Emmerson dodged Ezra for a couple days, but she knew she needed to face up to him sooner rather than later. She wanted to be as guilt-free as possible for the upcoming wedding weekend and her anticipated rendezvous with Cisco (alphabet game be damned!).

If Ezra came to her house, she knew they'd end up having sex, and she wanted to be respectful. Instead, she decided inviting him for lunch at a little spot close to her office was a safer option.

"Good luck!" Hannah called as she headed out the door.

As she made her way to the restaurant, she reread the text Cisco had sent that morning. He'd taken a selfie while out on a morning jog, and the sunlight refractions made his eyes twinkle.

'Getting rock hard... abs for the next time I see you' he'd captioned the picture.

Unlike Ezra, he did not feel the need to spam her with unwanted dick pics, which she greatly appreciated.

Ezra was waiting for her when she arrived and greeted her with a kiss. "Hey babe, you look smoking hot in those scrubs. Why don't you ever wear those around me?"

Emmerson's stomach flipped and she felt that electric buzz between her legs she got when she was in his presence. Focus! she reminded herself.

They talked about the Jack and Jill party. He mentioned several times how amazing the topless picture she's sent was, and she blushed profusely. She chose not to share any details about the after party, other than that they'd pulled an all-nighter.

"Listen Ezra, I know we haven't really talked about what we're doing," she said gesturing between the two of them. "But I've been thinking a lot about what I want out of life, and I thought I was ok with the idea of not getting married or having kids, if it meant I got to be with you."

"Oh shit," Ezra whistled. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"We both said that this was just for fun, for now. Which I could totally keep doing... but you also made it very clear that you have a child, and you aren't interested in getting married again."

"I might change my mind."

"I don't want it to be like that. I don't want to change you. I respect you. You were very clear with me, and I've simply changed my mind."

"Damn. Little Emme Green is all grown up, isn't she?" He said giving her leg a squeeze under the table.

Emmerson smiled and tried to calm her hormones. "That's Dr. Green to you. Come on. I'll walk you to your truck. I've got to get back to the office."

As they walked to the parking lot, there was an undeniable charge of sexual energy radiating between the two of them.

"This is me," Ezra said with a nod toward his non-tow truck. "Can I at least give you a hug goodbye?"

"Of course," Emmerson said allowing herself to be pulled into him.

The next thing she knew, they were in a full-blown make-out session beside his truck. To the average passerby, they looked like a couple kissing against their vehicle. But hidden behind the folds of their bulky coats, Ezra had one hand down her pants and another underneath her bra. Emmerson had one hand snaked up his shirt and another down his pants, gently stroking his girth.

"I want to be inside you so badly right now," he hissed in her ear and she didn't disagree.

"How tinted are these windows?" she asked slyly.

"They're borderline illegal... Wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Open the fucking truck Ezra," she demanded.

As they scrambled into the backseat of cab, Emmerson accidentally hit the horn with her elbow, momentarily startling them both. Once confirmed it was a false alarm, Ezra was all about business. He unzipped his pant, springing free his throbbing member.

With one tug, the tie on her pants came undone and her scrubs slipped around her ankles. Ezra pulled her onto his lap and they kissed and caressed as she slowly lowered herself onto the tip of his penis. He shuddered with relief as she took his entire length deep into her and began to ride him to her own delight. Ezra pinched her nipples and bit her lower lip, sending thrills through her body.

She shucked off her coat and slid her top over her head, followed by her bra. She wanted to feel more sensation on her nipples, so she dragged them across his face, teasing his mouth with her hardened peaks. Ezra finally got hold of one in his mouth and he started to lick and suck like his life depended on it.

"You are so fucking sexy and confident," he growled in her ear, and she almost came.

Steam built up on the window and the cab of the truck was filled with their raspy breaths and sighs of delight. She didn't care how much the truck was rocking. She didn't care how many people might be walking by. She only cared about how good her body felt in the moment.

Ezra gripped her ass with his rough hands as she continued to ride him.

"Oh my god, I'm going to... fuck!" She came hard and collapsed on his chest.

He managed to pump out a few more thrusts before he climaxed.

"I don't think we did a very good job of breaking up," he panted.

Emmerson laughed and started to pull her clothes back on.

"This cannot happen again," she said more to herself than him.

"Yes, ma'am you have my word that I will do everything in my power to... awe hell, who am I kidding. I can't say this won't happen again and I can't lie and say that I don't want it to happen again."

They cuddled and kissed a final farewell before Emmerson slunk out of the parking lot.

She rushed into the office, a few minutes late for her first appointment.

"How did it go?" Hannah asked as soon as they were alone.

Emmerson avoided eye contact.

"Oh no! I know that look. You dirty dog! What happened?!"

"Well, we were saying goodbye. And a hug turned into a kiss, which turned into a hand job, which turned into sex in the back of his truck."

