Conversion

by S. C. Stephens

Chapter 6 - We Make Up

 

  I woke up in a familiar bed with familiar, warm arms around me and a familiar, furry lump sleeping at my feet. I breathed in deep, now that I could again. I snuggled back into the warm, bare chest behind me. The arms holding me automatically tightened as he drew me in. It was the warmest, safest feeling that I'd ever had, and I couldn't quite believe that I'd put myself through nearly a week of misery by denying myself his presence. Of course I would stay with him through his transformation. What would my life be without him?

  He nuzzled my hair as he inhaled deeply himself. "You smell so good," he murmured.

  "Nearly edible?" I muttered back, as I turned in his embrace to gaze at him.

  He raised his head to look at me, his eyes filled with a new emotion, a happy, peaceful one. He ran a finger down my cheek and then along the artery in my neck. "Delicious. " He smiled softly.

  I frowned. "Things are going to change. "

  He relaxed back on an elbow as he looked down on me. I scooted over to my back and stroked his arm lying across my stomach. "Yes," he said simply.

  "When will you die?" I couldn't even say the word louder than a whisper, but he heard me just fine.

  He shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose it could be any day. "

  I nodded and placed my hand on his chest, to feel the pulsating life beneath his skin. "I'll miss this. "

  He placed his hand over mine and we both felt his doomed heart beating. "I will too. "

  I looked up to his face as that registered with me. He was dying, and he didn't want to. I was so selfish-worrying all this time about how it would affect me that I hadn't even considered how he felt about it. Concern for him filled me. "Will it hurt?"

  He stroked my fingers on his chest and looked down at the pillow. He frowned. "No one will give me a clear answer on that. They just keep saying 'it's uncomfortable' or 'you'll be fine. '" He looked back to me and a trace of fear was in his eyes. "I'm assuming that's a yes, it's going to hurt like hell. "

  I reached up to stroke his face. "Are you scared?"

  Teren closed his eyes briefly at my touch and then reopened them. "Yes," he whispered. He looked at the pillow again, and I ran my hand back down to his chest. My chest tightened in sympathy. "I know I shouldn't be. I know that I'll be fine. " Returning his eyes to me, he searched my face. "But, I've only ever been human. This is what I know. " He patted his chest, his heart, and then he sighed. "I will miss feeling my heart beat. I will miss coffee. I will really miss food. I will miss. . . feeling normal. "

  I pulled him to me for a tender kiss. "I'm so sorry, Teren. "

  We warmly kissed for a few moments and then he pulled back. Gazing at me in adoration, he brushed some hair off my forehead. "Don't be. I've known this was my legacy my whole life. I've had plenty of time to prepare myself. "

  "It will still be an adjustment for you. " I cocked my head to the side as I studied him. "You're always going to look like this, aren't you?"

  He smiled. "Yes. "

  I frowned. "How am I going to explain that to my family?" I looked down at his chest. "And we'll never be able to eat with them. " I looked back up to his eyes. "Oh. . . we'll never be able to have dinner together. "

  "Sure we will. I'll still cook for you. " He grinned and sat further back on his elbow. "I'll just have to start making you pork dishes. I think I'd starve, just living on chickens. "

  I had the odd thought of him draining a pig in the kitchen and couldn't stop the laugh. He laughed with me and then we kissed some more. Man, I'd missed that. After a moment, he pulled away again. "Things will change, Emma. . . but one thing, will not. "

  "What?"

  "I'll still love you. "

  I could only stare in silence at the amazing, doomed man beside me. Warmth and emotion flooded my body and I blinked to keep back those darn tears. "I love you too. " I ran my hand back through his dark hair and pulled his lips to mine again. I savored the heat of that kiss as our mouths moved together perfectly. "I'm going to miss your warmth," I muttered against the stubbly softness of him. "What else will change?"

  He pulled back and thought for a moment. "Well, I'll be even stronger and faster. I won't age and I'll heal fast. My sense of smell will be even more acute. I'll be more aware of blood. I'll be. . . "

  "Hungrier?" I asked hesitantly.

