Three: "

d spent the past fifteen minutes teasing her about newlywed life - dropping dramatic sighs a

ought, stretching he

ial when Rachel sai

nsion wrapped in morning l

as beautiful, of course - Damien wouldn't have settled for anything less - but it was also huge. Too big for just th

r sat slightly ajar. She nudg

center of the room, the walls lined with bookshelves reaching all the wa

e room that caug

inting above

nable to stop the smile

slid in wit

-

d confusing art. Naomi remembered standing there, staring at a

ing under her breath, "It's a goat. Or

led. "It's abstract. Suppose

, impeccably dressed, with a

ng me feel confused," she r

"Confusion i

odern art, their banter easy and unforced. That night had bee

hadn't thought about that night in so long, b

u still hate it," Damien's vo

im standing in the d

d. "I'm just trying to figur

er, the sunlight catching in his

inked. "

You. How you didn't care who I was, how you just..." He smiled, a s

rmed. "You're

anyway," he said,

eaned down and kissed her - a slow, lazy kiss t

r, easy. "My parents are around. They're

eing paraded around as th

said with a wink. "I'm gonna

smile lingering even

just stood there,

ssy stack of papers shoved into one corner. Somethi

ered over and gen

n old ph

es smiled up at her, dressed in wh

eath c

r mother. Young, vibrant, laughi

e her were two unmistakabl

i st

gala. Maybe they didn'

had no idea who her mot

- in the same photograph - made

mother ever m

ad no

own carefully, her

t was n

t was s