Goldie fake gasps. “On a frozen lake?”
“Thermal imaging,” I deadpan. “Gotta make sure those hulls don’t crack.”
“Right,” Dad says. “Due diligence.”
He holds up the dish of baked French toast, and I nod. He slides a piece onto my plate.
Tully leans in. “I checked your room on my way to bed, and it didn’t look like you’d even been in there.”
I smirk. “I’ve gotten a lot tidier since living on my own.” I sigh when nine sets of skeptical eyes stare back at me—Grayson’s only because he sees that everyone else is, because my little buddy doesn’t doubt me. “I’ll be around from here on out, I promise. No…late-night excursion checks and whatnot.”
Grandma Donna raises an eyebrow. “That’s gonna be a very sad moose.”
Grandma Nancy nudges her and they laugh. “A very sad lady moose.”
“Did you know lady moose are called cows?” Grandma Donna says, tilting her head. “I think that’s so odd.”
That starts a tangent about cows versus moose, and then Camden brings up the crazy rooster Juju has, which leads into the topic of: Is a rooster still a chicken?
We’re divided about it until Goldie googles it, and the doubters stand corrected…feeling silly that they ever doubted.
Never a dull moment around here.
I think I’m off the hook when Dad glances at me and gives me a mischievous grin.
“Look, son, you’re free to spend your time as you like. We’re just happy you’re in the same state. And impressed by the commitment to fiction. Next time, at least change your hoodie…unless you’ve started wearing women’s perfume.” He holds up both hands. “Which is okay by me. I’m all for exploring our feminine side.”
The laughter bounces off the table, and I swipe my hand down my face.
“You guys are too much,” I say, laughing in spite of myself.
Goldie steals a bite of my French toast. “Just tell us when the wedding is. I need time to do something about these nails.” She waves her fingers.
Tully nods. “And make sure I’m not on the road.”
I flip them both off with a syrupy fork. “You’ll get invitations when hell freezes over. Which, conveniently, is scheduled for never.”
Kevin barks, sealing the deal. The whole table erupts. I shovel a big bite into my mouth to hide the grin, my cheeks burning hot.
Geez, with this family of nosies, I’m not sure how long I can keep Dahlia a secret. They’re too intuitive for their owngood, and I guess I wasn’t being as subtle as I thought. It sounded like the whole town was coming back here after the game last night—I didn’t think I’d be missed.
For now, let them guess. I’m still riding the high of my night with Dahlia, and no amount of roasting is wiping the smile off my face.
CHAPTER TWENTY
BE MY VALENTINE
DAHLIA
I chop the pillows and look over the living room to make sure I haven’t missed anything. Dylan will be here any minute. We haven’t seen each other in a few weeks, besides video chats, and yet we’re still going strong.
I never thought I’d have a long-distance relationship, and when we first began, I didn’t expect us to get serious. But here we are.
It’s always been more than sex with us.
I’ve known that from the beginning.
But I didn’t know the depth of what I could feel for someone I’ve only known for a couple of months. I keep expecting the other shoe to drop, for Dylan to show another side that I don’t absolutely adore, but things just keep getting better.
