3.

Adam and Eve were the first people who didn’t agree with the Apple terms and conditions.

Dice

D ICE

I laid there with my eyes closed long after I woke up, wondering what it was about Cydney that made her a permanent fixture - not just in my everyday thoughts, but in my dreams too. For three weeks now, I had been dreaming about the woman. I had, however, resisted the urge to try and figure out who she was or how to find her, even though I had a feeling the only way to get her out of my head was to have another dose of her.

The woman was like a drug I instantly became addicted to, and I knew that the boast I made that night about ruining her for any other man had backfired. She had ruined me. I didn’t even look at women the same way anymore.

It seemed like I could find flaws in even the most beautiful women. Their hair wasn’t dark enough like Cydney’s black hair. Other women’s eyes didn’t compare to that particular shade of brown that looked warm and comforting while wicked and sensual at the same time. They didn’t have the cute little freckle on their jawline that just begged to be kissed, and their lips weren’t full and curved perfectly like Cydney’s.

I had it bad for a woman who never planned on seeing me again, and it seemed like there was nothing I could do to get rid of these feelings. She had made it perfectly clear that our night together was just that - one night.

I didn’t know her last name, the town she lived in, or anything else about her, so there was no way I could look her up online. For all I knew, she was in a relationship or even married, although just from the little I did know about her, I couldn’t imagine that she would have given me the time of day if that had been the case.

What I did know was that I needed to find a way to move on with my life. I had a dozen things to do today before I opened the shop, and then I had four consultation appointments booked and a tattoo that would take at least six hours. I usually hated being spread so thin, but right now, it worked out well for me because it provided a distraction to take my mind off of what I’d let slip through my fingers.

When Cydney left the hotel room that morning, I had wanted more than anything to ask for her number but choked it back when she ran her hands through my hair and said I had been right - we had made a memory that would last her entire life. Before I got the balls to say anything, she was gone. I hurriedly put on my boxers and ran out into the hall only to find the elevator doors closing to take her away.

My alarm sounded, jerking me out of my memories. I sighed as I sat up in bed and grabbed my phone off the nightstand. I was shocked to see how many notifications I had missed through the night and early morning hours and worked to get through them and clear all the red circles off my home screen.

A message from Debbie ordering me to come to their house for dinner made me laugh. A text from Chelle, one of Debbie and Frank’s daughters, wondering if I might have an open spot to work on her tattoo in the next few days had me scrolling through my calendar to see if I could fit her in before I left town. And I couldn’t resist replying to the multiple messages in the family group text saying good morning with a funny GIF about how much I hated mornings.

A quick read through my emails gave me more information on the upcoming filming schedule and reminded me that I had a photo shoot scheduled for next week and would need to continue to let my beard grow out so the makeup and hair professionals could work their magic and turn me into a star.

I scoffed at my own thoughts, knowing I was far from star material and wondering why in the hell I had agreed to another season of filming since it kept me busy from sunup to sundown while I tried to balance my work at the shop with the filming schedule. But, then again, maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. Working myself to exhaustion every day may help me sleep and get rid of the Cydney dreams that kept plaguing me.

I heard an irritated yowl come from the kitchen and opened my door to find a pair of bright green eyes glaring at me from the floor of the hallway. I ignored the warning glare and scooped Cake up in my arms so I could snuggle him on my way to answer my summons.

“I’m coming! Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” I said as I walked into the living room and headed toward the kitchen.

My condo was an open floor concept - at least that’s what the realtor had called it. I called it just enough space to make me comfortable with an area big enough to stave off the occasional bouts of claustrophobia I’d fought since I was a kid. The fact that I had an entire wall of windows helped, even though they didn’t look out over green pastures or anything calming like that. Instead, they looked out over the Vegas Strip. New York City might be the city that never sleeps, but Las Vegas was a close second.

When I rounded the island that separated the living room from the kitchen, I found the source of all the noise. I dropped Cake down next to her sisters and then hit the button to start the coffee pot while I got breakfast started for my girls.

I had no illusions that they weren’t spoiled little princesses, which was fine with me since I was the one that made them that way, but on mornings like this, I could kick myself for what they’d become. I opened the refrigerator to get the things I needed and then set to work making their food. By the time the coffee was done brewing, I had the food bowls made with salmon, scrambled eggs, and a dollop of pumpkin puree.

As the girls chowed down on breakfast, I leaned against the counter and savored my first cup of the day. After a few sips, I picked up my laptop and walked over to the sliding doors and then out onto the balcony. I settled myself at the table and opened my laptop to check today’s news and log into the social media accounts for the shop.

