“Cool.” His eyes are dancing with laughter when he turns to look at me. “Baking is kind of awesome.”

“Told you.” I nudge his shoulder with mine then look behind us when I hear the click of a camera.

“Smile,” Gareth says, and I strike a silly pose, which makes Max laugh. Gareth takes another picture then looks around. “Where’s your broom?”

“I think we should wait until we are done to clean up, just in case we have any more accidents.”

“That’s probably smart,” he agrees, and Max and I finish mixing in the flour and the rest of the ingredients, including the chocolate chips. Once we’re done, we scoop the dough into a plastic Tupperware container then set it in the fridge.

“Now for the not so fun part.” I look around at the mess then go to the pantry and grab my vacuum out of its charging dock.

“I think we should try to get as much flour off of us and the counters as we can before we use the vacuum,” Max suggests while bending at the waist and shaking his head.

I laugh, watching flour fall to the floor, and then do the same while Gareth starts to wipe the counters. It doesn’t take us very long to clean up, but by the time we’re finished and I look at the clock, I see they need to leave to go get Mitchell.

“Go start up the engine, kid. I’ll be down in a minute,” Gareth tells Max, tossing him his keys.

“Cool.” He smiles at his dad then looks at me. “See you at the house.”

“See you there,” I agree right before he rushes from my apartment. “He knows not to try to drive, right?” I ask Gareth, and he laughs. “What’s funny?”

“Nothing.” He steps toward me, encircling my waist then trailing one hand up my back and into my hair. “Thank you for letting him help you with cookies.”

“It was fun,” I say breathlessly then moan as he claims my mouth, thrusting his tongue between my parted lips. Holding onto him, I melt into the kiss then feel completely drugged when he pulls away.

“We’ll see you at the house in about forty-five.”

“Okay,” I agree.

He studies me for a moment, and then demands quietly, “Pack a bag. Your cat will be alright here alone for the night.”

“Gareth.”

He holds me tighter. “I want to go to sleep with you in my arms, and I want to wake up with you in my bed.” Feeling weak, I nod, and when I do, he touches his lips to my forehead then lets me go. “See you soon.”

“See you soon.” I watch him walk out then go to my bedroom and into my bathroom to take a quick shower. When I’m done, I blow out my hair, get dressed in a pair of jeans and a plain long-sleeved shirt, and pack an overnight bag. Before I leave my place, I grab the cookie dough out of the fridge and my purse from the hook then head to my car. I make it to Gareth’s at the same time he and the boys are getting out of his SUV, and I park next to them.

“Can I see your phone to show Mitchell the pictures Dad took?” Max asks, opening my car door before I have a chance to.

“Sure.” I laugh, reaching into my large Coach tote that is covered with strawberries, pears, bananas, and apples. My stomach drops when my fingers brush across the plastic shopping bag holding my purchase from the drug store. Shit, I still haven’t taken that damn pill. What the hell is wrong with me? With my hand suddenly shaking, I grasp my cell phone from the bottom of my bag then click on the Photos app before handing it to Max.

“I’m so mad I wasn’t there,” Mitchell says, smiling at me. “Can we bake cookies sometime?”

“Yes,” I say, unsure if I’m lying or not. Tonight, I’m going to get myself together and have a very uncomfortable conversation with his dad, and if Gareth tells me he never wants more kids, I seriously don’t know what I will do.

Okay, I do know I will be disappointed and will most likely cry. A lot.

“Right on.” He looks from me to his dad. “What are we having for dinner? I’m starving.”

“Chicken tacos,” Gareth replies, and my stomach grumbles, only I’m not sure if it’s from hunger or worry. “You boys go shower. Dinner will be ready when you get done.”

Without a fight, they both take off toward the house then disappear inside. “What’s with the look?” Gareth asks quietly, and I turn my head to face him, wondering how he knows something is wrong by just looking at me.

“Do you want more kids?” I blurt, and his eyes shutter, making me feel sick. I wrap my arms around my middle to keep myself together. “I…. God, I don’t want to seem crazy bringing this up now, especially when we are just getting to know each other. But what you said to Mitchell the other day about him never having a sister has been replaying in my head. I feel like I need to know if you do or not before we continue seeing each other, or—”

“I saw the pill,” he cuts me off.

I shake my head in confusion and feel my brows draw together. “What?”

“I saw that pill in your bag when I was getting your phone.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “I wanted to toss it.” He says and realize what he’s talking about and pull one strap of my bag off my shoulder. I look inside and see the Plan B box is still in the shopping bag. “I didn’t do it, I wanted to, but I didn’t.” My head flies up when he laughs without humor. “I thought I knew what I wanted. Hell, the day of our first date, I told my sisters I didn’t want more kids, and I meant it.” He shakes his head then wraps his hand around the back of his neck. “Then the other night you told me about going to get that fucking pill, and I felt disappointed. And today, when I saw it, my only thought was to throw it away before you could take it.”

I stare at him not sure what to feel. Elated that he’s open to having more kids, pissed that he thought about tossing my pill without giving me a choice, without even talking to me. “I don’t even know what to say right now.”

He takes a step toward me and I hold my breath “You asked if I want more kids and the answer to that question is yes. If things between us work out, I want everything with you including children.”

As relieved as that news makes me I shake my head and say softly. “If this is going to ever work between us Gareth, we both need to be honest about what we want and what we expect from each other. You need to talk to me.”

“I want you,” he says quietly, closing the distance between us. “I want time alone with you. Time for us to get to know each other. I want to watch you get to know my boys and experience them falling in love with you. Just like I seem to be.” My entire body jolts from his admission, and my arms drop to my sides. “I’ll try not to act on instinct, but truth be told I don’t know what I’m doing. This is all new to me, I’ve never felt the way you make me feel.”

“I’ve never felt like this either,” I confess as he pulls me against him and I rest my hands against his chest. “I’m glad you talked to me.”

“Yeah.” He rests his lips against my forehead then his fingers curl around the underside of my jaw and he tips my head back so he can brush his lips across mine. “I’ll try to get better about doing that.”