Gray felt completely exposed, as if caught in his underwear. He’d spoken to Aaron's daughter in a way he never did around Aaron himself. Violet would undoubtedly report this, ruining his carefully constructed image.

After the employee explained everything about bubble-eye goldfish, they leisurely examined other tanks for suitable tank mates. Gray turned to Mandy, slightly accusingly, as she studied some black moors.

"What on earth was that back there?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, my little show? It was fun. I didn't realize she knew you were related, since you said Aaron dislikes you being around his kids."

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself," he admitted. "But that's not what I meant. What's with the 'future aunt' business?"

Mandy snickered. "Imagine Aaron's reaction! I bet he'll come to you first, desperate for details. Consider it a favor."

Gray frowned. While that was likely true, he didn't want to lie to his brother. Aaron would expect a wedding invitation—for a wedding that wasn't happening.

And Mandy couldn't just casually toss out such words. She'd nearly given him a heart attack! That kind of false hope was unfair.

"Don't say things you don't mean," he said sharply.

Mandy turned to face him. "Who said I didn't mean it? You said your things were mine, and brought me to your house. How else could I interpret that but as a proposal?"

His jaw dropped. He was speechless. He'd meant for her to stay, but hadn't anticipated her immediate leap to marriage. It was all happening too fast.

"I'm staying with you anyway," she continued. "Why not make it official and freak your brother out? It would be fun."

Gray hadn't realized what a mischievous imp this grown woman was. He remembered her as a quiet child. But people changed—he knew that firsthand.

And it did sound fun to tease Aaron, usually so unflappable. He wanted to show off his quick success in finding the perfect woman—a "so there" to his idyllically happy brother.

A thought occurred to him, a consideration he usually wouldn't make; he was normally more selfish.

"What about your daughter? Won't this freak her out too?"

Mandy dismissed it. "Nah, she'll be glad to have me out of her hair. She worries about me. I'll tell her we're old friends who reconnected and rediscovered our love, and she'll buy it."

Gray raised an eyebrow. That wasn't entirely true. "I didn't love you. You were six. And a pest. I tolerated you."

She shrugged. "Tomato, tomato. And that's not very nice to your future wife. I'm wounded, Mikey."

"Must you call me Mikey in public?" he asked, sighing. It was embarrassing. He aimed for more dignity.

"Would you prefer Mike? You seemed weirded out when I suggested it before."

"Mike is infinitely better than Mikey," Gray said fervently. Mikey was a child's name, not for a fifty-five-year-old.

Mandy sighed. "You're no fun. I'll save it for home if it bothers you. You can be Michael in public, Mr. I-Care-Too-Much-About-My-Dignity."

He thanked her, and they returned to browsing fish. Twenty minutes later, they left as the proud owners of a huge fish tank and many fish. It wouldn't fit in the car, so they arranged delivery.

They settled the fish before grocery shopping. Mandy bought basic items: sugar, flour, eggs, milk, bread, and spices.

She declared she'd make pancakes—she'd planned on it that morning but lacked ingredients. Gray hadn't had homemade pancakes in over forty years.

He often ate at gourmet restaurants but looked forward to her cooking, hoping she was half as good as Keeley, the only person whose food he'd eaten outside restaurants in decades.

He needn't have worried. Mandy was just as talented, if not more so.

Gray thanked her, praising the delicious food. She smiled and kissed him. It felt too good to be true, but it wasn't. He had a woman who cared for him, and who wanted to marry him—eagerly.

He pinched himself to ensure he wasn't dreaming. Mandy had entered his life like a whirlwind and made herself at home.

After breakfast, Gray insisted on another outing, to her confusion, until he took her to a jewelry store. If she was marrying him, she needed a ring.

Her eyes lit up. "I've never seen such pretty rings! My ex-husband's was a dud."

"Price isn't a problem," he assured her. "Choose whatever you want."

And she did, selecting a simple solitaire diamond on a platinum band for herself, and a matching band for Gray. She admired her ring as they left.

"Let's go home," she chuckled. "I'm tired. We can watch a movie or stare at our ridiculous fish."

Anything sounded wonderful with her. No one had said "Let's go home" since he was a child. Having someone to go home to was everything Aaron had claimed, and more.

(The final paragraph about website theft was removed as it is not part of the text needing grammatical correction.)