“Ah. It’s no surprise that I can’t count on you to tell me anything, but now he’s really going to get it.”

He grinned, and now that he stopped to think about it, was kind of looking forward to how happy his mother was going to be when she learned who he was seeing. “It’s Candace Andrews.”

She was silent for a moment. “Oh, Brian. Candace Andrews?”

What the f**k? She should’ve lapsed into paroxysms of joy to hear he’d fallen for someone so sweet and nice and just generally good for him. What the hell was wrong with all these people? “Don’t tell me I’m going to hear it from you, now. What’s wrong with her?”

“Nothing at all. I don’t know her well, but she seems lovely. It’s the thought of dealing with her mother through the wedding and the births and the birthday parties that worries me.”

A few months ago, those words would have made him choke. Now they seemed like inevitable truths. But still. “Don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourself?”

“No, not at all. Mainly because I know your dad so well.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“You probably don’t want to hear it, but you are so much like him that it scares me. Sometimes it takes you a while to find a purpose, but once you do, you’re unstoppable. Just like him. I knew when it finally happened for you, it would be forever. You wouldn’t let it be any other way. It’s your nature. How do you think he convinced me to move halfway around the world to be with him? The man has powers of persuasion.”

“Yeah, well. You need to behave yourself around her mother. I’ve already assaulted one member of the family. I can’t have you assaulting another.”

“Who on earth did you assault?”

“Her brother. It’s a long story. But it’s all okay now.”

“Well, that’s good. But I don’t get physical, dear. If she rubs me wrong, I’ll simply ask her how her tryst with the new tennis instructor at the country club is going.”

Brian had been strolling toward his office in the back to continue this conversation. At her words, he stopped dead in his tracks. “Really.”

“Oh, yes. So you keep that useful tidbit of information handy. Never know when you might need it.”

“So we’re resorting to blackmail now?” He laughed. “You’re slightly evil. Maybe I should’ve called you way back at the start of all this.”

His mom sighed. “Yes, you should have. Maybe you’ll keep that in mind from now on.”

“I’ll try.”

“Good. Now when are you bringing her over to meet us? You realize you’re not off the hook, just because your brother gave me a grandbaby. They’re moving away. So we need to rush this along.”

He had to suppress a shudder, thinking about how close he had come to losing her. “Trust me, Mom, the last thing we need to do is rush.”

Later that night, after letting himself in to his apartment, he found her already in his bed with the covers pulled up. Ordinarily she would wait up for him until whatever time he walked in the door from work, but lately she’d been trying to get her schedule back on track. School was starting up for her soon, and she had a few early morning classes.

They both kept their own places, but in the couple of months they’d been together—finally, truly together—he thought he could count on one hand the number of nights they’d spent apart. On those nights, he’d found he didn’t sleep well no matter how tired he was. Without her tucked against him, he was restless. She’d become a very grounding, calming force in his life. The eye to his hurricane.

He showered and slipped into bed, drawing her close, though he didn’t want to wake her. Oh, he did a little, just to see what sort of mischief they could get up to, but she needed her sleep.

She mumbled sweetly and nestled against him, her backside snuggling against his groin. Of course, it responded accordingly. “Hi.”

He leaned over and placed a kiss beneath her ear. “Hi, yourself.”

“I got sleepy.” The sexy, drowsy purr of her voice didn’t bode well for his leaving her alone and letting her sleep.

“It’s okay.” He slid his fingertips very gently over the area of her navel. “How is it?”

“A little sore, but good. I love it.”

“I told you.”

“I know you did.”

“Maybe you’ll learn to listen to me someday,” he teased, and she gave his arm around her a playful smack.

“It’s like everything else in my life, I guess,” she said after a moment. “Even with you. I worry and I stress and I freak out over everything. But once I let go and get through it…it’s beautiful.”

“I’ll always do what I can to make sure it’s beautiful in the end, sunshine. No matter what it is we have to get through.” He chuckled. “And on that note, my parents want to meet you this weekend.”

She responded with that girly giggle that never failed to summon every iota of testosterone in his body and send it raging. “Oh, no. We’re not starting all over, are we? What if they hate me?”

“I’m really concerned that they might. I guess I’ll just have to let you go if—”

He burst out laughing as she twisted in his arms and shoved him onto his back, rising up to straddle his hips. “You deserve to be punished for that one. Severely.”

“Do your worst, baby. Please.”

She stared down at him, her pretty eyes twinkling in the dim light. “Give me a minute while I decide your punishment. It must be slow and torturous.” She ran her hands down his arms, leaning over to follow one of them with her mouth. Shit, he loved that his ink drove her so wild. It made him want to get more. And here he’d thought he was done.

She drew away, lifting so she could look at him. “Your family seems a lot cooler than mine. We should totally blow their minds. Maybe I ought to dye my hair purple, just for that occasion.”

He grinned like a fool. With each passing day, she proved more and more she was a girl after his own heart. She loved horror movies. She loved his music. His body art. She’d even get down and dirty in a mosh pit with him.

But beyond all that superficial, surface stuff, she challenged him, she drove him, she opened his eyes to everything that was beautiful in the world, everything he’d always overlooked before.

Why God had seen fit to smile upon him in such a way, Brian would never know.

Candace leaned down to nibble his shoulder, and against the softness of her coconut-scented hair, he smiled. “And there’s always that Mohawk I’ve been considering…”