Bailey’s fingers clicked over the keys of her computer as she sent off e-mails for Amelia.  It was almost the end of the day, and she was ready to go home and relax.  Justin had offered to make dinner tonight, and Carter was off at a friend’s house.  A night with Justin sounded like the perfect end to her day.

Work with Amelia was…boring.  If she were honest with herself, being a secretary wasn’t what she’d envisioned for herself at all.  It had been a great job to fall into when she’d first come to Shelby Forest, but now she was bored.  Bailey had a bachelor’s degree in journalism.  It was in Sarah Hudson’s name, but it was still Bailey’s degree.  She hadn’t been able to use it in a long time, and she really wanted to get back to writing.

“Don’t overwork yourself,” Amelia chirped, walking down the hallway from her office.  “It’s the end of the day, Bailey.  Stop working and go home to your man.”

Bailey sighed, pushing back from the desk.  “Can I ask you a question?”

Amelia grinned devilishly, “Yes, you should marry Justin.”

“Melia!  That’s not what I was asking.”  She blushed, not sure why everyone was so eager for the two of them to get married.  “What I wanted to know was if there might be a way for me to get my Journalism degree back.”

“You have a degree?”  Amelia hadn’t known that before.

“Well, technically Sarah Hudson does.  I had to give up all of that when I came here and changed my name.  I didn’t know if it would be possible to get it back, or get another one without having to go through school all over again.  I just…” She looked away from her boss, embarrassed slightly.  “I miss writing.”

Amelia’s smile turned sad.  “You are overqualified for this job.  Let me look into it, okay?  I’m not sure what we can do, but I’ll find out.”  She hitched her purse strap higher on her shoulder.  “Now, though, we should get out of here.”

Bailey shut down the computer, grabbing her own bag and following Amelia to the door.  Now that the idea of writing had made itself known, she knew wasn’t going to be able stop thinking about it.  She missed it, a lot, and she didn’t know if she’d be able to get back to it again.  She loved being able to track a story and then figure out the best way to put it into words.  She loved meeting people, discovering their character, and inking them into immortality through writing.

She missed writing.

These thoughts stayed with her as she drove to Justin’s.  She had no idea if it was possible to get her degree back, or if she’d have to start from the beginning, but she knew that she needed to get back to doing what she loved.

“Hey, you.”  Justin greeted her at the door, grinning.  Bailey’s focus returned to the present and she matched his smile with her own, reaching up to put her arms around his shoulders.  His hands grabbed her hips as he pulled her to him, kissing her deeply.  As he pulled away, one hand came up to brush away a stray hair.  “I am so happy you’re here.”

Bailey could feel the blush staining her cheeks, and she laughed a little, tucking her head into Justin’s chest.  “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.”

“What?”

“Your compliments.”

Justin laughed, pulling her into the house and toward the kitchen.  “Well, I’ll just have to give you more, then.”  He set her down at the table, pouring her a glass of wine and grabbing his own.  “How was work?”

Bailey shrugged, sipping her drink slowly.  “Boring.”  Justin’s eyebrow raised, but he said nothing.  “I’m not cut out to be a secretary.  I just…I can’t sit still that long.”  She laughed at her own confession.  “I also didn’t think I was cut out for small town living, either.  Maybe I’m just being picky.”

Justin set his glass down on the table, leaning forward to look Bailey in the eyes.  “What would you rather be doing?”

She hesitated, not having shared much of this with him before.  It felt almost like she was stripping herself naked.  “I want to write.”  She confessed, finally, feeling the relief with each word she spoke.  “I had a journalism degree back in Boston.  I used to write for a few newspapers; freelance stuff, really.  I miss it, Justin.  I really want to get back into writing again.”

He sat back, a small smile on his face.  “Then do it.”

She was silent for a minute, not expecting his direct response.  “Well, it’s not that simple.  I mean, the degree is in Sarah Hudson’s name, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to change it.  And, I don’t know of any places around here that are looking for writers.”  She wasn’t sure why she was being so negative, but she couldn’t help it.

