After the encounter with Meg by the Charles River, Cade ran across the BU bridge to Cambridge. His house was in a neighborhood on the other side. He paid more, but he loved the convenient access to miles and miles of trails.

It was impossible to reconcile the woman he thought she was with the one she proved to be. He didn't fault her for not jumping for joy over being his alibi, especially with who her father was. Political families didn't like scandals. As he waited the uncertainty was torturous, but he advocated to give her time. She didn't ask to be in the position or to get threatened. The events of one night affected both their lives.

Her last statement almost got to him. "I want you to say our time together wasn't a mistake."

The memory of their night was all he had to cling to in his personal hell. When Hathorne dropped his bomb, it felt like the memory of her exploded into tiny pieces. It was wrong for him to think about a woman who belonged to another man. Maybe Leigh was right, and he needed to hook up with someone else.

Once at home, he focused his energy on training Confetti. He took him to the front yard to work on healing, so he would walk beside him on command and not pull the lease. Sanjay and Nikhil stood at the edge of their yard and yelled across the street.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm teaching him."

"Tricks?" They exude enthusiasm.

He laughed. "A few, but he's learning to behave."

"Can we pet Confetti?"

He looked up when he heard a man's voice. "Nikhil, Sanjay, let the man be."

The doctor stood on his grass in shorts and bare feet. "We're just talking." The boys echoed.

Cade waved. "It's fine. I don't mind."

"They talk about Confetti all the time."

Cade nodded. "He's a good boy. He likes them too."

"My parents feared dogs. I never understood it. My friend taught me not to fear his dog. I'm glad I didn't continue the legacy with my boys."

"I'm sure you've seen things with your work."

"Of course, but I have bigger worries."

Cade imagined a few. Worry had become his middle name. He nodded. "It's nice to meet you." Then Cade went inside.

Confetti was tired after their run. He climbed up onto the sofa. Cade didn't mind because he liked the company. He flipped on the TV and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Renee had invited him over. He had texted to see if he could bring Confetti. Renee responded, yes. He had another text.

I have never been.... He would have to open the text to read the rest. I have never been engaged.

Why would the guy lie? Leigh said he was a good guy. Meg's message left him confused. Why did she care what he thought? Had their time together meant more than a fun way to celebrate her birthday? Cade shook his head. They were incompatible. She was the Attorney General's daughter, and he was linked to a criminal. Talk about a scandal in the politician's closet.

Nagging on his mind was how little he knew about her. Even without knowing she ran, he had a powerful want for the girl. Standing by the Charles River, he saw her as the girl next door again. Next door in Beacon Hill, he looked her up. She looked as vulnerable as when he made her come.

His blood turned icy as he thought about her coming for her investment guy. Never been engaged. They were the perfect match. Both were from families as old as Boston itself. His Maloney ancestors came during the potato famine in the eighteen-hundreds. They worked in kitchens for families like the Rices and Hathornes.

What more did she want from him? He forgave her and thanked her. Did she want to hear that the memory of their night together got him through the weeks of anguish? In the morning, he would have asked for her number after he had sex with her two more times. What good would come of her knowing those things?

Cade felt restless until he left for Joe's house. They lived in a suburb twenty miles out of town. Confetti loved the car, so he happily jumped in. Fate was on his side when he found his furry friend. Other than his barking, he was a great companion. And the toilet paper. Although he liked Meg, a stranger, right away. Cade frowned because his dog hadn't sensed his body language when they spoke. His muscles were as tense as a business negotiation and Confetti sat panting as if he was on a picnic.

When they arrived at the four-bedroom colonial waiting to be filled with kids and all the paraphernalia, a lot more stuff than a dog, Renee frowned. As she reached up to kiss his cheek, she stopped and put her hand on his beard. "It's too hot to look like a caveman. Why aren't those baby blues sparkling?"

He let out a long sigh. Confetti was busy greeting Joe. The two had met before, so his best friend was part of his dog's collection of people. Meg too.

They had gathered around the kitchen, and Joe handed him a cold bottle. "Don't tell me you heard from Guido."

