I smooth a hand down the cotton material of my dress and do a final once-over of myself in the mirror. The burnt orange sundress is cute but occasional with its bell-type sleeve that reach my elbows and a flowy hem ending right above my knees. The waist is cinched by a lace border and makes the dress more fitted and hugs my still-slim figure. I'm going to need a whole new wardrobe when the baby grows. I tighten my high ponytail and frame the loose wisps stylishly around my face. When I'm satisfied with how I look, I slip my feet into open-toed beige wedges. They're not too high and comfy to wear so they're perfect for pregnant women. Emily lent them to me, swearing by their convenience, and I have to agree.

"Hey." She enters my room just then and I smile, turning around to face her. "You look so pretty, Del."

"Thank you. You look fantastic yourself."

And it's true. Lucas is three months now and Emily's body has bounced back completely. Her curvaceous figure has never looked better, especially with boobs that are still huge for breastfeeding. That's the one thing I'm looking forward to in my pregnancy. My little B cups could use a boost of their own.

"Oh, stop. Don't be fooled. Wide hips and stretch marks are definitely a thing. I'm still getting used to them." She admits and consciously runs a hand over her stomach which is totally flat now.

"Well, I've heard no complaints." As far as I can see, Emily as a mom has made Jaxon that much more primal towards her.

"Oh, yeah. My man isn't fazed in the least." She gets a dreamy look in her eyes like she always does when she talks about her husband and I find myself smiling in return. Their story is one I'll never get tired of. Jaxon going from cold-hearted, except towards his daughter, to an all around loving man under the influence of Emily's kind personality is the kind of tale everyone wishes for. Jaxon is one of the best men I know. Him and Emily have the effect of bringing out the best in one another.

"You both are amazing." I say just because I can. Truthfully, I'm getting super sentimental after the decision I've made for myself.

Emily's eyes sadden, knowing what I'm talking about. "You're sure about this?"

"Wouldn't you do the same?"

"Yeah." She walks over to me and starts picking invisible lint off my dress. "Yeah, I would."

"I need this, Em."

"I know you do."

"You'll take care of things for me?"

"Of course. You've done so much for us. How can we not do the same?"

"Thank you." I hug her fiercely and she returns it. "I love you, Emily. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have met the most important people in my life. You and Jaxon changed my world."

"You changed ours, sweetie." She pulls away and squeezes my hand. "Okay. Let's get going or I'm going to start bawling my eyes out. It's a happy day."

"It is." I take a deep breath to settle my nerves.

"And congratulations once again. I can't wait to read your book, Del. Promise me you'll autograph it."

That makes me laugh. "Oh, relax. I'm not even famous."

"Yet." She singsongs and links her arm through mine. Together, we make our way down the hall that leads to the backyard and step outside into the pleasantly warm weather. The crew is scattered around the huge space and doing their thing. We always hold our parties and celebrations here and it's one of my favourite things to do.

"Hey!" Avery bounds over to us and links my free arm with hers. She does a once-over of all of us and then whistles. "Damn, we're hot."

Em and I laugh at her observation as she casts us a leery look that's totally creepy. "Please stop." I beg her through a fit of giggles.

"Fine. But only because it's your big day, author." She bumps her hip with mine and I smile at her. "I can't wait to see how the cover turns out. When's the photoshoot for Nate again?"

"They said to be there by seven so about five more hours to go."

"I can't believe Nate's going to pose shirtless for your book. This is too good." Her eyes twinkle with barely contained excitement and I know where her mind is going.

"It's not like that." I interrupt before she can say anything else. "We're worlds apart, Aves. He's an eligible bachelor for goodness sake—one who boxes and strips. I'm about to be a single mom where the wildest thing in my life will be whether to dress my kid in overalls or a onesie. We have no business being more than just friends."

"Are you done?" She asks dryly. "Because Cameron was a gigolo when I met him—an abused one, mind you—and that didn't stop us."

"Jaxon was a single dad when I met him and the biggest jerk on the freaking planet. That didn't stop us, either." Emily pipes in.

"But those are your stories. Not everyone in life magically gets a happily ever after."

