“I guess so,” my father says, his tone flat.
She flaps her hand in his direction and huffs under her breath. “Ignore him, his memory isn't good anymore.”
“Hey,” my dad barks.
We all laugh and my mother wraps us both in a hug. “I'm really happy for you two. I really, really am. You two have always complimented each other. I don't know why it took this long for you to get together. I saw it years ago.”
Lyllian's eyes flick to mine. I can see she doesn't like this. She doesn't like lying as is, but lying to my mother is killing her inside.
“Well,” Lyllian says, “it's been so nice to see you both, but I need to get back to work. Don't want to upset the boss.” She lifts up on her toes and gives me a kiss on the cheek. She hugs both my parents and goes back to sorting the new scripts on the table only a few feet away from us.
My mother is watching her with the biggest and brightest smile on her face. “She's perfect for you, Doug. I honestly can't tell you how happy this makes me to see you two finally together.” She lets her gaze drift to mine, her smile far too big for just being happy.
What does she want? I know that smile and it only happens when she's going to ask me about something I probably don't want to talk about.
“Soo, when do you think you'll pop the question?” She grins with clenched teeth and bats her brows up and down.
I cough as I try to swallow, my eyes expanding wide as saucers. “What?” I choke out the question, unsure I heard her right.
“Proposing, popping the question, tying the knot, you know. When are planning on putting a ring on her finger? I mean, you two aren't strangers. You have a history with her, you know everything about the girl. There's really nothing to think about if you ask me.”
Propose?
I expect my chest to constrict and sweat to stream down my face. Except the idea doesn't scare me as much as I thought it might. I never imagined asking anyone to marry me, but for some reason, the thought of asking Lyllian doesn't make me want to run away.
The idea makes my heart hammer and my muscles electrify. It makes the tips of my fingers go numb and the air around me hot.
I look over at her as she stares down at the stack of papers. She gently pushes a lock of hair behind her ear. It curls up, softly resting against her earlobe, before falling back into her eyes. There really is no other woman in this world as beautiful as her. I've always thought that. And her personality just fits who I am.
We have the same sense of humor, the same taste in music and movies. We're like a mirror image of each other. She makes me laugh. She makes me smile.
Could I really see myself with her?
The reality of this entire situation is built on a falsehood, a big lie that we concocted for our own personal gain. But if I truly feel nothing for her, if I really don't see this as more than a ploy, then why I can't stop thinking about her?
Maybe we are perfect for each other. Maybe my mother is right. Is it possible that the girl I end up with is the same girl that knows all my secrets?
My heart begins to jump in my chest with excitement. A small flame ignites in my core. The more I think about Lyllian being mine, the more the idea seeps into my brain that I could have her as my wife, the more that tiny flame grows.
Is that what I really want, though? Is marriage even in the cards?
The rules are getting broken, my feelings are getting blurred, and it's getting harder and harder for me to separate fact from fiction.
She could be mine for real. . . I can't deny the excitement inside. The burning need to claim her and make her mine forever.
“Yeah, Doug,” my father chimes in, jarring me out of my own head. “The clock is ticking. You ain't getting any younger.”
“I'm twenty-five, Dad, that's not that old.”
Jim chuckles and punches me teasingly in the arm. “Seriously, you've hid this girl from all of us for far too long. Make it official. I hate to cut this short, but I need to run. Why don't you take your parents out for lunch, and take the rest of the day off? I'll see you tomorrow.”
“You sure? I don't want to leave you short.”
“It's fine. I'll call you if something major comes up, but I think I can handle things today. Maybe while you're out you can stop by a jewelry store.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Maybe we should stop this whole game and just come clean. . .