She laughed. "Yes, but you're thinking with your manly parts and not your mind or heart."
"Says who?"
Dylan glanced down at his crotch. "Your penis."
Clay chuckled. "Okay, so it is invested at this point, but my heart wants you to stay, too." He paused. "Since you were honest with me, I need to be honest with you."
"Now, you're the one who sounds like you're afraid I'll be upset."
"It's just that..." he paused to gather his thoughts. "If you really like me, well, I really,reallylike you. As in, I would have gotten rid of my mother and sister before you came out of the bedroom if I didn't."
"Wait, what?" Dylan took a step back.
"I wanted you to meet them," he answered with a shrug. "You're the first woman I've dated that's met them."
That was a lot to take in.
"Are you serious?" she asked. "You've never introduced a woman you've dated to them?"
"No."
"What would you have done if you hadn't wanted me to meet them?"
"I would have told you to take your time getting dressed and hustled them out the door."
"They don't seem like the type to allow you to hustle them anywhere."
"They give me a hard time," he admitted. "But they also understand me."
Dylan nodded. "This is a lot to take in."
He took her hand in his. "I just wanted you to know that I'm invested in this, too. It's not just you."
She smiled. "I'm glad." After a short pause, she continued, "But I'm still going home."
He laughed. "Okay."
Dylan went into the living room and gathered her shirt and bra. As she looked around and he said, “You can keep the shirt for now.”
Dylan nodded and sat down to slip on her socks and shoes. When she was done, she came over to the door, put on her coat, and shoved her tee in one pocket and her bra in the other.
Then, she pulled him down to kiss his cheek. "Call me later."
"I will."
Clay walked her out to her car, much to her amusement, and opened her door for her.
"Thanks," she said, climbing inside.
"You're welcome."
As she drove away, this time Dylan looked in the rearview mirror and saw Clay standing in the same spot, watching her.
ChapterEleven
Veronica was having the worst morning imaginable.
She’d overslept, waking up nearly thirty minutes after her alarm should have gone off. As soon as she realized how late it was, she’d leaped out of bed and run into the bathroom to shower. The moment she’d lathered up her hair, the power had gone out, so she’d rushed through the rest of her shower and still run out of hot water halfway through.
