never will again,” I said. “It was a special occasion. And I would do anything to make those two happy. It was lovely, truly lovely. They were ecstatic throughout the whole ceremony. When I first met Jeanette, I was a pretty anxious and worried teenager. She swooped in, cared for my mother, helped me be a better caregiver. I was so glad the day they told me they’d fallen in love. Jeanette’s heart is four times the size of a regular person’s.”
“Did you cry?” she asked.
My hand paused in its motion. “Yes,” I said. “I rarely do, but I did that day. My mother is an inspiration. She survived an accident and the betrayal of her spouse with a cheerful and resilient spirit. Allowed herself to fall in love again without fear, to open her heart…”
I stopped. Buried my nose in Sloane’s hair and sought comfort in the feel of silk against my skin.
“Did you love your dad, Abe?” Her voice was tiny.
“I loved him most in the world,” I whispered. “He was my hero, until, of course, the day he wasn’t. And my heart loved him for many years longer than it should have, given what he did to us.”
She was quiet, fingers twisted in my sweatshirt. “It’s easy to barricade your heart after its been broken. That’s always been my preference.”
We’re the same, don’t you see?
“We are partners in barricades, Ms. Argento,” I said softly. “That day on the beach, watching my mother grab this second chance at life with abundant zeal, I felt this hope, this hope that we can overcome monumental loss and find the person that transforms our weaknesses into strengths, our flaws into interesting imperfections. Jeanette has done that for my mother, and vice versa.”
She stroked the collar of my sweatshirt, almost absent-mindedly. “I’m sure they’re very proud of you.”
“They most certainly are. Although they’d prefer me to be married—yesterday, if possible. They have also kindly requested that I provide them with grandchildren.” The clock declared it was approaching 3:00 a.m., the witching hour. No wonder I felt so verbose. It felt like Sloane and I were the only two people in the city of London right now.
“I can see you being a dad.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“You can?”
Her head nodded against my chest. “Yes. A good dad, too.”
My fingers traced patterns through her hair, sifting, caressing. “I’ve never thought about it. Doesn’t feel like a life that’s available for me.” She was silent for a moment, so I asked, “Do you want to be a mother?”
Her entire body went rigid again. I tightened my hold on her and didn’t push.
“I don’t feel like that’s a life available to me,” she echoed. There was such longing in her voice I briefly forgot how to breathe.
“Have you found a girlfriend like that yet?” she asked. “Someone who turns your weaknesses into strengths?”
I thought about this woman curled against my side. Sloane’s mysterious charm had literally stunned me the night we met. Her skill and talent and sense of justice mirrored my own in a way that was tantalizing and terrifying in equal measure. And combining all of that with this—this softer, more vulnerable woman buried behind her own barricades, well…
What was I to do except want her with a desire I’d never known possible?
“No,” I said. “Whether I’ve met a woman like that is another story.”
Her fingers left my collar, grazed the un-bruised side of my jaw. I felt that seeking touch radiate throughout my body. “What would you do if you met that woman?”
“I’m not sure,” I said quietly. “Perhaps steal her business card to keep her attention.”
Her gentle laughter against my chest set my heart ablaze. A moment later, the storm moved over us, thunder growing more subdued.
I felt the relief infuse in her limbs, felt her muscles begin to relax. After a long few minutes, Sloane unfurled herself from my embrace. She wore a giant shirt, legs bare, braid messy.
She was so fucking pretty.
Her legs stayed close to mine, but she kept our upper bodies apart, which was a good thing. “When I was seven, my parents left me alone, overnight, in this motel during a thunderstorm. We were staying in the Midwest, and all night the weather channel was reporting a possible tornado touch down. Green skies, hail. The electricity went out, and rainwater came in through the shitty bathroom window. I was little, and all alone, so I spent the night terrified a tornado was going to