Pierce smiled. “I don’t think your mom thought that.”
“She probably did once in a while, but she never complained and she always went that extra distance. You know, she made the ugliest birthday cakes.”
Pierce almost laughed at that unexpected comment. “She’s admitted as much.”
“She was no good at it, even baking one from a mix. They were always lop-sided. But she made them. Five cakes every year. I would have given up, but not my mom. She’s so determined to do the right thing.”
Pierce smiled.
“I learned to bake from Grandma when I was ten because I wanted a pretty cake. Cole’s birthday was the first one I made, though, and I remember that Mom almost cried when she saw that cake. She was so happy. She said she was proud of me but now I wonder whether she was glad to have one less thing to do.”
“I’ll guess she was proud of you.”
“Yes, she wouldn’t have said so otherwise. Mom never needed a truth serum.”
“That’s one of the things I admire about her,” Pierce said.
“Me, too.”
“No games. No lies. If you ask for the truth, you get it.”
“It’s not very common, is it? I mean, I didn’t realize that when I was a kid.”
Pierce shook his head. “Honesty like that is very uncommon.” They drove in silence, and were in the tunnel when Maddy spoke again.
“I like that you spoiled her on Valentine’s Day,” she said softly. “Thank you for that. My mom deserves to be treated like a queen, every day of her life. And I think she deserves a lot of really hot sex.”
“We’re in perfect agreement on that.”
“She said the others are coming home, too, and she invited you to stay with us for the quarantine.”
Pierce nodded, realizing that Maddy had been speaking to Jacquie when she’d gotten off the plane.
“Good,” Maddy said, settling back, her eyes dancing. “It’ll give us time to interrogate you.”
“I didn’t expect anything less,” he admitted, then found himself smiling in anticipation of whatever they would ask him.
He turned down the street and found a parking spot right at the curb. Maddy was looking around with satisfaction. “It’s so good to be home,” she said. Pierce waved her on and got her bag from the trunk, then returned the rental car.
When he got back, he took the stairs, needing the sprint. Jacquie must have realized he’d be coming because she had the door open to the apartment. Maddy was behind her, freshly showered in F5F yoga gear, smiling at him.
“Welcome home,” Maddy said and Pierce was momentarily startled.
“Welcome home,” Jacquie echoed.
Home. Pierce held her gaze, felt that sizzle, and was awed that he’d finally found the only thing missing from his life.
Jacquie.
In fact, the challenge he’d been seeking for the past year was right in this apartment, right with this woman, and proving to her that they could nurture this spark for the rest of their days. He’d seen it done and he was going to do it with Jacquie. He was going to protect what they’d found, build from strength to strength, and ensure that she never regretted her choice.
It was a mission he chose to accept.
Fifteen
The apartment was full and noisy with seven of them there, but things worked out pretty well. Jacquie was glad they returned to old rhythms—and amazed by how readily Pierce fit in.
They took their turns cooking and cleaning, and allowed each other space as they could. Ashley and Maddy shared the second bedroom, Brandon and Elizabeth took the smallest bedroom and Cole slept on the couch. They pieced jigsaw puzzles on the coffee table, played board games on the dining room table, watched favorite movies and argued about which version or which show was the best. Ashley and Brandon bickered over the bathroom, just the way they always had, but they made up faster.
Cole monitored their temperatures and demanded to know about any symptoms as soon as they occurred. Jacquie wasn’t the only one to gradually relax as each day passed with them all remaining healthy.
The kids spread out during the day. Ashley and Maddy worked remotely in their bedroom, keeping in touch with their workplaces by email, as did Elizabeth in the bedroom she was sharing with Brandon. Brandon watched television—with headphones—or listened to music. Sometimes he cooked with Pierce. Cole was taking his classes online, usually in one corner of the living room, while Jacquie managed the staffing at F5F from her laptop at the kitchen counter. She knew that Pierce was checking in with Mack and Jimmy regularly, too.
They gathered each night for dinner, which became a fun ritual. They banged pots and pans every night at seven in support of health care workers, and Ashley stood on the little balcony and sang most nights at nine. They watched the news together in solemn silence at eleven, seeing the world descend into havoc outside their refuge.
Each night, Jacquie felt asleep with Pierce spooned behind her, and she slept more deeply than she had in years. They made love quietly when they could. She didn’t wake up nearly enough mornings with an erection against her butt, because Pierce got out of bed early. She understood that he was cautious about showing a lot of affection in front of her kids.
He didn’t need to be wary of that, though—they adored him. They’d been protective of her at first, but it hadn’t taken long for them to see his merit—and how his presence made her happy. They kidded with him and he teased them back, and soon Jacquie would have guessed that they’d known each other for years instead of days.
So, Jacquie wasn’t surprised about ten days into their isolation when she heard Brandon ask Pierce for advice. Her daughters were working in
