been helping Todd with the renovations on the weekends when he’s not working. It warms my heart, witnessing their relationship blossom. They’ve almost seemed like father and son recently. It shows that good can come out of bad. Carol hasn’t returned, and she had divorce papers sent to Jim. Todd was positive that would send Jim into a tailspin, but thankfully it didn’t.

“He’s bringing dessert.”

My lips turn down. “I was thinking I’d be dessert.”

“Oh, baby, you know I never get full—especially of you.”

I hit his shoulder. “Isn’t that the truth?”

He slaps my ass, and I jump from his arms.

“Go get comfy.” He points to his bedroom where I’ve occupied more than half of his closet with my stuff.

We haven’t decided to fully move in together yet, but I stay here every night. The biggest problem is I don’t have a studio here. It’s only a one-bedroom apartment, so I have nowhere to store my equipment. Not to mention, I’ve been interviewing new models. Todd’s too busy to continue to be my only one.

I slide my pencil skirt down my legs and put it in my dry-cleaning bag. I’m still at Bette’s, but she’s hired another assistant for the menial tasks of walking her dogs and bringing her coffee. She hasn’t been so evil since my showing.

Todd saunters into the room and makes a beeline for me. His fingers begin unbuttoning my blouse.

“Shh . . . Jim’s here,” he whispers.

I swat at his hands. “Stop it.”

“You should have undressed faster.” His fingers quicken, and he slides the blouse off my shoulders.

He groans at the sight of my breasts tucked into the sheer black bra he picked out last week. His forehead falls and rests on mine. “Why did he have to come tonight?”

“He’ll be gone after dinner.” I spin around and dig through the drawer for my jeans.

His arms wrap around me and his hands move upward, cupping my breasts. “Will you slip into something sexy after he leaves?”

My head falls to his shoulders, and his lips manipulate my neck.

“You’d better leave before this goes too far.”

“Promise me.” His arms tighten.

“I promise.”

“Love you, babe. Hurry up.”

Todd leaves the room, and I overhear him and Jim carrying on about the World Series. Between them and my brothers, it’s the talk over every dinner. So, I take my time in getting ready, giving them a few minutes together.

I turn on the television for the distraction, and TMZ is on. There, on the side panel, is Davis Morgan, and he’s back with his ex-wife. Part of me wants to wait for the story, but the headline says it all. So, I click it off and get dressed to join my man in hosting our guest.

The three of us eat dinner, and Jim leaves soon after. I hope Todd’s lingering touches on me didn’t make Jim feel uncomfortable, causing him to leave. Tonight, Todd can’t seem to keep his hands off me, not that I’m complaining.

I sit on the couch with my legs spread out in front of me. Todd rounds the couch and hands me a glass of wine.

“Thank you.”

I take a sip and he sits down, grabbing my feet in his hands. He rubs them back to life after my long day in heels, and I realize that, months ago, I imagined this same scene.

Somehow, I’ve ended up where I am supposed to be, and for me, that’s anywhere Todd Hamilton is.

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Want Tatiana’s story? Check out Danielle Allen’s Work Song .

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When society tries to put you in a box, knock the walls down.–Tati Green

“You have a pretty face” is such a back-handed compliment. It’s like telling me that my face is beautiful, but the rest of me is not.

Despite what society says, my curves are hot.

My love life, on the other hand, is not.

My mom says I’ll never find love because of my weight.

My sister says I’ll never find love because of my personality.

My almost-fiancé says I’ll never find love because I’m incapable of loving anyone.

My mom and sister are full of it, but my ex kind of has a point.

At twenty-seven years old, I’ve never been in love. I date a lot, yet sparks never fly. But when I experienced the heart-pounding, skin-tingling feeling for the first time, I didn’t think it would be caused by a guy I’ve never met. And I damn sure didn't think he would end up holding my future in his hands, in more ways than one.