Page 6 of Damien
Vince shakes his head. “No. She’s starting to stress over it, too.”
I lower my voice, so she won’t overhear. “I was gonna mention this earlier… but have you considered asking her to move in with us? I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but she’s over here almost every night, and it’s kinda pointless to spend the money on rent when she’s already sharing your room as it is.”
Vince’s jaw drops.
Okay. Apparently, it’s too soon for them, and I shouldn’t have said anything.
When his face suddenly slits into a wide grin, I know I wasn’t off track. “Were your Spidey senses going off? I was actually going to talk to you about this tomorrow.”
Yeah, we have that weird twin connection people talk about. Not about everything mind you, but I’m sure it has more to do with the fact that we’re best friends, beyond just being twins.
“Anyone need anything else while I’m up?” Sydney asks from the kitchen.
Vince looks to me, and I shake my head before he says, “We’re good, Syd. Just come and join us.” To me, he says in a lower voice, “Mind if we talk more about this tomorrow?”
Rolling my eyes as I’m not sure what there is to talk about, I shrug. “Sure.”
When Sydney rejoins us, Vince puts his legs on the floor and sits up so she can join him on the couch. The room remains silent as we devour the rolls in front of us. I can bake, but I have nothing on Sydney.Maybe if she lives here, I’ll learn her recipe?
When I finish chewing my next bite, I ask, “What time are we meeting your roommates?”
“As soon as we finish here, I’m ready to leave when you are.” She’s wearing a pair of jeans and a black form-fitting sweater. Her red hair is down, and she’s only wearing mascara if anything at all. I wish I looked that good all the time.
Knowing I don’t have anyone to impress, I look down at the dark skinny jeans and blue top I’ve worn all day. “I’ll only be a few minutes. I just need to run a brush through my hair and brush my teeth after eating this.”
“Are you sure Drew doesn’t mind being our driver? I can easily take out Jules’ car seat and be the DD for the night.”
“Uh, no, you can’t. This is a girls’ night and trust me… Drew is more than happy to make sure we’re properly escorted.” Then she looks to Vince. “He’s hanging with his roommate Grey tonight back at their apartment, while we get our groove on. Abby only has a few weeks left on campus, and he doesn’t want to interfere with our girls’ night—or so he claims. But I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Are you sure I’m not intruding on your time with Abby?” I offer as an out.
“No way—You’re not bailing on us.” Syd sternly lets me know she’s not listening to any excuse I come up with.
So, I sigh and shrug an explanation. “Just checking.”
Syd raises a perfectly sculpted brow in my direction. “Besides your birthday, when was the last time you went out?”
Um… never.
Not really, but it’s not like I frequent bars or anything. I’ve just turned twenty-one. Being a single mom makes my social life pretty limited and with everything Vince and I have gone through since graduation, it hasn’t been on my list of priorities either.
Syd takes my silence as victory. “Okay, Missy, let’s get this show on the road. I haven’t been dancing in a while, and I’m ready to get my groove on.”
“Is there something I should be worried about?” Vince teases.
Rolling her eyes, Sydney swats Vinny’s shoulder. “I rarely get a night off from behind the bar on a night there’s a decent band coming in to play. If we don’t get a move on, we’ll be stuck in a crowd at the door. I may have connections, but I’d rather snag a booth if we can.”
The bar scene isn’t my crowd—obviously. My baby girl is a constant reminder of my one and only wild night. But I have zero regrets—as she’s one of the best things to ever happen to me. As a single mom, I rarely get a chance to just unwind and relax, let alone do something for myself. Besides, Vince is just as adamant I go, so if I stay home, I’ll never hear the end of it.
Before leaving, I peek on Julia one last time to make sure she’s down for the night. Vince is the best uncle there ever was, so I don’t have to worry about leaving her with him, but as Mom, there are some things I just do.
Vince and Sydney chat at the door as they wait for me to be ready. After kissing Sydney goodbye, he turns to me. “Don’t worry, Vanny. I’ve got this. If either of you need anything, I’m only a phone call away.”
He pats me on the shoulder, which earns him a dramatic eye roll, and I can’t help but remind him, “You know… baby brother, I’m sure I can handle myself. Besides, I’ve got Syd with me. If anyone gives us any shit, I’m sure she knows a bouncer or three that’ll take care of them.”
Vince chuckles at my antics. “Oh… I have no doubt the two of you can handle yourselves.” He looks to Syd then back to me. “But big sister or not, I’m still your brother, and I love the hell out of you. I just want you to be happy, too, okay?”
“God, you make it sound as if I don’t have any life… Come on, Syd. Let’s go before he reminds me how boring I am.”
