Page 56 of Love or Tequila in Unexpected Places

“It’s odd seeing you without a glass of wine in hand, Ali.”

Uh oh.

Allison enjoyed a nice glass of wine at home now and then, and she almost always had one when dining out. Apparently, Johnathan had a memory for these details.

And of course, the one time I drink something else, I end up pregnant.

Angelo cleared his throat, the sound low and gravelly, drawing Allison’s attention back to his magnetic gaze. Despite the turmoil churning inside her, something in the steadiness of his eyes made her feel oddly calm. Like maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t going to be a total disaster.

She took a deep, deep,deepbreath, trying to gather the courage she’d spent the entire morning convincing herself she had. She could practically hear the seconds ticking by in her head. Finally, she broke the silence, her voice wavering just slightly. “I won’t be doing that for another seven months.” She forced a smile, raising an eyebrow as if to say, “remember?” The joke fell flat—so flat she wished she could scoop it up and shove it right back into her mouth.

Johnathan Green Lockwood, instantly became the most terrifying man on the planet, going completely still. His wine glass hovered mid-air, as if he’d forgotten what he was doing with it. His eyes zeroed in on hers, sharp as ever, and she could almost see the gears in his head turning, trying to make sense of her words.

Then, like a light switch flipping, realization dawned. His expression didn’t change, but the air around him seemed to drop a few degrees. He slowly lowered the cup to the table, his gaze cutting over to Angelo with the kind of precision that made Allison’s stomach flip.

Crap. That could have gone better.

“Did you get my sister pregnant, Taylor?” Johnathan’s voice was low, an octave deeper than usual, the words deceptively calm—like the eye of a hurricane. Allison had seen him use that tone before, typically right before all hell broke loose.

Angelo didn’t flinch. “Yes.” The single word was spoken with certainty, and he held Johnathan’s gaze without blinking, as if they were discussing the weather rather than a surprise pregnancy.

“Allison,” Johnathan’s voice cut through her thoughts, his tone commanding and sharp. It was the same tone Angelo used sometimes, the one that made her sit up and pay attention. But right now, all she could do was stare blankly at her brother.

“How?” Johnathan demanded, his eyes narrowing.

Angelo answered before Allison could even open her mouth. “I’m pretty sure you know how babies are made, Johnathan.”

Her jaw dropped.What the fuck? Does he have a death wish?She shot him a look that could kill, but he was already back to casually munching on his food, as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb in the middle of their conversation.

For a moment, the tension at the table was so thick that Allison was sure something was going to explode—or at the very least, Johnathan’s head. But then, Angelo broke the silence with a quick glance at her brother’s plate. “Are you going to finish those fries?”

Johnathan blinked, thrown off just enough that he actually looked down at his plate, where a few lone fries remained. “What?”

“The fries,” Angelo said, his voice as casual as if they were in a boardroom. “You look like you’re done, and I skipped breakfast.”

Allison stared at him, torn between laughing hysterically and crawling under the table. Of course, Angelo would choose this moment to make a play for food. Her brother’s hand twitched as if deciding whether to punch Angelo or just fork over the fries. She had to intervene before her brother actually decided to stab Angelo in the middle of the restaurant.

“Okay, let’s all relax,” she said quickly, forcing a tight smile. “There’s no use being tense and snappy.”

Johnathan narrowed his eyes but eventually pushed the plate across the table. “Take them,” he muttered. “I hope you choke on them.”

Angelo’s lips quirked up in the faintest of smiles as he reached for the fries. “Thanks, I’ll take my chances.”

Johnathan huffed, his gaze locked on Angelo, who still didn’t spare him a glance. Instead, Angelo’s focus was entirely on her, and she saw a hint of concern soften his chocolate-brown eyes.It was as if he was checking to make sure she was okay, and the thought made her heart skip a beat.

She nodded once, reassuring him as much as herself, and Angelo turned back to her brother, who was still glaring daggers at him.

“Johnathan, your sister is correct. We need to at least try to be civil,” Angelo said, his voice smooth and measured. There was a subtle “for her sake” hidden in his words, and he seemed to pick up on it.

At her brother’s reluctant nod, Allison let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, the tension easing just a bit. She could still feel the weight of what was coming, but Angelo’s unexpected deflection had diffused the worst of it—at least for now. And for the first time in a long while, she felt like maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay.

But then she caught the smallest, most minuscule twitch in Angelo’s left eyebrow. It was so tiny that she doubted she would have noticed it if she weren’t so hyper-aware of him right now. He wasn’t as unfazed as he appeared. She was staring at him, gobsmacked, while he remained in control. Or at least, he was very good at faking it.

Allison’s focus shifted to Johnathan. “John,” she said softly, her voice steady despite the turmoil churning inside her. “I’ll explain everything.”

His piercing gaze was locked on her, and for a moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the room. He was searching for something in her expression, some sign, some clue. Johnathan had always been like that—meticulous, protective, always reading between the lines. Her dear brother. Her shrew.

Johnathan’s eyes softened slightly, though the hard edge in them remained. It was a look she recognized well—deep in thought, weighing every option, every possible outcome. He’d always been like that, ever since they were kids. He was onlyten years older than her, but he’d taken on the role of father figure with a seriousness that made her heart ache. He had been the one to take her to school, to ballet, to the mall when she needed new clothes. He baked her favorite brownies whenever she was sad, even though he was terrible at it. But when he started training to take over the family business—under their father’s orders, of course—something in him had changed. He had become cold, calculating, distant. With everyone except his siblings.

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