Page 124 of Hello Single Dad

She tilted her head, kissing me with everything she had.

I got lost in the moment, letting myself savor what it felt like when dreams came true. I smiled against her lips, realizing I still needed my answer, to hear her say it out loud. “Birdie,” I breathed.

“Yes?” She pulled back, giving me a perfect view of her beautiful eyes.

“Is that a yes to my question?” I asked.

She glanced at my sign and stepped back, biting her bottom lip. “No, I can’t.”

Blood rushed through my ears, the ground swayed beneath me, stronger than any California earthquake.

She stepped forward, taking my hands in hers, but I couldn’t meet her eyes.

“I can’t not-date you, Cohen,” she said.

“Why?” I asked, forcing myself to look at her, even if it meant breaking my heart. “The rules are different, I—”

She held a finger to my lips. “I can’t not-date you, because love doesn’t live in the shadows.” She moved her hand to my cheek. “I love you, Cohen Bardot. And it would be an honor to be with you.”

My smile was so wide, and I couldn’t stop myself from picking her up and spinning her. From dancing with the love of my life. “I love you, Birdie Melrose.”

I kissed her long and hard until the air felt hot and I wanted nothing more than to take her home. But we were at the school. “Can Ollie and I take you out after school? We want to celebrate.”

She came closer, pressing her lips to mine again. “Work can wait. I’m busy sparkling.”

74

CHAPTER

BIRDIE

Confession: My life looks so different one year later.

I looked around my empty apartment. The last year here had been nothing short of the best year of my life. Although, to be fair, I spent just as much time here as I had at Cohen’s place.

A knock sounded on the door, and Henrietta, the property manager and a new friend, came inside with her clipboard. “I can’t believe you’ve already been here a year. It seems like yesterday I was showing you around.”

I grinned. “I know exactly what you mean.”

She sniffed and said, “I’m happy for you, but I’m going to be sad not to see you every day!”

“Trust me, I’m going to miss you and the office coffee maker very much. But we’ll see each other next week at the housewarming, and we’ll get drinks with Mara this weekend. It will be great.”

She nodded, glancing back at her clipboard. “Let’s get you checked out. You and Cohen have a lot of work to do.” Going down the list, she walked around the apartment, checking the fixtures, that everything looked like it did when I’d first moved in.

When we finished with the walk-through, I gave her my keys and a hug. “I’ll see you soon, Hen.”

“You sure will,” she said.

I walked down the three flights of stairs, realizing that was the only thing I wouldn’t miss about this place. It had been an incredible home, but I couldn’t wait to move in with Cohen and Ollie.

A house had gone on the market a couple months ago, on the same street as Mara’s, and the three of us had quickly fallen in love with its charm, as well as its location. It might have been a little soon for us to buy a home together—we weren’t even engaged—but Cohen and I both knew what we were to each other. There was no point in waiting.

I got in my car and drove toward my new home. (I still couldn’t believe I was buying a house!) It appeared in my windshield, along with Cohen’s car parked in the driveway. An overwhelming sense of peace consumed me.

This wasright. I was exactly where I was meant to be.

I got out and went inside, ready to continue unpacking and decorating with the love of my life. But I found something else instead.