I push lower this time, getting my chest as close to the ground as possible, and my spine creaks. With the amount of running I'm doing lately, I have no choice but to take stretching more seriously.

Across the walkway, an old lady, my upstairs neighbor, I think, gives me a sympathetic smile as she lugs a grocery bag into the building. She's probably used to the sight by now: Roman Miller, sweating the anxiety through his shirt.

She's not far off the mark. 

I miss Maddie.

We used to talk constantly. Texts. Voice notes. Phone sex. Dirty phone sex, at that. With props. Now it's down to a handful of distracted messages a week and the occasional scheduled call that feels more like a lifeline than anything. 

The last time she sent me a picture was six weeks ago. I hate that I know the exact date.

A gnawing, nervous needle constantly prods my chest. I keep a wary eye on my phone, startled by any notification, only to be left sorely disappointed when it's some robocall or a random Insta story. I feel like a teenage mess.

However, she has her own stuff going on in Florida. An internship, her family, and some new friends. I need to let her live her life. I'd hate to think she spent the summer as a recluse, only waiting to get back to me.

Switching legs, I stretch one calf up on the rim of the concrete flower bed, and that's when my phone vibrates.

I fumble and yank the smartphone from my Lycra running shorts, pressing it to my ear without even checking the caller.

"Hello?" I suppress the anxiety, try to sound like good ol' Rom.

"Hey," Claudia's voice is just different enough from her younger sister's. I narrowly avoid embarrassing myself. "How are you doing?"

This is out of left field. Did Maddie say something? No, she would have warned me.

"Better than you, I guess," I say. "Heard you have the whole gang coming over."

Maddie's been talking nonstop about her youngest nephew's birthday party. Claudia is dead set on having every last relative over. A bit overkill for something the one-year-old will definitely not remember.

"Straight to business?" She says, sounding like a trap springing around me. "I like that. Just got off the phone with your parents. They're coming and taking Paige with them. You're the last Miller on the list. What do you say?"

It takes me a few seconds to process her words. Apparently, neighbors down the block, whose son she sometimes babysat, and whose daughter is BFF with her sister now count as relatives in Claudia's eyes.

I cringe at what that logic would imply about my relationship with Maddie.

She catches on to my silence.

"Come on, Rom," she urges. "You can make it a vacation. Take a week off. Enjoy the beach. Some good company!"

This is so tempting. And I've thought about it before. Spending some time under the sun with Maddie.

But it also feels intrusive, almost desperate. If Maddie wanted me to visit, she'd have told me so. She's never been shy about asking for what she wants.

"I dunno, Claudia," I say. "This feels like a lot of flying…"

Claudia doesn't let me finish. "Get your ass down here, Rom."

===

The Uber barely slows before peeling off again, leaving me dumped in the posh, sunbaked suburban street.

Claudia and James, her husband, make a pretty good living. The house is as I remember it, lavish, but undercut by the collection of plastic toys discarded at the most random spots. To my surprise, the driveway is empty save for Claudia's own beat-up SUV.

I regret not texting beforehand, and ring the bell. Maddie doesn't know I'm coming. I hope she'll enjoy the surprise.

A minute goes by, and the door doesn't open. I check my phone, feeling the sun burning my neck. It's too late for nap time, right? When I'm sure, I ring a second time.

Two attempts later, I decide to go around and see if anyone's on the deck.

I hear splashing noises as soon as I round the first corner of the house. The pool, of course.

The backyard's fantastic. I follow a curved path through professional landscaping that probably costs more than my car. Up ahead is a deck made of fancy tropical wood, with a complete dining setup and enough seating for a small army. 

Below that, the pool. Fake rocks. A large pool house. I'm never paying for food around Claudia again.

I can see two blonde heads. One is bobbing up and down in the water, hair tied in a top knot to keep it from getting wet. The other's poking over the backrest of a chaise lounge, facing away from me.

At this distance, I can't tell the two sisters apart.

That is, until the swimmer spots me. She waves, grabs the edge of the pool, and hoists herself out of the water, revealing her bare chest. 

Claudia seems unbothered by just how much I get to see. She smiles. Flags me down. I shrug, shake my head, and speed up. At least now I know where Maddie got her topless tanning habits from.

Maddie spins around on her chair when she catches on to my presence. All I can see is her face, hidden as she is by the chair, but it's all I need.

That smile.

A solar smile, her white teeth shining against her skin, gilded by the Florida sun. It's hard to tell where her forehead finishes, and her honey strands begin. Only her blue eyes manage to detach themselves, following my every move.

Just like that, the built-up anxiety fades away, making me feel like I'm flying for the last few paces separating us. Her instant reaction, the unabashed happiness on her face, dispels every doubt.

It takes all of my self-control not to throw myself at her. Not with Claudia right there. 

Maddie bolts to her knees, gripping the top of the backrest. No top either, only the mermaid pendant I bought her for Christmas. No surprise there.

