Neighbor Dearest (33 page)

“Totally.” Jade let out a deep breath. She, too, looked a bit flustered.

If there was one thing I knew about my sister, it was that she would never consider moving in on someone with a girlfriend. Jade’s last relationship ended with her ex leaving her for someone else—just as mine had done to me. She understood what betrayal felt like. And even if in some alternate universe, he weren’t with Nicole, I wasn’t sure I could trust Tyler with Jade’s heart. As much as I loved my brother-in-law, he wasn’t Damien. An actor dating an actor didn’t seem like a wise combination, either.

Still, for a fleeting moment, I couldn’t help fantasizing about what it would be like to see Damien’s brother with my sister. That was all it was—a fantasy, especially since Jade lived in New York, and Tyler lived here.

Lived with his
girlfriend
here.

Okay. Move on, Chelsea.

Later that night, everyone had eaten and exchanged gifts, so it was the opportune time to announce the name we’d chosen.

Damien did the honors.

“So, I want you all to know that we thought long and hard about this, going back and forth between obscure names and common ones. Nothing felt right for the longest time. Then, my little lady put her foot down. She told me there was only one name that felt right. Who am I to refute that? So, I introduce to you…Damien Raymond Hennessey, or as we like to call him, Little D.”

After all of the “oohs” and “aahs,” Tyler shouted across the room jokingly, “We waited all this time just to find out you named him Damien?”

“Damn straight. And his middle name is after Dad, of course.”

Monica was in tears, probably thinking about her late husband.

“I think our choice is pretty representative of our relationship as a whole,” I added. “Sometimes, the best things are right under your nose all along.”

***

Damien and I were getting ready for bed Christmas Eve, and I had to ask, “Did Tyler say anything to you about Jade?”

“You mean other than, ‘Holy shit, how did you not tell me her sister was hot as fuck?’ No.”

“What did you say to him?”

“I told him that Jade was family now and that I’d kick his ass if he ever fucked with her.”

“You did?”

“Hell, yes, I did. That being said, I think he’s really into Nicole. The teenage boy in him just came out for a little bit when he laid eyes on your sister.”

“Okay.” I decided to drop the subject and move on from my apparent obsession with the idea of Tyler and Jade.

Damien prowled toward me on the bed. “So…are you ready for your gift?”

“You said to expect something nuts, so I’m not so sure.”

“It’s not that crazy.” He looked up at the ceiling in doubt then chuckled. “Well, maybe it is.”

“What did you do?”

“So, let me preface this by saying…I never loved that mole on my ass. I used to hate it actually…until you told me you dug it.”

“Whoa. Now I’m really confused. What are we talking about here?”

“I decided to make a mountain out of a mole hill, baby.”

“A what?”

“Rather than getting it removed, I worked with it.”

Damien stood up from the bed and slowly pulled down his pants to reveal his muscular, tanned ass. A name was tattooed in the spot where the mole used to be.

Wait.

The mole was still there! It was now used to dot the ‘I’ in the word he’d etched onto his beautiful derriere.

FIRESTARTER.

EPILOGUE

DAMIEN

New Year’s Eve.

This time last year, Chelsea and I were kissing in Times Square.

Now, she was fast asleep next to me with our son on her chest. He’d also fallen asleep while sucking on her nipple. The dogs were out cold on the floor next to them.

They’d all slept right through the crystal ball dropping. Cartons of half-eaten Chinese food sat on the coffee table. We were a sight for sore eyes.

I was the only one awake. The TV volume was on low as I sipped my beer and counted my blessings.

I was here.

I was alive with a wife, two dogs and most of all, a precious son I never dreamt I’d have.

Tracing my finger along little Damien’s tiny foot, I marveled at how much a life could totally change in a year. Mine did for the better.

With too much nervous energy to sleep, I grabbed my laptop and started to surf the net. I hadn’t checked my email in what felt like ages. When I clicked on the icon, Chelsea’s email was open, since she was the last to log in. There was an email from over a year ago that she hadn’t deleted. Normally, I wouldn’t notice this, but the name struck me immediately.

Elec O’Rourke.

Her ex.

The date on the email was from before Chelsea and I were officially a couple.

I couldn’t help but read it.

It was just a brief acknowledgement of the day we’d run into him at Bad Boy Burger way back when. From what I could see, she never responded to his message.

I was feeling incredibly happy tonight—high on life. Revved up. Impulsively, I reopened the email, clicked reply and typed:

You don’t know me, but my name is Damien Hennessey. I’m Chelsea’s husband—the same guy with the forearm tattoo from the burger joint.

Her email inbox happened to be open, and I stumbled across your message. I felt it warranted a response.

