Ryan nearly inhales his drink. “I—sorry?”
“Just doing my job,” Dad says mildly and that gets a laugh out of everyone. I groan and drop my face into my hands. “Oh my god, Dad.”
Noah lobs a marshmallow at him. “Leave them alone.”
Dad catches it one-handed, grinning as he heads back toward the grill. “Fine, fine.”
I feel Ryan’s hand slowly retreat from my leg. Which is good, because that whole moment was dangerously close to killing me.
I’m still recovering from the embarrassment when the cool air finally catches up to me, goosebumps prickling along my arms. “I’m just gonna grab my sweater real quick,” I say, setting my drink down in the sand. “Be right back.”
Ryan glances up and gives a small nod.
“Don’t let Kiara cheat and look at my cards,” I call as I start backing away.
“Excuse you,” Kiara fires back. “I would never!”
I snort and jog toward the house. The night air is quieter the closer I get, the bonfire noise fading into a distant hum. The porch light spills a soft yellow circle across the wood, and for a second it feels like I’ve stepped out of the chaos and into something calmer. I tug my sweater off the railing and shake the sand from the sleeves, pulling it over my head. I’m about to head back so I turn—
“Ah. There you are.”
I stop short. Jacob’s leaning against the side of the porch, arms crossed like he’s been there a while.
“Are you stalking me now?” I ask lightly.
“Just getting some air,” he says. His gaze flicks past me toward the beach, then back. “You and Ryan looked close.”
Bingo.
I shrug, easy. “Well. You know.”
He exhales slowly through his nose, not quite a laugh. “Didn’t know you two were like that.”
“Like what?”
His eyes hold mine a second too long. “Together.” Then, quieter, “Is he your boyfriend?”
I tilt my head a little. “That’s not really your business.”
Jacob shifts his weight, pushing off the porch and drifting a step closer. “How long’s that been going on?”
I give a small shrug. “Why do you care?”
His jaw tightens slightly. “Just asking.”
I pick at a loose thread on my sleeve. “You’ve been doing a lot of that tonight.”
A small pause settles between us.
“I mean…,” he says slowly. “You know I still care about you, Mads.”
Before I can react, Ryan walks up around Jacob. He steps up beside me like the timing was planned down to the second, his arm settling easily around my shoulders.
“Hey, babe,” he says, smooth as anything.
Jacob lets out a short breath under his breath. “Wow. Of course.”
Ryan finally looks over. “Oh—hey, Jacob. Didn’t see you there.”