  "Thirstier. " He gave me a very pointed look as I absorbed that. I suppose if all he existed on was blood, he would need it more often and in larger quantities. I could see that being a problem, if he were ever really, really hungry-regardless of what Alanna told me about her and her husband.

  "Will it be a difficult for you. . . being around me?"

  "No, of course not. I wouldn't let this continue if I thought that. I'd never hurt you, Emma. I'm not going to turn into some crazed monster. I'll still be me. " He hesitated and I could see a debate in his eyes.

  "Just tell me. I don't like secrets. "

  He lay back on the pillows and gazed at the ceiling. I propped up on an elbow so I could see him better. He seemed to not be sure how to word what he was thinking about. I gave him another moment to reflect while I drew a circle on his bare chest.

  Finally he spoke, although he still didn't look at me. "My mother may have downplayed the thirst. " He looked over to meet my curious eyes. "She didn't want to scare you, they are still hoping for that grandchild, and my father really isn't in any danger from her, but the blood is more intoxicating than she led you to believe. And once I change, that desire will get worse. You'll be. . . tempting to me. "

  "I'll be food. " He nodded solemnly. "Could you feed on me without killing me?" I surprised myself, both by asking him that and by being calm when I asked it.

  He sat up on both elbows and gazed at me intensely. "Yes. I can sense how much is too much. I would never take more than your body could handle. I would never bring you harm. "

  I sat up a bit more as I regarded him with narrowed eyes. "How can you be sure of that? How do you know you can control yourself? You'll be more vampiric, maybe you just won't care?"

  He shifted his body and brought a hand to my cheek. "My feelings won't change. I'll always care. " His thumb tenderly stroked my cheek. "How do you know you can take one small bite of the sweetest dessert you've ever tasted and be satisfied?"

  I thought about his analogy and tried to forget that in his scenario-I was dessert. "Well, I guess that would depend on how hungry I was. If I was starving, I probably wouldn't stop. "

  "I would never sample you if I were starving. I wouldn't come near you if I were anywhere close to starving. " He completely sat up on the bed with me.

  We were having a frank conversation, so I decided to just be frank. "You wouldn't just attack me and take it?"

  He was shaking his head before I'd even finished my question. "I would never take it without permission. No. . . only if you wanted me to taste you. " He looked down and his cheeks flushed with color. "I would actually love that. It's really quite. . . intimate. You may enjoy it too. "

  "I don't think so, Teren," I said very slowly. "Would you feed on anyone else, if I always told you no?" I found that I couldn't meet his eye when I asked, and I had to stare at my fingers tracing patterns in the silky sheets.

  His hand came up and he gently grabbed my chin, making me look up at him. "No. I would never do that. . . ever. You're the only one I want to drink from. "

  That comment actually pleased me, which made me shake my head in bewilderment. "This conversation just got creepy. "

  He laughed and relaxed back down to the pillows. "Just? I thought it was creepy ages ago, but I just kept going with it. "

  "Shut up. " I smiled and laid down on him, putting my head on his shoulder and draping my arm over his chest. "Would my blood be sweet to you?"

  He grinned as I looked up at him. "Like the finest wine. "

  "Hmmm. . . that's oddly flattering. Still pretty creepy, but flattering. "r />
  He laughed again and kissed my temple. "I do love you. "

  "I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you say that. " I nestled deeper into his shoulder and let out a happy-with-life sigh.

  "Well, you have as long as you like to listen. "

  Spike stirred from his resting place at our feet and stood up on the bed. He shook out his long coat and then lightly stepped in-between Teren and me and settled back down. We both laughed as we were forced apart from each other by his size. Spike licked my cheek and rested his head on my shoulder, almost protectively.

  "Hey, boy, I missed you. " I scratched him behind his ears. He thumped his tail and I could have sworn he smiled.

  Teren sat up on the other side of him. "You missed the dog? Did you miss me?"

