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"I'm just being honest," Jesse says. "I can't remember you ever having a girlfriend or bringing someone home. Honestly, I'm shocked you like someone enough to start talking about grand gestures and love."
"Not just that," my mom adds. "He likes her so much he's decided tostay."
That sets off a whole round of chatter, my brother-in-law Eli giving me a wink. "You sure you're up for all this?"
"It actually feels right," I laugh. "And I guess I'm not the only one who feels that way."
"Well, that's a relief," Tasha says, a smile spreading across her face. "I was starting to think I was the only one rooting for you two."
"You're not the only one," Chance chimes in. "I think it's about time you settled down and started a family."
I roll my eyes. "I'm not settling down just yet, but Sam is something special. I want to make things right with her."
"Good for you," Sadie says, taking a sip of her wine. "But what's the plan? Flowers? Chocolates? A romantic dinner?"
"I don't know," I say with a sigh. "I don't want to do anything too over the top, but I want to show her how much she means to me."
"Maybe you could take her on a weekend getaway," Piper suggests. "Somewhere quiet and peaceful where you can spend some quality time together."
"That's a great idea," Tasha says, but I shake my head.
"I'm pretty sure she hates me right now, so I doubt she'll just run off with me--especially when she would have to figure out where her kid would stay."
"Why does she hate you?" Jesse asks. "Other than your bad attitude."
"Ha ha," I mutter. "No...she thinks I'm still leaving for Brazil in a week."
"Well, why on earth does she think that?" my mom asks.
"Because I didn't tell her I'm staying."
Chance gives me a quizzical look. "Why not...?"
"I don't want to overwhelm her." I shrug, picking at the food that's leftover on my plate. "That seems like a big commitment to make when I barely know her, and I don't want her to think I'm all in or anything."
"But aren't you?" Tasha asks.
I chew on my lip, looking down at the woodgrain of the table. Fuck...it's crazy, yeah, but Iamall in.
I fucking love her.
"I shouldn't propose, right?" I ask.
Sadie bursts out laughing, and Tasha shakes her head with a grin.
"What's so wrong with that?" Chance asks, looking over at Tasha. "I knew I wanted to marry you the first time I ever saw you."
"Same..." Eli murmurs to Sadie, flushing bright red.
"You wanted to..." Sadie trails off, her eyes darting to Lyra. "You know. But you didn't want to marry me."
"No, you shouldn't propose," Tasha says. "That woulddefinitelyoverwhelm her. But you should be honest--tell her you want to stay and see where this goes. And Evan...you should tell her you want to be honest about it with Alex. It's really important to her, and Alex is too smart a kid not to know what's going on."
"Do you think he's already figured it out?" I ask.
Chance and Tasha exchange a look.
"I'm inclined to say yes," Chance says. "Sam tries her best to keep him shielded from things like that, but Alex can read her like a book."
