“You literally just closed a giant portfolio last week.”
He pecked me on my lips. “Old me, babe. This week is thenewme. New leg, new screws and plates, new everything.”
“Right,” I drawled, not being able to help the smile crawling across my face.
“Do I hear my favorite at the door?” My mother’s voice cut through the arguing.
Marlow nudged my side. “She’s talking about me.”
Her stomps moved from the living room and down the hall toward us. Her wild and curly dark hair was pushed back with one of those plastic headbands found at the dollar store, her glasses tucked up on top of it.
She was in a matching set of clothes, plum colored corduroy pants and a satin blouse with a bow tied at the neck. Her beaded jewelry was in the form of earrings today, hanging down and just brushing her shoulders as she walked.
She lit up the moment she spotted me, her arms jutting out to pull me into a tight hug. “Blake!”
I hugged her back just as firmly. “It’s nice to see you. I missed you a lot.”
“Oh, stop it.” She ripped me back from her. “You’re going to make me cry.”
She glanced next to me, her eyes going wide the second she remembered who was behind me.
“You must be Marlow.”
“Guilty.”
She laughed. “Come on in! We’ve got Jenga set up in the family room. What’s all that you brought with you? Oh, Blake. I told you we didn’t need anything.”
Shrugging, I replied, “He insisted.”
Marlow leaned into me from behind, holding up a wine-filled hand as he stage-whispered at my mom. “It’s my way of trying to butter you up so that you like me enough to not turn me down when I ask you for your permission to marry your son.”
I choked. “What?!”
Her face lit up immediately, taking one of the wine bottles offered to her. “How exciting! Blake, you didn’t tell me you two were getting so serious!”
My face was on fire, tongue too tied-up with disbelief to answer her.
Was he kidding?
He had to be. We’d only been dating three months. That was way too soon for him to want to get hitched, right?
He...
Did he really...
When has he ever lied?
“Of course.” With his hand now free, he wrapped it around me to pull me against his chest, a soft kiss finding its way to my forehead. “I love him with all my heart.”
My jaw dropped.
Love.
Marlow loved me.
“You do?” I choked out.
“Till my last dying breath... and probably a little bit after that, too.” His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Let’s be honest, I’ll definitely be haunting you in the afterlife.”
