nudge in the side. “Thanks, brother. My boss knows about you and Dad, so I mean…I have more credibility than my colleagues. Maybe he’ll take that into consideration. Maybe he won’t.”
We approached the outside of her building.
She turned to me to say goodbye. “So, when are you going to get the ring?”
“Does that mean I have your approval?”
She rolled her eyes. “I love Sicily. She’s perfect for you. Even if I didn’t personally like her, there’s no denying that her heart is always in the right place with you. That woman has got to love you to put up with all that bullshit you put her through.”
“Yeah, she’s definitely into me.”
She rolled her eyes again. “You want me to help you get a ring? Ooh…get her a big-ass diamond. Something simple but big. She’ll love that.”
“You know, I was actually thinking of doing something small and simple.”
“Uh, why? Not doing too hot at work?”
“No,” I said with a chuckle. “I just don’t think that’s really her. I did that with Catherine, and it just seems…superficial. Sicily would rather have a cheaper ring and give the rest to charity if she had the choice.”
She nodded slowly. “True. That’s pretty sweet.”
“So, I think I’m gonna do something nice but on the smaller side.”
“You know her best. Tell Mom and Dad?”
I shook my head. “Not yet.” I wondered how Daisy was doing after the breakup with Mason. She never talked about it and acted like she was perfectly fine, which was probably just a front, but I didn’t want to call her out on it. If that was how she dealt with her heartbreak, then I would let her be.
“Did you tell them about the dog?”
I shook my head. “Didn’t mention that either.”
“They’re just going to care about the dog,” she said with a laugh. “When can I meet her, by the way?”
“Whenever. She’s pretty scared around men, so I’m trying to get her to trust me right now. It’s taking some time.”
“Take her to work with you.”
“She’s not potty trained.”
She shrugged. “Whatever. Being around people all day who are nice to her will probably help her calm down. Just like you want your dog to get used to other dogs, you want her to get reacquainted with humans. Seeing stranger after stranger being nice to her will probably teach her that people are good, even if they weren’t before.”
When I took Riley to work, it actually worked.
In the morning, she just stuck to a couch in the corner, but as the day progressed and more strangers were nice to her, she started to walk around and shake her tail. She even followed two women into my office and sat on the floor in front of the couch so she could be close to them.
You know, my sister was actually pretty smart sometimes.
At the end of the day, it was just Sicily and me, along with Riley.
She finished up her paperwork on the couch, Riley on the couch beside her since Sicily was her favorite person besides Ryan.
“I think I’m going to stop by my parents’ place,” I said. “Haven’t seen them in a while.”
“That’s nice. I can take Riley home for you.”
“Thanks.” Sometimes I couldn’t tell if she did things for me as my assistant or as my woman, but it was nice that they blurred together, that she was a partner who wanted to participate in my life, not just sit around and gloat about it.
“I’m gonna finish up some stuff here, and then I’ll drop her off.”
“Drop her off?” I asked, confused.
She lifted her gaze from her notes and looked at me. “Dex, I haven’t been to my apartment in like a week.”
“So? Bring more stuff and come back over.”
She shook her head slightly. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome—”
“Baby, move in.”
She didn’t look the least bit surprised by the request, just touched.
“Come on, bring your stuff over. Riley loves it when you’re there, I love it when you’re there, and it’s nice to be able to tag-team Ryan when he’s around. We work so much better together than apart because we’re the same person. So, burn your apartment to the ground, whatever you want to do, and then move in.”
I walked in the door to my parents’ place and found them sitting at the dining table together, in their loungewear, drinking wine as they worked on their laptops after dinner. I stilled when I saw the big black eye on my dad’s face. “What the hell happened to