"What do you mean, no?" A puzzled frown creased his handsome brow.
"No, I don't want to not marry you! I mean, I do want to marry you!" I was confusing myself now.
"Really?" he looked surprised and delighted. "So why are you crying?"
"Because I'm so happy!" Now I was really starting to sound like a halfwit. Angus didn't seem to mind, though, and he reached out and gently cupped my cheek in one of his hands, and wiped away my tears with his thumb.
"Watch the road," I said, smiling like an idiot now. Angus let out a bark of laughter, and the snoring in the back suddenly stopped.
"What?" said Mark sleepily.
"Nothing," I told him. "Go back to sleep."
"Well, I would if you would stop making so much noise," he grumbled. "I can't hear the radio."
I shook my head disapprovingly, and Angus grinned and turned the radio up.
Angus
We arrived home just before six in the evening. Rebecca's mother was already home and eagerly awaiting us. As soon as the car drew up outside her house, she was out of the front door and pulling the passenger door open. Rebecca climbed out stiffly and was immediately enveloped in a huge hug. Even Joe looked pleased to see her. He had followed his mother out of the house and stood waiting in the dim light cast by the open doorway. I wondered what he was thinking, but I didn't reach into his mind. I had decided last night that the minds of this family would remain off limits to me, the same way that my brothers thoughts were. It was like being able to see people naked; just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Unless there was an emergency, of course. I thought about Jack, and wondered if he was out there right now, planning his revenge.
We were all ushered into the warm sitting room, and plied with coffee and tea. The white kitten appeared out of nowhere and launched itself onto Mark's lap, purring like a Harley Davidson. I pretended to look disapproving.
"Little traitor. I think you'd better keep her, Mark. She's obviously infatuated with you."
Mark's face lit up. "Brilliant! So I can name her what I want to now?"
"No!" interjected Rebecca. "He wanted to call her Quark, Mum."
"What, like the noise a duck makes?" Joe looked puzzled.
"No!" Mark was impatient. "Subatomic particle, oh daft one."
"Oh, physics," Joe said dismissively. "Still sounds like a duck."
"Yeah, I guess it does. What about Soft White?"
"Like the bread?" Joe was eyeing his younger brother with perplexity. "What's wrong with you?"