By the time I finished my coffee, I had today’s posts scheduled and even did a few for the rest of the week. I shot off a quick email to my assistant to let her know and then fell down into the rabbit hole of world news and ruined the rest of my day.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and found Lamp staring at me from inside the tunnel I had a contractor specially build for them before he installed an automatic door so they could go in and out of the condo. Luckily, they had taken to the tunnel right away, and when I moved their litter box outside, that made my life much easier - and my condo smell much better.

“You know, when you stare at me like that, I think you’re plotting my death.” Of course, Lamp didn’t answer, and if she had, I probably would have thrown myself over the balcony rail. “The fact that I talk to you and your sisters more than any other women tells me I need to get out more.”

My phone rang, and I smiled when I saw that Courtney was trying to FaceTime me.

“Hello, gorgeous,” I said when her face appeared on the screen. “To what do I owe the honor of a video call from you so early in the morning?”

“Early? I already got the kids dressed, fed, and off to school. I’m sitting in the parking lot right now trying to talk myself into going to work.”

“If I had a boss like yours, I’d probably do the same thing everyday.”

Courtney glared at me, but didn’t take the bait. Instead, she said, “I need a favor.”

“Hit me.”

“Mom and Dad’s anniversary is coming up, and I want to send them on a cruise.”

“They’ll love that.”

“I’ve made all the arrangements and want to give them the . . .”

“Why didn’t you let me put in on the cost?” I interrupted.

“You did,” Courtney assured me with a grin. “I split it equally four ways, and you paid your part.”

“I’m so glad I could help,” I said sarcastically.

“I need to know when you’ll be back in town so I can plan their anniversary dinner. We’ll give them the cruise information then, so I want to make sure you’re there.”

“We’re driving to see Rooster, and then we’ll head to Rojo to meet up with Tiny. I plan to stay there for about a week, and then we’ll ride home. That should take us about three days, I think.”

“I’ll plan the dinner for two weeks from now to give you plenty of time.”

“That sounds like a plan, but I want to pay for dinner.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I don’t have to do anything, but I want to do that.”

“If that’s the case, then I’ll make reservations somewhere that has lobsters as big as my arm and . . .”

“Bullshit,” I interrupted with a bark of laughter. “As if Frank or Debbie would enjoy that. Besides, I can only imagine what your heathen children would do with a lobster.”

“They’re still using everything they can get their hands on as a weapon. When does that stop?”

“Knowing those two, I’d say probably never.”

“Shit. Chelle is walking in, and Carrie just pulled into the parking lot.”

“You better get your ass to work,” I told her with a grin. “Tell the girls I said hello, and yes, I will let you know I’m safe while I’m out of town.”

“You know me so well.”

“Yeah, I’ve had a little time to figure you out.”

“I’ve got something else I want to talk to you about,” Courtney said with way too much cheer for it to be anything good.

“What?”

“I have a friend who I think would be perfect for you.”

“As perfect as the last one? She was freaking great. I put an extra lock on my door because I was terrified that she’d break in and sacrifice the girls to create a love potion or some shit. And remember the one Chelle found for me a few months ago? Her laugh made me want to clean out my earwax with a blowtorch. Oh! I almost forgot one! Is she as perfect as the lady Carrie met at the gym who told me that all the ink I have in my body was going to give me spinal cancer and turn me into a drain on society?”

“Obviously, our track record hasn’t been . . .”

“I could go on.”

“Please refrain.”

“I will if you’ll stop trying to set me up with every eligible female with a pulse.”

“I don’t think you appreciate our efforts,” Chelle chimed in from outside the car.

“Tag team doesn’t work on me, ladies. Now, if you can find me two women who . . .”

“La la la la!” both women started chanting at the same time.

“Get to work before your boss fires your ass.”

“If you were gonna fire us, you would have already done it,” Courtney said with a grin. “Think about letting us set you up. This woman is different . . .”

“All of the women you’ve set me up with could be described as different.”

“Ungrateful.”

“Bye.”

“Love you!” the girls said in unison just before the call ended.

I looked over at Lamp to see if she was there to hear me complain and found Cake and Toast lounging in the sunshine with her, all staring at me in judgment.

“I should have gotten a dog.”

◆◆◆

CYDNEY

“Are you dying?” my sister asked as she sauntered into the bathroom that connected our offices and went over to check her makeup at the mirror above the sink. “You sound like you’re dying.”

“I might be,” I moaned as I stood up and brushed off the knees of my slacks. “I just can’t kick this bug.”

“I called the doctor’s office, and they’ll fit you in to see someone this morning.”

“Why?”

“I think you have an ulcer.”

“I think you need to stay off WebMD, Dr. Gracy.”

