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When I get into the living room, Damien and his twin brother Remy are practically taking up the entire space with their muscles and their gorgeous faces. It's stunning how much they look alike, although Damien is bigger and a couple of inches taller. Strange, because I feel zero attraction to Remy, and Damien is like metal to my magnet of a body.
"Hey," I mumble, leaning up to kiss Damien on the cheek. I almost sigh in relief as I catch a whiff of his cologne.
I give Remy a quick hug, and he holds up a pie plate.
"Ma made this for you," Damien says. "It's a vegan cheesecake. Not sure how that works, but it doesn't have cholesterol."
"You told her?" I bristle. Had he mentioned his proposal, too?
Mom walks over and accepts the pie from Remy. "No, I told Ginger about your cholesterol issue. She said she had the best vegan cheesecake recipe she wanted to try. Doesn't it look delicious? Who would like a slice?"
Remy stretches. "Well, we've already eaten but I never say no to Ma's cheesecake. Even if it is vegan."
He follows Mom into the kitchen, leaving Damien and me alone in the living room. We stare at each other awkwardly. Instead of looking into his eyes, I focus over his right shoulder, on a giant conch shell atop the bookcase.
"Hey," I say.
He reaches for me, and in the space of a nanosecond, I'm in his arms. Something about the way he's holding me andpressing his mouth to the top of my head, makes me tremble.
"Remy thought he'd drop me off. He's on his way to visit a friend. But I could go with him if you don't want me to?—"
I brush my lips against his ear. "No. Stay. Please?"
Hours later,after a slice of Mrs. Hastings' delicious vegan cheesecake and a slice of Mom's pie, Remy leaves. Damien stays. Mom trots off to bed, saying something about "chatting on the Google with Beau."
"I think Mom's got a boyfriend," I tell Damien as we stretch out on the sofa. I love how our legs fit perfectly together somehow, even though he's so much bigger than I am.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah, it's the neighbor guy. He's older than her. You might have seen him around. He windsurfs a lot. His name's Beau. He's cool. Skinny guy, bald up top, long hair in back? Like a senior citizen mullet."
"Retirement up front, party in the back?" Damien jokes, and I crack up. "Good for her. You know, maybe she's not as fragile as you think she is."
"Hmm." My voice is soft. "Maybe not."
The TV's off, and we're listening to the wind whisper through the palm trees in the yard. I'm debating whether to take him into my bedroom for some quiet, secret sexy time, but there's something I need to discuss with him first.
"I'm sorry I was so weird the other day. Your, er, proposal. It caught me off guard."
"I should've been a little smoother about the whole thing," he admits.
"No, I've been super anxious lately, and I think my brain has this fight-or-flight reaction to any unusual information."
"Anxious?" Damien frowns.
"You know, because of Mom and her situation. And me and my situation."
"Understandable. You've been through a lot. Her diagnosis, your move, trying to deal with the insurance issue."
I chew on my cheek for a few seconds. "How will it work?" I whisper.
"How will what work?" He kisses my forehead and works his hand into my hair. Which makes my skin tingle. I'm going to want to kiss him on the lips soon. Focus, Kate.Focus.
"If we get married. If your offer still stands."
He grins and rubs the tip of his nose on my cheek. "We elope. Go to a City Hall somewhere and get married. It's probably a simple process, right? Then I put you on my health insurance. It's one form on my company website. Already checked. Super easy. I think you're covered within days of my filling out the form and sending in the marriage certificate."
"And what happens while you're gone? What if you meet someone?"
