I smile to myself, remembering the day I snuck onto Facebook and made us social media official. He was waiting for me in the parking lot after school, a huge grin on his face as I approached him. The way he pulled me into his arms as his thumb and forefinger cupped my chin was tender, and he looked down at me with joyful eyes as he asked me if I’d hacked his account, even though he already knew the answer. Needless to say, Kale was a very happy man that day.

He nuzzles his face in my neck, kissing me lightly. “Babe, you’ve been sitting here for thirty-five minutes. We’ve gotta get moving if we’re going to make it to your mom’s in time for dinner,” he tells me, and I know he’s right.

Although it makes more sense to go to his mom’s first, my family always does Thanksgiving Wednesday night since the restaurant puts on a big buffet-style feast for tourists who are on vacation for the holiday.

I lean my head back against his chest and wish we could just stay here. “Let’s just go to Alabama. I’ll tell my mom something came up.”

His chest rumbles with laughter, and he turns me in his arms. He places a soft kiss against my lips, and I move to deepen it, but he pulls back. “Woman, stop trying to distract me. It won’t work. The car’s packed, and you can’t let my first impression on your mom be a bad one. I’m already stealing you away early so we can go to my Mom’s—a bomb that I wish you’d have dropped on her already. She’s going to kill me when you tell her you’re only staying for a day.”

I wince, and I know he’s right. She already had a million questions when I told her I was bringing someone. Mom’s made plenty of hints over the past couple of years that she’s ready to be a grandma—once I settled down, of course. Well, now she’s getting her wish. Just in the wrong order.

“Okay, okay. Let’s hit the road, but if we’re late, I’ll blame it on the baby. ‘Sorry, Mom, I had to stop to pee every ninety minutes because I’m pregnant. Oh, I forgot to tell you? Well, I am. That guy’s the baby’s father.’ How’s that?”

He chuckles and shakes his head as his hands rub up and down my arms. “Good thing we have hours to work on your delivery, because if you refer to me as ‘that guy,’ you’ll have more problems than just with your mom.”

Stepping up on my tiptoes, I give him a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry, Kale. You’re so much more than just ‘that guy.’ So much more.”

A slow smile spreads over his face. “Good to know. Everything will be fine, okay? I’ll be there with you the whole time. You and me. We’re in this together.”

I nod in confirmation, and my nerves settle a little bit. The butterflies in my stomach slowly fade away, and I realize that, as long as I have Kale by my side, I really do think I can get through anything.


HOURS LATER, Kale is shaking me awake. Grinning sheepishly, I apologize for dozing off, but he waves me off. “You need your rest, babe. Don’t worry about it. I’d let you keep sleeping, but we’re here and I’m not sure me carrying you into your mom’s house is the best way to introduce myself.”

As I look around, I notice that we’re in the driveway of Mom and Steve’s house. “Hey, you never know. She might think it’s romantic and fall in love with you on the spot.”

He shoots a sexy grin at me, and I want to lean over and kiss the smile off his lips. “Like mother, like daughter?”

I playfully shove his shoulder. “In your dreams, Montgomery,” I tease, and he just grins even wider.

“Oh, Ms. Dawson, you’ve starred in my dreams, but they’ve definitely been a lot sexier than you just falling in love with me. That’s just the icing the cake.”

I’m about to respond when I hear a high-pitched squeal. Looking up, I see my fourteen-year-old half-sister, Marisa, bounding down the porch towards the car.

“We’ll finish this conversation later,” I tell him and then get out of the car.

“You’re finally here!!” she says as she runs to me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

Having been an only child for the first thirteen years of my life, I was ecstatic when Marisa was born. I got to be the super-cool older sister, and with our age difference, we never fought. Even though she had the best parents in Mom and Steve, I spent my time showering her with all the love I could, all the love I’d missed in my own childhood. And she returned it tenfold.

“Hey, Riss! I’ve missed you,” I say as I return her hug.

“I am so glad you’re here. I really need your reinforcements. A really super-hot guy from school asked me to meet him at the movies this weekend but Mom says I’m too young to date. As if. It’s only the movies. I think I’m wearing Dad down, but Mom’s being stubborn.”

Laughing, I lean back and look at her, pushing her hair out of her sweet face, which is maturing way too quickly. “When did you get old enough to go out with boys? Nope, I agree with Mom. My baby sister is way too young to be meeting boys at the movies.” I’m only teasing, and I laugh when she scowls. “I’ll talk to her. She’s just overprotective and doesn’t want you to grow up.”

“Thanks, Luce!” She pauses and her eyes grow wide as Kale rounds the car and stands next to me. “Holy crap. Who’s the hunk?”

Kale lets out a laugh and wraps an arm around my waist. He holds a hand out to Marisa and she shakes it. “I’m Kale Montgomery. Lucy’s better, but not better looking, half.”

Marisa wrinkles her nose and sizes him up before looking back at me. “Dad’s going to love him,” she informs me before turning back to Kale. “I’m Marisa, Lucy’s sister. See, Dad always says that phrase, too, which usually causes Mom to slap him on the ass with a towel.”

“Okay, Marisa. That’s more than Kale needs to know about them. Let’s go inside, shall we?”

Kale grabs our bags, and we listen as Marisa starts telling us all about her first semester as a freshman in high school. It’s endearing, and part of me wishes I could go back to when life was simple like that. But then I feel Kale’s fingers at my waist, rubbing slightly, and I bring a hand to my stomach and realize that I wouldn’t change a thing.

Mom’s at the door when we step onto the porch, and she throws her arms around me. Kale steps back, allowing her to engulf me in a hug.

