“He needs to be prepared,” Cody insists.
“That is the last thing he needs to be thinking about,” Jesse fires back, laughing.
“Oh yeah? Then what’s your foolproof advice?” Cody challenges.
Jesse looks to me, expression softening. “There are only three things youactuallyneed to remember. One, it’s not a race. Two, be gentle. And three, talk to her.”
Then Cody shoots Jesse a mysterious grin. “Fourth—and this one’s optional—if you’re feeling confident…eye contact.”
They both start laughing.
I groan. “I should’ve just talked to Dad,” I mutter.
They both laugh harder, full of themselves for the moment. And once they settle down, Jesse looks at me.
“You’ll be fine, Mase. You love her, she loves you…everything will fall into place.”
“Yeah,” Cody adds, clasping a hand on my shoulder. “Tonight’s just the start. You’ve got the rest of your lives to perfect it.”
That actually makes something in my chest loosen. I breathe out slowly.
“Yeah,” I say. “Okay. Thanks.”
“Anytime,” Jesse says.
They head for the door, and right before it closes, I hear Cody mutter, “I bet you fifty bucks he’s gonna wish he stretched.”
It’s followed by a sharp whack and Jesse’s voice—“You’re an idiot.” I can’t help but laugh.
The door swings open again, and Dad steps in, passing them in the hall with a raised brow. He looks at me for half a second and smirks.
“You look nervous,” he says, sitting down beside me.
“I’m a little nervous,” I admit. “Cody and Jesse just gave me advice about tonight, which I’m not even thinking about right now.”
“And did that help”—Dad chuckles—“or make it worse?”
“I’m…not sure,” I say honestly.
“Well”—he leans back, arms crossed the way he does when he’s settling into Dad Mode—“you’ve gotta remember, they’re both a little more seasoned.”
“Yeahhh.” I laugh. “I know.”
“I wish I could remember what I would’ve wanted someone to tell me back then, before I married your mother,” he says, sighing. “But that was a long time ago.”
“Right.”
“I guess the run-of-the-mill advice still stands. Just take your time, enjoy it, enjoy her.”
I nod. “I will.”
“I don’t doubt that,” he says warmly, patting my back before standing. He heads toward the door, then pauses with one hand on the frame.
“Oh—one more thing.” He looks over his shoulder, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Two words, Son:Ladies first.”
My face burns hotter than the grill on Fourth of July. He winks, then disappears down the hall before I can do anything but laugh and shake my head.
* * *
