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Placing the covers on the counter, he replied, “Brooks. He called me this morning to congratulate me on our engagement. He said you told him about it.”
“He was on my ass first thing demanding to know if we’d be going ahead with the wedding or not.” He was also devastated that he’d be unable to make it—he wasn’t able to get the time off work. Lifting my cutlery, I asked, “Can you cook?”
“Yes. My mother insisted all of us learn so she didn’t have to worry we’d live on junk food when we moved out.” He grabbed a bottle of red. “I know you’re driving, but you can have one glass, yes?”
I nodded. Even if I hadn’t been driving, I would have stuck to one to ensure my inhibitions behaved themselves. The kind of attraction I felt toward Dax was the type that could cause a person to give their hormones too much control if they weren’t careful.
After tipping wine into both our glasses, he took the seat opposite me. “Did you get started on the wedding preparations?”
“Yes, they’re well underway.” With the help of my team, I’d ironed out the budget and settled on an event concept. All the logistics of the planning were done, and I’d determined the timelines in addition to booking the venues. It was now simply a matter of securing vendors and negotiating with suppliers etc. None of which I told him, because I suspected he wouldn’t be interested in specifics. “Thanks for sending the guest list so quickly.”
He cut into his steak. “I said I would.” He seemed offended that I’d doubted he’d come through.
“I wasn’t thinking you’d let me down,” I clarified, slicing into my own steak. “It’s just that I’m aware you’re uber busy, so I knew there was a chance there’d be a delay.”
“This is a time-sensitive matter, so of course I’d prioritize it. I don’t put my business life before my personal life in any case, irrespective of how busy I am.”
That was good to know. “Have you told the rest of your family about our engagement yet?”
“I have.” He ate a mouthful of food. “My sister, Raven, very much wants to have her own family before she reaches my age, so she can understand why I might choose a fallback pact over taking the risk that my situation will remain unchanged as time goes on. She came round to the idea fairly quickly. My parents aren’t exactly keen on it for obvious reasons but, after a long discussion during which their attempts to talk me out of it failed, they agreed to go along with it.”
“Do you think they meant it, or is it possible that they’re giving upfor now?”
He gave a slight shrug and then lifted his glass. “I believe my mom meant it. As for my dad, he probably holds out hope that he can change my mind.”
“At least your sister is behind you. On the subject of Raven, do you want to have her as a bridesmaid?”
“I offered, but she’s hesitant.” He sipped at his drink. “She thinks you might not want that, since you don’t know her well.”
I frowned. “I’m more than happy to include her in the wedding party. Give me her contact details and I’ll hit her up—which reminds me that you and I should exchange numbers.” We hadn’t done so yet.
He inclined his head. “I appreciate you involving her.”
“Back to the subject of my family … I don’t know if you know much about Dissociate Identity Disorder.”
A surprised frown slipped over Dax’s face. “It’s where a person develops additional personalities, generally in response to trauma, yes?”
“Pretty much, yeah. My maternal biological grandfather, Simon, has DID. None of his alters are, like, evil or something. They’re essentially his protectors. Maggie is a sweet, fiercely maternal forty-year-old. She’ll likely say hello to you, and she’ll probably be nice so long as you don’t swear. Freddie is eight, pretty shy, and not at all trusting, so I doubt you’ll meet him anytime soon. Or Deacon, for that matter—he isn’t shy, but he only really comes forward at times where Simon feels threatened.”
“And you’ve met each of them?”
“Yes. They’re all very loving toward me. It might sound strange to an outsider, but they’re family. I only wanted to give you a heads-up so you’re not confused if Maggie says hi to you at the wedding.” I paused. “The disorder is heavily sensationalized and misrepresented in movies and books, so I can understand if you’re weirded out or—”
“I’m not at all. I may not know much about mental disorders, but I know they’re no reason to look at people differently in negative ways. If Maggie says hello, I’ll be sure to say hello back.”
Relief was a warm flame in my belly. “Okay. Good. She’ll be polite, though she texted me to say she has strong reservations about the marriage. That doesn’t exactly set her apart. Most of the attendees have reservations. Speaking of, I noticed you didn’t put Felicity on your guest list. That’s a shame. I was hoping to have her as a bridesmaid.”
His mouth bowed. “In the spirit of being upfront and open, I called Felicity earlier and made the situation clear. She and Blaise now know to leave you alone.”
Forking some mash-covered steak, I said, “In the spirit of being equally upfront and open, I figured you’d told her, because Grayden showed up at my house earlier.”
Dax went very still. “What did he want?”
“To understand why I was marrying you. I mean, he assumes we’ve been seeing each other on the down-low, but he struggles to buy that either you or me would get hitched to someone we’ve only dated a few months. He was worried I might be dying.”
Setting down his glass, Dax frowned. “Dying?”
“Getting married was on my bucket list, so he wondered if maybe I was now close to kicking said bucket.”
