I shrugged. “I told him I needed more time, but I’ll be honest. I kinda like the idea of a future with him.”
Aaron’s eyes flashed wide. “Holy shit, Remi. That’s fucking huge for you. What happened to marriage is for suckers?”
I rolled my eyes. “Uh, I was seventeen when I said that. Also…Bowen happened.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he studied my face with a measurable amount of surprise. That I’d expected, but the concern etched in his features was confusing.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because we’re talking marriage here. A commitment. Vows. A little white chapel in Vegas.”
I scoffed. “I’m not getting married in Las Vegas.”
With narrowed eyes, he slanted his head. “But you’d consider somewhere else?”
“I mean, not tomorrow or anything. But I can’t imagine ever loving someone as much as I do Bowen, so I’m sure it will be him eventually.”
“And it doesn’t freak you out?”
I shrugged and found myself surprisingly calm about the whole thing. “It did at first, but…” I paused and stared at him. “Why are you giving me the third degree about it?”
“I’m not. I’m just shocked. I knew things were getting serious, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard you talk about getting married when it wasn’t followed by the story of how you broke up with the guy a few days later.”
“Oh my God, how do you remember shit like that? I was twenty-one and I’d known Reese Taylor for all of a month before he took me on a date to tour a literal wedding venue. Of course I broke up with him.”
He quirked a brow, a clever smirk bending his lips. “How long have you been with Bowen again?”
Suddenly feeling cornered in that small kitchen, I shook my head and marched past him. “When you know, you know. I don’t have to answer to you. Besides, I’m not a kid anymore, and neither are you. All of us should probably start to think about settling down. I love living with you guys, but we are only twenty years and one roommate away from being the Golden Girls.”
“Who?”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter, Rose. All I’m saying is, I don’t know how I would feel if Bowen dropped to a knee and proposed tonight. Would I freak? Most likely. Would I say no though? I don’t know. Fortunately, it’s not something I have to worry about right now. He was very understanding when I told him I needed more time. Right now, it’s all just a scenario in my head. So to answer your question: no. The hypothetical future doesn’t send me into a panic. There. Does that answer all your questions?”
He watched me closely for a beat. Aaron loved me, and yeah, in the past, a man talking about forever would have been a red flag the size of a boat sail. But Bowen wasn’t just any guy. Surely Aaron must have realized that by now.
“Kinda. But I still don’t know who the hell Rose is,” he replied with a lopsided smile.
“Then we need to remedy that STAT. Wednesday after dinner, you, me, Mark, Rose, Sophia, Blanche, and Dorothy have a date.”
“Why do I feel like I just got duped?”
“Because you did. Congrats! But I’m gonna need you to get back to cooking, Bowen should be here soon. Do you need any more help, or can I go get ready?”
“The best help you can give me is not helping.” He slanted his head toward the hall. “Go. I got this.”
I crept backward slowly as not to appear like I was running away. Make no mistake, I was. “You’re the best.”
He winked. “So you keep telling me.”
Bowen
With my hands on either side of her face, I kissed her as though I hadn’t seen her in years rather than hours. She liked to tease me about my hello kisses, but I couldn’t help myself. Every time I laid eyes on her happy and free, it felt like a miracle I’d prayed for no fewer than a million times.
“Hi,” Remi breathed when I finally allowed her space to speak. Her sunshine warmed my skin.
“Hey, babe.”
She slid her hand down my chest and tugged on my tie. “You are in for a treat tonight.”
I picked her up off the floor and into a tighter embrace so I could meet her eye to eye. Had we been at my house, I’d have already had her up against a wall. But since we were at the Roommate Ranch, I had to be good. “Oh, yeah? You finally ready for installment two thousand sixty?”
She pursed her lips. “Uh, you better check your books again, Mr. Michaels. I’ve made quite a few payments since then.”
“Hmm. Perhaps we should perform a full audit tonight to jog my memory about when and where those payments were made. Strictly for professional purposes, of course.”
She gave my tie a hard tug. “It would be my pleasure.”
“I’ll make damn sure of it.” I pecked her lips, set her back on her feet, and then drew in a deep breath. “Wow, it smells amazing in here.”
“That’s because I cooked,” Aaron said, suddenly appearing at the mouth of the hallway in a pair of jeans and a crisp baby-blue button-down. I loved a button-down more than most, but I wasn’t completely sure Aaron owned a T-shirt. He walked straight over to me and extended a hand. “How’s it going?”
Remi tucked into my side as I shook his hand. “Better now that I know I won’t have to depend on the Heimlich maneuver to enjoy my dinner.”
He chuckled and lowered his voice. “Then watch out for the garlic bread. It was frozen and from a box, but she insisted on doing it herself.”
“I am literally standing right here,” Remi complained. But then she tilted her head back to peer up at me. “But yeah, he’s right. It feels like concrete.”
Shaking my head, I asked Aaron, “You joining us for dinner?”
“Nah. I have a date.” He tried to play it cool, but he was hopeless to hide his smile.
“Nice. First date?”
“It’s actually his third,” Remi replied. “You know what that means. Be safe, double-check for consent, and don’t forget to let the lady come first. It’s just good manners.”
Aaron rolled his eyes. “And on that note, I’m out of here. Have a good one.”
“You too,” I called after him.
When the front door shut behind him, Remi released me and walked to the kitchen. “You hungry now? Or do you want a beer first?”
I followed behind her. “I’m actually starving. Oscar and I went to lunch today at a very reasonable ten thirty in the morning.”
“Ack. Why so early?” She took two plates from the cabinet and started spooning cheesy pasta onto each one.
“Who the hell knows why that man does anything? I’m having serious regrets about bringing someone else into the office. A few months ago, it made perfect sense to grow the business. But he’s a quirky one, that’s for sure.”
“Well, that sucks. Any chance you can get rid of him?” She dropped a piece of garlic bread onto each plate and the thuds they made did not bode well for my choke-free dinner. “You should be pretty set with the settlement money now, right?”
Ah, yes. The settlement money.