“I love you too, Ria.”
This doesn’t even come close to the first time we’ve exchanged I love yous, but in this moment, it’s like I can actually feel it more than I’ve ever felt it before.
Flutters of the Bible quote that starts with “Love is patient, love is kind” whisper through my mind, but I can’t remember how the rest goes.
But it doesn’t matter.
Because right now, I know love is Remy baking cookies in the kitchen with our sisters. It’s Remy making sure Isabella was okay while I was at my midterm without my even having to ask him.
It’s all of the things he does and all of the things he makes me feel.
Love is this.
“Ugh! Remy, I need help!” Winnie announces, and she scrunches up her face in disgust when the cookie she’s holding slips from her hand and falls icing-first onto the table. “Oh no!”
“Looks like I better get back to baking duty.” Remy sighs, but he also laughs. And then he presses one soft peck of his lips to mine and pulls me into a quick hug before releasing me to go help his sister.
I just stand there, watching the boy I met over a year and a half ago, the one who looks more like a full-fledged man each day, knowing I am really, truly, deeply in love with him.
I love Remington Winslow. Period but, hopefully, not end of story.
Fingers and toes and everything crossed.
Friday, November 8th
Remy
It’s Friday night, and I’m not out at a damn club or at some bar grabbing a drink with one of my buddies or brothers. I’m not even sitting in my home office, alone, overworking myself despite the fact that the markets won’t open for another forty-eight hours.
I’m at home with Maria and Izzy and Lexi and two goldfish that have somehow managed to survive four weeks of life with us, despite the fact that both Maria and I often forget about them.
And I’m actually fucking happy.
Man, life sure has changed. In the best way possible.
Maria moves in the kitchen, pulling plates down from the cabinets and setting them on the counter with silverware. Spaghetti sauce bubbles in a pan to her right, and the garlic bread baking in the oven fills the kitchen with an irresistible aroma.
I glance back at her occasionally, just to be sure she doesn’t need any assistance, and help Izzy pretend to fly. Three months old now, she’s gaining an incredible amount of head and neck control with every day that passes. Her first real smile, her first tiny giggle, Izzy girl is hitting a lot of milestones these days, and flying through the sky has become one of her favorite games.
Izzy laughs, coos, and her eyes move to where my niece sits on the couch beside us.
“Hey, cute girl,” Lexi says, smiling as she reaches forward to poke a finger at Izzy’s hand in the hope that she’ll grab it. “Who’s a cute girl?” She attempts again, but Izzy just grins, too busy watching Lex’s mouth move to notice her finger.
My niece loves babies, and as luck would have it, babies love her. Especially Izzy.
Lex will forever be the first person to get a real, true, authentic smile to crest Izzy’s lips. It occurred about two weeks ago and made me feel like I’d grown an extra damn heart. Maria had cried. Then she’d laughed. Then she’d cried a little more.
And since Izzy has enough awareness to notice who she’s with, and she most definitely loves when Lexi is around, Maria and I have taken to having Lex over as much as we can these days.
“Hey, Ri, how’d your showing with the Tomlinsons go today?” I ask toward the kitchen. She’s been worried about working with the Tomlinsons for a week now, with the missus, in particular, having quite the reputation for being hard to please.
“Better than I expected, thankfully. They didn’t like the apartment, but they’re open to looking in Nolita.”
“That’s great news, babe. You have so much more inventory there.”
“I know, right?” she replies and flashes a relieved grin at me from the kitchen. “I obviously pushed in that direction a little bit, but honestly, the area is a great fit for them. Daniel is showing them a couple of places tomorrow while I’m with the Blakelys, but I spent two hours with him today going over all the particulars of Mrs. Tomlinson’s quirks. I think he can handle it.”
“Definitely. There’s no way you can do it all. That’s why you have other agents on your team. And Tonya, too. So you can delegate.”
Tonya is Maria’s newest assistant and has been working for the company for a few weeks now. Claudia, while horrible at her job, is still on the team because Isabella’s soft spot for her is apparently still living and thriving within Maria. But Tonya is proving to be a huge asset, oftentimes ensuring that Claudia doesn’t fuck shit up.