It had been a few days since I'd gotten chewed out by Wiggins for having a date in the teacher's lounge, the thought of which still made me smile. I'd pointed out to the principal that there was no actual written rule about such a thing, to which he'd huffed that it was implied, and asked if I'd ever seen anyone else have guests over for lunch. Although I had seen Jan on occasion when Tyson had forgotten his lunch, I'd known I was toeing the line by inviting Renee'. The thing was, I couldn't find it in me to care. I hadn't seen her since, and that was four days ago, so I was happy that I'd gotten to see her, even if it was only for a few minutes. We'd been mostly keeping in touch by texting each other throughout the day. We'd talked a few times, but we were on different schedules and she was usually still working when I got off. I'd always heard owning your own business was tough, but the amount of hours Renee' and her sisters put in was staggering. Luckily, they were talking about

Things were going great. Renee's sisters seemed to like me, Wyatt and Rebecca were chatting each other up, and Tyson's wife even gave in and let him eat the corned beef. We were all enjoying the drinks, atmosphere, and each other's company. Then Tanner Smyth walked in. I didn't notice ar first. I was enjoying the feel of Renee' pressed up against my side, her hand in mine as we laughed over Suzanne and Jennifer's worst client ever stories. I saw Wy shout a greeting and stand up out of the corner of my eye, but it wasn't until the three sisters stiffened and stopped talking that I looked up to see what was happening Tanner, normally self-assured and affable, was standing next to our table with his hands in his pockets and eyeswide as he took in our group. "Glad you could make it," Wy was saying. "I know Sundays can be busy for you." Tanner didn't hear him though, his eyes were frozen on Jennifer, while she sat aghast, staring back at hi

I woke slowly, feeling more rested and sincerely happy than I'd felt in a really, really long time. Renee's bed was extremely comfortable, so much so that I was thinking of asking her what kind of mattress it was, and where she'd gotten the down comforter, I was currently snuggled under. Renee' wasn't beside me, but I could still feel the warmth of her body and smell the perfume of her hair as I stretched out across the most comfortable bed ever made. Suddenly, I heard footsteps running toward me, before Renee' landed right on top of me with a laugh and started pelting my face with kisses. I happily accepted the assault, then rolled smoothly until Renee' was cradled half underneath me, and I was looking at her gorgeous eyes, which were currently a deep hazel. "Good Morning to you, too," I murmured, then lowered my head to give her a deep, lingering kiss. When I finally came up for air, Renee' brushed her hand through my hair and said, "I made breakfas

This week had, thankfully, gone by quickly. It was a usual week filled with lesson plans, homework, and Amora, so I'd had plenty to do, but now I had the added bonus of yearning for Renee'. Yeah, I said it, and I'm man enough to admit it. I yearned for her. The night we'd spent together was always at the forfront of my mind, distracting me at the most inopportune moments. Flashes of her lips curled up, the feel of her soft skin, the little noises she'd made when I was inside of her, hit me when I was standing in the checkout line of the grocery store, making dinner for Amora and me, or most often, when I was reading aloud to my students. Once again, we'd mostly been communicating between texts and phone calls, which was great, but man, I missed the feel of her in my arms. we needed to move forward with her spending time with Amora, so that I could get more time with her. Which was why I was currently making tacos, rice, beans, and salsa, even though it wasn't Tuesday. It was Amora

By the time I got to the restaurant, I was practically skipping. It was Renee's birthday, the first major event that we were celebrating together, and I may be hiding the best gift ever in my back pocket.I'd never been that great at gift giving. Kayla never really collected anthing, or made a big deal about presents. It wasn't until Amora got old enough to start unwrapping gifts and began to light up over every little thing that I became the gift-giving guru.And, I'd really outdone myself this time...I'd enlisted Suzanne and Jennifer's help, an based off of their feedback, Renee's mind was about to be blown.I grinned as I approached the table at the Thai restaurant that Renee had chosen, and was pleased to note that she'd left the chair next to her open for me. I bent to kiss her softly on the forehead before taking my seat and saying hi to Suzanne and Jennifer."Sorry for being a few minutes late. I was waylaid dropping off Amora."After her reaction to being invited to Renee's