Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Daphne
I stretch my body, aching in places it’s never before. A soft smile graces my lips as I think of everything we did last night.
“Okay, now you have to tell me what you’re thinking about.” Delly’s voice breaks through my thoughts, and I scream.
“When did you get here?”
“About an hour ago.” She skips to the bed and jumps onto it next to me. She’s wearing a cropped shirt and cargo hiking pants. “I can’t believe the girls didn’t wake you in their excitement to see me.”
I roll and hug her to me. “I must have been really tired.”
“Uncle Jarvis said to tell you hello,” she says.
Jarvis is the pilot for the private plane company my parents partly own. They went into business with him years ago, back when my sister and I were little. He wanted out of real estate, and our parents liked the idea of traveling without the hassle of owning their own plane.
“So…how was last night?” she asks.
I can’t hide the blush coating my cheeks. I roll away from her and try to get out of bed, but she pulls me back down.
“That good? Details. Give them to me.” She wraps her body around me and holds me down. We wrestle for a bit, but she’s always been better at this part than me.
I finally give.
“Last night was good. And no, you don’t get details. I get to keep those for myself. But I’m still a virgin.” I answer the question I know she’s dying to ask.
“Dang it. Why didn’t you go all the way?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug her off and head for the bathroom.
After a quick shower, I braid my hair and dress in motocross Blackout pants with a matching top. The pink insignias add a pop of color.
“I’ll change. Want to match?” Delly laughs, and I shrug.
We don’t always dress alike, but sometimes we dress similarly. That’s why I’m glad I didn’t tell Darrell what time we were heading out or invite him. I don’t want him mixing us up.
Sure enough, Delly changes into similar gear. The only difference is the pink pattern. We both like shades of pink.
“Did you leave your bike in the lobby?”
“Yep. The concierge let me put it behind the counter. I’ll make us protein shakes while you walk the girls. I already fed them.”
“Got it.”
We finally head down to the lobby. Delly grabs her bike from behind the counter, and then we head out to my Jeep. I still need to attach the bike rack on the tire gate, but that’s a quick job.
Delly has her backpack cooler on, and I carry the backpack stuffed with snacks and other supplies.
As soon as we step outside, I spot a Jeep Gladiator at the curb and Darrell standing beside it.
He walks straight up to me without even looking at Delphi and pulls me in for a deep, searing kiss.
When he finally pulls away, I take in his outfit. Black bike pants hug his muscular legs, and a fitted T-shirt stretches across his chest. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him dressed casually.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he says against my lips before pulling back.
He wraps his arm around me, holding me close before holding out his other hand.
“You must be Delphi. Nice to meet you.”
“Wait?” Delly shakes her head. “How did you do that?”
“Do what?” he asks, and when I start to push back, he looks down at me. “What did I do?”
“Only our parents and granny have ever been able to tell us apart.” My voice trembles slightly in shock.
“Baby, I’d know you anywhere. Any idiot who couldn’t tell you two apart doesn’t have real feelings for either of you.”
I wrap my arms around him, and he looks over my head at my sister. I turn as she nods.
“Okay, we’ll keep you.” Delly laughs. “Thought you weren’t going to make it.”
“Hell, no way am I letting you two beautiful women out on your own.” Darrell chuckles. “Come on. Let’s load you girls up and get on the road.”
Darrell helps load Delly’s bike into the back of his truck before walking with me to the storage units where my I keep mine. We wheel it out, and I leave the brand-new bike rack in the unit.
Delly is on the phone as we approach, and I turn to Darrell.
“You really can tell us apart? You’re not attracted to her?”
Darrell stops abruptly and pulls me toward him. “Baby, I could pick you out in a room full of women who looked like you. I know you.”
He kisses me deeply, and my heart flutters in my chest.
“Hey, you two, stop sucking face,” Delly hollers, and we break apart.
We finally get loaded up. Darrell helps me into the passenger seat before making sure my sister is in the back.
“I just bought this, so if you want to make any changes, we can still get them done,” Darrell says as he climbs into the driver’s seat.
“You just bought this car?” Delly asks, and I look at him in shock.
“Yeah. I needed something to transport the bikes without a trailer, so I got this. Signed the papers yesterday.”
“Damn, I wish I could do that,” Delly says as her phone goes off. She hits the ignore button.
“You didn’t have to buy a new vehicle. We could have met you there,” I say.
Reaching across the console, he takes my hand in his and lifts it up to kiss the back of it. I love when he does that.
