Page 32 of Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake

A lapse that now meant a child and approximately fourmillion new responsibilities he had to plan for and execute to perfection.

Rake massaged his temples, making neat mental lists of everything he needed to do immediately, over the next week, and over the next few years. He found comfort in the planning, in the preparation for anything life would throw at him.

This would all be okay, he thought, neatly folding his clothes into his suitcase. He’d make sure everything was okay.

Chapter 16

RAKE was exhausted as he swiped into his hotel room. All he wanted to do was fall face-first onto the mattress and sleep for the next three days. Instead, he chugged down a coffee, hopped into a freezing shower to wake up, then sat on the edge of the bed in a towel, staring at his phone.

He needed to get in contact with Lizzie. Rake was only in the U.S. for twenty-four hours, and he needed to use that time efficiently, like he did with all other aspects of his life. He’d spent the excruciatingly long flight working through multiple plans, and he needed to present her with the options. Like a business meeting.

He’d lay out the pros and cons of different arrangements, stick with the big picture instead of the details, and likely have an agreed-upon decision with designated action items within an hour.

If he could keep his head on straight, that is, which he seemed incapable of around Lizzie.

After one more deep breath, he dialed her number.

“Hello?” Lizzie’s voice was like roughened honey, and his heart gave a small kick at the sound of it. Which was bizarre.

“Hi, it’s Rake. I made it to Philadelphia. Can we meet somewhere and talk?”

There was silence for a long moment. “Am I being punked?” she asked at last.

“I don’t know what that means.”

Lizzie sighed. “You’re really here?”

“Yes. I’m at the same hotel as last time. Is there a restaurant or coffee shop you like that we can meet at?”

More silence.

More of his heart doing that weird kicking thing.

“I’ll meet you at La Colombe on Nineteenth and Walnut. It’s a coffee shop. Is an hour enough time?” Lizzie said all of this with another resigned sigh.

“That’s perfect. I’ll see you soon.”

Lizzie hung up the call.

Rake finished getting ready, paying extra attention to his shave, making sure his clothes looked crisp and clean, no matter how rumpled he felt inside.

He was oddly… nervous? Which, on one hand, wasn’t all that strange. He was about to have one of the most important conversations of his life, of course he was nervous. But the nerves came more from seeingLizzieand less from the topic. Which was a very confusing reaction and one he chalked up to jet lag.

Fifty-five minutes later, he stood outside the coffee shop waiting for Lizzie. He checked his watch every few minutes, the jangle of nerves growing the longer he waited.

Half an hour later, Lizzie rounded the corner in a walk-jog, her red hair blazing about her as she maneuvered through the crowds.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said, stopping in front of him, her honey-colored eyes with their touch of wildness threatening to swallow Rake whole. “I was busy puking,” she added, using the collar of her tank top to dab at the sweat on her red cheeks and forehead.

“Are you, uh… are you okay?”

She looked at him, her eyes dancing across his face, and her body seemed to sag under the weight of his question.

After a moment, she smiled. A soft, sad smile that for some odd reason created a tiny, devastating effect along his body.

“Let’s go in,” she said, pulling open the door and leading the way into the cool café.

After ordering, they grabbed a table in the back corner.