Page 57 of My Vampire Plus-One

I shuddered. I couldn’t even imagine beingoohed andahhed over by people I hadn’t seen in twenty years. “That really sucks. I’m sorry.”

Gretchen shook her head. “Thanks. It was a bit stressful, but it’s fine. I know Mom’s intentions were good.” Her gaze shifted to Reggie, who’d been watching our conversation with rapt attention. “I didn’t get a chance to chat with you, either. It seems like you and my cousin are close?”

Gretchen kicked me under the table, in a way I one hundred percent interpreted asmy momtotallytold me y’all made out at my party.

Reggie, noticing this, slid an arm around me and pulled me and my chair over. On instinct, I slipped my arm beneath his suit jacket and wrapped it around his waist. The shirt he wore was so soft; it was only sheer force of will that prevented me from burrowing further into his side and breathing him in.

“We’re definitely close,” Reggie said. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, letting his lips linger. I closed my eyes reflexively, leaning into his touch before realizing I was doing it. “We’ve been dating six weeks.”

Gretchen gave me a knowing look. “I knew Josh was the one after six weeks.”

Oh, god.My face was on fire. Reggie’s hold on me tightened. “Is that so?” he asked, sounding genuinely interested.

“Yeah,” Gretchen said. “If it’s right, you just know. You know?”

He peered down at me, his eyes giving nothing away. “Actually, Gretchen—it’s possible that maybe I do.”

Oh, he was good.Toogood. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought he actually meant it.

Gretchen stood from her chair. “Well, I better get back to my coworkers. They took me out tonight to celebrate. It would be rude of me to ditch them.” Before turning to leave, she said, “I’ll see you both at the couples’ trip to Wisconsin, though, right?”

My heart thundered inside my rib cage.

Reggie looked at me, a question in his eyes.

Oh,no.

No, no, no, no,no.

“See you then!” I chirped at Gretchen, before Reggie had a chance to ask any questions.

It wasn’t until she’d made it back to her friends at the other side of the bar that I risked a glance at Reggie. He was watching me carefully, clearly waiting for me to explain what Gretchen had meant.

“So, there’s a family get-together in Wisconsin this coming weekend,” I explained. “Sort of like a destination celebration for the happy couple, I guess? I’m not sure why Gretchen wants to take a vacation with extended family before the wedding, but apparently, she does.” I paused. “Adult family members and their partners and families are invited. If they have them, that is,” I added quickly.

“I assume you didn’t tell me about the trip because you weren’t planning to invite me?”

His tone was matter-of-fact, not accusatory. “When I got the invitation, we didn’t know each other,” I said, feeling defensive anyway. “We weren’t—aren’t—actually dating.”

He didn’t correct me. “And you would have thought it awkward to have a stranger along with you on this trip,” he said. “Posing as your boyfriend. Right?”

I hesitated. He was still practically a stranger. Itwouldbe awkward spending a whole weekend with him and my family. No matter how delicious that kiss last night had been, and no matter that he had turned what could’ve been an excruciating family event into something fun.

No matter how readily he’d been willing to go along with the farce just now in front of Gretchen, even though it hadn’t been in the script, simply because I’d needed him to.

But now there was a new worry. What if spending all that time in Wisconsin with him made me want to kiss him again? The last thing I needed was anactualrelationship. Or an unrequited messy situation. That wasn’t what this was supposed to be about.

“Would you even want to come?” I asked. “This wasn’t part of the deal. And I’m sure you have better things to do than hang out with my family.”

“I think you overestimate how busy I am,” he said. “Will your father be there?”

What did Dad have to do with this? “I mean, yeah, I assume so.”

He slapped his palm down on the table, eyes alive with excitement. “That does it. I’m coming. I didn’t get a chance to stump him at your aunt’s party.” He was about to smack the table again, but a moment before his palm struck wood, he seemed to realizethat while Gretchen had invited him to come, I hadn’t. “That is, of course, if you’re okay with my tagging along.”

WasI okay with it? Or was letting him come a terrible idea? An entire weekend in my family’s cabin, where we’d sit around and play games, and meet up with Aunt Sue, Gretchen, and the rest of the family during the day for hikes and trips to town?

Notwithstanding Reggie’s claims to be excited, he’d be bored out of his mind up there. Wouldn’t he?

---