  I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe. . . a little. "

  He leaned over Spike to kiss me. "It seemed more than a little last night. "

  I grinned and pulled him down to me, making Spike scoot out of our way. "Okay. . . maybe a lot. Maybe I was miserable. Maybe I cried all the time. Maybe I told off my boss. And maybe I even got wasted and danced inappropriately with my friend's boyfriend. Maybe. . . "

  Teren raised his eyebrows at me. "Wow, you were busy. I just sulked a lot. " He cupped my face in his strong hands. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you everything right away. I was so afraid you'd leave me. "

  I blinked back the darn tears again, although a couple may have made it past my defenses. "I'm not going anywhere. I missed you so much. " I brought him to my lips and proceeded to show him, again, just how much I'd missed him.

  Closer to lunchtime, I was lounging in the kitchen, wearing my boyfriend's just long enough dress shirt. Dressed only in gray lounge pants, Teren was making us a late breakfast of bacon and eggs.

  I was very happy.

  I came up behind him and slipped my arms around his trim waist. He smiled and turning towards me, popped half a piece of bacon in my mouth. He popped the other half, and I kissed his bare shoulder and hugged him tight, while he flipped my eggs. When he was done, he made up a plate for me (he must have picked that habit up from his mom), and set me at the table with a kiss on the head. He made us both cappuccinos and then joined me at his stylish kitchen table.

  I held his hand while we ate, and periodically kissed his wrist as I gazed into his pale eyes. I couldn't help it. I almost felt like I was the vampire-I just wanted to devour him. And I definitely never wanted to let him go again. Which left one little situation we hadn't discussed yet. As he swept away our plates and made more coffee, I wondered how to bring it up to him.

  This is what I came up with. . .

  "Your parents will be thrilled that we're back together. "

  He set my coffee in front of me and sat back down. "Yeah, they'd be downright euphoric if they knew what we just did. " He grinned. "Twice. "

  I laughed and shook my head. "That's just so wrong on so many levels. "

  He took a sip of coffee then shook his head. "Tell me about it. I never thought they'd go so far as to discuss my sex life over dinner, while meeting my girlfriend for the first time. "

  "I never imagined upsetting any parent because I wasn't. . . copulating like a bunny with their son. "

  He laughed at my turn-of-phrase. "God, I know. " Closing his eyes, he shook his head again. "They can be mortifying. " He opened them and looked at me, a little embarrassed. "I'm so sorry about that. I think they're getting a little desperate. "

  I sipped my coffee and then grinned at him. "You think? They asked me if I was attracted to you. Like I'm not the one usually ripping your clothes off. "

  He let out a hearty laugh. "Yeah, well, I didn't feel the need to mention that to them. "

  "Thank you for that. " I took a long draw of coffee while I watched him laugh. "So. . . they want an heir?"

  He stopped laughing and set the coffee that he had just been about to sip, down on the table. His expression serious, he smoothly said, "Being with me doesn't mean that you have to get pregnant in the next six months. "

  "But if it's going to happen, it has to be before you die. "

  He averted his eyes. "That's what they believe, because that's how it worked for them. I don't think it works the same for me. "

  I blinked. "Why not?"

  Teren blushed and glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "Because. . . I'm a guy. " He shrugged his shoulders, like that one statement answered everything.

  I blinked again, not really understanding his argument. "So. . . "

  He sighed. "Women have to be alive for a baby to grow inside them. Obviously, a dead body can't grow a life, can't provide the necessary nourishment. " He looked down at his pants with an odd twist to his lips. "My. . . contribution just kind of hangs out and waits for the opportunity. "

  I couldn't help it-my happiness that we were in this mess together and the oddity of the situation, culminating in that last look at his pants-I started laughing. I started belly laughing. Tears were streaming down my face.

  He looked at me, offended, like I was emasculating him. "It's not funny. "

  I managed to spit out around chuckles, "Your family is irked at you, because you haven't knocked up some poor girl yet. That's kind of funny. "

  He smiled then and finally laughed with me. "I suppose it is, in a way. "

  Eventually our laughter died down and I grabbed his hand. "Honey, I think your family is right. "

  "What?" he asked, curious.

