Her head tipped to the side as she looked at me, almost like she saw right through me. “You never answered my question.”
“Marcus doesn’t choose favorites in his family. It comes from being a twin and having to avoid people doing that to him.”
This was true, but Remy was like confession central tonight.
“I never thought of it like that. I was just thinking about my family and the cousins I’m closest to. It doesn’t mean they’re my favorites, it just means I’ve had more opportunities to spend time with them and make memories.”
When she described it like that, it made sense what she was asking. It also proved she got my dilemma.
“I honestly haven’t spent more time with one group than the other,” I began. “If something happened and we knew they needed us, we went. If we were invited to join in with a party, we did it. I was too young to help out when shit went down in Piersville, but we all group together when we’re needed.”
“Loyalty and unity in a family is a must. I like that,” she murmured, then smiled brightly at me. “My family are just nuts, regardless if they’re the Italian or Malay ones. Whenever they call and say there’s a get-together, I have a moment where I think ah, shit, but then I get there, and it makes for amusing viewing. I swear, they should have a reality show based on them all.”
I grinned at the thought. “That’s what we’ve said for years about my family, too.”
“Well,” Remy sighed, sitting back in his seat, “I dread the day both y’all’s families get together. If it’s your wedding, I’m gonna make sure we all have full batteries on our phones so we can record it all.”
In the past, I’d have freaked out at someone talking about me marrying a woman I was seeing. I’m not going to say my mind went straight to proposing, I was too sensible for that, and things were just way too new even to think close to marriage, but I didn’t freak out. I just burst out laughing at the look of horror on Adrienne’s face.
“Dear God. If that day ever comes, I think eloping would be a better idea.”
For the first time in my life, I felt comfortable. I wasn’t Marcus, the twin. I wasn’t just a Townsend-Rossi. I wasn’t the guy who ran a ranch. It was like she had zero expectations of me, accepted who I was and where I came from, and was letting us grow together instead of slot into each other’s lives. This was a whole new situation for me, and I wanted to grow as an ‘us’ together instead of finding an opening for each other in our lives.
Jackson was so wrong when he said I needed to find a piece of the puzzle that fit my own. From the second I met Adrienne, I’d been thunderstruck, and after thunder came peace. That’s what this was—peace.
I was just filling in some forms for Gibraltar’s foal in the stable when I heard Marni cry, “Oh, no!”
If I’d known what’d happened, I never would have looked up, but I didn’t have those types of magical powers, so I did and froze in place when I saw her t-shirt was torn from the neck down to the bottom. She’d grabbed the material over her belly button and was holding it together, but that didn’t do jack for her chest area.
“Morning, I brought y—” the voice that ruled my world sang behind me, cutting off suddenly.
I didn’t need to ask why. The reason was right there.
I spun just as irritation flashed across Marni’s face, hoping I could explain it to Addy before she lost her mind, and I had to beg for forgiveness.
Before I could say anything, though, she smiled sympathetically at Marni. “Oh, dear. I hate it when that happens. Are you okay? You didn’t hurt yourself when your top tore, did you?”
With how she’d acted up to now, I should have given her the benefit of the doubt. She was rational and calm, and I hadn’t given her credit for that. That was on me, and I had to do better in the future. This wasn’t an adolescent relationship where jealousies and drama ruled it. It was something I’d never experienced before in my life, from start to finish.
“I might need to see a doctor. I caught it when the door slammed, and I think I’ve hurt my back. Marcus, will you take me?”
I didn’t look back at Marni. “I’ve got a conference call in fifteen minutes. I’ll get one of the guys to run you down.”
Addy rolled her eyes at me, but I didn’t miss the slight smile on her mouth.
“I can take you, Marni. Girls have to look after each other, right? Let me just g—”