Page 160 of Terms of Exposure
Before she could respond, a quieter voice broke in from the recliner.
"I'll go."
Sebastian didn't look at us when he said it.
He sat there picking at the seam of his pajama pants, gaze fixed somewhere around the floor lamp.
He cleared his throat. "I mean… fairs have food. And, uh, air. Fresh air. I could probably use that or whatever."
The lie was adorable.
He wanted to go. He wanted in. With us. With her.
I looked at Damien. He looked at me.
Another one of those unspoken, crackling smiles passed between us—the kind that saidyou seeing this?andyeah, I'm seeing this.
Across the room Rosie wiped her hands on her apron, watching the four of us with a soft, knowing expression.
"That's good," she said simply, a smile on her face. "You all should go."
Damien grinned. "Perfect. It's a date."
Chapter thirty-nine
Emma
The night air hit my cheeks as we stepped off Rosie's porch—cool, crisp, carrying the faint scent of rain that hadn't quite arrived yet.
Damien's hand settled at the small of my back as we walked toward the car, warm and steady through the fabric of my dress.
"Your mother," I said, still half-laughing, "is a force of nature."
He grinned. "That's one word for it."
"She threatened to send me home with six containers of sauce."
"Only six?" He raised an eyebrow. "She must be warming up to you slowly."
I swatted his arm. He caught my hand, brought it to his lips, pressed a kiss to my knuckles.
The car beeped as he unlocked it. He opened my door with a subtle flourish, and I slid into the passenger seat. Damien folded himself behind the wheel but didn't start the engine.
He just sat there.
Looking at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing." His mouth curved. "Just thinking about how good you looked at that table."
"Covered in pasta sauce and doily lint?"
"Laughing," he said quietly. "You looked good laughing."
I turned away, biting the inside of my cheek. Through the curtains Rosie's kitchen glowed around Sebastian and Candace's shadows.
"They're cute," I said after a moment.
