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When Carter passes me, effectively cutting me off from walking with my mom, he leans toward my ear, and whispers, “It’s time to play your part.” He leaves me standing on the steps, struck by how bold he’s become about his demands. I’m not sure what role I’m supposed to play, so the laugh’s on him.
“Hey!” Allison gripes when he bumps her out of his way to get inside. “Asshole,” she mutters, leaving space behind him before she continues up the steps.
I linger behind, hoping to steal a free moment with Loch before we go inside and continue this charade. Loch takes my bag from me just as a man comes around and tells us he’ll take care of the suitcases.
I’m fired up from that encounter with Carter. Patting Loch on the chest, I whisper, “No marriage is ever going to take place.”
“No marriage ever?”
His tone catches me off guard. Not sure how he manages to sound shocked, firm, and worried all at the same time, but he does. It’s his expression, though—parted lips that make me want to kiss him, lids narrowed, and those little lines at the sides of his eyes that have me reaching up to soothe them—that has me craving his closeness. Then I realize how that sounded. “Not ever. Just not to him.”
With Loch, warnings of rushing into marriage would be thrown out the window. I’d marry Loch in a heartbeat. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to be with him forever. “I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you, too.” His words cover me, warming me inside and out.
“There appears,” my mother starts, causing us to jump apart like teenagers caught making out, “to be a few things to discuss.”
My cheeks heat, and I glance at Loch. When my gaze returns to her, I grin, unable to stop myself as happiness from having both in my life runs through me. I hurry up the steps, taking her by the hands in my excitement. “There’s so much I want to share with you.”
“I can’t wait.” Turning to Loch, she asks, “Are you the reason my daughter’s glowing?”
My heart skips a beat when I hear him reply, “I sure hope so.”
“I’ll never forget that day,” my mom says, leaning against my dad with a glass of wine in her hand. “All plans flew out the window when it came to your birth. You even arrived three days early. I was in the middle of my regular weekly hair appointment when my water broke.”
A round of laughter lightens the dark-paneled room. I’m already feeling the best I have since leaving Manhattan. It’s been a whirlwind twenty-four hours with so many highs and lows. I needed this time with my friend, Loch, and my parents.
After arriving, I finally reunited with my dad. He choked up when he saw me like my mom, which brought tears to my eyes. Their love extends beyond hugs but is felt even now in the downtime.
My grandfather is a harder nut to crack. We hugged, but after, he was staring into my eyes as if he can tell something has changed. Everything has changed, but I’ll continue to protect my secrets—for now.
He went to bed early but said he’d like to spend some time together. I would, too.
Sitting near my dad, Loch leans back in a leather chair. He’s too far for my liking since I choose to warm up by the fire. With his eyes set on mine, he asks, “What day of the week was she born?”
“Tuesday. I had my hair appointments at ten in the morning for about two years.”
My dad adds, “She was always a little firecracker, keeping us on our feet.”
“I can believe that.” Loch chuckles. “Tuesday.”
I look up, our eyes finding each other’s again. “Yes?”
His grin widens. “Isn’t it interesting that you were born on a Tuesday? Have any stories to share, Dane?”
“She’d kill me,” my dad replies. Looking at me, he says, “I like this guy.”
So caught up in their reminiscence that I didn’t catch that huge detail until Loch spells it out for me. I stand in declaration. “I was born on a Tuesday.”
Allison says, “That explains some things.”
Tuesday is such a unique choice, a name that made no sense when I was in the hospital or even after. Now, I love it even more to know it plays a part in my past story and my present. I start for Loch. “I was born on a Tuesday.”
It’s so tempting to settle in his lap and be a couple without worries and thoughts of how complicated this whole situation is. I’m trying not to care, to just stay in this moment with him.
But right when I reach him, I hear, “What are we talking about?” Ugh. My eyes find Carter in the doorway, making me wonder how long he’s been standing there. I thought I had more time with the people I care about before we’d have the misfortune of his company again.
