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Her eyes flutter. “Yesterday, I thought I was going to have to help you pay off your college loans. I assume you don’t have any.”

“Not a one.” I laugh lightly as I step back and start to undress.

She’s biting her cheek and looking down at the floor. I know something’s bothering my girl.

“You’re doing it again.”

She looks at me like she’s been caught. “Sorry. Just a lot to take in.” Picking up a hair tie from my nightstand, she uses it to put her hair up in a ponytail. “Why did your dad give Missy half his shares?”

“It must have been a means of financial security for her. That’s the only reason we can think of.”

“I have a friend who made her new husband put his house in her name as a form of commitment. I mean, it’s not a billion-dollar company, but I suppose security is security.”

I raise a brow. “Would you like me to put your name on half of my shares when we get married?”

“Hell no! I’m not a money-hungry bitch. Your shares should default to your brothers, not some outsider who might screw things up.”

She seems shocked that I would even suggest it.

I can’t help but walk over to her and pull her in for another kiss. “Where’s my girl who didn’t know how to curse? I think I’m rubbing off on you.”

Her eyes flutter. “Your family brings out the worst in me.”

“I wish you were my family.”

She leans up on her toes and gives me a kiss on the nose. “We don’t get to choose our family. We only get to choose whom we love.”

As she turns to head toward the bathroom to brush her teeth, I get a pang in my chest. It’s a sweet pang.

When she’s back, Harper crawls onto her side of the bed and pulls down the sheet. She likes that side because it’s closer to the bathroom for when she has to get up early for work.

I love that she has a side. Just like she has a hook on the coat rack. I always leave it open for her because it’s on the middle rung and easier for her to reach. I keep the doughnuts she likes in the kitchen, and there’s always a bottle of pinot in the cabinet. We brought one of her favorite afghans here for her Friends marathons, and there’s a plethora of her women’s products in the bathroom.

I grab my sketchpad and pencil and sit next to her in bed. I listen to the hum of her body as she reads a book, and I draw.

My eyes grow heavy as I relax into the drawing. I leave the supplies on the nightstand and settle for sleep.

“Why do girls get fancy rings and guys don’t?”

Mom looks down at her hand that is gripping the steering wheel. “Men get rings, too, when they get married. It’s a sign of eternal love.”

I roll my eyes. “I mean, the diamond ring. Guys get gypped.”

She laughs. “They sure do. Not gonna disagree with you, buddy. I always like to think of it as the man giving this gift to a woman because her love for him is the greatest gift of all. Actually, the history behind it is, a man would give the ring to a woman as insurance. If he didn’t go through with the marriage, the woman had the ring to sell.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.” She turns the corner with a smile on her face. Her blue eyes glisten with love as she looks over at me. “What’s with all the questions? Are you looking to propose?”

I lower my head and look up at her like she’s crazy. “I’m only ten.”

“I saw you having lunch with Tammy Oliverie. I stopped by in between appointments this afternoon.”

The thought of my mom spying on me at school has me squirming in my seat. If she thinks I like Tammy, she’s ridiculous. “The girl is super weird and talks about Star Wars all day long. Not in a cool way. She thinks she’s Yoda.”

“Then, why were you having lunch alone with her?”

“The other kids were picking on her. She cried. I felt bad. No one should eat lunch alone.”