"Magically?" Avery laughs. "I love you chica but I might just smack you silly you right now. Do you not remember Cameron and I going through hell and back just to be together? I flew to freaking London to escape my feelings for him and he straight up walked out on me because his rapist had him on a leash. Nothing about our story was magic, Del. We worked really hard for what we have."

"And don't even get me started on Jaxon and I." Emily adds. "You wouldn't believe the way he used to treat me. I was nothing more than his fuck-buddy that he used as an outlet for all his messed up feelings and I had to drop his ass for him to realize how badly he was misusing me. He's more than made up for it now but there was so much heartbreak before we got to this point."

"I know but..." I drop my voice to a whisper. "I'm just not sure that's what meant for us. Can we let this go, please? I have so much on my plate and I'm so nervous about becoming a mom. The last thing I want to do is play games with a boy about our feelings. I'm about to be responsible for a little human being and they will always come first. I don't care about me right now and therefore I don't care enough to worry about whatever this is between Nate and I."

"We're not saying you have to make a decision now, honey." Avery says in a more gentle tone and she lays her cheek on my shoulder. "We're just saying not to write him off completely. I'm sure you know by now that the future is unexpected as hell."

"I do but...one step at a time, okay? Please."

There's a pause and Avery and Emily exchange a knowing look before nodding. "Thank you." I tell them. "I know you're just trying to be there for me and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

"Of course." Emily squeezes my arm.

"Yo!" Cameron shouts at us around cupped hands from across the yard. "What's with the long faces? Get your gorgeous butts over here!"

And then Greg slaps him on the back of his head for his choice words. We all watch is amusement as Cam stretches his arms out in a come at me gesture only to take off running when Greg takes a measly step towards him. Even from here we can hear his near-girlish scream.

"That's my man." Avery deadpans. "I'm going to go make sure he doesn't get himself killed." She bounds down the porch steps and heads for him. "Stop running, dumbass! Dios mio, this guy is..."

Her muttering can't be heard anymore but Emily and I are laughing nonetheless. Those two are something else.

"Come on." Emily drags me down the steps by the hand. "What's a party without the star of the show?"

"Still a party."

"I'm not sure I like your sarcasm." She glares at me over her shoulder but the twitch of her lips give her away.

"There she is!" My mom exclaims when she sees me and engulfs me in a tight hug. "Oh, my baby isn't a baby anymore."

"Mom." I warn when I hear the crack in her voice. "If you start crying then I'll start crying."

"I'm sorry. This is good for you. I know." She pulls away to look at me. "But are you sure you want to move out, honey?"

I smile a little sadly as I link our hands together. I thought long and hard about this decision and I know it's the right one. "I am. As great as Jax and Em are for taking us in and treating us like their own, I can't ask them to make room for another baby. They already have one that they've turned the house upside down for and putting my baby in the mix would just be too much. And of course I would love to have you with me but...I've never been on my own, Mom. I'm about to a mother too and before that happens I need to learn how to take care of myself. You've done your part and now it's time for me to do mine."

Mom shakes her head. "My sweet girl. How did you get so smart?"

"I learned from the best."

"I'm only a reflection of what you are."

"Mom." This time it's my voice that cracks and I hug her again. It's going to be so hard leaving her but I know that I have to do this. How could I possibly expect to take care of my child when I couldn't do the same for myself? It's time for me to grow up.

"And you've found a good neighbourhood?" She asks me for the millionth time.

"Yes, Mom."

"What did Jaxon think?"

"He hasn't seen it yet but I'll give him the address on moving day. He has enough on his plate right now and I don't want to bug him until it's absolutely necessary."

"You know he won't be bothered. That boy is just too loyal for something like that. But fine, have it your way. Just make sure the boys check the place out, okay?"

"Okay." I agree, knowing she's right about this one.

I catch Emily waving at me from where she's standing a few feet away to give Mom and I some privacy and I excuse myself to head over to her. Not wanting to keep her any longer after she patiently waited for me, I nudge her towards the direction of her husband who's not far away.

"There you two are." Jaxon grins at us when we reach the gang where they're huddled. Emily goes to him and he wraps his arm around her, bending his head to kiss her. "Hey, baby."

