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“Yeah,” she echoes, but her voice doesn’t match the words. There’s an ache behind them, something buried deep.

I study her face. “Gabs…”

“I’m clean,” she blurts out, like that’s what she’s been holding back. That’s when understanding hits. She’s worried about me, about what I might’ve brought into her body.

I swallow against a tight throat. “I’m clean too,” I say. “I used to get tested all the time.”

“Used to?” she asks quietly.

I frown. “Well… yeah. I haven’t needed to lately.”

“Why not?”

“No reason to.” I meet her eyes, unease stirring inside me. “Why would I? I haven’t been with anyone since… you.”

She goes still.

“I meant what I said,” I add, voice rough. “Just you and me. That wasn’t a line. I don’t mess around, Gabs.”

“Yeah, we said that. Just you and me,” she murmurs.

But something’s off. Her body, it’s too tight, her eyes aren’t meeting mine.

“You don’t believe it?”

She hesitates and that tells me everything. “This… is it about those pictures, is it?”

Her eyes flick to mine. “I…”

“Social media is a fucking joke,” I say quickly. “Those pics mean nothing. I’d never fuck around on you, Gabby.”

“I know,” she says, her voice low, like she’s trying to convince herself. What the fuck happened since I last talked to her?

I brush her hair from her face. “Gabs, what’s going on?”

For a second, she looks like she’s about to say something—something important—but before she can get the words out, my traitorous stomach lets out the most obnoxious growl known to man.

Her eyes spark. “I picked up a few things from The Nook. It’s gorgeous out. I thought… maybe we could have a picnic in the park? Fresh air, sunshine, carbs.”

I’m about to press, demand to know what’s really going on inside her head, but she looks so happy, I don’t want to ruin the moment.

“A picnic,” I repeat. I glance toward the window, blinking against the sunlight filtering through the glass. “I actually thought it was supposed to rain today. April showers bring May flowers.”

But what does May bring for me?

Forus?

She grins. “It’s not showering. Not yet anyway.”

“No. It’s not. It’s an absolutely perfect April morning. Wait… you want to go out with me? In public?”

She shrugs, like it’s nothing, but her eyes are watching me close. “We could wear hats. Sunglasses. Go full celebrity incognito.”

My heart lurches. “Babe, I would fuckinglovethat.”

We’re going incognito, yes, but maybe this is her way of testing the waters?

Seeing what it might be like, the two of us,outside together.

Or maybe she’s just sick of the apartment, Tanner’s place, the grocery store, and The Nook, pretty much the only places she goes.

Still, I’m trying really fucking hard not to read more into this, but it’s hard.

“Let’s shower and get out of here,” she says, already moving.

I grab her wrist before she can escape. “Okay, but here's the thing…”

She stops, brows furrowed in confusion. “What?”

I grin. “I know exactly what you’re like in the shower. If you want to make it to the park before sundown, you’re going to have to keep your hands to yourself.”

Her laugh wraps around me, and my damn heart swells in my chest. “I’ll do the best I can, Roman,” she says, voice dripping with sass. “But no promises.”

I give her ass a playful smack and she yelps before she bolts from the bedroom and darts down the hall. By the time I find her in the bathroom, she’s already bent over the tub, adjusting the water, her bare ass aimed right at me, like a goddamn invitation.

I growl. “I know you’re doing that on purpose.”

She glances back with mock innocence, pressing a hand to her chest as she stands. “Who, me?”

I cross the room in two steps, and kiss the fucking breath out of her. She melts against me, all fire and heat and home. When I finally pull back, I smack her ass again. “Get those buns in the shower.”

She squeals and steps in, reaching for me as steam curls around us. My cock’s already hard, tempted, but for the first time ever…I’m excited about a picnic in the park.

Who would have thought that I, Roman Marinelli, would be spending a Sunday in the park, a new kind of contentment about me because it’s with Gabby? I can’t even imagine what my brother would say.

We wash quickly—stealing a few soapy touches and slippery kisses—but manage to make it out without getting completely sidetracked. A short while later, we’re strolling hand in hand through the park, passing kids on swings, dogs chasing Frisbees, and couples curled together on picnic blankets.

I spot a quiet spot beneath a soon to bloom lilac tree. “How about here?”

She nods, and I lay out the blanket. We settle in, the warmth of the sun wrapping around us, and Gabby bends forward, reaching into a brown paper bag to pull out our lunch.

“Sandwiches, grapes, cheese…” she says with a grin. “All the essentials for a growing boy.”

“Keep bending over like that and I’ll be growing, all right. But this is a family park, not a place to be sporting the boner of all boners.”

She laughs, and I lean back on my elbows, watching her as she pulls out plates.

When have I ever been this happy? She hands me food and we sit close, sunlight soaking into our skin as the low hum of life in the park surrounds us.

The silence between us isn’t awkward. It’s easy.

Comfortable. Like we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.

Gabby adjusts her glasses and nudges me with her elbow. I follow her finger toward the playground equipment when she points. “Is that Maeve and Tanner over there?”

I lift my hand, adjusting my ball cap to better see. “Yeah… looks like it. And they’re with Ash and Gina.”

