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“Oh, I bet,” Julia said, her eyes kind.

“If you get with my dad, do you think I can have a sister?”

The words landed like a bomb in the middle of the beautiful dinner table. My face immediately turned ten shades of red. I could feel it. Lane cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with his napkin, pointedly not looking at me.

“Remy, that’s a rude question,” he said, voice scolding. “You need to apologize to Jo.”

Remy blinked her big eyes, and her mouth quivered. It was obvious Lane didn’t get after her very often. “I’m sorry, Ms. Jo.”

“Thank you, Remy.”

Remy shifted gears, chattering about school and her friend Mia and the caterpillar she’d found that turned into a butterfly. She asked me about my job and my favorite color and whether I’d ever been to Disneyland.

“I have,” I said, setting my fork on my plate.

“Daddy says maybe we can go to Disneyland someday,” Remy said. “Maybe you come with us.”

The table went quiet. Lane looked at his daughter, something complicated crossing his face.

“Maybe,” I agreed softly, and left it at that.

After dinner, Remy insisted on showing me her room again—specifically, the drawing from our session that hung on her wall.

“See? I put it right here so I can see it every night,” Remy said proudly.

My heart felt too big for my chest. “That’s flattering, sweetheart.”

“I’m gonna go help Grandma with dishes,” Remy announced suddenly. Then, with the subtle manipulation only a child could pull off, “Daddy, show Miss Jo the porch. It’s really pretty at night.”

She skipped out before either of us could respond.

Lane and I looked at each other.

“Subtle, isn’t she?” I said.

“Like a Mack truck.” He held out his hand. “Come on. The porch really is nice.”

I took his hand, letting him lead me through the house and out the back French doors.

The porch was simple—wooden planks, a couple of rocking chairs, string lights overhead that cast everything in a warm glow. Beyond it, the yard stretched out into darkness, the mountains silhouetted against the night sky.

“This is beautiful,” I breathed.

“It’s my favorite spot.” Lane leaned against the railing, still holding my hand. “When things get overwhelming, I come out here and just... breathe.”

“I can see why.”

We stood in comfortable silence for a moment, the sounds of Julia and Remy laughing in the kitchen drifting through the window.

“Thank you for tonight,” Lane said quietly. “For coming. For being so good with Remy and my mom.”

“They’re wonderful. You have a beautiful little family.”

“They like you too. Remy’s been talking about this dinner for days.” He turned to face me fully. “And my mom cornered me in the kitchen to tell me you’re a keeper.”

I laughed. “That’s a lot of pressure for a first dinner.”

“Is it though? A first dinner?” Lane stepped closer. “Feels like we’ve been building to this for weeks.”