“Good.” He kisses my temple. “You’re beautiful.”

He’s tracing the tattoos on my arm. “Why do I get the impression that you don’t normally date women all inked up?”

“I’ve dated women with tattoos before,” he says.

“Probably not like mine.”

“No,” he admits. “And it’s not because I have an issue with your tattoos. Not in the least.”

“I’m glad because they’re permanent, so if they’re a deal breaker, you should have said something weeks ago.”

He smirks and kisses the rose on my forearm. “They’re beautiful.”

“Thanks.”

“What are your deal breakers?” he asks, surprising me.

“Well, that’s putting me on the spot.”

“I don’t think we’ve had this conversation. Everyone has them. What are a couple of yours?”

“I think I’m pretty normal. Drugs, infidelity, being an asshole are all deal breakers.”

“I should hope so,” he replies with a nod. “And I agree.”

“What are some of yours?”

“Snakes.”

“Snakes?”

“Yes, I can’t date anyone who has a snake as a pet.”

“Well, darn, foiled again.”

He laughs and pinches my earlobe. “You wanted a snake?”

“No, I hate them too.”

“Y’all are so cute,” Flo says with a smile as she delivers my food. “How long have you been married?”

“Oh, we’re not—” I begin, but Mac interrupts.

“We’re not there yet,” he says with a smile.

“A new love,” Flo says with a happy sigh. “I do enjoy a love story. Good for you two. Let me know if I can get you anything else.” She winks and walks away, and I’m stuck on one word.

Yet.

I should be terrified. I should need a couple of hours to myself so I can do my self-therapy session thing, but to my surprise, I don’t need it.

I just kiss his shoulder, then dig into my pancakes.

“Want a bite?” I ask, holding some up for him, which he takes, and kisses me with sticky, syrup-covered lips.

“Good.”

“Mm, very good.”

I should tell him now that I love him, but I don’t. I’m not ready.

Not yet.

Chapter Sixteen

~Mac~

“I’m so glad I wore my dancing shoes,” Riley announces, looking down at her feet with a smile.

“Those shoes are a mile high,” Landon replies with a frown. “How can you dance in them?”

“They’re pretty,” she says, as if he’s just being difficult. “And my legs look fantastic in them.”

“They really do,” Kat says with a nod. We’re all out on a Saturday night to celebrate Kat’s birthday, minus Jake and Addie, who decided to sit this one out because Addie is ready to pop at any moment.

It’s probably not appropriate for a pregnant woman to be living it up at the club.

“Addie looked great today,” Kat says, as if she’s reading my mind. “It was nice of them to have us all over for cupcakes.”

“Any excuse for cupcakes is great,” Cami says with a smile. “And I think Addie will throw any kind of party for the excuse of eating sugar.”

“Plus, it’s your birthday,” Mia says with a smile. “Of course we had to have cake.”

“And drinks,” Riley adds. “But not for the pregnant girl.”

“So, you work with Mac, Chase?” Landon asks my brother, who I talked into coming along. With Mom living at his place, he’s turning into an old man. He needed to get out of the house for a while.

“That’s right,” Chase replies with a nod. “Mac and I have owned several businesses together.”

“It’s so great that you can work with your brother,” Cami says. “I don’t think I could work with my siblings. We’d kill each other.”

“Well, we have moments, but it’s pretty smooth for the most part.”

“How did you get us in the VIP section?” Kat asks me as she sips on her drink.

“I know the owner,” I reply with a smile.

“It’s a good spot,” Riley says, looking out at the dance floor. “We can see everything happening, but it’s not crazy loud.”

“And our waitress is very attentive,” Kat says. “No waiting forever for drinks in this section, which I was worried about. The bar is always understaffed here.”

“You think so?” Chase asks. We share a look. He and I have thought about buying this place. It’s popular, and from what we can see, it’s busy. The past three years have shown a profit.

“We used to come here often,” Mia says. “We stopped because it was sometimes a thirty-minute wait just for a drink. So being in this section with a private waitress is really nice.”

“I want to dance,” Riley suddenly announces. “Kat, come with me.”

“Gladly.” They finish their drinks in a few gulps, then hold hands as they walk down to the dance floor and begin to move with the music.

“They’ve always loved to dance,” Cami says with a grin. “Mia, do you remember that time in college when we went to that frat party and Kat and Riley ended up dancing on the table?”