Page 27 of Honey Sunshine

“Martha! Martha works too,” I interject.

Mom gives me the side-eye, and Zach stares at me in confusion all the while.

This will undoubtedly be a long night, especially when I see Becky laughing behind Dad.

“It’s nice to meet you, Martha,” Zach greets. “Oh, I brought blueberry pie; I hope you don’t mind.”

“Aren’t you the sweetest? Thank you. Darlin’, do you mind?”

“No, not at all,” Dad chimes in and holds out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Peter.”

“Zach. It’s a pleasure, Sir,” he maintains.

“It’s been years since Harvey brought anyone over, but I’d say it’s worth the wait,” Dad laughs.

My stomach churns. How much pressure are they going to put on him?

“How did my brother get someone like you? What did he do?” Becky chimes in curiously.

My god, they might damn well scare him off.

“That’s an easy one,” Zach answers naturally. “He feeds me.”

There’s a moment of silence before a wave of laughter erupts from the room.

“A classic Cooper move.” My sister grins. “Becky. And this is my husband, Gerald.”

“I’m Maggie,” my seven-year-old niece chimes in at the top of her lungs.

As the sound of chuckles fills the air, I can’t help but pause and observe the scene before me as we head inside to the dining room. It dawns on me that Zach fits in effortlessly with my family; his relaxed demeanor and easygoing nature make him feel like a natural part of the group. This comforting realization makes me smile as I watch him chat and share jokes, becoming even more smitten with my fake boyfriend.

“Well, everyone, come on! Dinner’s ready!” Mom announces before locking her arm with Zach’s, continuing to talk his ear off as everyone migrates to the dining table.

I take a moment to calm my spinning head before following them, hoping this all goes well.

As dinner begins, plates are filled, and conversation picks back up. I’m honestly surprised by how well everyone gets along with Zach, but I’m even more impressed by our flawless performance as a couple.

We weave truths and lies, crafting our love story as everyone asks us all the general questions.

How did we meet? How did we start dating? What about the other caught our eye?

All the questions we already prepared for.

I think we’re in the clear. No one suspects a damn thing, and I absolutely underestimated the power of our couple rings. It made Mom go full-on wedding mode with all her marriage talk! Exactly what I wanted to avoid.

“So, so, so,” Maggie babbles in excitement, face splattered with blueberry as she jumps up from her chair. She points her spoon at me and then flicks it to Zach, splatting more crumbs across the table in the process. “Does that mean Zach is the Prince Charming and Uncle Harvey is your knight in shining armor?”

“Yep, there are no princesses in this story,” Zach acknowledges without missing a beat. “The kingdom’s Prince Charming ended up falling in love with his knight, and then they lived happily ever after.”

“And then they kiss,” Megan squeals. “Kiss, kiss, kiss!”

Instantly, I freeze, almost spitting the water I have in my mouth into the glass I’m holding as Mom and Becky squeal in excitement, anticipating the moment to come. Even Dad andGerald look amused by it, and they’re not trying to stop this from happening either.

For the first time tonight, Zach goes rigid beside me. He turns to me, giving me that“What do we do?”look. I know we practiced for this, but fuck me, nothing prepares you for the moment.

This could backfire on us if we don’t act soon, but I also don’t want to make Zach uncomfortable. He’s under no obligation to go along with this. I hope he knows that.

Zach shifts closer, and in his typical fashion, grabs me by the collar of my shirt and yanks me toward him.

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