Page 41 of Secret Baby for My Brother's Best Friends

Except it doesn't come. It's appropriately sweet, with all the sugar and hazelnut cream I like.

I blink in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I have my ways," he says and winks at me. It's a little awkward, like he's not used to it, but adorable in a way, too. I smile.

The meeting, to my surprise, goes smoothly. Jake restrains the flirting, and Sam is more conversational than before. I've made all the revisions that Adam suggested at the last meeting, and they don't have much to say during this one, so we talk a lot about casual things, some recent projects they're working on, vacation plans, and small talk that I would make with any other client.

I almost start to relax around them, even laughing when Jake tells the story of their last building, where the owner wanted the roof shaped like an L.

"It's the stupidest thing you've ever seen," he says. "Seriously, I almost told him to fuck off with that bullshit, but Sam saw it as a challenge, and he's the one who ended up making it work."

"Really?" I glance at Sam as he looks away from me.

"Yeah," Jake answers. "Sam's a real genius when it comes to things like that, although we have a bet that it will fall apart within a few years."

"It won't," Sam says.

"Wow," I say. "I'd love to see it."

"Would you?" Jake's eyes light in interest, and I instantly know it's a mistake. "It's just ten minutes from here. We can drive if you want."

"Oh." That's when the humor dims as reality smacks me in the face. "No, I mean I don't have to see it–"

"It'll give you a good idea of our work too," he says. "For your campaign. I mean, you haven't actually seen any of our buildings."

"Yeah, but I'm sure I can check it out another time."

"Why not now? We're pretty much done with the meeting, and this way you don't have to waste your time coming out again...."

"That's true." The fewer times I have to meet with them, the better. "I guess I can check it out."

"Great. Sam can drive you there. I'll take care of the tab, and Adam and I will follow."

"Oh...okay." Adam shoots him a curious look that I almost don't catch as Sam rises. He helps me pull back my seat as I get up and then gestures to his car.

"It's the green truck."

I remember it from that night. It had sat next to Adam's car, the one we ended up driving back to their house.

I climb into the passenger seat, feeling tiny in the huge expanse. "Lots of space in here," I say.

"Yes," he says. "I got it for that reason."

"Well, I get it. You're a big guy, so of course you must need more room." God, why did I refer to his bigness? It just drew my attention to the way his flannel shirt pulls on his muscles, and the jeans mold over his powerful thighs.

Hunger rumbles at the base of my belly, but I ignore it.

He starts the car, smoothly pulling out of the parking lot.

As we start the drive, I scramble and search in my head for topics, but it's hard to know if he even wants to talk to me. What if I end up annoying him? Isn't it better to stay quiet? But the silence will be so awkward, though.

What to do, what to do...

The silence stretches into eternity until we eventually arrive at our location, a huge complex with a geometric roof.

Sam turns off the engine but makes no move to get out of the car, so I guess we're waiting for the other two in here.

The silence feels even worse now, without the accompanying hum of the truck.