"Hey. Where's Luke?" She looks around.

"With Nate. Last I checked he was trying to make the little guy do the floss."

"Charming." She remarks dryly then looks over at me. "Please go retrieve my baby."

I bit my lip to contain a laugh. "I'm on it."

It's not hard to spot him. Nate has a humongous built and is the tallest of the boys. Plus, at the moment, he's got a chubby little baby on his lap as he sits on the ground and is laughing with his obnoxiously perfect smile. My hormones kick into overdrive when he bends his head to blow a raspberry on Luke's tummy who gives him a toothless smile in return. I can feel my face warming when unexpected thoughts—really inappropriate ones—suddenly pop into my head, Nate being the star of all of them. As I often to do when it comes to my attraction to him, I blame the pregnancy hormones. It's just easier than confronting my feelings for him and getting lost in my own confusion when I think about what the future may hold for us. Truthfully I'm scared Nate won't be a part of my future, especially once the baby arrives, and even the thought of it makes me feel like my insides are ripping apart. That only proves that the sooner I get over him, the better for my baby and I.

I make my way over to him now and plaster a smile on my face that I hope hides what I'm really feeling. My shoes make the grass rustle noisily and Nate looks up when he hears it. His eyes drop and he scans me slowly from head-to-toe, lingering on some places. I try not to cross my arms self-consciously but my nerves are on fire because of the look in his eyes. He always stares as if he wants to ravage me and right now is no different. I remember his words from a few days ago when he asked me to remember that I'm beautiful. Right now, that's exactly how I feel. I'm keeping my promise to him.

"Hi." I greet him softly and crouch down so that I'm level with him and little Lucas. Luke stares up at me with his dazzling greenish-blue eyes and I run a finger over his soft and chubby cheek. He babbles at me in return. "And hi to you, handsome."

"Why, thank you." Nate winks. "I try my best."

A smile tugs at my lip and I roll my eyes. "That so?"

He puts a hand to his chest and rears back, feigning offence. "You can't tell? You sure know how to bruise a man's ego, Angel."

"I don't think anything could bruise your ego, Nate. It's too big."

"Among other things." His smile is wicked and, unsurprisingly, makes me flush. "Do you need evidence of that, too?"

"Stop it." I smack his arm. "There's a baby here."

"Sorry." Nate covers Luke's ears who frowns and tries to break free. "It's not like I actually used the word cock but I'm glad we're on the same page."

"Nate!" I admonish. It feels like my face is on fire. "Do you have to be so vulgar?"

"Aw, come on. Dirty talking isn't something to shy away from. I certainly don't." He shrugs. "I prefer it, even."

I try not to react but I can't help being an open book. My breath catches as my lips part slightly in shock. It takes all of my strength not to let my eyes hood from the tornado of desire that's suddenly raging inside of me. Oh, God. Why on earth is he telling me his sexual preferences and why do I want to know more? This can't be what friends do.

"Are you ready for the photoshoot?" I redirect the conversation completely and nervously twiddle with a strand of my hair.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He watches my slightly shaking fingers as they continue to wrap around my hair.

"I don't know. Aren't you nervous about a bunch of strange people getting in your face and taking pictures?"

"I think the whole being a stripper thing got rid of my stage fright so, no."

"Oh. Right." I laugh nervously.

He stops my twirling by setting his hand on top of mine and the butterflies in me take off. It could be my kid for all I know but something's definitely doing kung-fu in my belly.

"I made you uncomfortable." He observes in a quiet voice. "You're doing that thing with your hair. I'm sorry, Del. Sexual humour is kind of a natural thing for me but I'll be more mindful around you."

How the hell does this guy make me feel like a bold and brazen woman one second and a total nun the next?

"I'm not a child, Nate." I say just as quietly. It's hard to speak up past my embarrassment. "I can handle inappropriate jokes. I just react a little...more than others."

"I know you're not a child, Delilah. I know it way too well."

