That didn’t sound good. It sounded like the beginning of a very serious talk, one that I didn’t think was necessary this early into the game. But it was the first time I’d heard her say my name, and it gave me a chill in the best way. I was curious to hear this question. “What’s that?”

With her hands on the counter behind her, her guard was down, and her body was completely open to me. She didn’t look down the way she had that night long ago, but looked right into my eyes instead. “When you go to the grocery store, do you take a list?”

I smiled, surprised at how flippant the question was after all. “Are there people who don’t?”

“I’m afraid so.”

I laughed at her serious face. “I wouldn’t think of it.”

She nodded. “Good. That’s good.”

I slid my hand under her hair and wrapped it behind her neck. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way,” I said, “I’m going to kiss you.”

Halloween 2019

Feed the kids a healthy breakfast — Check.

Get Jamin in his Yoda costume without a tantrum — Check.

Look over Lucie’s costume to make sure she isn’t showing too much skin or looking too risque — Check. P.S. She’s only eleven! Why is this even an issue already? I’m really not ready for this…

Drop Jamin off at preschool — Check.

Get Lucie to school on time — Check.

Get dressed — Check.

Put the turkey chili ingredients into the crock pot — Check.

Make the caramel-dipped green grapes — Check.

Make the seven-layer spider web dip — Check.

Get the spiced cider in the fridge — Check.

Get Jamin from preschool — Check.

Get to the school in time for the Halloween parade — Check.

Get a really nice picture of all three of our kids together — Check.

Go home and get Jamin down for a nap without a tantrum — Check.

Wrap Ben’s anniversary gift — Check.

Get girls from school — Check.

Remind Olive to text her mom to confirm I’ve picked her up — Check.

Feed kids a healthy after-school snack — Check. It really was healthy that time.

Whoa. This wasn’t on my list, I thought, as I was pulled into our bedroom by my husband an hour before he was supposed to be home from work.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

He shrugged and gave me a sneaky grin. “I got off early. I wanted to surprise you.”

“Mission accomplished.”

He unzipped his coat, took it off, and threw it onto the hardwood floor. His t-shirt said, “This is the strangest life I’ve ever known.” He smirked.

“You do not still have that t-shirt.”

“No. I ordered it online. I thought we could recreate a moment.”

“Hmm,” I said, playing along, “I’m pretty sure that moment took place in the dark, and not at four in the afternoon.”

He pushed my t-shirt up, pulled the cup of my bra down, and slid his tongue over my nipple — just like he had that night.

I yelped in surprise. I guess he wasn’t going to waste any time.

He unbuttoned my pants next, slid his hand in my underwear, and leaned in to me so he could whisper in my ear, “This moment will be taking place in the dark. I just wanted to give you something to look forward to.”

He removed his hand, licked his finger, and smirked at me again.

“What? You can’t do that,” I said.

“I can,” he said, smiling. “I did. Happy Anniversary, baby.”

He tried to leave the room, but I grabbed his hand, pushed his body up against our bed, and dropped to my knees.

Give my husband a tiny bit of something that will have him wanting more for the rest of the night — Check. Paybacks are a bitch, Ben.

Put the leaf in the table and set seven settings for our post-trick-or-treat dinner — Check.

I heard the doorbell. They were here. Everything was ready. The kids were in their costumes. Dinner, including drinks and hors d'oeuvres, was prepared. My day off of work was well utilized.

I opened the door to greet our guests — Eliza and her boyfriend, Dan.

I took the apple pie from her hands. The bottom was still warm. I licked my lips. Some might say, and there have been jokes about it in the past, that the reason we invited Eliza over for dinner on holidays and special occasions, was because of her apple pie. I won’t confirm or deny that.

“Happy Anniversary,” Eliza said to me with a sly grin, like she knew there was something else I was waiting for tonight besides her pie. Oh gosh, that didn’t come out right at all.

“Thanks,” I said, as I handed the warm pie to Ben. “Happy Halloween!”

I’m a full-time waitress, Chapstick-addict, make-up junkie, and Justin Timberlake fan for life. I’ve been a book nerd since I was a child, and grew up with The Baby-Sitter’s Club and The Sweet Valley Twins. I'm a sucker for the boy-next-door type, and still believe in happy endings. Writing (about the boy-next-door and happy endings) is what I do when I'm avoiding other things… like cleaning.

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Arts, and once had big dreams of being a Hollywood screenwriter. But then I met a boy and got distracted. A few years later, we met another boy, this one even cuter. The three of us are now living (happily ever after!) in the Detroit area. And our house is kind of a mess.

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Cora and Ben are new characters and do not appear in any of my previous books. But if you liked their story (and I hope you did), check out the two books in my romantic comedy series:

The Good Life

A second-chance romance.

“"I highly recommend this book. I laughed, cried, sighed, gasped, smiled REALLY BIG and truly loved it." — Melissa Brown, author of Wife Number 7

All Good Things

A summer romance.

"If Dawson's Creek and Felicity had a wild night with American Pie while watching John Hughes movies." — Ashley Pullo, author of The Album

“So Brooke, I have an idea,” Nathan says as he pulls a coffee mug out of the cupboard.

One thing I adore about my boyfriend is that he’s an animator and comic artist with a wild imagination so he always has interesting ideas. I figure this one really must be a doozy if he’s avoiding looking me in the eye.

“Uh oh, an idea?” I tease. “Is this one I need to gird my loins for?”

“Nah. No girding required. It’s an awesome idea…I bet you’re going to love it!”