"Harry?" I echoed.
"Short for Harriet. She threatened to cut off my balls if I ever called her Harriet."
And Harry was better? I laughed. "I'd like to meet her one day."
Copper shrugged. "One day. Until then, I'll cut offyourballs if you tell anyone about her."
"You don't have to worry about me."
"Tell me about this Maron," he asked.
"I made a deal with Portia," I said.
Copper sat up straighter. "That is never wise, bro."
"Tell me about it. After Portia approached me and tried to set me up, I told her I'd only go out with two women. I didn’t realize one of them would be my soulmate. I had a request which she begrudgingly filled."
"Let me guess. Cherry?"
"Not specifically Cherry," I admitted. "But someone with her characteristics."
"You mean someone plastic enough to be posed however you want her to be?"
"I'm not proud of it."
"You shouldn't be," Copper said. "So I'm assuming you tried to blow the date once you met Maron because you knew she wasn't the one you wanted?"
"In a nutshell."
"And how did that go?"
I laughed. "Honestly? Not well. We fought for half the date, but the second half we talked. A lot."
"You left bothered, didn't you?"
"I did, but not enough to worry about it. But I ran into her again when I was out with Cherry. She was on a date as well. I might have behaved a little... boorishly."
"Do tell," Copper said. He poured us both some more whiskey.
"I might have accosted her on the way into the bathroom."
"I'd love to know how our Maron took that."
"She shoved me into the wall."
Copper slapped his knee and chortled. "So what prompted the meeting today?"
"Maron saw the wedding announcement in the paper.'
My brother winced. "You are so smooth, Sterling."
"Yeah. She asked me for one chance. Just one. If it didn't work, she wouldn't stand in the way of me marrying Cherry."
A long groan came from my brother. "Please tell me you didn't say no."
I stayed silent.
"Oh man. Maron is right. You are an idiot."
