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Roman laughs and squeezes Mom’s other hand. “You realize that I have just about the same amount of baggage that you have.”
Mom’s gaze flicks to me. “I highly doubt that,” she says with a shy chuckle, looking back at him. “Am I insane for wanting to say yes?”
“Just as insane as I am for asking.”
Mom lets out a shaky breath, keeping her eyes on Roman. “Are you going to hold it against me if I said that I need to think about it? It’s all so sudden.”
“Of course not, my dear. I wouldn’t have expected anything else. It’s a huge decision, and I want you to be certain if you were to accept my offer. I just want you to know where I stand. I’m not messing around here.”
Mom nods. “I know,” she murmurs as a beaming smile spreads across her face. “Neither am I.”
The waiter chooses this particular moment to show up at our table with our meals. Roman moves back to his seat, and the two of them find it impossible to tear their gaze from the other.
Our dinner is placed down, and an awkward silence follows as everyone glances around, wondering if that really just happened. I meet Colton’s stare, and he raises a knowing brow as if to say ‘you’re next.’ I can't help but roll my eyes. “You’re an idiot,” I tell him. “You’re going to need a bigger rock than that to win me over.”
Colton laughs, knowing damn well that it has absolutely nothing to do with the size of the diamond sitting on my finger. We're only eighteen, we have time. I try to ignore him as I look back across the table at Drix to find a cheesy as fuck grin on her face. She looks as though she can barely hold herself together, and despite my mother’s lack of response, she throws herself to her feet. “WE’RE GOING TO BE SISTERS!”
Oh, fuck. This is going to be interesting.
Three hours later, I sit with Mom on the couch in our pool house as she stares at a blank wall, completely speechless and unsure of how to even react.
“Well?” I ask, knowing that she’s been desperate to start talking about it since the second the words slipped out of Roman’s mouth. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that it’s crazy,” she says with a scoff, turning to look at me. “It’s crazy, right? I’m not just being dramatic?”
“No,” I laugh. “It’s totally crazy, but it’s not completely insane. I saw the way he was looking at you, and I know it’s only been a few weeks, but it’s obvious that his feelings are genuine and real.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yeah,” I say, leaning into her side as she puts her arm around me. “I really do.”
“Would you be weirded out if I was to say yes?”
I shrug my shoulders, not really having given it any thought yet. “I mean, I don’t know. I’d probably have to get to know him a little better to really know how I’d feel. I can’t say I’ve really spent much time with the man, but he seems alright. At least, that’s what Drix keeps telling me. But you realize that marrying this guy means that you’d be moving in with him?”
Her eyes bug out of her head. “Oh, I … um … I guess I hadn’t really considered that yet.”
“Do you think you’re ready to live with another man?”
Her lips press into a tight line as she thinks it over. “I mean, I’m not really sure. I have a feeling that living with a guy like Roman Jennings isn’t going to be like anything I’ve ever experienced before.”
“You’ve got that right,” I say with a grunt, knowing all too well what it means to have a rich, alpha male suddenly appear in my life. “Take a look at Colton and this big ass house. You’ll be the boss of all that shit.”
Mom shakes her head. “Oh, I hardly think so,” she says, her voice low and a little horrified. “That’s … that’s too much pressure. I’d be happy just being the woman at his side. Besides, I have a feeling that Hendrix is already running things over there.”
“I don’t doubt that,” I laugh. “She probably has Roman wrapped around her little finger.”
“Oh, she does,” Mom says, gushing. “You should hear the way he talks about her.”
A wide smile spreads across my face, and I hold Mom a little tighter. “You’re going to say yes, aren’t you?”
Fondness stretches over her face and as she meets my eyes, she nods. “Yeah, I think I am,” she whispers. “But I’m going to wait a few days. I want to be sure. This is all happening very fast, and I don’t want to rush into it. Your father only passed eight months ago… surely, considering this must be ridiculous.”