His words give me pause, much like the way he takes his hand away from my hair only to slide it along my neck until he's cupping the back of it. He tugs me the tiniest bit forward and I gasp lightly when it brings our faces inches apart. His warm and minty breath fans my face and my heart thuds against my rib cage. I'm not very used to being touched by another man. Chris was the only one who'd done so but it had never felt like this. Even when we had sex it was...okay. I didn't understand why there was such a big deal about it because it wasn't life-altering or mind-blowing like I heard it is. I didn't even orgasm. It was just...okay. And yet this—one simple touch from Nate—makes me feel absolutely alive and drunk with need in a way I didn't know I was capable of feeling. When Nate puts his hands on me, it feels like electricity.

"W-what are you doing?" I whisper.

"I feel like I'm always saying the wrong things around you." He murmurs to himself instead of answering my question. I stay completely still because each word he speaks brings his mouth closer to mine and there's a dangerous part of me that wants to close the distance. It's shameful that I have to remind myself I'm pregnant with another man's child every few seconds. "I don't think any woman has made me so nervous and unsure of myself before. What are you doing to me, Angel?"

"I'm sorry." I mumble because I don't know what else to say to something like that.

"I'm not." He whispers back. "You keep me on my toes. I like that."

"Um," I bite the edge of my lip and Nate's eyes zero in on my mouth with startling intensity. "Then I guess you're welcome?"

He chuckles quietly and brushes his thumb across my cheek. My mouth dries up like cotton. "So polite. So...good. It makes me want to ruin you."

"Wow." I blurt because who says things like that? His lips twitch and I know he's fighting to contain a laugh. Could this moment get any more humiliating?

"Well." A voice drawls and I almost jump out of my skin, falling back on my bum so fast that it scares little Luke. The poor guy's lip begins to quiver and Nate immediately cradles him to his chest, rocking back and forth and shushing softly. It takes maybe a second for Lucas to calm down again. I pull my eyes away from the two to see who interrupted us and am nowhere near surprised when I discover it's Cam. His grin isn't questionable either. I hardly see Cameron not smiling.

"What?" I ask him and I sound almost accusatory.

"Oh, nothing." He waves a hand. "Just wanted to see if Nate has something interesting on his face because you were all up in it."

I think my face catches on fire. I'm sure of it, actually.

"Don't be a dick." Nate growls. I've never heard him speak so menacingly. "Leave her alone."

"It's okay." I put a hand on his arm and his shoulder drop a little, losing some of their tension. I look at Cameron who's watching at us with barely contained excitement. Cameron is convinced he's the world's greatest matchmaker and it's obvious who his next targets are. "Did you need something?"

"Yes. You."

"You might want to rephrase that right the hell now." Nate stands and adjusts Lucas in his arms.

Cameron isn't fazed. If anything, he looks bored as he turns his attention back to me. "He does know I'm totally obsessed with my girl, right? Literally the other day I called the store clerk Avery by mistake and then showed her an entire photo album of us even though I was holding up the whole line."

"Aw." I tilt my head and smile at him, briefly forgetting my humiliation. "You're such a romantic, Cam."

"More like goddamn irresistible. I don't know how I do it." He pretends to dust off his shoulder.

"What do you need her for?" Nate cuts in but he at least looks a little sheepish.

"The gang is calling you two. We got a cake and Del needs to cut it."

"Oh, right." Nate nods.

"Everything okay?" Avery calls from a few feet behind Cam as she walks over to us. She wraps her arms around his torso when she reaches him and raises a brow. "You two looked awfully busy."

Great. Apparently none of my friends know what mercy is.

"Beat you to it, babe." Cameron grins at her from over his shoulder. "I was trying to play good cop but then Nate went all "Me Tarzan, Delilah Jane" so I had to switch up to bad cop."

This time it's Nate who blushes and I can't stop my giggle. I see why he enjoys being on the other side, now. This is highly entertaining and not to mention adorable.

"You can play bad cop in bed later today." Avery wiggles her brows, totally uncaring of her audience.

Cameron, ever her soulmate, grins back. "You read my mind, sweet cheeks. Might I suggest handcuffs?"

"Okay, break it up. Let's go before you start sucking each other's faces." Nate looks at them pointedly.

Cameron isn't deterred. "You mean like you and Del might have done if I hadn't come here?"

Okay. I'm officially ready for the floor to swallow me up now.