“Did you see it?” Linda asked excitedly as we rounded the corner into the large, open living room that connected to the massive commercial quality kitchen.
“Yep. It’s even more incredible than I feared,” Cassidy replied.
“Right!” Linda exclaimed, her tasteful bun of thick auburn hair bouncing with her enthusiasm. “He’s going to lose his mind.”
Cassidy picked up a half-empty plate of cookies off the L-shaped bar. “Not if he loses his dinner first. Jesus, Mom. I told you not to let him eat so many.”
Linda winked over at me before feigning innocence with her daughter. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I ate all those cookies.”
A calm I hadn’t realized I was missing washed over me. I had a family. My dad. Aaron. Mark. But the Michaels crew were something else completely. Their love for each other was infectious even as they relentlessly gave each other hell. They were funny and kind. Thoughtful and understanding. It wasn’t hard to see how Bowen had turned out to be such an amazing man.
As the mother and daughter pair continued to argue, I curled into my fiancé, wrapped my arms around his middle, and rested my chin on his chest.
His brows furrowed as he peered down at me. “You okay?”
“So, so, so okay. Thank you for bringing me with you tonight.”
His chest deflated as though he’d been holding his breath. “Thank you for coming with me.”
My cheeks heated as he tucked a hair behind my ear, pure adoration staring back at me. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
The side of his mouth hitched. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say not as much as I love you.”
After stealthily slipping my hand down to his ass, I gave him a firm pinch. “One upper.”
“Woman!” he teased. “My mother is sitting right there. Are you really scandalizing me in front of her?”
Clearly eavesdropping, Linda called out, “Scandalize away, Remi. If he’s anything like his dad, he likes it rough.”
“Oh, God, Mom. Ew!” Cassidy complained as Bowen rolled his shoulders forward, faking a gag.
Laughing, I pinched his ass again. It was hardly my fault. He had been blessed with a truly amazing posterior.
“All right, that’s enough out of you.” He wrapped me in a bear hug, pinning my arms to my sides.
I pretended to fight against him, but I was so damn content.
For several minutes, he held me. Front to front, I rested my cheek against his chest and snuggled in close. The world carried on around us as I closed my eyes and became lost in the present with the man who had stolen my heart. I’d never felt so comfortable in my life.
Our perfect moment was suddenly interrupted when Tyson came flying through the front door.
“Uncle Ty!” Preston and Simon shouted in unison, abandoning their Legos to race over to him.
Oh please, who was Cassidy kidding? It would take more than a Charlie Chaplin dummy to jump Tyson as the favorite on the Michaels family ladder.
With disheveled hair and a misbuttoned dress shirt, he dug into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. Extending a wad of cash to his nephew, he panted, “Look, kid… Don’t…ever forget I gave you a present before I ruined your birthday.”
Preston smiled huge, snatched what must have been several hundred dollars, and then sprinted away.
Cassidy strutted over to her brother, her arms crossed, her attitude locked and loaded. “What the hell do you mean before you ruin his birthday?”
A wicked smile curled Tyson’s mouth. He didn’t as much answer as he lifted his left hand in the air. A diamond-encrusted band wrapped around his ring finger.
The room exploded with a symphony of laughs, gasps, and cheers. My own mouth stretched to the limits. But when I looked at Bowen, his face had fallen, aging him years rather than seconds.
“Hey,” I whispered. “What’s wrong?”
He didn’t reply. He just kept staring at his brother.
“Bowen,” I repeated. “Babe, what’s going on?”
This time he smiled, but it was wholly fake.
I glanced over at Linda, and unlike the rest of the room who only had eyes for Tyson, her gaze was locked on her oldest son, concern painted all over her face.
What the hell was going on?
Linda walked over and pressed up onto her toes to whisper something I couldn’t quite make out into Bowen’s ear. And God did I try.
He finally smiled at her, but it was sad—heartbreaking, even.
Anxiety stirred in my chest until Cassidy broke through my thoughts and stole my attention.
“Wait, wait, wait. Where’s Jared?” she asked.
Tyson glanced over both shoulders, panic hitting his face. “Shit!” He sprinted back out the front door, shouting, “Jared! Honey! You were supposed to come in too. Great. Now I look like I got engaged to myself.”
A man outside distantly replied, “I’m coming. Some people like to actually park the car before diving out of the door.”