“You’ll probably have to look closer to Memphis, but I’m sure we can find you something.  And, as for the degree, I don’t even think you need it.  If you love writing that much, you’ll be able to convince some place to take you on.”  He sat forward again, this time reaching for her hands.  “I want you to be happy, Bailey, and I think you should go for this.  I’ll help you.”

“Really?”

His grin stretched.  “Yeah.  I do have an English degree, you know.  I’m pretty good at writing myself.”

“I thought you just took summers off because you’re rich.”

Justin’s head fell back as he laughed, letting go of Bailey to stand and grab the roast out of the oven.  “Right.  I have a secret stash of money.”

“I knew it!”  She took another swallow of wine, standing and stretching her tired back.  Moving up behind Justin, she wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her head between his shoulder blades.  His heart beat steadily under her ear.  “You smell good,” she breathed into his shoulder. 

Justin turned in her arms, wrapping his own around her back and pulling her into him.  She fit into his arms like a missing piece, her head tucked just under his chin.  He would stay like this forever, if it were possible.  She made him feel so incredibly content and alive at the same time.  “I love you, Bailey.”

She looked up at him, a smile shining in her eyes.  “I love you, too, Justin.”

“The food is just about ready.  I thought we could eat outside.  Can you bring the plates and silverware out for me?”  He kissed her forehead, not really wanting to let her go but feeling rather hungry, too.

“Sure.”  She stole another kiss before turning to get the plates.

Together, they set the table and gathered everything for dinner, quiet banter between the two of them.  It was easy and comfortable and felt as if they had been doing this forever.  When everything was ready, Justin pulled out a chair for Bailey before settling in his own.

“So,” Bailey started, “Carter’s thirteenth birthday is next week.”

Justin glanced over at her, filling his plate with food.  “Any plans?”

She sighed, “I don’t know.  I want to do something special.  I mean, he’s becoming a teenager.”

Justin laughed a little, “He’s so much older than a teenager.  He’s more adult than I am, most of the time.”  He speared a potato with his fork, chewing thoughtfully.  “We could take him to a baseball game in Memphis.”

“Yeah, I’ve thought of that.  He’d love it, I know, but I want it to be special.”  She sipped her wine, wracking her brain for something to do.  She wanted to give her son the world, but that wasn’t quite possible.  Settling for an amazing birthday would be the next best thing, but she couldn’t figure out what that would be.

Justin could sense that Bailey was about to slip away into her thoughts, so he gently touched her hand, smiling as she looked over at him.  “Bailey, I think that Carter would be happy to be surrounded by friends and family.  He’s settling in so well here and he’s made some really good friends with the boys from school.  We could cook out here, or even at the ball field, and I think he would have the time of his life.”  He gave her hand a squeeze.  “Don’t stress yourself out about it.”

Bailey smiled ruefully, knowing that Justin had a point.  “You’re right.  Maybe we could ask your mom to help us out.”

“She would love that.”  He sat back again, relaxed and happy to have averted a small crisis.  “Hey, I know of a pitching clinic in Memphis, too.  It’s mostly for high school players, but my buddy knows the owner.  I could probably get Carter in there for a few sessions.”

Bailey’s jaw nearly dropped.  “You’re kidding.”  She couldn’t quite believe that Justin would offer something like this.  “Carter would be in heaven.  That’s the best gift you could ever give him.”

Justin nearly blushed under her compliments.  “I love the kid, Bailey.  He’s part of you, and he’s incredible.  I want to give him the best birthday, too.”  He scratched at his head, feeling embarrassed.  “I just know how much the clinic would mean to him.”

Bailey pushed her chair back, moving over to Justin and gently settling herself in his lap.  She kissed him a few times, holding his cheeks between her hands.  As she tucked her head into the crook of his shoulder, she confessed quietly, “You must be the best thing that has ever happened to the two of us.  I couldn’t ask for any better man to be in my son’s life.”

Justin wrapped his arms around her tightly, closing his eyes and breathing in her scent.  “I think you’ve got it wrong, Bails.  I’m the lucky one.”