“I’ve missed you, sweetie,” she says in my ear before releasing me. “Sorry. Marisa wanted to be the welcoming committee, and I had to get the green bean casserole in the oven. I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Missed you, too,” I reply before turning to Kale. “Mom, I’d like to introduce you to Kale Montgomery. My boyfriend.”

Kale holds an arm out to shake her hand, but she waves him off and pulls him in for a quick hug before she lets him go. “Kale, it is so nice to meet you and I’m so pleased you could join us for the holiday. I’m Marcy.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too, ma’am,” Kale says, and Mom grins.

“Oh, don’t be silly with that ma’am nonsense. Call me Marcy. Now come on in, you two. Dinner will be ready in a couple of hours. Lucy, your room’s ready with fresh linens if you two want to go get settled or get in a quick nap.”

I gape at my mom, not sure if she’s actually insinuating that it’s fine for Kale to stay in my room. Kale must be thinking the same thing because he clears his throat.

“Ma’am—Marcy, I mean—I can take the couch for the night.”

Mom looks around, presumably to see if Marisa is gone—which she is. “You’re both grown adults. If you sleep in the same bed for a night or two, I won’t be offended. Just…sleep, okay?”

I’m in complete shock, and Kale has to nudge me to get me to stop staring at her. “Mom, umm, are you sure? I mean, we’ll just sleep, but I don’t want to disrespect you if you’re uncomfortable with it.”

“Lucy Dawson, he’s at least six feet tall. What kind of host would I be if I made the poor man sleep on the couch?” I have to admit she has me there. She points a knowing finger at me then at Kale. “Like I said, to sleep only, got it?”

I nod and Kale chuckles as he holds up his stupid fake Boy Scout hand gesture. “Scout’s honor, ma’am. Sleeping only.”

Mom gives him a wide smile then looks at me. “I love this one already, sweetheart.”

I don’t say it out loud, but the thought runs through my mind. I think I might, too.


LATER THAT evening, we’re all sitting around the large, solid oak wood table in Mom and Steve’s dining room. I’m not surprised that Kale fits right in with everyone. He’d honestly fit in anywhere, and he’s spent the past fifteen minutes playfully arguing with Steve and Jared, my stepbrother from Steve’s previous marriage, over Chevy versus Ford cars. Mom, Marisa, and I ignore them as I try to get Mom to see why the movies wouldn’t be such a big deal, and Marisa squeals when she finally relents with the condition that she’ll both drop her off and pick her up.

There’s a lull in the conversation and Mom seems to decide that it’s the perfect time to pounce. I’ve been waiting for it all night—dreading it, really.

“So, Kale, how did you and Lucy meet?” she asks, not so coyly directing the questions at him.

I hold my breath, waiting to see how he’s going to respond.


Kale


MARCY’S LOOKING at me innocently as she waits for me to answer her. I can feel Lucy staring at me, and I can sense her apprehension. With my eyes locked on her mom, I grab her hand under the table and give her a reassuring squeeze. I’m not sure why she’s so nervous. The story of how we met is actually a pretty sweet one. Sure, what happened after might be a little scandalous for her mom, but she didn’t ask about that part.

“It’s kind of a long story,” I start, and then hear Lucy cough as she tries to mask a choking sound. Again, I squeeze her hand before continuing. “About a year and a half ago, one of my best buddies was deployed. He’s a single dad, and his daughter was staying with her grandma while he was gone. I checked in on her a couple times a week. I’m her godfather, you see, so I tried to play the male figure in her life whenever Xavier’s gone. She was having a Bring Your Dad to School Day and asked if I’d come. She might not be mine, but that little girl has me wound tightly around her fingers and I couldn’t say no.”

I pause as Marcy interrupts the story. “That is so sweet for you to be there for her, Kale.”

Nodding in appreciation, I continue the story. “I thought I was running late, but when I got to the school, her classroom was empty, so I wasn’t sure it was the right room. When I walked in, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen was sitting at the desk, looking so peaceful. She almost knocked me on my ass. Then I interrupted her and, well, actually knocked her on her ass.”

Steve chuckles, and when I look at Lucy, I can see her blushing. Marcy’s looking back and forth between us, and I know she wants more of the story. “Long story short, Ms. Lucy Dawson turned out to be exactly who was I was looking for. And the rest is history. We became best friends and eventually it led to more.”

“So you two have known each other for quite a while then?” Steve asks.

“Yep. It took me a while to wear her down, but somehow I was finally able to get her to admit that she liked me. She’s kind of stubborn,” I tell him, and he laughs knowingly.

“Trust me. She gets that from her mom,” he replies to Marcy’s protest.

The whole time, Lucy’s sitting beside me quietly, and I wish I could read her mind. I know how nervous she is to tell her mom about the baby. I only hope that I’m doing a good job to show that I care about her without going over the top. She thinks her mom’s going to flip when she finds out about the baby, but I’m not so sure. She’s fine with letting us share a room, even if we were given a strict ‘sleeping only’ warning. Then again, Lucy knows her mom better than I do.

Jared, Lucy’s stepbrother, breaks up the relationship talk by asking about my career, and Lucy lets out a sigh of relief. The conversation turns to that, all of them asking questions and wanting to know what Afghanistan was like. I humor them and tell them stories much like I did in Lucy’s classroom. I don’t miss the way Marcy’s eyes widen at some of my tales, so I dial it back in order not to freak her out.

“Kale, where is your family from?” Lucy’s mom asks once all the war questions end.

“They’re in Gulf Shores, Alabama. We’re actually going to be leaving here tomorrow and heading there,” Lucy says before I can respond. “Kale missed last Thanksgiving with his family, and since we always do ours on Wednesday, I told him it was okay if we went there.”

“You’re only going to be here for a day?” Marcy asks her, looking astonished.