Page 25 of Dirty Desires

I clinked my mug to theirs before we all took a drink.

Itwasabout time. I knew that. I had lived far too long in this limbo-like state.

Sure, I hadn’t fallen behind in my career. I hadn’t become some drunk who couldn’t function. But I had lost myself when I lost Natalia. And now I was ready for what lay ahead of me.

A future with Nina.

And I could tell she wanted that too. She wasn’t playing with me. She was laying down the brickwork to make sure we would have a solid foundation to build on.

“How did I get so lucky to have a woman like Nina Kramer care about me?” I asked my friends.

Duke, always the joker, said, “No one knows for sure, you old dog. Just be thankful, and don’t drag your feet much longer. Hell, you’ve already made the girl wait two years for you.”

He was right, on all fronts. And just as I was about to make another toast, the bartender turned up the television and the broadcast took my attention as the reporter on screen gave us the date and the local weather.

Duke and Artimus looked only at me as I watched the television. “I forgot what day it is.” I looked back at them. “Today’s the anniversary of Natalia’s death. I have lived for this day each and every year since she died. And now I’ve forgotten it. Nina made me forget about her. I promised I’d never forget about her.”

I can’t let this happen.