Page 61 of Irresistibly Wicked

Zander narrowed his eyes, searching their faces. There wasn’t a fissure among them. “She has a name. Shauna. Are you all going to treat her right? Because if you make her feel anything less than welcome, we’re going to have problems.”

Preacher nodded curtly. “Understood.”

Zander pointed at the others. “That goes for each of you, too.”

They lifted their chins in acknowledgment.

“Fair enough.” Zander headed for the door, weaving around the other members, and came face-to-face with his uncle Conroy.

“Hey, Zan. I heard your news, man. Want to talk?”

His aunt and uncle were the only two who hadn’t reached out to him, which told him everything he needed to know. If they’d supported his decision, he’d have heard from them.

“Not even a little.” Zander stepped around him, blazing a path through the tension, and disappeared into the night.

Chapter Twenty-One

SHAUNA GAZED OUT the truck window feeling like she was going to throw up.

It was Thursday evening, and she and Zander were on their way to his parents’ house to meet the rest of his family. She’d changed her clothes three times, finally settling on mustard-yellow low-riding, wide-legged jeans with a cropped black tank top, a white cardigan, and sneakers. She hadn’t planned on wearing the engagement ring. It felt wrong to wear something so expensive when his family was already upset. But Zander had said he hadn’t given it to her to have it sit in a box and encouraged her to wear it. It seemed important to him, and he reminded her that they were trying to make everyone else believe their relationship was real, and she shouldn’t let his family’s opinions change how they acted.

That was part of the problem. This was all an act, and yet when it was just the two of them, it didn’t feel like an act at all. It felt like they’d become close friends, confidants. But she was so nervous, meeting his parents would take one hell of an act if she had any hope of it going well. An act of God, that is.

Zander’s hand covered hers and squeezed, drawing her attention. A conspiratorial gleam shone in his eyes. “What do you say, Angel? Should we blow them off and go for tacos instead?”

How did he always know how to make her smile? “As tempting as that sounds, we’re already late, and it would just give them another reason to dislike me.” Blaine had texted Zander as they were on their way out the door, asking him to swing by his place to let his dog out because Blaine and Reese had to pick up Lettie at a friend’s house and wouldn’t have time to do both.

“They don’t dislike you,” Zander said. “They’re worried about me. I told you I’m the guy who does dumb shit.”

“You say that, but I don’t see it. You’ve done all the right things by me. You protected me before you even knew me, and you helped Brian without hesitation. So either you’re a really good actor, or I must be missing something.”

He glanced at her. “I’m not acting. Just changing. I have a chance to do the right thing and pay a favor back. It feels good, and don’t worry, nobody’s going to change my mind.”

He turned down a residential street and held her hand a little tighter, the muscles in his jaw working overtime. “Looks like they meant for you to meet the whole family. My aunt and uncle and cousins are here, too,” he said as he pulled over behind a line of other vehicles.

She took a deep breath. “How many more people are here?”

“My aunt Ginger and uncle Conroy, and their family. You’ve already met Tank. His wife, Leah, and their three kids, Junie, Rosie, and Leo, will be here, along with Baz and his fiancée, Emerson, and their little boy, Brennan, and Gunner, and his wife, Sid. I’m sure my grandfather is here, too.”

“Great.” The knot in her stomach twisted.

He cocked a brow. “Reconsidering my taco offer?”

“Yes,” she said honestly, and he laughed. “I’m not really. You think they’re protecting me, but I think they’re protecting you. They love you, and as hard as this is, take it from someone who didn’t have a family that cared enough to make sure I had lunch money, much less didn’t sign three months of my life away. As hard as this is, that protection is something to be valued.”

“I value them, Angel, but you’re going to be my wife. So we’re going to walk in there with our heads held high, and if anyone makes you uncomfortable, we’ll turn around and walk out.”

“We can’t just leave.”

“The hell we can’t. I’m not going to stand for anyone making my girl feel uncomfortable.”

As good as it felt knowing he’d protect her feelings at all costs, Shauna was used to being thrown into new situations without knowing what she was walking into, and she knew meeting the family who didn’t want her there was going to be anything but comfortable. Zander had mentioned that Zeke, Baz, and Gunner were coming around, and he thought they’d have his back tonight. She really hoped that was true, because the worst part of all of this wasn’t the embarrassment of having to borrow money or marrying a guy she barely knew, no matter how much it felt like she knew him. It was knowing she was causing a fissure between this incredible man and his generous family.

That was why she had to remind him, “I’m your fake girl, Zan, and they’re your real family.”

“After tomorrow morning, you’ll be my real family, too.” He held her gaze as he lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it, setting off those flutters in her chest. “Let’s go, darlin’.”

Her nerves were on fire as they headed up the walk. Zander took her hand on their way up the porch steps. “It’s you and me against the world, Angel. Ready to let me show you off?”