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“Ditto, Landry,” I retort with only a hint of sarcasm, since I figure he’s having the same thoughts about me after I booted him out of that QB1 position in high school. “Or should I say Dr. Reed?” I correct myself as I shake his hand. Still, it takes all I have not to start a thumb war or squeeze harder than necessary.
“Dr. Landry is fine,” he replies with a smug grin. “I suppose lawyers don’t get a special title, though, do they?”
“No, we don’t. Although, we only have to pay back half as much in student loans.”
Landry surprises me by laughing, and it almost seems genuine.
“And happy birthday to you, Dr. Lilley,” I say, pulling Loren’s sister in for a friendly hug. Well, I intended it to be a friendly hug, but I’m pretty sure she’s making suggestive faces at Loren over my shoulder while she gropes my back.
“Hmm, you smell delicious,” she mumbles when I attempt to extricate myself. “And call me Dr. Colbert.”
But she’s winking at me and squeezing my bicep when I pull away, so I shoot her the smile I reserve for harmless flirting with older women as I shake hands with her husband, Emmett.
“Mom couldn’t make it?” Loren asks behind me, and everyone goes quiet.
“Ah, no. She wasn’t feeling well, and when I went to check on her this morning, she had a fever. So I told her it would be better if she stayed behind,” Landry explains.
Loren rolls her eyes, and I step in closer to wrap an arm around her waist. “Of course,” she mutters. I lean down to press a kiss over her temple, hoping to comfort her a little, and she gives me a sad smile in return.
I help Emmett man the grill while Landry shows his dad how to find a college baseball game on the smart TV. Eventually, one of the kids comes over to help, since the adults can’t seem to manage technology as well as the preteens. Loren sits off to the side and visits with her sister, but I notice her glancing my way every so often and looking genuinely pleased. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside each time she does it.
Then it hits me—this is the first time I’ve done this. I’ve never been the type of guy that gets invited to Sunday dinner with the family. I’ve been the blind-date guy, the wedding-date guy, and especially the party-date guy. But I don’t remember ever having been the family-dinner guy. Some of these moments with Loren are turning out to be much more significant than we planned, regardless of our intentions.
I try to ignore the way my feelings keep bubbling up and getting in the way when I hear Landry calling me back to consciousness. “How about a game of washerboards? The Reeds versus the sons-in-law,” he poses, watching my expression carefully.
I grin. “You’re on.”
Though my partner turns out to be the worst (Emmett’s excuse was that he’s better at cornhole than washerboards), I still manage to best Landry in the second round. He continues listing the reasons why my last few points shouldn’t count when Loren surprises me by bounding over and bouncing up to her tiptoes to place a lingering kiss on my cheek.
And I’m pretty sure I’m blushing again. I don’t even know how to stop this train anymore. Hell, I don’t know if I want to.
“Come on, best two out of three?” Landry poses, still butthurt about losing.
I glance around, noticing how everyone looks annoyed. “Maybe next time, huh?” I offer.
“Yeah, right. Next time,” he grumbles, turning away.
“Hey,” Loren calls, reaching out and grabbing his arm. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
He rolls his eyes. “Oh, come on. We’re not really doing this, are we?”
“Doing what?” she asks.
He scrunches his face in disgust. “Pretending that thisthingbetween the two of you is actually serious and that he won’t have moved on to the next woman by Easter.”
I clench my jaw tightly, willing myself to remain calm. It’s amazing how quickly this guy manages to get under my skin. It must be his superpower. But I know this is his plan, and I can’t just slug him in the face like I did when we were teenagers. I have to keep it together for Loren, at least.
“That’s not going to happen, Landry,” Loren speaks up, her chin lifted. “In fact, Blake’s pretty much going to be a permanent fixture in my life from this point on, so you might as well learn to get along.”
I reach over and grab her hand, partially because I need her help to keep myself from murdering her brother, and partially because I want to convey how proud I am of her for not backing down.
Landry huffs. “Oh, is that so? And what makes you think you can trust him to stick around?”
She swallows hard and squeezes my hand, and her eyes flash over to mine before she opens her mouth again. “Well, because … I’m pregnant.”
“Uh, come again?” Landry spits out.
“That’s what she said, apparently,” I hear Lilley mumble from behind me, and I bite back a laugh.
