Page 105 of Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake

But loving Rake was nothing but pleasure. Soft and sweet. Strong and mighty. Their love was whispered sighs and booming laughs. It was the astonishing pink of a perfect sunset and the inky black of a night sky. It was everything.

“We’ve talked about it, but no,” Lizzie said, still holding Rake’s eyes as she spoke. “It’s not something we need to do, and we have our hands full enough with sweet little Evie here and her constant pooping and peeing.”

Rake and Lizzie knew they belonged to each other in every way that mattered, and for them, that was enough.

AS THE DAYwore on, the warm spring afternoon morphed into a cool evening, and Rake held Evie closer to his chest, tucking blankets around her. His daughter yawned, her mouth forming a perfect little O before she nuzzled closer to him, and Rake thought his heart might crack in two with all the love he felt.

He thanked Mary, Bernadette, and Bernadette’s wife, Annie, for their help in the party, then saw his parents into a Lyft to their hotel, with promises of breakfast bright and early the next morning. Peter and Leanne wanted to suck up every second they could with Evie.

Rake held Lizzie’s hand as they walked home, paying close attention as she pointed out her love of a piece of bright graffiti or the way the gnarled roots of a small tree made her think of fairy homes.

“That latticework reminds me of the design you did on the pies for the holiday party,” Rake said, pointing at a cast-iron fence.

Lizzie beamed at him. “I can’t believe you noticed. That’s how I came up with the idea,” she said.

The booming bakery and Rake’s savings and freelance work had kept them afloat, and after a few months of searching, Rake had secured a job he loved at a midscale marketing firm that worked with local businesses to enhance their brand and customer reach. It felt good to work with small-business owners, helping them succeed in the city he now felt was home.

When they got back to the apartment, Rake put his perfect daughter in her crib and pulled Lizzie to their bed.

Lizzie giggled, an effervescent, sparkly type of laugh as they touched and kissed, making love slowly and quietly, soft flames of pleasure igniting between them.

“Let’s have five more,” Rake said in the aftermath, gently tracing his fingertips across Lizzie’s soft and lovely body.

“You want more kids?” she said, playing with his hair.

“I want a swarm of them,” he replied.

“That’s good,” she said, a mischievous grin breaking across her lips. She leaned closer to whisper, “Because I have a surprise for you.”

Rake froze, his eyes moving at a glacial pace to stare in horror at her stomach. Yes, he wanted more children. But in like, ten years. When maybe he’d gotten at least three full nights of sleep. He gulped.

“That’s…”

But Lizzie’s choked laugh stopped whatever lie he was going to spew. He looked up at her. She was shaking with giggles.

“You should see your face,” she said, snorting so hard, she had to bury her head in the pillow to control the noise. “I’m kidding, you idiot! Holy God, could you imagine? We’ddie.”

“You’re pure evil, you know that?” he said, gripping Lizzie’sthigh and making her squeal quietly into the pillow. He truly had found himself a little rogue.

“Me being knocked up again would serve you right,” Lizzie said, finding the strength through her laughter to look at him. “Walking around topless like you do all the time? Holding ababyfor crying out loud? It does things to a woman.”

“I’ll try to dress more conservatively,” he teased. “I can’t keep tempting fate.” They shook with silly giggles until they collapsed into a deep sleep.

A few hours later, their daughter cried.

They woke up in a disoriented tangle of limbs and bedsheets, their wild eyes meeting in the early morning hours.

And then they smiled at all the noise.