Page 58 of Nothing At All

“You know. Quit it.” He adjusted his belt buckle. “I can’t walk in your parents’ house with a hardon for you.”

I dropped my gaze to his fly and bit my lip.

“Hell.” With a strangled laugh, he hooked an arm around my neck and pulled me into a hug. His chest moved with a deep breath, and slowly, the firm bulge pressing into my stomach subsided. I buried my giggle in his chest. On a sigh, he kissed my forehead. “I love you, but damn.”

Frozen, I darted a look at his face as he stepped back so I could clear the door. This was the first time he’d said the words since the first time. They fell from his lips, sounding easy and natural.

Real.

Just like him.

I swallowed the lump holding my throat hostage. My eyes burned, and I blinked hard. Who knew I’d missed his deep voice speaking those words so much?

Reaching for his hand, I tugged him toward the small stoop at the front door. “Come on so I can show you off to my mama and daddy.”

His soles scuffed on the pavers. “Show me off, huh?”

“Don’t be coy.” I hugged his arm to me, anticipation fluttering in my belly. “You’re a catch.”

One of his brows rose, and my cheeks burned. We’d stepped into a more real version of our relationship, but as I was the one floundering, of course those words sent mixed messages.

I turned him loose long enough to unlock the door, and we stepped into home – Mama’s favorite candles, lemon polish, fresh bread. I shut the door, aware Dan catalogued everything, the way he did whenever we were somewhere new.

“There she is.” Daddy’s wide grin matched how wide his arms spread as he walked in from the hallway to the kitchen. “Hey, Doodlebug.”

“Hey, Daddy.” Ignoring the twitch of Dan’s lips at the nickname, I went into Daddy’s tight hug, soaking in peppermint and cologne and security. I eased back and turned toward the other man who made feel just this secure. “Daddy, this is Dan. Dan, my dad Ray Fitzpatrick.”

“Sir.” They shook hands, Daddy’s gaze running over Dan’s face, measuring him.

“Ray is good.” He gave Dan’s hand another squeeze and released him. “Heard a lot of good things about you. Bug, let’s go find your mama.”

Like she wasn’t in the kitchen and he didn’t know exactly where she was. Besides, the house wasn’t that big.

I reached for Dan’s hand once more, and we followed Daddy. Dan glanced at the canvas of my senior year dance photo as we passed the living room. I kind of loved that picture, with the flowing blue skirt and the sunlight streaming through a huge window.

In the kitchen, Mama gave a final stir to her signature Tuscan soup, a copycat of a chain restaurant’s popular recipe, and laid the spoon aside with a clatter. With a huge smile, she swept me into a hug. “Sweetheart.”

I rested my face in the curve of her neck and inhaled her Dior perfume overlaid with a hint of sugar and rising bread. Her arms tightened, and I held on a moment before I straightened. “Mama, this is Dan.”

“Ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His shoulders straight, he passed over the bottle of wine. “This is for you.”

“Oh, my goodness, Ray, look. It’s that Pinot Gris Bonita said we needed to find. Oh, I’m so excited.” Clutching the bottle to her chest, Mama grinned at my too-smug-for-words boyfriend. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He laid a hand at the small of my back while Mama passed the bottle off to Daddy to chill.

“So tell us about yourself.” Mama pulled down a quartet of soup bowls and handed them to me. Some things never changed – setting the table had been my chore that wasn’t a chore since I was three or so.

“I’ve lived in Coney all my life.” Dan lifted two of the bowls from my hold and moved to set the other two places. “My father left when I was three and my sister was two. Mama raised us by herself. She’s amazing and works in corporate HR. I went to UGA and majored in anthropology.”

“Anthropology.” Daddy leaned on the island and crossed one foot over the other.

“Yes, sir.” Dan took the napkins and cutlery I handed over and set up his half of the place settings. “I thought I’d be a professor or a researcher.”

“And you’re in law enforcement.”

“Yes, sir.” One corner of his mouth quirked up. “I made some friends in a course a lot of criminal justice majors take and I took a criminal justice elective. Ended up pursuing my master’s in criminal justice.”

Daddy nodded, his speculative gaze moving between me and Dan. “And you think you’ll stay in your hometown with the department there?”