***
"Are you sure you're okay with me staying here?" Erica glanced over toward my father as he nodded.
"Yes. Karen and I had Martha make up a bed for you and everything. It's just overnight, and you know you're always welcome in my home, Erica." My dad moved forward and pulled Erica into a hug before glancing over at me. "How are you? Behaving?"
"Never." I wagged my eyebrows and moved up to hug him. The smell blasting out of the kitchen left me feeling like home would always be my dad's house, no matter how old I got. "Where's Damon? Bethany?"
"They're out back. Let's get your luggage stowed away and you can join them." Karen moved to pick up my bag. My stepmother was petite like Bethany. I chuckled and picked up the bag.
"No way are you toting our stuff. Just lead the way, and I'll put it up." I took Erica's bag from her as my father wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Red or white wine," he asked her while leading her into the kitchen.
"Both?" She laughed and the sound filled me with warmth. Why the hell was I running in the opposite direction of her for the last two years? Right. Fear of being consumed by her. Too late. She was all the fuck I thought about, and it didn't seem like that would be changing anytime soon.
"How are you?" Karen glanced over her shoulder. "I mean, like really? You moving up to Seattle is a big step. I'm proud of you."
I smiled. "I'm good. Just trying to work through things with Erica, and settling in, but I'm really good."
"I'm glad to hear that." She opened a door and moved back to let me go in.
"Thanks. I'm doing much better in the office setting than I would have thought. I hate being in a tiny box and only having a computer to look at, but my team has been awesome. They're a bunch of artists too, so we have some good conversation, and the design projects are honestly pretty cool. I could see myself surviving there for at least another month."
She chuckled and pulled me into a hug as I turned around. "Just a warning... your brother and Bethany are in wedding mode, so every conversation they have has something to do with the wedding."
"Did we set a date yet?" I squeezed her and moved back as she turned to walk out into the hallway.
"Yes, but I'll let them fill you in on all of it." She lifted her hands and walked toward the kitchen. "You would think it's happening next week with all the discussion about it, but I'm pretty sure they're looking at early December."
"This year?" I almost swallowed my tongue. No way the two of them would be able to pull together a wedding in a month.
"Yep." She glanced over her shoulder and gave me a look. "Maybe you can talk some sense into them."
"Right." I lifted my eyebrow. "Because I'm the sensible one in the family."
She chuckled. "It's not even a destination wedding. Bethany wants it here."
"Oh. Wow. So a big wedding?"
"Not really." She waved me away. "Go talk to them about it. It'll be good for them to have a new person to share all of this with."
"Sounds like fun." Or not. I was grateful that things had worked out with Bethany and Damon, but wedding planning sucked. No matter who was involved.
"There's my little brother." Damon walked toward me with a big smile on his face.
I couldn't help but return the gesture. "What's up, bro?"
Erica was sitting next to Bethany out on the patio, the two girls both having big smiles on their faces and seemed to be laughing. I loved how well she fit right into the mix, like she belonged there.
"How is it? Working for M&B? Having Erica as your mistress? Living in the art capital of the States?" He pulled me into a quick hug and moved back, patting my chest. "You loving it or scared shitless?"
I took a moment to think about it. Oddly enough, for the first time in a long time, I wasn't scared at all. I was worried about the situation with me and Erica, but not scared.
"I'm actually good." I shrugged. "I got a lot of shit to work through with Erica, but otherwise, I'm good. Job is all right, apartment is amazing and Erica is everything I could imagine wanting in a woman."
"Awesome. So you guys are together now?"
"Um... no." I ran my hand down my face as he growled.
"What? Why the fuck not?" He glanced behind him and back to me. "Did she not accept your apology for that stunt you pulled a few weeks back?"
"She accepted it, but she's still processing it. She's got some baggage in her past around men getting up and leaving her. It was probably the one thing I shouldn't have done. Had I known, I would have called after leaving that Monday, but I didn't." I slipped my hands in my pockets and drew in a deep breath. "I don't know what to do to speed things up. She's pushing hard against me every time I try, but I keep trying."
"Good. Don't relent." He nodded toward the kitchen. "Grab a beer with me."
"Sounds good." I followed him in and moved to lean against the counter as he grabbed two beers from the fridge. "I'm in love with her for sure, but words aren't working. I'm going to have to figure out how to show her how I feel, and that I'm committed."
"Good." He handed me a bottle and popped the top on his. "You told me how to get Bethany back, and it worked. You remember what you said?"
"Yeah. Be there for her when she needs you most, and don't say a word while you're there. Just support her."
"That shit worked like a charm." He tilted his bottle toward me. "You need to take your own advice, and a little bit of mine."
"And your advice would be?" I lifted an eyebrow and smirked.
"To make love to her every chance you get. Keep your hands on her. Women like to feel protected, cherished and physically adored. Make sure she gets a lot of that."
"Every time she'll let me, for sure." I followed him into the living room and out toward the back of the house. "How's the wedding stuff coming?"
He opened the door and glanced back. "Don't even ask..."