Mark
As soon as I got out of my car, I knew without a doubt that Syd’s family isn’t going to go easy on me. Her brother basically sprinted to her door when he saw me going for it. Of course, if my little sister brought home the guy who got her pregnant, I wouldn’t be super stoked to meet him either.
“Hero, really? Don’t be like that.”
“I’m stating the facts, sis. No reason to pretend we’re all excited to meet this wonderful, kind, and thoughtful man of yours.”
“Mark,” I say, pulling off my beanie and offering my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Her brother crosses his arms.
“She deserves better.”
I drop my hand and look at Syd. “So much better.”
Hero groans. “You get one chance. One. And only because my sister asked me to be nice. Otherwise, you’d have a broken nose by now.”
“Hero!”
This time it’s him who offers a hand. I shake it quickly.
“Is Dad in the kitchen?” Syd asks.
“Yeah, he and Mom are arguing over the potatoes. She wants sour cream and chive mashed, and he wants twice baked.”
“Both great options.” Syd grins.
“What about you, Mark? Do you think we should have my dad’s potatoes or my mom’s?”
He’s setting me up.
“Hero, geez. What is wrong with you?”
He doesn’t respond to Syd. He only intensifies his glare at me.
“Sour cream and chive,” I answer quickly.
Syd giggles, and the tension melts away. I reach for her on instinct, but she shifts away quickly.
Hero laughs and follows behind her.
“Why don’t you two make a drink,” Syd says, “and I’ll meet you in the living room once I talk to Mom and Dad.”
“You bet.” Hero has a completely different tone than before.
In minutes, we both have a beer in hand and are sitting across from each other awkwardly.
“So, Syd tells me you’re a writer. What type of books do you write?”
“Romance.”
“All tropes or anything specific?”
“If it ends with an HEA and includes sex, I write it.”
“That’s cool. Do any of your books have scenes sparked from your real life?”
“If you’re asking me to write you into a book, no thanks. I typically don’t put cheaters in my books. That is a hard character arc to overcome.”
