The meal wound down with the easy clatter of forks and soft hum of conversation, the ham carved down to its bone, the cheesy potatoes scraped nearly clean, Cassidy’s seven-layer salad reduced to scattered peas and crumbs of bacon. Jackson’s mom reached for plates, but Zoe was quicker.
“We’ve got it,” Zoe said, already stacking dishes with the same ease she’d slipped into with everything else that evening. Jackson found himself nodding before his mother could protest.
Beth pursed her lips like she wanted to argue, but her eyes softened, pride tucked in the corners. She let them go.
The kitchen was quiet, leaving only the scrape of dessert plates and the low hush of the baseball aftershow still murmuring from the living room. Steam curled up from the sink as Jackson rolled up his sleeves and rinsed while Zoe dried. Their shoulders brushed in the small space, sending sparks down his arm each time.
“Wednesday,” Zoe said.
“Wednesday?” he replied, trying to follow her train of thought.
“Eleanor comes to town.”
“Right.” He nodded, remembering. “I think we’re ready. Don’t you?”
“I hope so.” She passed him a plate, her smile faint but hopeful. “I’m trying not to put too much pressure on the meeting, but…”
“It’s important,” he finished softly.
“It is.”
After another beat of silence, Zoe added, “This was nice.” She glanced over, towel in hand, her grin small but genuine. “Your family’s wonderful.”
He didn’t answer right away. He was too busy watching the way the light hit her cheekbones, the faint flush from wine and laughter still coloring her skin. The kitchen window framed thelast traces of twilight, streaks of purple and rose fading into the night, and for a second, Jackson wanted this one moment to stretch out forever.
“They like you,” he said simply. “Always have.”
She smiled down at the towel, folding it between her fingers. “That’s kind of them.”
“Not kindness,” Jackson said before he could stop himself. “Truth.”
The words landed between them, heavier than he intended. She stilled, her lashes lowering as though she wasn’t sure she wanted him to see what flickered across her face. The silence stretched, filled with the steady drip of water from the faucet and the faint hum of the refrigerator.
He turned to hand her a dish, but as her fingers curled around the plate, he didn’t let go. For a suspended heartbeat, their hands were locked together, neither of them moving, as if the plate held them in place.
Her gaze lifted, hesitantly at first, then with a kind of quiet courage. Their eyes met, and something passed between them—something he couldn’t name but felt all the way down to his bones.
His throat went dry. He could have said a thousand things in that moment, could have let the truth tumble out. Instead, he held on just a breath too long, waiting to see what would unfold in the next moment.
“Don’t let us stop you,” Liam said as he passed through the kitchen, Cassidy’s hand tucked in his. His tone was easy, but the wink he shot Jackson was anything but subtle. “Thought we’d head out and say hi to the crew,” he added, meaning the animals.
Zoe’s smile was warm and practiced. “We’ll be right behind you.”
“Or,” Cassidy chimed in with a sly little wink over her shoulder, “you could take your time.”
Zoe turned back to the sink, her laugh soft and self-conscious. “They think they’re so funny.”
“Maybe they just see what we’re trying to ignore,” Jackson said before he could stop himself.
Her hand stilled on the dish towel. When she looked up at him again, there was something fragile flickering in her eyes—hope, maybe.
Jackson’s chest tightened. He wanted to tell her how easy it felt, working side by side at home like this. How much he wanted it to last forever. Instead, he rinsed the plate, passed it to her, let his fingers brush hers just a beat longer than necessary.
But if they hadn’t been standing in his parents’ kitchen, with the sound of laughter drifting in from the barn, he might’ve kissed her right then.
Because in that moment, he knew the truth—nothing between them was pretend anymore, and soon he’d show her just how real it was.
TWENTY-FIVE
