“It’s a good thing I’m a patient man,” he muttered before going back to playing with Aurora.

“It’ll happen,” Layla mouthed and I nodded in agreement before leaving them to go and find Scott. I knew it would happen for them because Blade was a man who made sure he got what he wanted. And as much as Layla was a kick ass chick who pulled him into line when needed, we all knew she needed Blade as much as she needed the air she breathed. They were a couple you just knew would last forever.

“Harlow!” Velvet called out from the table where she sat with Nash.

Changing my direction, I headed over to see what she wanted. “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to tell you that Scarlett’s done an amazing job!”

Looking around at the decorations in the restaurant, I agreed. Scarlett had brought Trilogy to life. “She really has.”

“She might be a moody bitch, but she’s pulled off a great party today,” Nash admitted with only a small amount of grumbling in his tone. It was no secret that he and Scarlett clashed, but he always gave credit where it was due. “Fuck knows how Wilder manages to work with her as closely as he does and not kill her, though.”

At my suggestion, Wilder had hired Scarlett just after Scott and I got married. I decided Storm’s restaurants could do with an image update, and after seeing examples of Scarlett’s decorating talents, I knew she was the right person for the job. She hadn’t wanted to work for Storm, but her dwindling finances had dictated a need to find work, and the universe had conspired to bring us all together.

The rest was history.

Well, maybe not. Maybe there was more to this story. I watched as Scarlett argued with Wilder over something and wondered how long it would take those two to admit their attraction. They’d known each other a year now, and the sparks were wild.

“Have you seen Scott?” I asked Nash.

“No, but check with Griff. He’s with Sophia at the bar,” he suggested.

“Thanks, will do,” I said.

A few moments later, I met Sophia’s gaze and smiled. Griff sat facing the bar and Sophia stood in front of him with her arms around his neck. I’d known her for a year now, and I swore she seemed happier every passing week. The same could be said for Griff. He’d gone from a man of few words, who I hardly knew, to one of my closest friends over this past year. “Hey, Harlow,” she greeted me. “Great party.”

“It would be if I could find my husband,” I grumbled.

Griff turned his head. “I saw him about ten minutes ago, out in the kitchen. Try there, otherwise ask Wilder.”

My impatience was kicking in.

I need to do this now.

“Okay, thanks. Oh, and your house warming is next weekend, right?” They’d recently built a new home and had finally moved in.

Sophia beamed. “Yes, you guys are coming, aren’t you? For the love of God, please tell me you are. I’ve got so many people coming who I don’t even really know, partners of work mates and friends of my sisters, and you just know I’m going to spend all day rambling about shit if I get nervous. I need you to be there, Harlow, to help centre me and tell me to calm down.” Her eyes bulged with desperation and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. Sophia was uniquely her own woman and it was one of the many things I loved about her. The way words just fell out of her mouth always made me smile. Especially that. There should be more women like her – we could all do with the honesty.

I reached out and placed my hand on her arm. “I promise I’ll be there.”

She exhaled her relief. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“I’ll be back soon, but I really need to find Scott.”

She waved me away. “Go.”

A couple of moments later, I pushed through the door that led to the kitchen. It was a hive of activity, but Scott was not out there.

Damn.

Where is he?

I pulled out my phone and sent him another text, my third so far.

Me: Where are you???? Stop ignoring me or else I will withdraw husband privileges for at least a week.

His reply came through swiftly. Funny how threats like that always worked with men.

Scott: I could go a week, but you couldn’t.

Me: Ha! You wanna test that theory?

Scott: Sure. I give you two days at the most before you come begging for my cock.

Me: Tell me where you are and I will come begging for it now.

Scott: I’m in the car park.

Me: Are you hiding from me?

Scott: Fuck no.

Me: Lucky.

When I finally caught sight of him, my heart swelled with love. My hand absently moved to my stomach as I stilled and watched him.

He was with Lisa and they both had their heads under the hood of his Charger. She was listening to him intently while he pointed at various parts of the engine and explained something to her. Memories of my own father doing the same thing slammed into me, and tears pricked my eyes.

I walked the short distance to them, and they both turned their heads when they heard me approaching.

“Hey, Harlow,” Lisa said with an easy smile.

“Hi, Honey,” I returned her smile before looking at Scott. “Hey.” God, I love this man. Hard.

He leant over and kissed me. “Sorry, sweetheart, Lisa’s assignment is due at school tomorrow and she was struggling with one part, so I wanted to explain it to her before I got carried away with the party.”

Lisa loved everything to do with cars and had chosen to do one of her assignments on car engines. Scott had been helping her with it for weeks and I’d decided there wasn’t much on this planet better than watching a man helping their child. Although Lisa was not our child, we both treated her as if she was. Her mother had come a long way, and I was confident in her recovery from drug addiction, but we would never stop thinking of Lisa as part of our family.

“I’ve got it now, so I’m going to go back inside and hang out if that’s okay,” Lisa said.

“Sure, darlin’,” Scott agreed. Jerking his chin towards the restaurant, he added, “Don’t let that boy treat you like shit, or I’ll be having words with him.”

Lisa blushed. “I won’t.”

I smacked him as we watched her run inside. “Did you have to say that?”

His laughing eyes came to mine, and I sucked in a breath at the crinkles that decorated them. Those damn crinkles. They get me every time. “It’s her first boyfriend, Harlow, and I’m going to make damn sure she learns straight off the bat that she’s entitled to have expectations of being treated a certain way. No boy will ever walk all over her if I have my way.”

“Do you know how much I love you, Scott Cole?” I asked as I pressed my body against his.

He took hold of my face and angled my mouth to his. “Almost as much as I love you,” he murmured before kissing me again, this time slower and deeper.

My tummy fluttered, just like it always did when he kissed me. I moaned into his mouth. “Baby, I have something to tell you.”

He pulled his face away from mine and said, “That you’re glad you married me one year ago? That this is the best first anniversary you’ve ever had?”

“You are playful today, aren’t you?”

He shrugged. “Life’s good, Harlow. Storm’s had a year of no huge problems, I’ve got a beautiful baby daughter, a happy family and a sexy-as-fuck wife whose favourite thing to do is wrap her lips around my dick…I’ve got all the reasons in the world to smile.”

I let his words work their way through my soul, loving how good they felt. And then I whispered, “I’ve got one more reason for you to smile.”

The world around us quietened and slowed as he processed what I said. He stayed silent for what felt like an eternity, before finally demanding, “Tell me.”

I reached for his hand and placed it on my belly. “You’re going to be a daddy again.”

His eyes searched mine as his lips slowly spread into the Scott-Cole smile I lived for. “I’m going to be a daddy again,” he repeated what I said.