“Thanks, Chaos,” Raylan said as he plopped down in the seat. I gaped as he looked over his shoulder at me and winked. “Pulling out my chair was unnecessary, but sweet.”
I was going to kill him. I didn’t know when, and I didn’t know how—just yet—but I was nothing if not determined.
Drew’s smile wobbled as Raylan made himself comfortable in the spot that was meant for me, but to his credit, he shook it off quickly enough.
“Great,” my mom said with an enthusiastic clap of her hands as soon as my ass hit the chair beside Raylan’s. “Let’s eat, everyone. Dig in before it gets cold.”
The room erupted with the sounds of utensils clinking and scraping against plates as everyone began loading their plates. Mom had really gone out of her way tonight with buttermilk fried chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, fresh rolls, and cream gravy made from scratch. As far as my mom’s meals went, this was one of my favorites.
I did my best to push my frustrations aside and ignore the dull pulsing ache that had started in my temple as I filled my plate, but that was easier said than done with Raylan only inches away. His scent lingered just above the delicious food, that spice and wood surrounding me as the heat from his body wrapped around mine like a cocoon.
Dinner started off well enough. Raylan didn’t appear to be in the mood to push my buttons, and I made the mistake of relaxing and letting my guard down. I should have known better.
“How are things at the bar, princess?” Grandpa asked as I cut into my piece of chicken.
I looked across the table at him and smiled. “Things are great.”
Raylan snorted beside me. “Sure. If you call having a creepy stalker great.”
My fork and knife clattered against my plate where I dropped them, the sound twisting and tangling together with my family’s sudden rise in volume.
“What the hell is he talking about?” Dad demanded once the noise died down enough for him to be heard.
“It’s not like that,” I insisted, cutting my eyes at Raylan and silently promising retribution.
“Then you better start telling us what it’s like,” he said, using the same tone he used when he caught Brad Hinkley sneaking out of my bedroom window senior year. We’d only been making out, but my father still rained holy hell down on the two of us, and Brad never looked me in the eye again. In fact, if he saw me, he ran in the other direction.
“He’s blowing the whole thing way out of proportion. I don’t have a stalker.”
“Right. It’s just like... a secret admirer,” Rae chimed in, attempting to have my back. Unfortunately, it kind of blew up in her face.
Zach’s head whipped around in his wife’s direction. “You knew about this?”
Rae’s mouth fell open as she tried to form a reply. “I—uh—I’m not sure... Oh! Would you look at that.” She pressed her hand to her still-flat belly and pushed to standing. “I have to pee again. Damn pregnancy hormones.”
“Traitor!” I mouthed when she looked my way. She shrugged without any sympathy as the coward bolted like the hounds of hell were on her heels.
My mother cut a look at me that I hadn’t seen since I was sixteen and thought it would be fun to try and jump the creek on an ATV. I ended up having to limp home in soaking wet clothes and explain to my folks why we only had four ATVs instead of five. If I had balls, they would have shriveled up at that glare.
“You mean to tell me there’s been a threat to your safety fordaysnow and you haven’t said a word to any of us?” If she’d still had the power to ground me for the rest of my life, I knew she would have.
I curled my lips between my teeth and clamped down to stay silent.
“Uh... I think I’m gonna go,” Drew broke in, hiking his thumb over his shoulder as he pushed his chair back from the table.
“Yeah, probably a good call, Dwight,” Raylan said.
“It’s Drew.”
“I don’t care.”
I’d never seen a man move so fast. If there had been a wall in his way, I was willing to bet it would have had a Drew-shaped hole in it like the Kool-Aid Man. Something told me he wouldn’t be accepting anymore dinner invitations any time soon.
Dad wiped aggressively at his mouth with a cloth napkin before slapping it down on his plate. “Explain. Now, young lady.”
Oh hell. He’dyoung lady-d me. That was bad. I usually had my father wrapped around my finger. What with the privileges that came with being the youngest and a girl. But I could see it in his eyes, he didn’t care about any of that.
“There is no threat to my safety.”
