“What?” Zach sounds genuinely offended. “Without discussing it with me?”
“I didn’t realize I needed to consult with my fake boyfriend about visiting my sister,” I shoot back, my tone dripping with sarcasm.
“You’re taking my baby out of state without me. I should know.” His voice softens on the words “my baby,” and they hit me like a sucker punch.
I open my mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. There’s a warm, fluttery sensation in my chest that I wasn’t expecting, and it throws me completely off balance.
“Don’t be dramatic, Zach,” I finally manage, my voice softer than I intend. “It’s only a week. Plus, you’ll be busy with preseason and hockey practice.”
“A week’s a long time,” he says, his tone light but edged with something I can’t quite place. “I won’t get to see your pretty little face for an entire week.”
I snort. “Didn’t I tell you not to fall in love with me?”
The line goes quiet, and for a moment, I wonder if I’ve pushed him too far. Then he starts coughing—loud, awkward, and completely unconvincing.
“Well,” he says after a moment, his voice deliberately casual. “Let’s talk more about this over dinner. Are you free tonight?”
“Tonight?” I glance at the chaos of my apartment, the bucket still catching water from my ceiling. “Uh… yeah, I guess.”
“Great,” Zach says, his tone shifting to that annoyingly confident one he uses when he knows he’s won. “My sisters have been bugging me to bring you over.”
My heart flips. “Aww, I miss them too. Wait—are we having dinner with your family?”
“Yep,” he says cheerfully. “I’ll pick you up at five.”
Before I can protest, he hangs up.
I stare at my phone, the sound of the ceiling dripping into the bucket the only thing grounding me in reality. Dinner with Zach’s family?
Something about this dinner feels off. Like I’m walking into something bigger than I realize.
And for reasons I can’t explain, it leaves me more unsettled than the mess above my head.
Chapter 30
Zach
“It’llbefine,”Isay, gripping the steering wheel as we pull into the long driveway leading to my dad’s house.
I glance at Lainey out of the corner of my eye as I pull the car to a stop in front of the house. Her hands are fidgeting in her lap, fingers twisting the edge of her cardigan, and she’s chewing on her bottom lip like it holds all the answers to life’s problems.
“You just told me they’re not expecting me.” Her voice is soft but laced with anxiety. “I don’t want to impose, Zach.”
I park the car and shift to face her, leaning in until we’re almost nose to nose. She blinks up at me, wide-eyed and nervous, and it takes everything in me not to chuckle at how adorable she looks when she’s overthinking.
“Baby,” I say, my voice dropping into the teasing tone I know she can’t resist. “My family knows we come as a package. And now you’recarrying my baby. They don’t have a choice.” Then I press a kiss to her lips.
Her jaw drops, and she stares at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Zach!” she squeaks, shoving at my face with her hand.
I laugh, catching her wrist gently and pressing a quick kiss to her palm before pulling away. “Come on, baby. Let’s get you inside.”
She mutters something under her breath, probably a string of creative insults directed at me, but I let it slide as I step out of the car and walk around to open her door.
As we approach the front steps, the door swings open, and there he is—my dad. His presence fills the doorway, as intimidating as ever, his sharp green eyes narrowing when he spots me.
“Zach,” he says with a nod. Then his gaze shifts to Lainey, and his eyebrows lift in surprise. “You brought a guest to the family dinner?”
Before I can respond, Whitney and Cora appear behind him, their faces lighting up when they see us.