  "I think once your body is effectively dead, what swimmers you have will die, or at least they won't be viable for long. There's a lot going on in the male system. It takes quite a bit of hormones and nutrients to make and keep active baby-makers, and I don't know for sure, but I think you'll be shooting blanks afterwards. "

  "Anything else, Doctor?" he asked, keeping his features as blank as possible.

  "It's just an opinion. " I suppressed another laugh and shrugged my shoulders.

  Shaking his head in amusement, he rolled his eyes. "I'm glad everyone is so interested in my reproductive system. "

  I spat up the last of the coffee that I had just swallowed and Teren softly chuckled into his cup. Collecting myself, I waited until he was taking a sip of his coffee before I responded. "Maybe you should just give them what they want?"

  I was vastly rewarded. He spat up his coffee and stared at me open-mouthed. Still feeling on a high from just being back together with him, I stood up and straddled him in his chair. That made him smile, and he set down his coffee and rubbed his warm hands on my thighs. I gazed into his pale eyes and imagined for a second having a black-haired, blue-eyed, fanged child with him. It was an interesting thought, but it was all happening so fast. . .

  "Why haven't you yet, since you know how important it is to them?" I asked in a quiet voice, not sure if I wanted an answer to that question.

  He sighed and his hands stroked the outside of my bare thighs. "Now you sound like them. " He gave me an exasperated look as he asked, "Who exactly am I having this vampire child with?"

  I raised an eyebrow at him as I laced my arms around his neck. "Surely, you've been with other girls before?"

  Amused, he gave me a wry look. "I am twenty-five. . . yes. "

  "Well, one of those girls. "

  He was already shaking his head though. "I'm not bringing someone into this. . . situation unknowingly. "

  I blinked and pulled back to examine him. "I'm the only one you've ever told?"

  He shook his head again as his hands slid up to my hips. "No. You're just the only one who hasn't run away. . . for long at least. " He laughed and I smiled at his attractive, happy face. "There was even this one girl who tried to stake me-with a stiletto no less. " He rubbed his bare chest. "That hurt a bit. "

  I laughed, then bent over to kiss his old injury. "How very Single White Female of her. What happened to these girls?" I tried to picture some woman trying to heel him to death, and the image
made me obscenely happy.

  "Great-Gran hunted them down-"

  I cut him off by partially standing from his lap. "Oh my God! She ate them?" I had a momentary second of panic at the thought of that wild, black-haired beauty tracking me, if my reaction had been a little more extreme at his parents' place.

  Teren pulled my hips back down onto his lap. "No, can I finish? She tranced them, made them forget. . . although, she probably did nibble a bit first. " He furrowed his brow as he considered that possibility.

  I ignored the nibbling part and focused on the more pertinent part of the sentence. "She what? She like. . . hypnotized them?"

  He shrugged. "Sort of, yeah. "

  "Wow. . . can you do that?" I could see numerous instances where that little trick would come in handy-cutting in front of people in long grocery lines, dealing with the DMV, sneaking us into Hollywood movie premiers. He burst my bubble pretty quickly though.

  "No, it's a full blown vampire thing. She's the only one of us that can do it. "

  "Oh, too bad. . . " No way was I going to ask her to hypno someone for me.

  Teren laughed once. "Why, you want your mind erased? Something you want to forget?" He twisted his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Maybe your dirty dancing with that guy. . . " His tone was a little disgruntled.

  I bit my lip, wishing I hadn't mentioned that. "No. . . well, actually, yeah, I would like to forget that but no, I was thinking that'd be a handy trick. " Excited, I leaned over his arms on his chest. "I mean for speeding tickets alone. . . "

  Teren smiled as he slung his arms around my waist. "It's nice to see you'll only be using our powers for good. "

  Grinning, I rested my head against his. "Just being practical with my vampire boyfriend and his vampire family. . . especially if I'm going to have his vampire child. "

  He froze and stopped smiling. "You don't have to do that. " His forehead moved against mine as he shook his head. "I'm not even sure if we should continue this. . . trait. "

  I pulled back to study his worried expression. "I don't know if I want to yet. " I put my hands against his chest. "I guess I'm just telling you that I'll consider it. I'll consider it if you will. "

  He half-smiled. "Okay. We'll. . . consider it together then. "

  "Together. . . I like that idea. I love you. " I gave him a warm kiss.

