“The mystery man is… him?” Poppy connects all the dots.
All of their heads turn, and I don’t have it in me to see if Zander now sees half my family staring at him with their jaws dropped.
“Way to make it obvious,” Lottie says.
Heat creeps up my neck as the floor tilts under me.
Once everyone is done looking, I chance a glance over my shoulder and find Zander leaning against the bar, hat on backward. He’s laughing and smiling with the people around him. This must feel really good to him—no pressure, no cameras, free to relax a bit.
His gaze lifts and catches mine. The ease he just displayed vanishes. His smile falters, and something flickers across his face as if he knows me well enough to figure out that something’s wrong.
I push up from the table. “I’ll be back.”
Briar frowns. “Okay.”
My eyes don’t stray from his as I weave through the crowd. Zander straightens, his brows pulling together as he pushes off the bar and removes himself from the people he’s chatting with.
He meets me halfway and places his hands on my upper arms. “What is it? Is everything okay with…” His gaze darts down to my stomach.
“Dance with me?”
His mouth opens as if he’s about to ask why, but then he grabs my hand and leads me onto the dance floor just as the music shifts into a love song. Couples sway close together, bodies pressed tightly.
Zander twirls me in front of him, slipping his hand into mine and his other around my waist. He pulls me against him, and my breath hitches, the heat of his body burning through my sweater.
“What’s going on?” he murmurs low enough that only I can hear.
I swallow hard, trying to find words. His thumb runs slow circles along my hip, and it makes it impossible to remember why I asked him to dance in the first place. All my attention is drawn there.
I shake off my stupor. “They know.”
“That was fast.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry.”
I expect him to stop, to let me go, and push away to go find Beau to figure out the plan. But he doesn’t. Instead, his hands tighten, pulling me flush until there’s not even an inch between us.
“Scarlett tasted my drink, and it snowballed from there.”
He exhales slowly, his breath warm against my temple. “You trust them, right?”
I nod against his chest, resting my chin there to look up to him. “Yes.”
His hand slides up my back, steady and protective. “Okay. Are you relieved?”
“Yeah.” And I am. It’s nice not to have to hide it in front of my family.
“Good.”
He doesn’t let go or pull away. We sway together as though there isn’t a storm about to engulf us.
The thread between us pulls taut, and I can’t tear my eyes from his as his gaze lingers on me, softer than usual. His thumb grazes the small of my back like a caress.
“Are you sure you’re not mad?” I whisper, more to myself than to him.
“They were all going to find out eventually. I knew what bringing you here might mean.” He spins me so we’re away from the other couples. “Let’s just enjoy the dance.”
His hand is splayed on my back, and he nudges me so there isn’t a millimeter of space between us. The music swells around us, drowning out the pounding of my heart.