“And I think you need to pay more attention to your diet and get more sleep, horrible patient.”

“I get plenty of sleep. That’s all I do is sleep.”

“Because you’re depressed. You won’t talk to me about it, so I made sure when I sent Jewel the message a few minutes ago that she knew that and would force you to talk about it.”

“I’m not depressed.”

“There’s no shame in it, Squid.” I felt another wave of nausea and turned back toward the toilet as I breathed deeply to try and get it to pass. “If you don’t go to the doctor, I’ll make Jewel do a housecall, and you know you don’t want that.”

I dropped to my knees and started dry heaving - mostly because my stomach was rebelling, but partially because the thought of Jewel barging into my house in doctor mode terrified me. When I was finally able to take a breath, I asked, “What time is my appointment?”

◆◆◆

“Could you be pregnant?” My mind flashed back to that night I couldn’t seem to forget, and once again, I tried to convince myself it was the alcohol that had made it seem perfect and not the man I had been with. “I can tell by the look on your face that it’s a possibility.”

“No.”

“Have you had sex at any time in the . . .” Spruce looked down at my stomach and finished with, “Any time in the last three months?”

I swallowed hard and then nodded.

“How long has it been?”

“About a month, I think. Maybe three weeks?”

“It’s a little early for you to be experiencing morning sickness, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, so I’m gonna need you to pee in a cup,” Spruce said with forced cheer. “Let’s not make more of this than we have to until we have a definitive answer.”

“Gracy said it’s an ulcer.”

“Your sister needs to stop thinking the worst of every situation,” Spruce retorted.

“Will you do the test or will someone else?”

“Usually, I would have one of the nurses . . .” When I started shaking my head he said, “There are specimen cups in the cabinet above the toilet. Go fill one while I get a test. I’ll bring it in here so we can do it together.”

“Thank you,” I whispered as I hopped off the table. I had to stay still for a few long seconds to let the wooziness that seemed to come with my stomach issues fade before I could go anywhere, but Spruce waited patiently. “I’ll be right back.”

I smiled at the nurses I knew as I walked down the short hall to the restroom, glad that I didn’t encounter any of my friends who worked here. I had just enough time to lock the door behind me before I barely made it to the toilet so I could be sick again. Since I hadn’t eaten anything more than a few crackers today, it didn’t take long to clear my stomach, but as I crouched there waiting for the second wave of nausea that would inevitably come, I knew in my heart that Spruce was right.

This wasn’t just some bout of stomach flu I couldn’t get rid of - it was pregnancy.

I was going to be a mom. A single mom who knew nothing more about the father of her baby than the color of his eyes and his first name. I wasn’t sure if that second wave that hit was the usual nausea or the nervous feeling that thought gave me, but either way, it kept me there for another few minutes before I could clean myself up and get down to business.

I was barely able to fill the cup up halfway, but I knew it would be enough for the test, so I cleaned up and left the bathroom.

I was almost to the exam room when Wren walked out into the hallway and bumped into me. She grabbed my shoulders to steady us both, but the smile on her face disappeared when she got a good look at me.

“Squid? What’s wrong?” I couldn’t say a word as tears filled my eyes, and I saw the shock spread over Wren’s face. She glanced toward the open door of the exam room and saw Spruce waiting patiently inside before she looked back at me and asked, “Want some moral support, babe?”

I nodded, and Wren smiled at me before she let my shoulders go and gripped my hand. We walked into the exam room, and as Wren shut the door behind us, I handed Spruce the cup of my urine. He held it up in front of him and frowned before he asked, “How long has this nausea been going on? Does it fade as the day goes on?”

“Not really.”

“Are you comfortable with Wren being in here?” Spruce asked. When I nodded, he said, “I’m going to go gather some supplies to start an IV for you while she performs the test, okay?”

“An IV?” I asked.

“You’re obviously dehydrated, and even though that may not be the root of the problem, it’s not helping either.”

“Okay,” I whispered as I glanced over at Wren.

“Even if the test comes back positive, I think it’s a good idea.”

“Could it be an ulcer?” I asked with a watery smile.

“Has Tad been surfing WebMD again?” Wren asked. She rolled her eyes and said, “Of course she has.”

“Let’s get to it then,” Spruce said as he set the cup on the counter. “I’ll be back in just a few minutes, okay? I’ve got a patient waiting for a follow-up appointment, but it shouldn’t take me long at all. I’ll be back just as soon as I’m finished.”

“Take your time. I think I’ve got about eight months or so,” I tried to joke.

“You’re not alone, Squid.”

“I know,” I whispered as I took the tissue Wren held out for me. “It’s all going to be okay.”

“It might not feel like it right now, but it is.”