  "I love you too," he whispered against my lips.

  We spent most of the day lounging around his house in various stages of undress. We would have made his family proud-which both amused me and icked me out. We didn't bring up the baby topic again, or his impending demise, but both subjects swirled around my head. I was finally becoming okay about the latter event. Him not being as human as me would be a startling change, but really, I was in too deep with him to let that little hiccup ruin our relationship. And I looked at Alanna and Jack as my role models. They were happy. Deliriously happy I'd dare say, and we could have that, too. Plus, my boyfriend would be a hot twenty something for. . . well, quite possibly for eternity. I didn't overlook the bonus of that. Although at some point, I supposed that would make me a cougar.

  The former event, getting pregnant within the year, that one was a little harder to wrap my head around. It wasn't that I'd never pictured having kids. I had even done the five second what would our children look like analysis on Teren's and my first date, but it was always a way off in the future event-right up there with teleporting and flying cars. It was definitely not something I thought I'd ever feel such enormous pressure to do right away. Most parents wanted their kids to wait until they were settled and ready-and preferably dating for longer than a month. But Teren's family didn't have the luxury of waiting. It really was now or never with them. That was a lot for a girl to consider.

  Sunday, we decided to take Spike for a long walk along the beach. Happy as a pup could be, he yipped at birds, and dashed up to the edge of the water, before spinning and running back to a safe distance. I held Teren's warm hand in my own and marveled at the novelty of walking on a sunny California beach with a vampire.

  "Why doesn't sunlight affect you?"

  Teren laughed and looked over at me. "I have been waiting for that question ever since I first told you what I was. You held out much longer than I thought you would. " I gave him a dour expression. Laughing again, he answered me, "Some of the vampire side effects seem to be diluting with each mixed generation. " I looked up at him with a confused face, and he shrugged his shoulders and explained further. "Great-Gran is a full vampire, so she can't be in the sun at all. . . "

  "Hence the being nocturnal," I stated and he nodded.

  "Gran can be around sunlight, but she generally avoids it. She says it's like sticking your head in a hot oven. "

  I cringed as I remembered opening my mom's hot stove as a child and having that wave of heat blast me in the face. Being in that for only two seconds hadn't been enjoyable. "Oh, that doesn't sound pleasant at all. "

  "Yeah. Mom can be in the sun for short periods of time, but after a while, it does make her uncomfortable and if she stays too long, she burns-like an intense sunburn. "

  "Huh. . . and you?"

  He held his palms up to the sunny sky. "I love the sun and it appears to love me right back. I suppose that could change when I fully cross over, but I don't think so. Mom and Gran said they were the same afterwards, in that regard. "

  "Interesting. What about silver and garlic and holy water?"

  "Ah. . . are we having the myths conversation?" I squeezed his hand and nodded with enthusiasm. I wanted to know everything he could and couldn't do. Teren was amused by my reaction. "Well, they're much the same, although the water one is a complete myth, and garlic is more gross than dangerous. "

  "Oh. . . good to know. "

  He smirked at me. "Maybe I shouldn't be telling you all of our weaknesses. "

  I poked him in the stomach. "You don't seem to have any. You seem to have all of the benefits with none of the setbacks. " He shrugged in agreement. "So. . . our kids would have that too?"

  "Kids. . . now all of a sudden you want more than one?" I poked him again and he laughed. "Yes, our kids would be even more human. " He said the last part quietly and looked over at the ocean, where Spike had finally gotten enough courage to dip his paws. His pale eyes were speculative, and I wondered what he was thinking about. Before I could ask though, he turned back to me with a bright smile. "I wouldn't mention anything about kids around my parents, unless you want them breathing down your neck. . . even more. "

  I laughed. "Don't worry. I had no intention of doing that. " I sighed and watched a now semi-wet Spike bark at a seagull. "I suppose we should go back there soon. I should apologize for the way I left. "

  Teren swung our hands. "You have nothing to apologize for. They were out of line, and you had every right to ask to leave. " He gave me a pointed look. "If I were human, I'd have done the same. "

  That was the first time he'd ever referenced himself as anything but human. It gave me a slight shudder, which I ignored, as I snuggled into his side while we walked.

