Page 73 of First Comes Marriage

He shook his head to clear it. “I’ll give you five.”

“You know me so well.”

“That I do.”

When she emerged from the bathroom—four and a half minutes later—Baz had to remind himself to breathe. Then she took his hand, and smiled up at him, and for a moment, it felt like everything was slotting into place. Like this was the way it was meant to be all along.

Their first stop was at Lemon and Thyme. Baz had called ahead and placed a to-go order, despite Jamie doing his best to convince him that the food would taste better if they ate in at the restaurant. But Baz had other plans, a whole evening, and it didn’t involve sitting in Lemon and Thyme while half of Aster Bay tried to eavesdrop on their conversation.

The hostess greeted Baz warmly and within minutes Jamie pushed through the double doors of the kitchen in his pristine chef’s jacket, a large brown paper bag filled with some of the best food in the state in his hands.

“You’re lucky you’re practically family,” Jamie said, handing over the bag. “I usually don’t make my calamari for to-go orders.”

“We appreciate you compromising on your impossibly high standards,” Baz said.

“You better.”

Sabrina beamed at Jamie. “You have a packed house tonight!”

“Every night,” Baz said. It was funny, the way pride blossomed in his chest, to brag about his friend’s success, to watch Sabrina drink it in, to know that, as Jamie’s accountant, he had some small part in that.

“Hopefully it’ll slow down a little soon or I’ll need to hireeven more help for while I’m out on paternity leave,” Jamie said.

“How’s Tessa holding up?” Baz asked.

“She’s great. Sore and she thinks I don’t hear her talking to the baby. She’s due in two weeks but she keeps telling the baby to stay in a little longer. I told her not to schedule the baby shower so close to her due date, but she’s determined to make it until after the shower.” Jamie shook his head, smiling.

“And the breakup party this weekend. Don’t let her forget,” Sabrina said.

Jamie chuckled. “No chance of that. She’s been talking about smashing a clay penis for weeks.”

Sabrina smiled wider.

“I’ve been cooking something special in the back for her. I added a dish of it for you. My treat,” Jamie said.

“What does Tessa have you making this week?” Baz asked.

“All South American flavors. I think I’ve finally perfected my fried plantains.”

“I thought you hated plantains,” Baz said.

“Chef.” A young kid, likely a busboy, approached the hostess stand where they stood talking. “Sorry to interrupt. Your wife’s on the phone. Something about empanadas.”

“Alright, Ben, thanks. I’ll be right in.” Jamie turned back to Baz, grinning. “You’ll see, when Sabrina’s pregnant with your first kid, it won’t matter what you hate anymore. Anything she wants, she gets.”

“Fucking right,” Baz said, grinning.

Alone again, the air suddenly felt heavier between them. Baz took Sabrina’s hand in his and squeezed. “Ready to go?”

She blinked away whatever shadows had crept into her eyes. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

Sebastian drove them to the edge of town as the sun began to set over the bay, eventually turning his car onto the Williston University campus. The leaves had begun to change color, and by the end of the month Sebastian promised they’d be a stunning mix of reds and oranges. Sabrina rolled down her window to let the crisp night air in, hoping it could calm the low hum of panic that had simmered through her veins since their conversation with Jamie.

“Aren’t we a little old to be going back to college?” Sabrina asked.

One corner of Baz’s lips quirked up. “Taking a short cut.”

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