I’d laughed, not wanting to disappoint her by telling her Nate wasn’t the drooling kind.

When I walked into the bar I zeroed in on my friends sitting around a table and began to stride toward them, my heart picking up pace at the sight of Nate laughing at something Cam was saying to him. As if he sensed me, Nate turned slowly and as his eyes drank in the sight of me his expression was as close to drooling as I’d ever seen it.

He stood up as I neared, coming around the table toward me.

My welcoming smile was suddenly lost in his hard kiss as his strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me against his body. I kissed him back, my fingers curling lightly in the hair at his nape. When our lips finally unlocked, I raised my eyebrows. ‘That was some h.e.l.lo.’

Nate’s hooded eyes were trained on my mouth. ‘That’s some dress.’

‘Your favorite color.’

‘On my favorite person.’

I smiled and gave him another quick kiss. ‘Should we sit down before we cause a scene?’

‘Or we could just go back to your place,’ he suggested, caressing my hip.

Although I shivered with delight just at the thought of it, I pressed a hand against his chest and leaned back. ‘I think we can afford to take a tiny little break from the bedroom for a few hours to spend time with our friends.’

‘An hour.’

‘Three.’

‘An hour and a half.’

I chuckled and shrugged. ‘Okay, two.’

‘Two hours.’ He gave me one more quick kiss and let go of my waist, only to take hold of my hand. As he led me over to share his seat with him I felt all my friends’ eyes burning into us.

After I took my seat I looked around at Ellie, Jo, Joss, Braden, Adam, and Cam, and I had to bite my lip to stifle my laughter. They were staring at Nate as if they’d never seen him before.

‘It’s a manwh.o.r.e miracle,’ Joss breathed, her eyes wide.

I giggled, nudging my shoulder against Nate as he glared at her.

‘Seriously.’ Ellie smiled. ‘I don’t think I actually believed it until I saw it with my own eyes. Nate loves Olivia.’

Nate’s glare grew darker, but the girls didn’t seem to notice.

‘I knew.’ Jo smirked at them. ‘I knew he fancied the pants off her all along.’

‘I’m just glad he’s finally met his freaking match.’ Joss grinned smugly at him.

‘He did go through a lot of women to find her,’ Ellie added. ‘It was a long time coming.’

‘Men,’ Nate suddenly growled through clenched teeth, ‘control your womenfolk.’

While Braden, Cam, and Adam laughed, enjoying Nate’s discomfort, I attempted to restrain my amus.e.m.e.nt. It was very hard for me. But it was fun to see someone as laid-back as Nate get wound up over a little teasing.

When Joss opened her mouth, obviously ready to deal out more teasing, Nate cut her a deadly look. ‘Liv needs no more reminders about my … colorful past with women, so can we all shut up and talk about something else, please?’

The group shared gleeful little looks but did as they were asked, and we started discussing the renovations Joss and Braden were making to Ellie’s old room in their apartment. They were turning it into a nursery, and once they knew the baby’s s.e.x Jo, Dad, and Dee were going to help with the decor.

‘I’m getting another round.’ Nate turned to me. ‘Want to come up to the bar with me?’

I told him yes, still holding his hand as he pulled me through the crowd to the bar. As we waited I leaned into him, squeezing his hand in mine. ‘Babe, you know I don’t care about your past hookups, right?’

A muscle in Nate’s jaw ticked as he looked at me. ‘I just don’t need people reminding you of it.’

‘Why does it bother you so much?’

He seemed genuinely surprised by my question, as if somehow it should be obvious. ‘It took me weeks to convince you what I felt for you was real, Liv. I don’t need my past messing us up again.’

Wow. Nate was worried about losing me?

Pressing against him, I gave my head a little shake. ‘Nate, those women didn’t mean anything to you. They’ve never worried me.’

‘You sure?’

‘I’m sure. All that uncertainty was about Alana, but that’s over, okay? I love you and I’m here with you. I’m not going anywhere.’

His eyes darkened with heat and something else I hadn’t seen before. ‘Promise?’ he demanded.

I felt concern wash over me as I realized that our separation had caused more demons in Nate than I’d been aware of. It suddenly occurred to me that I’d spent the last week allowing him to drive away any uncertainty I had over the depth of his love for me, when I should have been working just as hard to prove to him that now that I knew he loved me I wasn’t going to let anything else come between us.

Reaching up I brushed my lips over his ear. ‘Let’s go back to my place now.’

Nate pulled back, his eyes questioning.

‘I have a promise to make,’ I answered on a saucy smile.

Understanding flared in his eyes, and just like that we were moving toward the exit. I texted Jo to let her know we were leaving, and Nate and I hurried along the street in silence until we got to Jamaica Lane.

Upstairs in my bed, where it had all started, I slowly made love to Nate, promising him with every inch of me, that the ‘after’ we’d found together … well … it was forever.

Epilogue

‘I really do appreciate you guys keeping me company.’ Ellie smiled gratefully as she set down a tray of drinks and snacks among all the boxes. ‘Adam can’t stand clutter or chaotic s.p.a.ces, so I promised him I’d get this place up and running before we move in.’

I stood with an ornament wrapped in newspaper in my hand as Joss and Jo dug through boxes. ‘You can stop thanking us,’ I a.s.sured her. ‘We’re happy to help. You’ve got a lot on your plate. New house. New job. Wedding plans.’ I frowned at her, putting down the ornament to reach for a drink. ‘Did I tell you lately that you’re crazy?’

It was a few weeks since our night out with the gang, and Ellie and Adam finally had the keys to their new home on Scotland Street. On top of the stress of the move they were now well into their wedding plans. The wedding was only nine months away.