"Rom," she calls. Almost a squeal, only contained by her teeth clamping down on her lower lip, turning it white.

I don't even try to hide my eyes traveling down from her face. I drink in her glistening breasts, golden like the rest of her skin. 

They're so good at keeping my attention that I almost miss her swollen belly until I'm barely a foot away from her.

This stops me dead in my tracks.

I look up. Her sultry little lip bite has turned into anxious chewing. Her eyes are peering at me, scanning my face for any reaction. She reaches out and grabs my hand.

For an instant, I try to convince myself it's not what I think it is.

My eyes keep darting up and down her body. But there's no doubt. That belly doesn't belong on her frame. 

"Is it mine?" Are the only words that come to me.

Maddie's expression shifts once more. Anger this time.

"Of course," she snaps. Then her voice softens again. Her second hand flies to my elbow, squeezing me, keeping me from fleeing. "What are you doing here?"

"Birthday?" My mind is still reeling, with only Maddie's misty eyes to pin me down.

Without thinking too hard, I can come up with half a dozen encounters where protection was murky at best. 

Fuck. This might be real.

She giggles, as she always does. As if things have not changed. "It's next week, dumbass."

"I'm the one who told him to get here today," Claudia cuts in. She's wrapped herself in a towel. Having her tits out would have dulled just how cold she sounds. "I wanted to confirm my suspicions."

It's a contest between Claudia and me to see who can start rapid-firing questions first. But Maddie undercuts us both.

"Can you give us half an hour?" She asks her older sister, still clinging to my hand. She sounds way too much like the twenty-year-old she is to be this pregnant. "Please. It's the first time we've seen each other in months."

Claudia's eyes narrow, aimed straight at me. She doesn't say anything, just huffs, turns, and stomps back into the house.

"Maddie," I'm not sure where I'm going. But I'm sure I manage to put some meaning into her name.

She leans into me, balancing herself on the chair to kiss me. It's soft, sweet. For a time, the thoughts swirling inside my head settle. All that matters is her smell, her warmth, her taste, the feeling of her breath on my skin.

"That goes for you two," she murmurs. "Half an hour, then you can ask whatever you want."

Maddie bolts to her feet, still clad in nothing but her tiny bikini bottoms. She pulls me behind her, dazed.

Instead of following Claudia, she drags us toward the pool house. It's almost comical watching her throw her full weight against the big sliding glass door that runs the length of the little building.

Inside, there's a sofa bed with messy covers. Clothes everywhere. A few pieces of makeup scattered across the bar. Her laptop is open on a chair. Dead battery. Only the kitchenette's untouched. My head spins.

It's a weird mix of sleek patio furniture and dorm room clutter. A very Maddie-coded space. 

"They're making you stay here?" I ask, stepping into the room. The air is fresh and smells like her.

She shrugs.

"I have a room inside the house, but the nephews are constantly on my case." She sits on the edge of the bed, shifting just enough to push her chest forward, catching my eyes before they drift lower. "This is the only place I can get some peace and quiet."

Then she lifts her legs, slow and straight, and glides her bikini bottoms down her glowing skin.

"At least you've got AC," I say, grinning at her antics.

"Yeah," she purrs, tossing the flimsy garments at my chest.

I don't even try to catch them. They can stay right there on the ground.

She leans back onto her elbows, opening herself for me. Her baby bump bulges over her petite frame. Her belly button's popped. Pink stretch marks rise in harsh lines above the familiar blonde patch between her legs.

"You like it?" she asks shyly.

I let my eyes roam over her swollen breasts. Her nipples have turned a few shades darker. But when I reach her face, I find her eyes, seeking me, unchanged.

"You're so fucking hot," I let out in a breath, already pulling my shirt over my head.

"Good," she chirps. "Because I need you to eat me out. I haven't cum since our last sexting sesh."

I pause, mid-zip. "That was a while ago."

Maddie blushes. "I just feel weird touching myself alone. Feels like it's just me and…" she rubs a hand over her belly. There's a practiced fondness in the gesture. "You know."

I snort but make a show out of pulling my underwear over my legs, turning around to let her get a good look at my ass. That'll teach her to flaunt her curves at me like that. 

She giggles when I toss my boxers straight at her face, mirroring her earlier teasing. 

Unlike me, she doesn't discard them right away. Instead, she presses them to her nose and takes a deep inhale before letting out a loud sigh. Pervert.

"Scooch," I call. With her spread legs, she's taking up all the room on the mattress. I climb in, angling my body opposite hers, and wriggling up the bed.

"But," she whines, pointing at her pussy with a pout.

"You've got work, too," I say, sticking my crotch in her face and lying on my side.

I don't wait for an answer and already pull my face closer to her glistening folds. I'm hit with that gingerbread smell, enhanced by her weeks of frustration. Meanwhile, Maddie's lips find the head of my cock.

Suddenly, my head shoots up. I know we're horny, but we're about to hook up on a bed with only a large glass pane to protect us from the world. I can see the lights inside the house from here.

