On the desk in front of him is a large iced caramel latte with oat milk and a chocolate croissant. There’s also a little origami frog, courtesy of the new hobby he’s exploring with Leo in his spare time.
He stops spinning and grins at me.
“I knew you had a big day ahead of you, so I wanted to make sure you were properly caffeinated.”
“And sugared and carbed.”
He chuckles, pushing back from the desk and rising to his feet. In two quick strides, he crosses the space and lifts me off the floor.
“How much time until your meeting?”
“Not enough to accomplish whatever naughty thing is on your mind right now,” I reply.
He pouts, but then I’m kissing him. His mouth curves into a smile against mine. He spins around and sets me down on the edge of my desk, pushing up the hem of my pencil skirt so I can spread my legs enough to wrap them around his waist.
His tongue tangles with mine, tasting of spearmint toothpaste and the chocolate-y evidence that he mostly definitely took a bite of my croissant.
When he pulls away, I gasp at the sight before me.
“Oh, shoot.”
Noah frowns, which only makes the red lipstick now smeared all over his mouth look even funnier. He seems to realize what’s happened from what I’m sure looks like a disaster on my own lips and bursts out laughing.
“Don’t they make lipstick that doesn’t smudge?” he jokes, reaching for the box of tissues nearby and scrubbing at his face.
I laugh and nudge him away, going for my purse so that I can find my compact mirror and a wet wipe. “Sure, but I love this particular shade, and it just happens to be a smudge-y kind.”
“They don’t make that shade in any other, uh, formula? Is that what it’s called?”
“Afraid not.”
“Well, that’s not fair. How am I supposed to kiss the pretty woman I love so dearly when she wants to wear her favorite lipstick then?”
“Beats me, Dimples.”
I carefully swipe away the mess around the corners of my lips. Somehow, he definitely ended up worse off than me. I’ll just need to touch it up a bit and then I’ll be good to go for my meeting.
When Noah turns to me again, his lips are still slightly pink, which will definitely entertain the guys back at the station.
They all know by now about our unique love story. And, just as I suspected, there wasn’t an ounce of negative judgment from them when word began to spread in earnest.
It’s just like Evan said at the custody hearing last year. We’re all very lucky to be surrounded by the best, most supportive people anyone could find.
“I’ll see you tonight, Blondie,” he says.
He leans in for another kiss, stops himself at the last minute, and opts instead to kiss my cheek.
I’m still giggling when he lets himself out.
***
I smell garlic, tomato, and fresh pasta when I let myself into the apartment that evening.
Evan is standing by the stove, stirring sauce in a simmering pot while Leo perches on the counter nearby.
“You’re home!” Leo shouts the moment he sees me.
He proceeds to launch himself off the countertop at such an impressive height and velocity that both me and Evan brace ourselves for a consequent tumble directly onto the hardwood floor, but Leo sticks the landing and barrels toward me at top speed.