“You didn’t really invite me. I crashed, and I needed something good to get your attention.”
I shake my head. “You have too much money if you just go and finance a new vehicle.”
“Who says I financed it?” He laughs, and Delly coughs in the back seat.
“You went and paid cash for this?”
“No comment. You two don’t talk about the fact that Delphi flew down here on a private jet. We don’t need to compare bank accounts.”
It reminds me how rich he truly is, and it gives me pause for a moment.
“Don’t go there, baby. We’re good. I don’t care what you came into this relationship with, and you don’t care what I came with. The best part is neither of us ever has to worry that the other is with them for their money.”
“It’s not like we own a private jet. Our parents are part owners of the company,” Delly says. “You, on the other hand, own a good portion of Chattanooga, Nashville, and other places around the world.”
I gasp. I didn’t even know that.
Darrell looks at Delly in the rearview mirror. “You looked me up?”
“A bit. Anyone who dates my sister gets checked out. If you can tell us apart in person, why can’t you online? You are the guy who’s been claiming we’re in a relationship, right, thinking I’m her?”
Darrell’s jaw locks.
“No,” I say. “It can’t be him. He and I only met last Thursday afternoon, and you said someone did that before then. I think it’s one of my former teammates playing a prank on me.”
“That doesn’t make sense, Daphy,” Delly leans forward and touches my shoulder. “Everyone knew we’re twins. This person has no idea you have a twin. So answer my question, Darrell. I’m going to assume you had a background check done on my sister. You knew about me.”
Darrell turns to glance at me, then focuses back on the road. “Yes, I did run a full background check on you,” he tells me, not her. “I didn’t read all of it, though. I wanted you to tell me.”
“Then why did you do it?”
“I have to, but also I wanted to.” He pauses, and I struggle to pull my hand away from his.
Darrell
I hold tight to her hand, not wanting to let her go. I need to be honest here. I just hope I don’t freak her out. Then a thought hits me.
“Before I tell you, remember you said you’d marry me and be mine forever.”
Her cheeks flame, and her sister unhooks her belt to get between us.
“You what? You didn’t tell me that?”
“Buckle up,” I order her. “Or I’ll pull over.”
“Yes, Dad,” Delphi says, sassing me.
The man who gets with her is going to have his hands full with her mouth.
She leans back and buckles up.
“That was in the heat of the moment,” Daphne says in almost a whisper, but her sister still hears.
“Oh my God.” She starts laughing.
“I looked into your background initially because I wanted to make sure there was no boyfriend I would have to bury before I came after you.”
I lift her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles. She swoons at my gesture before she blushes at my statement.
“That’s so freaking funny.” Delphi is still laughing.
“But to answer your question, I know Daphne closed all her social media accounts over a year ago. No, I’m not online claiming I’m her boyfriend. But you tell me if it happens again, and I’ll have a friend take care of it.”
Delphi sobers up and wipes the tears from her eyes. “Now. He just reported me as faking her identity.”
“Give me a moment.”
I look at the time and realize it’s five in the morning in Alaska. So I do the next best thing.
“Dial Jethro.”
The phone rings through the speakers.
“Yes, sir?”
“Hello, Jethro. Make a note to call or text Titan at a reasonable hour for his time zone so he can call me. My future sister-in-law is having problems with her social media.”
“Sir, you know social media is below Titan’s expertise. He will yell at me and demand I quit.”
I chuckle, and the women start laughing too.
“She has someone who believes she’s claiming to be Daphne and is saying they’re in a relationship. He’s reported her profile for identity theft.”
“He’s also sending me creepy pictures,” Delphi adds. “Oh, hello by the way. I’m Delphi, the pretty one.” She laughs, and Daphne swings around.
“We look exactly alike, Delly.” Daphne jokes back.
I love seeing my girl with her sister. She’s happier than she’s been all week. She’s relaxed.
“I’ll take care of this, miss,” Jethro says. “Hello, Miss Daphne. I look forward to meeting you. I have a dog walker going to your unit in a couple of hours to let the dogs out for you. Mr. Boseman requested it.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s my job to anticipate anything Darrell or you will need from now on.” He pauses. “Sir, I’ll message Titan shortly. Mr. Judson called and confirmed your reservation for three this evening at the chef’s table.”
“Thank you.” I push the button to end the call.
“Why didn’t you say goodbye?” Daphne asks me. “We’re going to Corne d'Abondance for dinner again?”