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“Really, really happy,” she promised.
“Well, that’s good enough for me.” Lian broke the tension by swooping in and hugging them both. She whispered something to Zoe that made her blush deeper. Pulling back, she smiled at Devin. “Welcome to the family.”
Oh wow. That part hadn’t even occurred to Devin. He’d been too busy worrying about how pissed Han would be.
His gaze shot to Han. It was too early to be thinking about this stuff, but if he and Zoe worked out… if they went the distance…
They’d be brothers. For real.
Han shook his head. As Lian backed away, he held out his arms. There was still a certain wariness to him, but any fury had left him. “Dude. You’ve always been family.”
With that he came in and awkwardly hugged them, too, and it was like a ten-ton weight suddenly floating off Devin’s chest.
Zoe squirmed away from her brother, leaving Devin and Han in a weird side-to-side bro-hug. Han took advantage of the opportunity to haul Devin down into what Devin was going to choose to assume was a joking headlock. He ruffled Devin’s hair, and yeah. He was definitely playing at the edge between teasing and menacing.
“Seriously, though,” Han muttered under his breath as he let Devin go. “You ever hurt her, and I will kill you.”
Devin straightened up and cleared his throat. Han’s smile was warm, even as he cocked a brow in genuine warning.
Devin looked at Zoe. It was so clichéd, but his heart swelled.
Beautiful, incredible Zoe. Whom he loved and who loved him. He couldn’t help but smile.
Devin bumped his hand against Han’s. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
Something in Han’s gaze shifted. His mouth curled at the corners. He bumped Devin’s hand right back, and even more relief flooded Devin’s chest.
They were going to be okay.
It wasn’t going to be easy, but for the first time since Zoe had arrived back home… Devin was starting to think this all just might work out.
Chapter Thirteen
Read ’em and weep.” Zoe laid her cards down on the table, showing her three of a kind.
“Ugh.” Han tossed his cards aside.
Devin groaned and pushed the impressive pot of five sticks of gum and a half dozen of the wrapped hard candies her mom kept in her purse Zoe’s way.
“Your deal.” Her mom nudged the deck toward Lian. The two of them had been smart enough to fold as soon as Han and Devin started raising each other peppermints. Knowing exactly what she had in her hand, Zoe had stayed quiet and let them bid each other up.
Uncle Arthur had been in surgery for an hour or so now, and they’d had to dig deep into the well of ways to distract themselves—if for no other reason than that their mom was going to get herself kicked out if she bothered the nurses station anymore.
As Lian started shuffling, Zoe’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out.
Oh crap. “Sorry, gotta take this.”
“Sure, sure,” Han said. “Wipe us out and then walk away.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Devin tilted his head in question, but she shook her head, telling him that everything was okay.
Despite the thread of dread spinning in her gut, she was even pretty sure it was true.
Demonstrating exactly how distracted she was, her mom didn’t even question her retreating toward the elevator bank. Zoe turned away from her family before accepting the call. “Hello?”
“Hi, Zoe. It’s Brad from Pinnacle Accounting again. I just reviewed your file with the team, and we’re excited to get you scheduled for that interview. How does Thursday morning work for you?”