She turns her head fast. “No way. That’s Ash?”

“How could you miss him? He’s the size of a mountain.”

“Hence his nickname,” she says with a chuckle as she nibbles on a piece of cheese.

I give a lazy nod and call out, “Ash!”

He looks over, and when he recognizes us, he lifts his hand and waves. Then he says something to Gina, who turns and smiles, then leans toward Maeve.

“They’re waving you over,” I say, tossing a grape into my mouth.

She brushes invisible crumbs off her shorts, and I can see the happy sparkle in her eyes beneath the brim of her ball cap. “Be right back,” she murmurs, and heads off with that subtle sway that always, always kills me.

As she passes Ash, she tosses him a quick quip.

I can’t hear it, but the smile he gives her is genuine.

A rare fucking thing from the mountain man himself, but I think Gabby has won the hearts of all my friends.

Not that we go out with them, but she does come to the games and has gotten to know the WAGs.

Ash veers toward me, yawning as he pushes the stroller like he’s running on fumes, and I have no doubt after our away game, he’s spent.

When he lowers himself onto the blanket beside me, it’s with a quiet grunt that says dad life is real .

“I’ve never seen you and Gabby here before,” he says, scrubbing a hand over his chin like it physically hurts to be awake.

I shrug. “Picnic.”

He snorts. “Oh yeah. You picnic now? Or is that code for something else?”

Smirking, I hold a grape up to show him before I pop it into my mouth.

Across the park, Gabby’s talking to Maeve and Gina.

Maeve is waving her hands like she’s telling the world’s most animated story, and Gabby’s eyes are wide, soaking it all in like she belongs there.

Because she does. She laughs at something, and the sound hits me straight in the chest. I can’t stop looking at her.

But just as fast, my grin fades when I think about all she’s worked for and lost. What if… what if I can’t give her the future she actually spent years chasing? Am I holding her back?

A soft fuss breaks my thoughts. Ash leans over the stroller and scoops up Grant, cradling the little guy to his broad chest. It’s such a contrast. This giant hockey player turned soft-spoken dad with a baby tucked into the curve of his arm.

“Your onesie is all twisted,” he coos to Grant as he fixes it.

I blink, then let out a breath that’s half a laugh. “Man. Look at you.”

“What?” he grumbles, as he continues to adjust Grant’s clothing.

“I don’t know. I guess I never thought I’d ever hear the word onesie come from your mouth.” He gives me a warning glare and I laugh and continue. “You look happy,” I say, more seriously now. “Tired, but really, really happy.”

He glances down at Grant. There’s a flicker of something deep in his eyes, then he looks back at me. “Yeah. Well. Your day will come.”

“Whatever,” I shoot back, but Ash just grunts out a laugh.

“Don’t try to play it cool with me, Rookie. I see how you look at Gabby.”

I squint at him. “What look?”

He smirks. “The same one I used to give Gina before she took my last name.”

“You still look at her like that, bud.”

Ash’s grin stretches across his face as he glances back toward Gina and the girls. “Yeah,” he says quietly. “I do.”

For a moment, we just sit there, surrounded by sunshine and the distant soundtrack of kids laughing and birds chirping in the trees. Ash gently rocks Grant against his shoulder, his big hand supporting that tiny back, and damn if it doesn’t gut-punch me in the softest, most unexpected way.

“Ash,” I say after a beat, my voice a little rough. “Can I ask you something?”

He glances over. “Sure.”

“You and Gina. You’ve been together a while.”

“Yup.”

“Are things still…” I trail off, not even sure what the hell I’m trying to say. I rub the back of my neck and stare at the grass. “You know, good… behind closed doors?”

Ash raises a brow. “You want to know about my sex life?”

“Jesus, no.” I mock shiver. “No need to traumatize me for life.”

He chuckles but stays quiet, and I almost backpedal—almost—but then he says, “Are you asking if we get along? Even when no one’s watching?”

I nod slowly, every protective wall I’ve ever built suddenly feeling paper-thin.

He watches his son for a long second, then looks back at me.

“Yeah, Roman. We do. It’s not perfect. Marriage isn’t some magic spell that makes everything easy.

We argue. We frustrate the hell out of each other.

I swear if I leave the toilet seat up one more time, she’s going to banish me to the garage. ”

He laughs again, but there’s a softness behind it now.

“But through all the shit, we’ve got this foundation.

Love. Trust. It’s what keeps us grounded.

We’re not pretending. We’re choosing each other every damn day.

We’re choosing family, and that…” He pats Grant’s back, his eyes misty. “That’s everything.”

Family.

A weight hits my chest.

I’m not sure I knew that family, one to call my own, was all I ever wanted. I’ve spent so long running from the chaos of my past, I never stopped to think I might be running away from the one thing I’ve always needed.

Maybe I’m done running.

Gabby glances back at me then, sunlight catching in her hair, her smile blooming like it was made just for me. Jesus, she looks so happy, like her past is her past and she’s ready for a future, and I can’t help but think, maybe May will bring more than flowers.

Maybe it will bring…forever.