"Tell me about your parents, Jamie."

As I sat across from Ollie's mom at the counter, all I could think was, "And I thought my mom was bad." The interrogations started as soon as Ollie left with his dad. But the funny thing was, I haven't freaked out. Not even after this last question.

I took a sip of my tea before answering her. "Well, I never knew my dad. He left when I was little so it was always just me and my mom."

Her face fell immediately. "Oh, I'm sorry. And your mom? Is she in New York?"

Pain shot through my heart, but I still somehow kept it together. "She passed away a couple months ago."

Celeste covered her mouth with her hand before reaching out and gently placing it on my arm. "You poor dear." She shook her head. "Ollie didn't tell me. I wouldn't have asked if—"

"It's okay," I said quickly to reassure her.

"Does Ollie know about your mother?"

"Yeah, he does." I was surprised at how easy it felt to talk to Celeste. But then again, she was Ollie's mom and he had to get it from somewhere. Which was why I wasn't surprised when the words just came pouring out.

"When she died," I said softly, "I needed to escape. I just needed to leave New York for a while. I didn't really have a set place to go at first. When I got to the airport and they asked me what my destination was, I just said Paris."

"Did you know Ollie was here?"

"No. He told me he was going to Europe for work, but he never mentioned where. We bumped into each other when I responded to his ad that he was renting out the loft." I took another sip of my tea. "I didn't even tell him that she passed away. One of my best friends was looking for me and called Ollie. She told him."

Celeste's voice was soft and filled with concern. "Jamie, I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. It's definitely been a...process." I was quiet for a moment, thinking about everything Ollie has done for me since we met in that coffee shop. "I just want to tell you that you raised an amazing son, Mrs. Lake. Truly."

"Please call me Celeste. And thank you. His dad and I tried our best." With a warm smile she added, "You know, I was beginning to worry about my son being alone for the rest of his life. When I spoke to him last week, he did tell me a little about you."

What she said wasn't really a news flash. She was like my own mom in many ways, including being obsessed with her child's love life. What was surprising was the fact that all of this didn't have me rushing to pack my suitcase and take off. It actually made me happy that Ollie told her about me. And even though it still hurt, it felt nice to talk to someone about my mom.

"I hope he said good things about me," I joked. "Although with my luck he probably told you how much I ramble when I'm nervous. Or how I came off as a crazy woman when we met."

Celeste laughed at that before she shook her head. "All he told me was that he met you in a coffee shop and that you needed a date to your best friend's wedding." She glanced away shyly. "And...well, that he really liked you."

Now I was the one smiling, my cheeks heating with embarrassment. "Yeah. I like him, too."

I ended up telling Celeste everything. A part of me felt guilty that I was telling someone else before my closest friends, but I couldn't help it. It was like my ability to talk had been taken away from me for a long time, and now that I had it back, I couldn't stop the words from spilling out.

Over the next hour I told her all about how we met. I explained my mom's crazy idea to give my number out to men. Celeste thought that was amusing, of course. Then I explained how Ollie came to my rescue by offering to be my date for the wedding and how he was insane to not be worried about meeting my mother-which made sense now after meeting his-and for dealing with being interrogated.

Of course, I did not tell her about what happened in the hotel room with him...or the morning after. But I did tell her that we had agreed not to be in touch after the wedding and how Ollie broke that agreement. Even though she held them back, there were tears in her eyes when I told her what happened with Danielle and Ryan and the baby and how I reached out to Ollie like a lifeline when I was trapped in that moment of despair.

Then there was the meeting in Paris. I kept everything R rated to myself. But I pretty much filled her in on everything else. I told her how grateful I was for how much he had been there for me. Or how I wouldn't even have the strength to be having the conversation I was having with her right now if it hadn't been for him.

"That's quite a story," she finally said, amazement coloring her face.

I leaned forward on the counter. "Yeah, I know. I told you I was crazy." It was meant as a joke, but telling the coffee store part definitely made me feel like I needed to seek professional help.

Celeste reached across the table and gently took my hand in hers. When my eyes met hers and I saw that nurturing look, I froze for a second. "I know I still don't know you that well, and I didn't know your mother, but I do know that she would be very proud of you." She gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "Any mom would be lucky to have you as a daughter."

Tears threatened to escape my eyes, but I managed to hold them back. It was crazy because, even though it scared the shit out of me, it was exactly what I needed to hear. "Thank you,' I murmured. "Just...thank you."

***

I was stretched out on the bed that Ollie and I shared reading a book when the door opened and he came inside. Still wearing the dark jeans and black long sleeve shirt he had on when he left earlier in the day, he looked utterly delectable.

Setting the book aside, his eyes held mine as he walked over and sat on the side of the bed next to me. My God, he was beautiful.

Reaching out, he stroked my cheek. "Hey, you."

"Hey, yourself." Now it was my turn to reach out to him-but instead of stroking his cheek I grabbed his shirt and pulled him close. "Kiss me."

He gave me what I wanted. At first, it was just a soft brushing of his lips against mine. But it wasn't long before I felt his tongue slip past my lips, the kiss getting more intense by the second. Then to my displeasure, he suddenly pulled away.

"I missed you today, beautiful."

"I missed you, too."

A corner of his mouth lifted. "I really hope my mom wasn't too hard on you today. She can get a little carried away with her questions."

"Were you worrying about me, Atticus? You know that's against the rules."

"Of course not. I was merely curious and asking a question." His smile turned full blown when he said, "She really likes you."

In a weird way that made my heart ache and feel good at the same time. "I really like her, too," I replied honestly. His mom was one of the good ones.

"They want to take us out to dinner tomorrow night. Not only to spend time with me, but also as a thank you for letting them stay here." His expression grew serious as his eyes roamed over my face as if looking for any warning signs. "Do you mind coming to dinner tomorrow night?"

Grabbing his shoulders, I pulled him down and rolled us over so I was laying on top of him. I lightly stroked my fingers through his hair. It was something I really enjoyed doing lately.

"Of course I don't mind. Why would I?" It was true. Today was a day of surprises apparently. Because I didn't feel panic at the invite. On the contrary, I felt excitement.

Ollie stroked my bottom lip with his thumb. "You are extraordinary. You know that, don't you?"

I chuckled at that before shrugging a shoulder. "Extraordinary, huh? I don't know. Maybe you should prove it to me."

"Oh really?" He rolled us over, pinning me beneath him. When he pushed that hard erection into me, I moaned his name, instantly getting wet. "I'd love nothing more than to prove it to you. All." Kiss. "Night." Kiss. "Long." Kiss.

And that's exactly what he did. All. Night. Long.