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answering. “A little,” he admitted. “But everything I’ve ever wanted is down south.”
And after one final, wonderful night at the Plaza, they began their new life.

At First Sight
Three
The following morning, as prisms of light began poking through the opening between the drapes, Jeremy’s eyes fluttered open. Lexie was asleep on her back with her dark hair splayed over the pillow. Beyond the window, he could hear the faint sounds of the early-morning traffic in New York: the honking of horns and the rise and fall of truck engines as they rolled down Fifth Avenue.
In his opinion, he shouldn’t have been able to hear anything. Lord knows it had cost him a small fortune to stay in this particular suite, and he had assumed it would have soundproof windows. Still, he wasn’t complaining. Lexie had loved everything about the place: the high ceilings and classic wainscoting, the formality of the server who had brought them chocolate-covered strawberries and the apple cider they’d substituted for champagne, the heavy robe and comfortable slippers, the softness of the bed. All of it.
Touching her hair gently, he thought her beautiful as she lay beside him, and he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when he realized she wasn’t wearing the ugly green mask he’d briefly imagined the day before. Even better, she didn’t wear curlers or ugly pajamas, either, nor did she dillydally for half an hour in the bathroom as some women were prone to do. Before crawling into bed, she’d only washed her face and run a brush through her hair, and then she was snuggling beside him, just the way he liked it.
See, he did know her, despite what Alvin said. Granted, not everything yet, but there was time for that. He’d learn about her, and she’d learn about him, and little by little they’d settle into their own routine. Oh, he knew there were going to be some surprises-there always were-but it went with the territory of being a couple. In time, she’d get to know the real Jeremy, the Jeremy unburdened by the endless need to impress. Around her, he could be himself, someone who occasionally lounged around in sweats or ate Doritos in front of the television.
He clasped his hands behind his head, feeling suddenly content. She would love the real him.
Wouldn’t she?
He frowned, wondering suddenly if she knew what she was getting into. Knowing the real him might not be such a good idea, he realized. Not that he viewed himself as bad or unworthy, but like everyone, he had . . . quirks that might take her some time to get used to. She was going to learn, for instance, that he always left the seat on the toilet up. He always had and always would, but what if it was a problem for her? It was a big problem for one of his ex-girlfriends, he remembered. And what was she going to think about the fact that, as a general rule, he was far more concerned with how the Knicks were doing than anything having to do with the latest drought in Africa? Or that-as long as it seemed okay-he’d sometimes been known to eat food that had fallen on the floor? That was the real him, but what if she wasn’t too happy about it? What if she considered them not quirks, but actual flaws in his character? And what about-
“What are you thinking?” Lexie’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “You look like you just swallowed a bug.”
He noticed that she was staring at him.
“I’m not perfect, you know.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m just telling you right up front that I’ve got flaws.”
She seemed amused. “Really? And I thought you could walk on water.”
“I’m serious. I just think you should know what you’re getting into before we get married.”
“In case I want to back out?”
“Exactly. I have quirks.”
“Like what?”
He thought about it, deciding it might be best if he started small.
“I leave the water faucet running when I brush my teeth. I don’t know why, I just do. I don’t know if I can change.”
Trying to