"I know I should be mad at you, but perversely, I am proud of you. Way to sow those wild oats! You are finally doing all things all the rest of us were doing back in high school."

"Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration. I mean really, high school?" Emmerson scoffed.

"Hey, you know Nell's secret now. You can't even imagine the stuff she got into in high school."

"That is not an apples-to-apples comparison. I don't think Nell's sex life is exactly typical of most woman."

Hannah shrugged. "I guess you're right, but up until today, had you ever had sex in the backseat of a truck?"

Emmerson hesitated, briefly trying to recall, but the answer was no, she'd never had sex in any kind of vehicle.

"No need to answer my question, it was rhetorical. Now let's move onto something more exciting like... my wedding!"

Emmerson groaned good-naturedly.

"Today is our last day working together as single ladies. The next time we're working side by side, I'll be an old married lady."

"I have to admit, it's pretty crazy to think about."

"Did you ever think I'd be the one getting married first?"

The question hit Emmerson like a punch to the gut. Never in a million years would she have thought her cousin would be the first to get married. If Connor hadn't been killed in that horrible accident, they would be married and probably already have at least one kid. But sometimes life wasn't fair.

Hannah read the change in her cousin's facial expression. "I'm sorry, that was a shit question for me to ask. I'm just really excited and I'm so glad you'll be there standing beside me," she said embracing Emmerson.

***

Hannah had the rest of the week off to prepare for the wedding. Emmerson had blocked off the Friday to make the drive up to the hotel where the event was being held. She and Cisco had been texting regularly and the messages from Ezra had finally dropped off as soon as she stopped responding.

The plan was for Cisco to meet her at the hotel Friday night for a romantic dinner, followed by a night of grown-up activities. But their plan went out the window with one phone call. She on her way to the hotel when Cisco called.

"Hey! I'm about 30 minutes away, I'm so excited to..."

"Em, I'm sorry. I'm not going to make it to the wedding."

"What? What do you mean? Are you running late?"

He sighed and she could hear the tension in his voice as he spoke. "No, I'm being deployed. I fly out tonight. There was a medical emergency and I'm being deployed to replace the person."

"I don't understand. What does that mean? When will you be back?"

"It's a minimum six-month tour."

There was a staticky silence as Emmerson let the news sink in. "Can I come visit you? Or do you get to come home?"

Cisco chuckled. "No, it doesn't usually work like that in this line of duty."

"Where are you going?" Her voice broke.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that."

Emmerson realized she was crying. She didn't know why she was crying. She barely knew this guy. She'd only met him a week ago.

"I'm really, really sorry Em. I meant every word I said. I won't tell you to wait for me... but know this. I'm going to come find you when this is all over and I've paid back my time."

Emmerson managed to croak good-bye and "be safe."

She cranked the music as she sped toward the hotel, tears blurring her vision, her heart feeling like it was being compressed in a vice. Why did this keep happening? What was wrong with her?

By the time she reached the hotel, she had composed herself enough to put on a brave face to greet the bride-to-be and take on her weekend role of bubbly and enthusiastic maid-of-honour.

"Em! Oh my gawd, how are you holding up?" Her cousin rushed toward her and pulled her into a tight squeeze.

"It's fine Han, I just met the guy." The false words were like tiny daggers to her own heart. "If it's meant to be, it'll be. Right?"

"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry. Now, one good thing is that Jeff does have a lot of very eligible co-workers and friends." She lowered her voice conspiratorially, "because you know what they say. The best way to get over someone, is to get under someone else! Are you still doing that alphabet thing?"

Emmerson sighed. "I don't know what I'm doing. Cisco was not in keeping with my alphabetical order anyway. I think I've given up on that. I mean, five in a row was pretty good."

Hannah laughed. "Considering up until only very recently there had been only three guys on your list, I'd say five is pretty damn great! Come on, let's go get ready for the rehearsal dinner, there will be some very eligible bachelors there."

***

Emmerson put on a mask of cheerfulness. She laughed at people's unfunny jokes and applauded at the "touching" tributes, despite being underwhelmed by most. She couldn't wait for the night to be over... because she was going to have to do it all over again tomorrow and on a much grander scale.

Jeff stood at the head of the table and raised his glass. "Beloved family and friends, thank you for travelling to be here with us to join us in celebrating our love this weekend. Some of you have travelled many time zones to be here, others have come from a bit closer, but know that we love you all the same. I'd like you all to raise a glass to my best man, Doctor Francisco Lopez. He had planned to be here this weekend..."

Emmerson's ears began to roar, and her vision blurred. Francisco? Of course, Cisco was short for something.

Everyone cheered, "to Francisco!" and clinked their glasses together and Emmerson quietly slipped from the room, blowing a silent kiss goodnight to her cousin.