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“Any normal person would’ve picked her second or third choice.”

I didn’t know whether to be pissed off or flattered. In the end, I let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Yeah, well I’m definitelynota normal person.”

“True enough,” Devyn grinned. “But maybe you only want me because youcan’thave me?”

He was searching me for anger, and that was probably good. Maybe he wanted to see anger. Anger was decisiveness.

Still, game-playing just wasn’t my thing.

“I flew all the way to Phoenix, then drove all the way out to the middle of the desert,” I told him. “Just to find you.”

“Which brings up another point,” he reasoned. “How the helldidyou find me?”

Our eyes locked. My smirk widened.

“The truth?”

“The truth would be nice, yeah.”

“I bribed a friend of mine who has access to every street camera in the five boroughs,” I said. “You came up as being in New York about a year ago, for your mother’s funeral.”

He looked floored. Flabbergasted. Downright fucking impressed.

“Sorry about your mom, by the way.”

“Err… thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Devyn flexed involuntarily. It was like watching a sea of hot muscles rolling and shifting beneath his tight, camouflage T-shirt.

“You tracked me down,” he said at last. “You must really want this.”

“That’s what I keep telling you.”

He squinted hard, his eyes narrowing as he sized me up. I wanted to ask him more about his own life, where he’d been, what he’d done. I wanted to know about the Navy, and the places he’d been stationed. From the limited information Addison had gathered for me, it seemed he’d led quite an exotic life.

“Alright then, let’s go.”

I shot up hopefully. “Really? To the sister clinic?”

“Back to my place first,” Devyn answered, pulling a stack of bills from his back pocket. He flipped a few onto the table, along with his napkin.

“I need to know what the guys think.”

Ten

JULIANA

The ride out to the desert seemed only half as long this time, maybe because of the company. Devyn’s electric blue Raptor devoured the road smoothly, sending a V-shaped plume of hot dust billowing out behind us. But on the inside, nestled into the air-cooled, racing-style leather seats, we were cool and comfortable.

He spent the ride asking me about New York, and telling me how many things had changed in the time he’d been gone. It occurred to me I’d probably arrived in the City around the same time he’d left it. We’d missed each other by a matter of months; two random ships passing in the night.

Two ships destined to one day make a baby together.

Hopefully.