"Do you have curtains or something?" I ask, panicked.

Maddie snorts with my cock still in her mouth. 

"Relax," she says, letting it pop out with a wet sound. "James is out with the kids, and Claudia can probably guess what we're up to. She'll leave us alone."

I peer at her face over her belly, but she's made up her mind, grabbing my shaft and greedily shoving it back into her mouth.

Lust wins. I bury my face in her pussy. 

Her flesh hums with built-up arousal. It feels like I'm trying to untangle a bundle of tensed strings. Maddie's on her back, and I'm on my side, her belly separating us. 

In that position, it's a bit awkward to bring a hand between her legs, but I manage it, and two of my fingers slide right inside her.

She clenches around my knuckles. When I suck on her clit, she stops focusing on my cock to let out a series of high-pitched moans.

A clumsy hand seeks out my head, grasping at my hair as if to keep me from moving. But I know what she needs better than she does right now. The sounds she makes leave no doubt: her brain has turned into horny goo.

Any time I sense her going under my tongue, I pull back for a beat. I blow on her pulsing pussy, kiss her thighs. When I feel she's come down just enough, I attack her back with even more urgency.

"Roman, please," she begs after a few cycles of this treatment.

I could take the opportunity to get the answers I desperately want out of her. But that would mean focusing on the terrifying changes in our lives instead of simply playing with my cute girlfriend's clit. No point ruining the mood.

This time, when I feel her climbing over her edge, I push her with my tongue. 

Her body wracks against me. She bites my thigh. 

When Maddie goes limp, I pull up to my knees, bending over to kiss her, sharing the taste with her.

"I wanna fuck you," I murmur. She nods eagerly. I lift myself back up, looking at her bulging belly, rising and falling with every breath. "Uh, do you know what position would work?"

Maddie seems unsure. She looks around the room. As if the answer's written somewhere on the wall. She tucks her hair behind her ear without thinking. Then she worms down the bed, not lifting up, letting her ass hang over the edge, and spreading her legs wide.

"Get in there," she calls, hungry, then adds, pleading. "But be careful, okay?"

I shrug and get off the bed to stand between her thighs. I grab Maddie's ankles, pulling them over my shoulders, putting a small kiss on each of them. She beams at me from the mattress.

"That's one upside, I guess," I say, lining myself up. "No condoms."

"Yeah," she snorts. "Because we were clearly so good about that."

Her head tilts back as I slide in, hands shooting up to grab my ass. Not so sassy anymore.

For a second, I don't dare bury myself all the way to the base of my shaft. But it's not like I was blowing out her cervix before.

"Is this okay?" I ask.

"Just fuck me," she groans, gripping me even harder.

This is all I need. I hold her by the ankles, using them for leverage, and thrust, still trying to stay on the careful side.

Every part of Maddie jiggles as my cock moves in and out. I need to kiss her. I contort around her belly, careful not to press too hard. She meets me halfway, arms around my neck, keeping my mouth on hers for a while.

But just like her, I've been pretty backed up. I feel myself throb within her velvety heat. She moans as we both revel in the lack of need for me to pull out or mind the condom. Instead, I can just focus on the way she tightens around my increasingly sensitive head.

I slump to the side, slipping an arm under her neck, letting the other hand roam freely over her slick skin. Maddie puts a small kiss on my shoulder, before lying her head on the mattress, right beside mine.

"Thank you," she murmurs. "You have no idea how much I needed that. I was pretty much dripping everywhere for the past few weeks."

The image of a horny Maddie sitting on a running washing machine or rubbing herself on every table corner makes me blow some air through my nose. But then my hand reaches her belly, cutting the fantasies short.

"Did you know before you came to Florida?" I ask, and her face shifts from lazy afterglow to serious.

"Yes," she says in a small voice. "For a while."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

It looks like she's trying to find the answer in my eyes. Like she's putting words to her motivation for the first time.

"I don't know," she admits. "I was freaking out. I wasn't even sure I wanted to go through with it. I felt like I needed to talk to Claudia before making a decision."

Maddie's hand lands softly on the back of mine, making sure it stays on her bump.

"She's offered to adopt the baby with James," she says, with a tinge of fear in her voice. "She thinks I'm ruining my life."

"You didn't tell her I was the father." I've already put that together on my own.

"No, but I guess she just figured it out." A small smile. "We were pretty chummy at Dan's wedding."

"So?" I ask. "What do you want to do?"

I know my answer. I don't want to be a father. I'm barely out of college. Maddie's barely an adult. This all feels like such a monumental fuck up. But it's not my choice to make.

"I don't know, Rom," she says, but then blinks her eyes too many times, trying to chase tears away.

Fuck. I pull her tighter against me. She presses her face to my neck, and my nose ends up in its usual spot, buried in her hair. I've missed that smell so much.

We stay in comfortable silence for a while. I would fall asleep right there. But we have...