Page 54 of Remember (Symbols of Love 2)

“Hi, Milly,” he says, this time audibly for everyone.

“You remember my mom, Mrs. Dennis,” I say dumbly.

He gives me a look that says he thinks I’m crazy and smiles.

“Uh, yes, Milly, I do.”

“I told him to call me Auntie Mary again,” she chimes in, smiling like I just brought her a bottle of her favorite marmalade.

“Okay. And this is . . .”

“Oh, he knows. I’m Rabea,” Rabea interjects. She winks at Dean and then smiles at me innocently.

“Well, since you’ve met everyone, I’ll just grab my jacket and we can be off.” I grab his hand and ignore his grin as I pull him toward the front door.

He stops to look at the pictures that line the wall between the front door and the living room, all of them of Anthony at various stages of his life. Some of them include me. Some include his father. Some include us together. He stops to look at one of the three of us.

“You were a beautiful family,” he says, reaching out to stroke the picture. “That man is an idiot.” And then he continues with me toward the door. Rabea and my mother hot on our heels.

He turns around to face them.

“Very nice to see you both. I’ll have to take you up on your offer to watch the Sound of Music next time it’s on.”

I open the door and call out, “Night, Mom. Night, Rabea. See you!” And walk quickly down the stairs to Dean’s waiting car. This time, instead of his hulking Escalade it’s a gorgeous white Tesla.

“Wow, you don’t do anything halfway.” I laugh and slink down into the gorgeous, tan leather interior.

He closes the door for me and walks around to the driver side. I’ve always loved the way this car looks. But right now, all I can look at is the gorgeous man who is striding past the front of the car.

He’s wearing a long, wool coat, but each step causes it to blow back. It reveals the white sweater he's wearing and the dark blue jeans that mold to every single inch of his long legs. He looks like he could be a model. His blond hair, long on top, moves with him, and I can’t believe this beautiful, interesting man is my date.

He gets in, touches a screen, and the car comes to life. It’s like being in a spaceship, a very quiet spaceship, as we head out of my subdivision and down Colesville Road back toward the District of Columbia.

“How was your day?” he asks as he turns his radio down. I watch his fingers caress the center console and imagine them caressing my side and feel my nipples start to pucker.

I have no idea what song is playing, but I like it and start to relax.

“Oh, boring. Soccer, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning.” I pause as my throat tightens. “Then Anthony’s dad came for him.”

He glances at me as he continues working his way through the normal traffic on this main thoroughfare to DC.

“How was that?”

I let out a deep exhale. “It was fine. It’s not easy. I hate that he’s sleeping under a roof that’s not my own. But he’s with his dad, so . . .”

“Your mom lives with you, right?”

“Yeah, she does. She moved in when all the craziness with my dad started and she just never left.”

“How is that? Having her live with you?” he asks after several minutes.

“It’s great, especially now that Kevin is gone, I think Anthony’s adjustment has been easier because she has been around.”

“She’s always mothered everyone. Your son is lucky to have her.”

“Yeah, he is. So am I. It’s funny now that I have some distance from my marriage, I realize she never really mothered Kevin. I don’t think she disliked him, but I don’t know if she likes him either.”

He nods in understanding.

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