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But before that, I think we’re both ready to try and have a baby. Joe’s been very patient, but I know he’s dying to be a dad.

Joe and I... It’s hard to describe. I couldn’t even imagine what true intimacy would feel like before us. It’s like getting deeper and deeper into the subconscious mind, probing the crevices of all your fears and desires, only it’s not just you, there’s someone else there along for the ride, someone from whom you want to hide nothing, and he sees every piece, all of your broken, mismatched parts, and on this journey your connection grows stronger and harder to describe with each passing day.

All I can say is you’ll know it when you’ve got it, when the person is exactly right for you, and there will be no end, no limits to your joint truth. And if you’re unsure, it’s not the real thing.

The roars of excited Cheeseheads jolt me out of my thoughts. Damn it. The Packers scored a touchdown.

“This is my cue to go to the little ladies’ room,” I say and hop off the stool. As I turn to leave, Joe pinches my butt. No one sees it since we’re close to the wall, but I still swat him lightly, to which he grins.

****

Of course, there’s a line outside the women’s bathroom. I stand in the back and pull out my phone.

“Hey, wingwoman!” someone says.

I look up and see a familiar face. It takes me a second to place him. “Hey! Wyatt’s friend, was it?”

He grins. “That’s right. How’s it going?”

“Pretty great, actually. How about you? Did you get that girl? Wyatt’s ex?”

His face falls. “No.”

“Oh, no!” I briefly squeeze his upper arm in an attempt at support. “I’m so sorry. What happened? I thought you were going to clear the air with Wyatt?”

“I tried,” he says solemnly. “He stopped talking to me. And then she said she loved me, but she couldn’t deal with the guilt of coming between my best friend and me, so she skipped town. Just disappeared. After the damage had already been done.”

“So no friend and no girl?”

“No friend and no girl.”

I sigh. “That’s rough. Not to make light of your pain or anything, but you are a walking country song.”

He chuckles. “All I need is for someone to shoot my dog and steal my truck.”

“I’m glad you’re not feeling sorry for yourself.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I am.” He meets my eyes. “It’s really good to see you, you know. What’s your name again?”

“I’m Liz. You?”

“Zack.”

“Well, Zack, have you thought about going after your girl?”

He frowns. “Of course I have.”

“And?”

“I told you, I don’t know where she is.”

“Bullshit. I was a runaway girl myself not that long ago.” When his eyes widen, I nod, my expression one of exaggerated wisdom. “Yes, it’s true. I bet you could find her within a week if you wanted to. So what’s really stopping you?”

He looks at his feet, then up at me, and he shrugs.

“Come on, Zack, you can do better.”

“Yes, you can do better!” repeats a little old lady in a Packers jersey, standing next to me in line. She’s clearly overheard everything.