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“No rules about not fucking in the kitchen,” he said.

Then he was turning me and bending me over the island.

His hands went to the straps of my leotard, drawing the tight material down my body until I was completely naked right there in our kitchen.

Coast’s hands were all over me. Exploring, teasing, igniting the fire through my body.

And just when I felt about to combust, he surged deep inside me.

My moan echoed out through the lower level of the house as Coast pushed me down across the island. The cool stone met my overheated skin, making shivers move through me as Coast started to fuck me.

Slow and deep at first.

Then harder and faster as our need grew, as the ache for release reached a fever pitch.

“Fuck, yeah,” Coast groaned, grabbing a handful of my hair to arch me off the island, so he could hear me better. “Come for me.”

So I did.

Hard and long, taking him with me.

Neither of us had even stopped to think about protection.

So a few weeks later, we had a happy surprise when the stick turned blue.

Coast - 1 year

“Okay. I have something for you,” Zoe said, her voice having a strange edge to it.

“Oh, yeah?” I asked, looking up from coloring with Lil’ Bit. “That it?” I nodded toward the folder she was hugging to her chest.

“I don’t want you to be mad.”

“Doubt that’s gonna happen.”

“Just know that all of this was done in a secret way. It can’t be traced back to anyone. And no one will know what I did. Well, what I had Arty do,” she said.

“Be right back,” I told Lainey as I climbed off the floor, putting a hand to Zoe’s lower back and leading her into the kitchen. “Lemme see.”

I reached for the folder and spread it out on the island.

It had a thick stack of paper inside, each tabbed and paper-clipped.

My stomach clenched at the first name.

William Roe.

Little Will.

That brave boy who’d been holding his little sister’s hand on our front stoop while the foster care lady held the baby.

“He’s almost done with medical school,” Zoe told me. “He’s going to be a pediatrician. His little sister just graduated high school. The baby? He’s a really talented musician. He puts his music up online. He seems really, really happy.”

My gaze flicked to Lainey.

“They were adopted by the foster family they went to after you. By all accounts, they were loved, had a stable life, grew up happy.”

Just like that, a small crack in my heart seemed to finally heal.