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“Do you have a Top Gun fetish, Whitney?”

“What?”

After the confrontation with Heath, I didn’t want to do anything, but Liam convinced me that throwing a pity party for myself on my birthday was no way to live, so I called Ruby and told her that it was a Team Whiney night and to ditch her husband because I wanted to get sloshed.

Liam looks over from the driver’s seat and smirks. “I was wondering because I couldn’t help but notice the way you were looking at me back in your classroom.”

“How was I looking at you?”

“You were totally checking me out.”

I burst out laughing. “What?” I screech, I wipe the tears from my eyes, trying to catch my breath.

“Come on… What type of pilot fantasies have you had? Do you wonder how well I work under pressure?” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“You’re a goof.” I laugh. “Sorry, fly boy,” I put my hand on his chest, giving him a pat. “But I don’t even care for Tom Cruise,” I lie.

My lips arenumb, and the room is slightly spinning. I don’t think I’ve been this drunk since I was a teenager.

Ruby and Liam hit it off from minute one. Not that I was worried. He’s a great guy and a total catch. I guess as you get older you can have a guy friend without the awkwardness of wondering how they are in bed. Who am I kidding? Married or not, I still wonder. Totally.

“You know,” Liam’s voice hits my ear, making chills roll down my arm, “all you have to do is ask.”

I pull back, trying to focus my stare towards him. “What are you talking about?”

Ruby bursts out into a chronic case of the giggles. “You totally need to stop talking out loud, honey,” she says between heaves of breath. Liam gives me a wink, biting his lip and trying to suppress his smile.

“Oh, come on. Like that surprises you,” I scoff, trying to play my mistake off. “I’m a romance author, after all. My mind works double time when it comes to the hot and sexy stuff.”

“Well, if you ever need a research partner to act out any of those scenes, I’d be happy to help.”

“You wish,” I tell him.

“How’s your birthday turning out?” Ruby asks, thankfully breaking the start of some tension brewing between Liam and me.

“It’s perfect,” I purr, making myself sound like a cat. “You know,” I continue on, “every year on this day I can’t help but think that in nine months from now, Charlie will be a year older.”

“What do you mean?” Liam asks.

“She means that every year she’s reminded that she and Heath had sex today,” she states matter-of-factly.

“Seriously?” Liam’s gaze bounces between the two of us.

“Yep. Maybe I should call Charlie up and wish him a happy conception day.”

“Yes, let’s do it,” Ruby chimes in. “And next year you should get him a box of condoms.”

“I think we should think about making and marketing conception day cards.”

“Oh my god, that is perfect. You’re an author, so you can use that to increase sales.”

I laugh. “Yeah, they can read something like, ‘On this day, your mom and dad had sex.’” I take a gulp of my cider.

“‘On this day, I blew my load into your mom,’” Liam adds, making me choke on my drink. When I eye Ruby, there’s a total look of shock on her face, and that’s a hard thing to accomplish. It takes a lot to shock her. He shrugs. “What? Am I not allowed to add to the list of potential card options?”

He says it with so much seriousness I can’t help but laugh. “Oh my god! I need to pee, or I’m going to wet my pants.”

“Damn, girl, you’re only forty-one, and you already need to invest in some Depends?” Ruby quips.

I sigh, getting up from the table. “Thank you for this, you guys,” I say with a smile on my face. Placing my hand on both of their arms, I give them each a little squeeze. “I really needed this.”

“You know I’ve always got my girl’s back, sweetie. No thanks necessary,” Ruby says.