Mark laughed, and then got back to his feet once more. “Oh, you’ll do that and more, my friend. It will scare the total hell out of you at the lengths you’re willing to go to for the woman you love. I was almost scared enough to pack up and run a few times, but luckily, I got my head on straight and realized I’d be throwing away the best thing to ever happen to me. Now, if we’re finished discussing your feelings, how about we call Boston and chew some ass this morning? I’m afraid I’ve run out of nice where the damn manager is concerned there.”

   “It’s about fucking time.” Jacob grinned, glad not only to hear his boss sounding more like himself, but also grateful for the insight the other man had given him. He still didn’t have a plan in place or much of an idea of where to go next, but the one thing he was damn certain of was that he didn’t want his wife to go anywhere. If she was willing to grade him on a learning curve, then he wanted to give whatever was between them a chance to grow into more. As if he needed further convincing, it was nine in the morning and he couldn’t wait to go home to see her again. Maybe he’d sneak up to her floor in a few hours to say hello. He wasn’t sure who that would shock the most, though—him or her.

* * *

   Lydia had stopped by Starbucks on the way into the office and picked up a coffee and muffins to celebrate Crystal’s first day back at work. She was so excited to have her friend just across the hallway again. They took a few minutes to enjoy their breakfast while Lydia brought her up-to-date on everything that she’d missed business-wise while she was gone. Then she hadn’t bothered to stop for a lunch break since she was still full from her earlier treat. So it was almost two in the afternoon when there was a knock on her door. Looking up, she was surprised to see Jake standing there looking incredibly hot in his charcoal gray suit. “Hi,” she said softly. That’s my husband, she thought dreamily. A quick check showed that he was indeed wearing his wedding band. She’d yet to see him without it, but it was good to know he wasn’t leaving it in his desk drawer during the day. For a moment she had the desire to run up and down the hallways yelling that very fact at the top of her lungs. Because that wouldn’t seem insane at all.

   “Hey, yourself,” he murmured as he walked straight over to where she was sitting and dropped a kiss onto her lips. “I was on my way back from a meeting with Jason and thought I’d stop by for a minute.”

   Beaming her approval, she said, “I’m so glad you did. How’s your day going?” Tone it down; don’t scare him off by seeming too eager.

   “Better now,” he thrilled her by admitting. Clearing his throat, he shifted on his feet before asking, “Would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?” Before she could answer, he shoved his hands in his pockets and began pacing her office. “I know we have dinner together most nights, but I haven’t um . . . really taken you out on a date. Which is pretty shabby of me and I owe you an apology for that. You cook for us every evening and I’m not sure if I’ve even thanked you. I—”

   “Jake,” Lydia interrupted his adorable rambling before he could beat himself up further. “You always thank me and you usually clean the kitchen up as well. I’d love to go out with you tonight, but please believe that I’ve really enjoyed the routine we’ve developed at home. I haven’t felt neglected or whatever it is that you’re worried about. I believe we’re both still adjusting to our um . . . marriage.”

   Appearing relieved, he gave her a bright smile. “That’s good, sweetheart. I’m glad to hear you say that. So if you want to come home after work, we can change and go somewhere nice and relaxing. I’ll take care of making the reservations. Is there any certain type of food that you prefer or don’t like at all?”

   “Why don’t you surprise me,” Lydia suggested playfully. She doubted she’d taste the food anyway with Jake sitting across from her.

   Coming to her side once again, his voice dropped as he said, “I plan to do just that all evening.” When he lifted her hair aside and pressed a kiss just below her ear, she thought she’d crawl out of her skin. “I’ll see you at home, my beauty,” he murmured before straightening and walking out the door.

   Lydia sat there staring after him like some kind of sap, wondering if she’d somehow imagined the whole visit. They’d been having sex for weeks by this point, but this somehow felt different. His invitation and words had held a decidedly romantic tone. Maybe she’d gotten through to him last night, after all. He might not have wanted to have the relationship talk, but it appeared that he was letting her know without words that he wanted more than a fake marriage with benefits from her.

   She spent the rest of the afternoon in giddy anticipation of her date. She was literally bouncing when she crossed the lobby of Danvers several hours later. She was walking through the revolving doors when she heard someone calling her name. She stopped abruptly in her tracks when she saw Brett’s mother, Connie, standing a few feet away. It had been a while since she’d spoken to the other woman so having her appear as if out of thin air was more than a little shocking. Attempting to gather her composure, she approached the woman with whom she had once been so close. “Connie, what a nice surprise. Is everything okay?” she asked, concerned that something had happened to Brett’s father or brother.

   Connie reached out, touching Lydia’s arm. “Honey, I’ve been worried about you. I’ve stopped by your apartment a few times, but you weren’t there. And Mike and I changed cell phones last month and we didn’t have your phone number programmed into the new ones. I finally decided to come and check on you myself. I just knew something had to be wrong for you to miss Brett’s birthday. I thought maybe you’d gone without me, but there were no new flowers there and you always bring some.”

   Lydia was dimly aware that the other woman continued to talk, but it was impossible to focus on the words over the roaring in her head. Oh my, God, I forgot him! I didn’t visit Brett on his birthday. Looking back, she was pretty sure she made some excuse to Connie about needing to be somewhere, but she wasn’t positive. The only thing she knew was that she had to get away.