Serenity sat across from Damien and ate her pasta, too overwhelmed for conversation. The spaghetti provided energy coursing through her veins—he’d been right about needing to eat. She swallowed the last bite and sipped on her lemon water while he finished his plate.
He put his fork down on the empty china. "What is your typical Saturday morning like?"
"I usually work." He wiped his mouth with a napkin.
Work was what her father had done all the time too, except when her mother threw one of her social parties. She leaned on the table. "Even in the morning?"
He nodded and placed the napkin on the table. "My brother and I work together. So work is the discussion but we also play various sports to outdo each other."
Sports and competition would make sense for him. She averted her gaze from his body that she remembered touching everywhere, and looked back into his eyes. "You have the build of an athlete."
"I can't let Galen win." He scooted away from the table and picked up both plates.
She took the glasses to the kitchen, following him. He turned on the sink and began to rinse the plates. Useful in the kitchen made him hotter. She went beside him, put the glasses in the sink and picked up her towel to help dry. "What about your other brothers?"
Damien took out the sponge and soap and washed their two plates. "Mitch is the responsible older brother who keeps us in line. He shows up a few mornings to play with us, but he's there for fun. Axel was on a TV show as a kid and hardly home. Now he's a rock star with his band and travels the world. I hardly see much of him, but now that our sister is back, he's shown up to more family events."
He handed them to her one at a time, and she dried them, but she stared at him. Part of her wanted them to go back to her bedroom, but she lowered her lashes. "I don't remember you having a sister."
He turned off the water once he finished with the glasses and handed them to her. "Our father told our mother she died. Axel blamed himself."
"Now that's awful." She finished with the glasses too. Done, she motioned for him to return to the living area. She needed to let her stomach rest a few minutes before she went to see her mother.
He took the seat next to her. "I'm glad she's alive and he's dead."
She’d wanted that closeness with her sister, but it never happened. Serena was the boss and the perfect child. She hesitated, but saw no reason to lie. "My family was never that close like you and your brothers."
He leaned backwards and rested his head on the cushion. "How was it growing up for you?"
She adjusted to get comfortable and sat cross-legged as she stared at the white wall across from them. The trickle of the indoor fountain soothed in the background. "My sister was my father's clear favorite. He brought her everywhere and she thrived. It's why she freaked out so much when he was arrested."
He patted her knee and she turned toward him. "Tell me more."
Opening up about her past wasn't what she normally did. She hoped those dark mocha eyes of his understood, and she steeled her spine. "My mother was always going to some event. She liked to show off and I swear half of her illness now is because she feels humiliated." His gaze seemed full of questions. She lowered her voice and continued, "I was often left alone with a caretaker, but they switched the nanny every few months so I never grew attached. It was just me and my imagination for most of my life. I finally felt free once I moved out and went to college."
He traced the skin on her leg and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "When we marry, I can promise you that you'll never be alone. I expect the marriage to be real in every physical way."
She sat further back and her lips parted. "You do?"
He kept his hand where it was on her thigh, but he didn't otherwise move. "I’ve wanted you since I saw you getting on the ship. I stayed away because every other pulse in my vein wanted me to rip your clothes off and make you mine, again and again. I thought if I stayed away from you, I could eventually forget.”
“Did you?”
“Not for a second. I look forward to seeing you every day, and every night."
The idea of repeating that passionate night struck a deep chord, but that didn't mean she'd ever truly trust Damien. She had to do what was best for her unborn child and he was the father. She focused on an image of herself holding a small child. "If I do say yes, sex was great. But first, let's go see my mother. If she’s against it, I can’t even consider it. Do you understand?"
"I'll win over her support." He stood and offered his hand to help her.
She wasn't heavy with child to need help. Serenity rose with grace on her own, and waved for him to head to the door. "Confidence might be a good weapon. We'll see."
"I want to buy you a ring."
She stopped and turned toward him. Her face felt drained of life as the world spun too fast. "I haven’t agreed."
He came beside her and massaged her shoulders, his touch on her body sure. "You will once your mother gives the okay. I can tell from your expression."
Probably, but no one ever read her expression so closely. She gazed up at him and listened to her heart that beat in a new rhythm near him. "And what if your mother ends up disapproving of me?"
He made a tsk sound with his lips. "She won't."
"How can you be sure?" she asked in a low, quiet voice. If his family could accept her, even though her sister had tried to ruin his half-brother’s life after their father was arrested, perhaps she needed to be more open-minded.
His hand brushed against her cheek, and her body warmed from his touch. "You're exactly who she wants for me and when I tell her you're pregnant, it's game over. She'll be thrilled."
Maybe it was easier for his mother to ignore what her family had done because Damien was from the illegitimate branch and there was some distance between the two sides. If his family could accept her and her mother understood, she'd give her son or daughter a life where they were sure to succeed. Her heart thundered as she realized she would say yes. "Well, that's one thing not to worry about then."
He leaned closer and she closed her eyes as he said, "All your worries will disappear the moment you say 'I do.'"
His lips met hers and steam seeped from her. Her arms wrapped around his neck and the memories of what happened that night flooded into her heart and mind. His kiss was delicious and made her melt.
He ended the kiss and she remembered she needed to pretend none of this mattered. She hadn’t said yes and she’d hold her tongue for now. "Let's go. One step at a time."
He offered her his arm and she just stared, torn. She might say yes, so she hooked her arm through the crook of his elbow and let the spark rush down her spine. Once in the hall, he directed her to the parking lot. "I'll drive."
Right. She shouldn't even think about any answer to any crazy proposal. Her mother was sick and it was her duty to take care of her. They went toward his black truck. "I need you to be prepared. My mother hasn't been well since my father was arrested. I can't be sure of her reactions or what she might say—she probably will remember that you were instrumental in gathering evidence. So don't get upset if it doesn't go your way."
He winked and unlocked his vehicle with a click. He opened the passenger door for her. "Stalling, but that's okay, Serenity. Soon you won't have to worry about anything."
"So you keep saying." She climbed inside his truck and leaned over to open his door.
His hand brushed against her leg but he backed away. "It's a promise."
Well, it wasn't what she’d expected when she took the test this morning. Damien's return and his proposal brought hope she hadn't known existed.
For weeks, she hadn't let herself dream he’d be in her life, but as he started the engine to the truck, she realized the truth. She'd wanted him to come back and now that he was here, she'd find a way to make peace with her family. She wanted to say yes and marry Damien Morgan.