Neighbor Dearest

After Tyler and Nicole left the kitchen, Jade just looked at me in silence. I’d seen that look on her face before. We had a way of reading each other’s minds without saying anything.

“So, that’s Tyler.” She glanced over to where he was standing in the opposite side of the apartment.

“Yep.”

“He’s gorgeous,” she whispered.

“I know. Damien and he look similar but different, right?”

“Totally.” Jade let out a deep breath. She, too, looked a bit flustered.

If there was one thing I knew about my sister, it was that she would never consider moving in on someone with a girlfriend. Jade’s last relationship ended with her ex leaving her for someone else—just as mine had done to me. She understood what betrayal felt like. And even if in some alternate universe, he weren’t with Nicole, I wasn’t sure I could trust Tyler with Jade’s heart. As much as I loved my brother-in-law, he wasn’t Damien. An actor dating an actor didn’t seem like a wise combination, either.

Still, for a fleeting moment, I couldn’t help fantasizing about what it would be like to see Damien’s brother with my sister. That was all it was—a fantasy, especially since Jade lived in New York, and Tyler lived here.

Lived with his girlfriend here.

Okay. Move on, Chelsea.

Later that night, everyone had eaten and exchanged gifts, so it was the opportune time to announce the name we’d chosen.

Damien did the honors.

“So, I want you all to know that we thought long and hard about this, going back and forth between obscure names and common ones. Nothing felt right for the longest time. Then, my little lady put her foot down. She told me there was only one name that felt right. Who am I to refute that? So, I introduce to you…Damien Raymond Hennessey, or as we like to call him, Little D.”

After all of the “oohs” and “aahs,” Tyler shouted across the room jokingly, “We waited all this time just to find out you named him Damien?”

“Damn straight. And his middle name is after Dad, of course.”

Monica was in tears, probably thinking about her late husband.

“I think our choice is pretty representative of our relationship as a whole,” I added. “Sometimes, the best things are right under your nose all along.”***Damien and I were getting ready for bed Christmas Eve, and I had to ask, “Did Tyler say anything to you about Jade?”

“You mean other than, ‘Holy shit, how did you not tell me her sister was hot as fuck?’ No.”

“What did you say to him?”

“I told him that Jade was family now and that I’d kick his ass if he ever fucked with her.”

“You did?”

“Hell, yes, I did. That being said, I think he’s really into Nicole. The teenage boy in him just came out for a little bit when he laid eyes on your sister.”

“Okay.” I decided to drop the subject and move on from my apparent obsession with the idea of Tyler and Jade.

Damien prowled toward me on the bed. “So…are you ready for your gift?”

“You said to expect something nuts, so I’m not so sure.”

“It’s not that crazy.” He looked up at the ceiling in doubt then chuckled. “Well, maybe it is.”

“What did you do?”

“So, let me preface this by saying…I never loved that mole on my ass. I used to hate it actually…until you told me you dug it.”

“Whoa. Now I’m really confused. What are we talking about here?”

“I decided to make a mountain out of a mole hill, baby.”

“A what?”

“Rather than getting it removed, I worked with it.”

Damien stood up from the bed and slowly pulled down his pants to reveal his muscular, tanned ass. A name was tattooed in the spot where the mole used to be.

Wait.

The mole was still there! It was now used to dot the ‘I’ in the word he’d etched onto his beautiful derriere.

FIRESTARTER.EPILOGUEDAMIENNew Year’s Eve.

This time last year, Chelsea and I were kissing in Times Square.

Now, she was fast asleep next to me with our son on her chest. He’d also fallen asleep while sucking on her nipple. The dogs were out cold on the floor next to them.

They’d all slept right through the crystal ball dropping. Cartons of half-eaten Chinese food sat on the coffee table. We were a sight for sore eyes.

I was the only one awake. The TV volume was on low as I sipped my beer and counted my blessings.

I was here.

I was alive with a wife, two dogs and most of all, a precious son I never dreamt I’d have.

Tracing my finger along little Damien’s tiny foot, I marveled at how much a life could totally change in a year. Mine did for the better.

With too much nervous energy to sleep, I grabbed my laptop and started to surf the net. I hadn’t checked my email in what felt like ages. When I clicked on the icon, Chelsea’s email was open, since she was the last to log in. There was an email from over a year ago that she hadn’t deleted. Normally, I wouldn’t notice this, but the name struck me immediately.