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“How was the art thing?”
“Pretty good. Had eight people, so it was bigger than they’ve been so far this winter.”
“No one obnoxious?”
“Well, one older lady wouldn’t stop talking, but that’s a manageable kind of obnoxiousness. She meant well. No one who bothered me.”
I haven’t seen even a hint of Marcus Trent since Caleb scared him off last month.
“Good.”
“Anything going on here?” I ask, reaching over to grab a small piece of pepper and popping it into my mouth.
“Nah. I was supremely lazy all afternoon.”
“Good. You deserve it. You’ve worked way too hard for too many years.”
“The three years between you weren’t that hard. Just working for Arthur most of that time. He barely left home—talk about a cushy gig.”
I giggle at that. “Well, you needed some recovery time after dealing with me.” When I see his expression change, I hurry on. “I’m not talking bad about myself. But you’ve got to admit keeping up with me for those years was exhausting.”
“Yes. It was.” He leans over to press a quick kiss on my lips. “But I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.”
I can’t help but smile at that. I’m reaching for another piece of pepper when Caleb adds, “Oh. Just got the news that Montaigne has a court date scheduled.”
“Really? That’s good. It won’t be for several months, I suppose.”
“Yeah. He’ll have a bail hearing soon. With all the evidence we have from his stalking of Jade and then you, it will be set high or not at all. His family wouldn’t pay bail for him last time, so I doubt he’ll be getting out.”
“Good.” I sigh, relieved that the whole nightmare seems to be behind us. “William and Jade said they were going to come visit us in a couple of weeks. A real visit since the last time was just a trick to foist you on me.”
Caleb chuckles, his blue eyes warm and fond. And a little watery since he’s in the middle of chopping an onion. “I’d be foisted on you again. Any day, anytime.”
“Is that supposed to be romantic?”
He puts down his knife and turns to face me, pulling me tight against his body. “Damn right, it’s romantic. I’ve never been foisted on anyone but you, and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”
I smile up at him sappily. “I kind of like you foisted on me.”
He leans down to kiss me, hard and deep but brief. He says as he pulls away, “That’s going to have to do for now. I’ve got a whole system going here for dinner, and I can’t let you distract me.”
“Fine.” I pretend to pout as I lean against the counter. He swats my hand away before I can reach for another piece of pepper. “Did you hear from your mom today?”
“Oh yeah. She called this afternoon. She says next month works great for us to visit if that still sounds good to you.”
“It does. I really want to meet her. As long as it’s not too fast for you.”
He frowns at me, searching my face with his eyes.
“You’re the one who wasn’t sure about us moving too fast,” I remind him. “Meeting parents is a big step.”
“Oh.” He’s picked up his knife again and has moved on to chopping garlic. After a minute, he appears to have worked the problem out in his mind. “Since I already know your dad, it’s only fair for you to know my mom too.”
I giggle at his matter-of-fact tone. “Makes sense to me.” I grab a handful of his shirt and tug on him until he’s facing me again. “Do you have any thoughts on that topic?”
“Meeting my mom?”
“No, us moving too fast. Have your thoughts on that changed in the past three weeks?” I’m smiling up at him, not as nervous as I would have expected to be in bringing up such an important issue.