  "How exactly was Halina turned?"

  "Standard vampire lore-she was drained of all her blood and it was replaced by a vampire's. "

  "Oh. " I thought on that for a moment. He'd stressed earlier that he wouldn't be a monster, that he would still be himself when he changed, so, the vampire who changed her. . . I just couldn't see why anyone would turn a woman so obviously pregnant. "Why would someone do that to her, when she was with child?"

  He looked down at our feet crunching along in the perfectly white sand. "Sometimes, people are just bad, Emma. . . whether human or vampire. " I clenched his hand and laid my head on his shoulder as I thought about how true that was. The world was just a messed up place. He let out a weary exhale and I looked up at him. "Personally, I think he was just curious what would happen. . . to the baby, I mean. " He shrugged his shoulders. "It's too late now. We can't a
sk him. "

  "Oh, did he run off and leave her alone?" For some reason, that sounded worse than him turning a pregnant woman. I'd think being a new vampire would be scary, especially all alone. Teren surprised me by laughing.

  "No. . . not exactly. " Curious, I searched his face for some hint of what he meant by that. He didn't leave me in the dark for long. "Great-Gran kind of staked him. She was a little. . . angry. "

  My mouth dropped wide open. "She staked him! A little angry. . . "

  "Okay, maybe a lot. "

  "Remind me to never piss her off. " A shudder passed through me and if it were possible, I was now even more terrified of the teenage-looking vampire.

  Teren nodded and smiled. "That would be best. . . " He obviously saw a side of Halina that I didn't, and he found part of her highly amusing.

  "What happened to her husband? Imogen's father?"

  "He died. . . around the same time. " His smile left and his tone went flat.

  Realizing that the vampire that turned her had probably killed him, which would explain the anger and the subsequent staking of her creator, I redirected the conversation. "So, you really can be staked?"

  "Sure. We heal most everywhere else, but. . . the heart. . . destroy that, and with anything, not just wood, and you destroy us. We don't know why, but it's the one human thing we really seem to still need. "

  I squeezed his hand. "That's nice. " Now he examined me for a hint of what I meant. "Something we'll still have in common," I explained.

  We walked along the beach in silence while I held onto his arm. I discretely watched him as we shuffled along the sandy slope, edging down to the breaking waters of the Pacific-his tan skin underneath my slightly paler skin, his black hair shining in the sunlight, the slight rise and fall of his chest that was visible to me as the breeze compressed his shirt to him, his pale eyes watching his pup frisk back and forth from the surf to the dunes. He was so alive. It was hard to picture him any other way.

  "Maybe the change won't happen with you. Maybe you're different. . . maybe you'll stay human?"

  He looked down on me. His eyes were wistful for a moment, before he shook his head. "I can feel it, Emma. It's coming, I'm already changing. " Stopping, he put his arms around my waist. "I'm sorry. . . but I will die. "

  I averted my eyes, willing them to not water; if he could handle this, then I could. I felt his hand on my chin and I looked up at him. The very edges of his lips curled into a smile and then he brought those wondrous lips to mine. For a moment, as the sea breeze tickled our skin and the heavenly scent of him, mixed with the faint residue of salt in the air, I forgot that things would change. That they already were changing. I took my one moment in the sun with my vampire, and forced out all the rest.

  I spent Sunday night at Teren's again, so Monday, I had to wake up especially early so I could go home and change into work clothes. Teren worked earlier than I did, so he was almost ready to leave himself, when I finally got my slow body out the door. He handed me some coffee in a travel mug and gave me a soft goodbye kiss at my car, which hadn't moved from his driveway since Friday night.

  I was all smiles and giggles as I drove home. I was all contented sighs as I got dressed and styled my hair into loose waves. I was all doe-eyed goofiness as I walked into work and spouted a merry good morning to Clarice, who grunted some sort of response. And I was reminded again just how much had changed in one weekend, when a familiar blonde cautiously peeked her head over my cubicle wall.

