Remember When

him he's been shuffled into second place, and I'm your favorite son. Uh-huh, uh-huh. Okay. I love you, too. Bye."
    He clicked off, stuck the phone back in his pocket. "I'm her favorite son. That'll burn Luke's ass.
    Anyway, I'm supposed to tell you that she can't wait to meet you, and we have to come down to Savannah ASAP so she can meet you, and can have a little engagement party for us. Which in Marlene-speak means a couple hundred of her closest friends and family. You're not allowed to change your mind about me. And she'd like it very much if you'd call her tomorrow when she's calmed down so you can have a nice chat."
    "Oh my God."
    "She's prepared to love you because I do. Plus she's thrilled that I'm going to settle down and get married. Then there's you having the good sense to see what a prize I am. You've got a big leg up with Marlene."
    "I feel a little sick."
    "Here." He pulled his phone out again. "Call your mama, then you can tell her and put me on the spot. We'll be even."
    She stared at the phone, stared at him. "This is real."
    "Damn right."
    "You really want to marry me."
    "We're past the want to. I'm going to marry you. You don't follow through on this, Marlene will hunt you down and make your life a living hell."
    She laughed, took two running strides, then jumped into his arms. Hooked her legs around his waist and covered his mouth with hers. "I've always wanted to visit Savannah." She took the phone out of his hand, laid it on the counter behind him.
    "What about your mother?"
    "I'll call her later. There's a two-hour time difference, you know. So if I call her in two hours, it's really the same thing as calling her now. That way we can do something else for two hours."
    Since she was chewing on the lobe of his ear, he had a pretty good idea what the something else would be. Hitching her to a steadier position, he started out of the room. "What about those evening chores?"
    "Let's be irresponsible."
    "I like your thinking."
    She ran her tongue down his throat, up again. "Can you make it all the way upstairs?"
    "Honey, the way I'm feeling, I could make it all the way to New Jersey."
    She bounced lightly as he started up the stairs. "We forgot the whipped cream."
    "Save it for later."
    She reached down to tug his shirt out of his waistband. "Big talk." Her hands snuck under the shirt, ran up the hard plane of his chest. "Mmm, I love your body. I noticed it right away."
    "May I say, ditto."
    "But it wasn't the kicker."
    "What was?" he asked and turned into the bedroom.
    "Your eyes. They looked into mine, and my tongue went thick, my brain went stupid. I thought...
    oh, yum, yum, yum." She kept legs and arms hooked tight around him when he tumbled them into bed. "Then when you asked me to dinner, I thought-in the far reaches of my mind I didn't quite acknowledge-that I'd have this rash, wild, impulsive affair with you."
    "I think you did." He got busy undoing her blouse.
    "Now I'm going to marry you." Delighted, she pulled his shirt over his head and threw it aside.
    "Max, I should tell you, I'd've slept with you if Henry didn't like you, but I wouldn't be marrying you if he objected."
    He lowered his mouth to her breast, bit gently. "Fair's fair."
    She arched, absorbed, then riding on the thrill rolled over to reverse positions. "I'd just sneak around behind his back and have sex with you. I'd feel bad about it, but I'd do it anyway."
    "You're such a slut."
    She threw back her head and hooted with laughter. "Oh God! I feel wonderful."
    His hands ran up her sides, then in and over curves. "You're telling me."
    "Max." The sweetness seeped into her, had her brushing her hands through his hair, then cupping his face. "I love you, Max. I'll be such a good wife."
    She was everything he wanted and hadn't known he was looking for. The whole of her, all those strange and lovely layers that formed her fit the whole of him as no one ever had, or ever would.
    He drew her down to him, stroking her hair, her back, as love swarmed inside him. And when she sighed, the long, contented sound of it was like music.
    Soft, so soft, her skin, her lips, so that the moment took on a dreamy hue that made it easy to be tender. He could cherish her here, and wondered if anyone ever had.
    Instead of seeing her as competent or clever, as practical and smart, had anyone ever shown her she was precious?
    He murmured to her, foolish things, romantic things as he eased her over to undress her. His hands skimmed over her as if she