Page 55 of Heart Breaker

“Oh my God,” Lottie whispers as they start to walk slowly toward us. “It’s my parents. They’re going to know,” she says quickly. “They’ll figure us out and then everyone will know. My mom’s going to call my sister the second we leave, then my grandparents, my aunts. Everyone will know.”

“Lottie, breathe. I’ve got you,” I assure her. “We’re a team, right? We were going to have to tell them sooner or later. Now we can do it together.”

Her parents stop in front of us and Lottie folds into her dad’s arms when he opens them for her. His cheek is next to hers and his eyes close briefly as he holds her, one hand settling weakly against the back of her head while she squeezes him carefully like she’s afraid to hurt him. It’s tender in a way that makes me physically ache as I watch them.

Her mom looks at me with curious eyes before turning to her daughter. “This is a nice surprise,” she says, reaching to grab Lottie’s hand. The moment she does, she freezes. Lottie’s eyes meet mine and I can see the panic rising in them.

“I think we’ve missed a few updates?” her mom says, sounding confused, lifting Lottie’s hand and looking pointedly at the massive diamond ring and wedding band as they sparkle under the pharmacy lights. There’s absolutely no hiding them.

Lottie lets out a tiny sigh beside me. “Mom⁠—”

“You got married,” her dad says softly, eyes dropping to her left hand.

Lottie winces slightly before looking back at them. “We were going to tell you,” she says quickly. “I swear. We just—we hadn’t really figured out how yet.”

Her mom blinks rapidly. “You got married?” she asks, echoing her husband.

“Um…yeah, but…it was recent,” Lottie responds weakly.

“Very recent,” I add. Her parents both look at me at once, like they’d forgotten for a moment that I was there.

There’s a beat of silence before Lottie’s mom breaks it. “Well, your new husband has incredible taste,” she says, turning her daughter’s hand so that the diamond catches the light. “It’s enormous. I can practically see my reflection in this thing.”

I laugh without meaning to and I feel Lottie’s shoulders relax just a little beside me. I wasn’t sure what to expect from them—anger, hurt, shock, maybe all three. Instead, her mom looks like she might cry, and her dad keeps smiling at Lottie like he’s about to burst. A wave of relief washes over me as I realize that seeing their daughter happy is the only thing that matters to them. And there goes that tightening in my chest again.

Her mom finally tears her eyes away from the ring long enough to look at me again. “We would like to invite you both for dinner this week,” she announces immediately. “It looks like we have a lot to talk about. Even more to celebrate. We’d like to get to know you⁠—”

“Wes. Wes Winters,” I answer, smiling. “And I would like that, thank you.”

“Wes.” She nods her head. “Don’t think you’re escaping a family interrogation, you two.” She points between us. “I need details. Your father needs details. Frankly, half the family is going to need details.”

“See? I told you,” Lottie mutters under her breath to me. But when I look down at her, I see love written all over her face as she looks at her parents. Fierce, unwavering love.

Her dad shakes his head fondly with wet eyes before looking at me again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Wes.” He places a hand on the back of my shoulder and pulls me into a weak hug. He feels painfully fragile against me.

“You two free Sunday?” He asks as he steps back from me, his eyes wet. Lottie turns to look at me, and I can see the question in her eyes, like she’s wondering if this is the moment that I’ll hesitate or retreat. Instead, I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her to my side.

“Absolutely,” I hear myself say. “Sunday works.”

Her mom beams instantly. “Our family group chat is about to blow up. I’ll tell everyone to be over at six.”

TWENTY-ONE

Lottie

“That wasn’t so bad,” Wes says as he pulls the car out of the drug store parking lot.

He has one hand resting loosely on the steering wheel, his forearm mapped with veins, the sharp line of his jaw cast beneath the city lights, looking far too relaxed for someone who just got ambushed by his new in-laws in the middle of a drugstore. My pulse is still recovering, but Wes is somehow taking everything in stride. It’s like he doesn’t even have to try. The man just sits there looking cool, calm, and devastatingly handsome. He’s the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.

I stare out the passenger window for a few seconds, watching as the city blurs by. “You realize that my mother invited our entire family to dinner within approximately three minutes of finding out we got married.”

“One minute, actually.”

I blink. “Were you timing her?”

The corner of his mouth lifts slightly. “I like knowing what I’m up against,” he winks. “How are you doing?”

“I really thought they’d be upset,” I admit quietly.