  I shut the drawer where I was stuffing my extremely full purse when I saw the top of her blonde head. I smiled and laughed at her apprehension. "Hi, Tracey! Good morning. " My voice was all happy and light, darn near rainbows and sunshine.

  She poked her head up all the way. "Hey. You seem in a better mood. " She narrowed her eyes. "You were really out of it Friday. I thought Clarice was going to random drug test you. " She furrowed her brow, like maybe she thought Clarice should have.

  I giggled in my happiness. "I'm not on drugs, Tracey. But I am happy. " I stood up and leaned over the wall with her. "Teren and I got back together. Everything is. . . " I sighed like a lovesick dork, "wonderful. "

  She hesitantly smiled, maybe remembering my many mood swings last week. "That's great, Emma. If that's what you want. . . then I'm happy for you. "

  I frowned. "What do you mean, if that's what I want? Of course it's what I want. "

  She frowned too. "Well, you obviously broke up with him for a reason, and there are plenty of other fish out there. Just don't feel like you have to. . . settle. "

  I pulled back from the wall and made my way to my desk to turn on my computer. "I'm not. Nobody. . . settles for Teren Adams. " I flicked the screen on and watched it come to life. "He's amazing, Trace. . . the best. "

  I looked over my shoulder and she made a movement liked she shrugged. "I'm just saying. I don't want to see you get hurt again. " I smiled at her concern, and then she left that train of thought and hopped right on another. "Coming to kickboxing tonight? Lita's back teaching, but Ben's going to take the class with me. . . like my own personal trainer. " She winked.

  I giggled at my friend, my life, and my absurd circumstances. "Yeah, I'll be there. "

  Clarice's attitude never really changed with me. If I was happy, sad or peeved she was still snippy, curt and too picky to ever be truly happy. By the end of my work day, I was welcoming the stress-relieving side effects of heart thumping physical activity. The class was packed, as it usually was on a Monday night, and as I looked around at the thirty or so other participants in the mirror-lined room, I fed off the energy building and let myself get excited. Tracey and Hot Ben stood in the back and were mostly ignoring everyone else. He played with her ponytail while she felt his bicep. I couldn't help but notice that his blonde highlights exactly matched the shade of her hair. I stopped watching them after that.

  Lita, dressed in skin-tight, black aerobic pants and a black workout bra, turned on the hard, fast music and skipped out to the front of the slightly springy, wooden floor. She led us through a series of warm ups, her brown ponytail bouncing behind her, as she went over her weekend mishap, a fiasco involving a sick dog and a box of missing chocolate-covered cherries.

  Several people around me matched my laughs as we listened to her, but she had us sweating through the laughter in no time. Then we got down to business. By the end of class, I was drenched and sore and high with endorphins. I drove straight to Teren's house, all gross and sweaty. He didn't care. Before I'd even had a chance to knock, he opened the front door and pulled me in for a kiss. I showered and changed while he finished making dinner. Afterwards, we had a lovely meal on his patio and watched the sun begin to set.

  And then I asked him. . .

  "Will you meet my family tomorrow night?"

  He glanced at me with a serious expression. "I don't know, Emma. . . that's a big step. " He grinned as I glared at him. "Of course I will. Shall I pick you up after work?"

  I leaned over the table and gave him a kiss. "Yes. . . you shall. "

  Patting his lap, Teren laughed at my comment, as I walked around the table to him. Plopping myself down, I snuggled into his warmth, and together we sat and watched the sun sink all the way from sight.

  When I got home that evening, I called Ashley to let her know that Teren would be joining us for dinner tomorrow. I called her, for one, because she was my best friend and I told her everything, that I could, anyway, and secondly, because she was my go-between for Mom. I love my sister. She assured me that she would let Mom know that Teren and I had patched things up and were together and happy, and under no circumstances was Mom to badger him about the breakup. No, my daughter was a wreck, how could you do that? No, what are your intentions now? And definitely no, are you going to marry her and give me grandchildren?

  I got enough of that on his side.