I have very mixed feelings about you. A part of me wants to hunt you down and fuck you up for ever hurting her the way you did. Another part of me wants to hunt you down and give you a big gay kiss on the lips as a thank you for the day you decided that fucking around with your stepsister was a good idea.

That didn’t exactly come out right, but you get the point.

I’d always hated you. Mainly, I hated the fact that she’d ever loved anyone before me. But as of today, I’m done hating you or anyone, for that matter.

I have a son.

He was just born a little over a month ago. I need to set an example for him.

So, this isn’t hate mail; it’s a thank you letter of sorts.

Thank you for screwing your stepsister, and in turn, breaking up with my girl.

If you hadn’t, Chelsea would be with you right now, and I would’ve never realized the greatest love of my life.

--D.H. Hennessey

I put down the laptop and took Baby D off of Chelsea, walking him over to the bedroom. Whenever his little heart beat against my chest, I tried to block out the fear that crept up, focusing instead on the healthy rhythm. I placed him in the bassinet.

Returning to the couch, I lifted Chelsea into my arms and carried her to our bed. She was still fast asleep when I put her down and covered her. It would only be another hour or so anyway before the baby would inevitably wake up hungry.

I ventured back into the living room and was just about to shut down my laptop and join Chelsea in bed when I noticed a new email had come in.

It was from Elec O’Rourke.

Damien,

Hey. I’ll forgive the slightly deranged undertone of your message. I’m thinking if you have a newborn, you’re not getting much sleep, and you’re probably just wired. Scramble the letters of wired, you get weird. Wired = Weird. If you’re not wired, then maybe you’re just a little weird. But that’s okay, because weirdness aside, you seem to really love Chelsea. She deserves someone who truly appreciates her.

Anyway, I understand what it feels like to be grateful. I have a son, too. And he’s perfect. I have no doubt that things ended up exactly as they should have.

Chelsea is an amazing woman. You’re a lucky man. I would say give her a kiss and a hug from me, but I’m afraid you might take it the wrong way, and I’d end up in a body bag.

So, just let her know I wish her the best.

As for you and me, I hope we’re cool now, although you can save the big gay kiss.

Happy New Year and congrats on your son.

--Elec O’Rourke

P.S. You were great in The Omen.

THE END

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The acknowledgements are always the hardest part of the book for me. There are simply too many wonderful people who support me on a daily basis, and it’s impossible to thank you all individually.

I want to first and foremost thank every single reader who continues to buy and promote my books. Your enthusiasm for my stories is what keeps me going. To all of the book bloggers and authors who support me, you are THE reason for my success.

To Vi – I can’t thank you enough for continuing to be my partner in crime as we navigate through the rough waters of self-publishing together. I am pretty sure that were it not for you, I would sink. What we have is a gift, not only because of our ability to create imaginary worlds together but more so because of the friendship in
this
world. I am beyond grateful to have found you.

To Julie – You continue to inspire me with your resilience and inspirational attitude. Thank you for your friendship and for always setting a great example for me both personally and professionally.

To Luna – You are a treasure, for your friendship and for your beautiful interpretations of my stories, which help keep me motivated through the writing process. (You are amazing, Muriel.)

To Erika – It’s an E-thing always. Thank you for always appreciating all of the little things and for making me feel more special than I sometimes feel like I even deserve. You are the special one.

To my invaluable Facebook fan group, Penelope’s Peeps – Love you all! Can’t wait for more Peeps parties and get-togethers, online and in-person. And to Queen Peep Amy, thank you for serving as the Peeps admin and for supporting me from the very beginning. I’ll never forget your excitement when I told you about this book!

To Mia – Thank you, my friend, for always brightening up my days at just the right moments and for always making me laugh. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us this year!

To Aussie Lisa – George and I adore you and can’t wait to see you hopefully next year!

To Elaine of Allusion Book Formatting and Publishing – You’d better not stop doing what you do. Otherwise, I will have to beg you to keep working on the side for me anyway.

To Lisa and Milasy of TRSoR – Thank you for handling my blog tour and release blitzes and for your overall awesomeness on a daily basis.

To Letitia of RBA Designs – The best cover designer ever! Thank you for always working with me until the cover is exactly how I want it.

To the real Dr. Tuscano – for your help with my research for this book.

To my agent, Mark Gottlieb and Meredith Miller of Trident Media Group – Thank you for working to get my stories into the hands of people all throughout the world.

To my husband – Thank you for always taking on so much more than you should have to so that I am able to write. I love you so much.

To the best parents in the world – I’m so lucky to have you! Thank you for everything you have ever done for me and for always being there.

To my besties: Allison, Angela, Tarah and Sonia – Thank you for putting up with that friend who suddenly became a nutty writer.

Last but not least, to my daughter and son – Mommy loves you. You are my motivation and inspiration!

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