“Okay,” Dad said, walking around the front of the car. “I was expecting you two.” His gaze slid to Faye, and his grin warmed. “Didn’t realize we were getting a bonus.”
Chase’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “You must be Faye.”
She stepped forward and offered her hand. “Yes, sir. It’s nice to meet you. And sorry for crashing your family time. It was a last-minute decision.”
“Oh, you think this is the wildest thing my boys have done?” Dad snorted. “My oldest dated his professor. Now these two are dating the same person. Bringing home the president’s daughter is tame in comparison.”
“Dad,” I groaned.
He squeezed my shoulder. “You know I’m just giving you a hard time. But you have to admit, you all like to keep things interesting.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jase moved to the trunk. “How about we load up and get on the road. You two can keep giving us shit on the way.”
We tossed our bags into the back of the SUV. Faye climbed into the middle row to sit between Jase and me like usual. The second we were all in, Dad pulled away from the curb.
Chase twisted in his seat to look back at us. “So you went and got a girlfriendandnon-roster invites while you were away. Anything else you two want to drop on us?”
Well, Jase and I are exploring more than just dating the same person …
“Think that’s it,” I replied. “For now.”
The conversation quickly shifted to baseball, and I was grateful they both seemed cool with Faye coming home with us. Twenty minutes later, when we pulled into the driveway, the exhaustion from our travels was starting to set in. We hauled our bags up to the door, and Chase had barely begun typing the door code when it was yanked open from the inside.
Cammie stood there in an oversized Seawolves hoodie, faded leggings, and her hair in a messy bun. “Finally—” Her gaze landed on Faye, and she froze. Slowly, she turned to Jase andme. “You brought Faye home? Why didn’t you warn me?” she demanded. “I would have put on real pants and brushed my hair.”
“Cammie, chill.” Jase walked inside and placed the luggage he was carrying by the stairs, and I followed.
She took a deep breath and addressed Faye again. “I love your style. I’ve stalked your socials a few times when I’ve needed fashion inspo.”
Faye blinked, then laughed. “Thanks. Your brothers are taking me shopping tomorrow. You should come with us.”
Cammie’s jaw dropped open, and I was afraid she might pass out. “Uh … okay.”
Chase chuckled and pulled Cammie into his side. “Why don’t we let them get settled for a few minutes before you commandeer all of Faye’s time.” He guided my stepsister away, then glanced back at us. “Dinner will be ready in about an hour and a half.”
“Perfect,” I replied. “That should give us enough time to run to the store real quick to pick up some stuff.”
Faye nodded. “That sounds good. Thank you.”
“We’re having game night after dinner,” Cammie announced as we started walking upstairs. “And fair warning, everyone in this house is super competitive.”
I chuckled. “She’s not lying. I hope you’re ready for your initiation.”
Faye lifted an eyebrow. “Bring it on.”
After dinner,we all moved to the living room.
Chase set plates of snacks on the coffee table. “All right. Hope you’re all prepared to lose.”
“Nice, Dad.” Jase shook his head. “It’s bad enough you trash-talk when it’s just us.”
“Wouldn’t you rather Faye get to know the real us?” my dad asked.
“Not if it’s going to make us look bad,” I grumbled.
“Faye’s on my team,” Cammie called out.
Faye glanced at me and Jase, then at Cammie. “What are we playing?”