Cade shook his head. "No, but I ran into her."

"Her, her?" Renee asked.

"Yeah." He sighed.

"With her fiance?" Joe cut to the chase.

"No, that's confusing."

"Where did you see her?"

"Running on the trails by the Esplanade."

"Seriously? So you literally ran into her." Joe laughed.

Cade shook his head. Literally was when she bumped into him in the lobby. He had felt something, but didn't dwell on it. Maybe it was the first stage in a series of life-changing events. Not the rom com kind but the suspense thriller. Unfortunately, the weeks that followed were frightening and occasionally boring and not thrilling.

"Cade, buddy." He looked up. "What did she say?"

"Stuff. Nothing. I was pretty cold."

"Why?" Renee already had a mom face. "If you two were any hotter, the club would have caught fire."

His cheeks might scorch the whiskers off. "She, um, sent me a text after."

"Text! When did you exchange numbers?" Renee looked up at him from stirring something on the stove. Whatever it was smelled delicious.

"I called her at work to get her to speak up and be my alibi. She texted me recently to say she was sorry it took her so long." He left out about the 'have a good life' part.

"What did she say?" Renee looked more serious than a visit to an oncologist.

"Her text. She said she has never been engaged." While his friends responded with speculation, Cade wondered how she zeroed in on the crux of his anger. She left more questions than answers and he liked things to be settled.

Changing the subject, he said, "I met the dad across the street."

"The doctor?" Renee had commented on the boys her last visit.

Cade nodded. "Nice guy."

"Play your cards right and you might get the genuine stuff instead of Trader Joe's tikka masala."

Cade rolled his eyes at Joe. "They are American. They probably eat Kraft mac and cheese for dinner."

"I'm not feeding my baby those chemicals." Renee was a mama bear in training.

Cade laughed, but the realization hit him. His friends were changing. They would never be the same after their baby was born. A part of him felt jealous. He was ready to settle down but was petrified of what it would take to get from point A to point B. Meeting a woman and dating was synonymous with the nightmare he just woke up from. Just the thought of sharing his past with a stranger made him glad he had a dog for company.

He looked over at Confetti who was comfortable on the leather sofa. "I hope you don't mind."

Renee laughed. "He's fine. For a stray he's pretty chill. My parents had a knack for adopting the most screwed up dogs."

Cade chuckled. "He barks at anything that comes near my yard. One day the Globe delivered complimentary papers. He woke me at four-something because some schmo was driving around throwing papers on driveways. My heart almost launched out of my chest and I never got back to sleep."

Joe patted his back. "Did you read the paper?"

"I was too scared to look outside. I didn't figure it out until the sun was up and I took him out to pee."

Renee rubbed his back. "It'll get better in time."

"Leigh suggested yoga. I'm afraid I need a therapist." He was a grown man who slept with a light on and jumped at the slightest noise. The other day after dinner he heard a sound like a car outside and Confetti didn't bark. Cade froze as his heart beat out of his chest until he realized it was his own dishwasher cycling through.

"Nothing wrong with getting the help you need." Joe looked at Renee as he said the words. Cade's gut told him they had probably talked about him.

Later they sat at the table and played a game. It was a little bittersweet as the memories of creating the cards swirled around. The game required luck not skill, so neither he nor Joe had an advantage. As they laughed over certain cards, Cade felt his heart lighten up. "I remember when we came up with that one." It was their second game.

Joe said, "It was Eden. We were drunk in my parent's basement."

They had been lucky, but slowly they morphed from three friends drinking in an old playroom to running a successful business. They weren't Jobs and Wozniak, but they had done very well for themselves.

When Confetti grew restless and needed to go out, Cade hugged Renee goodbye. "Shave. You're hiding your pretty face."

"Pretty?" He winced, then he winked at Joe. "She likes me."

Joe patted his back and laughed. From the moment they met Renee only had eyes for Joe.

In the morning, he debated running a different route, but he thought, screw it. He was tired of changing his life because of others.

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