“You’re… leaving?” he asks. “Right now?”
I force out a laugh, doing my best to put some ice water on this situation before we burn the place down. “I mean, you gave me quite a thrill there, Doc.Woo! Five stars, woulddefinitelyrecommend. But…”
“But…?”
“Didn’t you hear?” I look at him like he’s the most clueless man on earth. “There’sbacon.”
He opens his mouth to argue, but then shuts it, finally letting loose a smile. “Fair point, Miss Milan. Fair point.”
“Are you coming?”
“Apparently not tonight,” he parrots back.
His eyes blaze again, and a wave of new heat washes through me. NowI’mthe one with the internal tug-of-war. Do I laugh at his attempt at humor, or do I hike up my dress, push him onto the bed, and ride him into the sunset, confirmingexactlyhow much we can get away with in five minutes?
Choices, choices…
“Let me rephrase that,” I finally say, forcing myself to be at least ten percent more sensible. I pop my hands on my hips and focus on a spot just above his shoulder, because if I look into those eyes again, or anywhere near his sexy mouth, I’m going to do something likely to get us both in trouble. “Will you be joining me and the rest of the guests in the dining room for dinner? Which, I might add, is happening inyourhome, atyourrequest?”
“Yes, remind me again why I invited so many people?”
“Because you love Harvest Eve, and you love us.” I smile, the words tumbling out before my brain has time to catch up. When it does, I’m nearly choking to suck them back in. “I mean, you love… people. Guests. In your home. Because Harvest Eve is a time for celebrating the bonds between friends and good foodaaaandI’ll just be right out… there… somewhere else.”
I reach for the doorknob, hoping like hell my friends aren’t listening on the other side.
“You go on ahead,” he says, adjusting his pants. “I’ll be out in… just a moment.”
“Perfect. I’ll save you a seat.”
“As long as it’s not next to Baz.” He points at me in warning. “That man has no qualms about stealing food from other people’s plates. He’s barbaric, Stevie.”
“Your seat will be next tome, Doc. That’s going to be our new tradition. First of many.” Then, with a smile and a wink to dissipate the intensity, I add, “As long as the food is good, I mean. If not, I’m spending next Harvest Eve at Smash, eating my weight in mashed potatoes and liquid cheese, and you’re on your own.”
Thirty-Six
STEVIE
After making our separate exits from Doc’s bedroom, likely fooling absolutely no one, we fill our glasses with wine and gather with the others around the dining room table.
The spread is magnificent, filling the table with so many meats, vegetables, and rich, creamy sauces I’m getting overwhelmed just trying to decide where to start. And the bread? Oh, those French really know what they’re doing in that department.
But before we can eat ourselves into a proper food coma, Doc insists on making a toast, gesturing for us all to raise our glasses.
Turning first to me and the guys, he says, “You came to me as students, and quickly became friends and brothers. In our time together, I’ve come to know you as my family in the deepest possible sense of the word.” He glances at me, his eyes sparkling, his smile holding all the mischief we shared like a secret neither of us will ever reveal. “And because of you, Stevie, our family continues to expand, to strengthen.” He nods at Isla and Nat, both of them beaming, and I swear I’m ready to throw caution to the wind and kiss him, right here in front of everyone, propriety be damned.
He has no idea how much all of this means to me, and I smile, my eyes blurring with tears. Happy ones, this time.
“To family,” he says.
“To family,” we repeat, tipping our glasses back and savoring the moment.
I look at him once more and smile, mouthing athank you.The world may be falling down around us, but seriously. Tonight couldn’t be any more perfect.
Then the doorbell chimes.
We all look around expectantly, wondering who it could be. With Professors Maddox and Broome spending the night with Casey and Janelle, the list of possibilities is basically zero.
But Doc winks at me, his eyes twinkling with new mischief, and a fizzy feeling erupts in my stomach, making me light-headed in the best possible way.
