Page 70 of Shameless

She looked at it. “What’s this?”

I folded my hands on the table. “The restaurant where they come from.”

Her eyes were wide. “You ordered?”

Heat rose to my face. Admitting to lying sucked. I quickly added, “I make all the food for Britney that she wants from me.”

Britney lifted her chin and said, “Lemon water, darling.”

“On it.” I jumped up to get the hot-water carafe that she now gulped instead of coffee.

Miley, the lawyer and quietest of her friends, asked, “So you’re happily married now for real?”

Britney hugged my side and said, “Yes, and it’s good.”

She cut her food and smiled. “I’m happy for you.”

With his deep dark-brown eyes and black hair that had women swooning, Xerses added, “Britney brings out a good side to you.”

Since I understood Britney mothered her friends some, I asked him, “Why do you avoid women that might be good for you?”

Kelly’s face brightened, and she lowered her head.

Xerses stilled and said, “I don’t have time for romance in my life.” He glanced at Kelly, who was counting threads in the rug to avoid me.

Britney folded her hands. “Yet you can’t keep your eyes off our realtor.”

Xerses sat back and said, “We’re not talking about me. We’re toasting the happy couple.”

“No toasting,” Britney said quickly.

Charlie jumped up to help. “Orange juice and sparkling mineral water for you.”

Xerses poured the mimosas for the others.

I stood to help serve and said, “One day, I’m going to pay you all back for your kindness.”

“We consider you family, Michael,” Kir said. “And family sticks together.”

Exactly. I had Britney as the stable one in our family of two, and we could handle anything together. I returned with her mineral water and orange juice.

She took my hand and asked, “Michael?”

I moved her hair to her side. “Yes, darling?”

She smiled at me. “I never want us to leave our urban family for long. I’d miss everyone here.”

I took a seat beside her and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry, darling. We’re here for a while still as I spoke to my father’s doctors and found specialists in America to send him to. I’m not giving up hope entirely.”

“That sounds like you.” She made her plate. “If you’re staying in that amazing apartment, then we’ll need a baby gate for that pool area when our little one starts crawling.”

“Of course,” I said, hoping our future duke or duchess would have everything he or she desired one day, including parents who paid full attention.

She gripped my hand and said, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said and knew it was true.

She had my whole heart. We would figure out everything else together.