Page 88 of Hooked On Them

“I get that.”

“Do you?” Mateo’s gaze was kind but direct. “Brett sees how all three of you care for her. That’s what matters in the end. Not your portfolio or your bank account or how many Michelin-starred restaurant recommendations you can make.”

I winced. “Was that too much?”

“Only slightly.” His smile took the sting out of it. “Relax. Be the person Nora sees when she looks at you. That’s who Brett wants to know.”

The advice hit like a gentle uppercut, knocking loose the performance anxiety I’d been carrying since we arrived. I’d been so focused on impressing Brett that I’d forgotten how to be myself.

“So basically, stop being a try-hard douchebag,” I summarized, reaching for humor as a shield.

Mateo laughed. “I wouldn’t have put it quite that way.”

The patio door slid open, and Nora walked in, her cheeks flushed slightly. She looked between us, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Everything okay in here?”

“Just getting life advice from your future stepdad,” I quipped, earning an eye roll from her.

“I was thinking of going for a walk. Want to join? I’m sure Dom and Miles will want to come too.” She paused, grinning at Mateo. “You and Dad aren’t invited.”

“Gee, thanks.” Mateo closed the dishwasher. “You kids have fun and be safe.”

I followed Nora toward the door where Miles and Dominic waited, the ocean breeze carrying the promise of something I couldn’t quite name but desperately wanted to be part of.

We headed to the back gate and down a flight of concrete stairs until we hit sand. The beach spread before us, silver-blue in the moonlight, waves rolling in with a hypnotic rhythm. The smell of salt and seaweed filled my lungs, a welcome change from the tension I’d been holding in my chest all evening.

“I’ve missed this.” Nora kicked off her sandals and set them on the bottom step.

We fell into formation without discussion. I was on Nora’s right, Miles on her left, and Dominic hung back a step or two. It was like we were protecting her from all sides, though from what exactly, I wasn’t sure. Maybe from the world. Maybe from ourselves.

Moonlight caught Nora’s face and painted shadows across it. The breeze lifted strands of her hair, and my fingers itched to tuck them back into place. I shoved my hands into my pockets instead.

For several minutes, we walked in comfortable silence, our footprints trailing behind us in the damp sand. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, more like we were all exhaling after holding our breath through dinner.

Miles broke the silence, his voice barely audible over the waves. “Your dad is more intimidating than I expected.”

Nora laughed, wrapping an arm around his waist and matching her steps to his. “He’s a teddy bear.”

“A teddy bear with the death stare of a honey badger.” I didn’t even want to think about what it would be like to truly be on his bad side.

Dominic chuckled from behind us. “More like a grizzly who just came out from hibernation and found someone stealing his cub.”

“You’re all being dramatic. He’s just protective.” She bumped her shoulder against mine, the brief contact sending a ridiculous flutter through my chest. Lately, it was like I hadn’t even been inside the woman or kissed her silly.

“He watches us like he’s calculating how quickly he could bury our bodies out here.” I gestured toward the dark stretch of beach ahead, where the shadows would perfectly conceal whatever remained of the three men who dared to care about his daughter. “I swear I saw him mentally measuring the depth required per body mass.”

“To be fair, if I were in his position, I’d be measuring you all for coffins too.” She grinned, moonlight catching on her teeth, making her look both innocent and dangerous in a way that only compounded my fascination with her. “Three guys show up with his pregnant daughter? It’s a dad’s nightmare scenario.”

Miles made a choking sound that might have been laughter. “When you put it that way...”

“I thought he was going to snap his fork in half when Carter started listing off restaurants in Monaco.” Dominic finally caught up to walk on my other side, the four of us forming a strange little procession across the sand.

“I was trying to be helpful!” I threw my hands up, heat creeping up my neck as I relived the moment. And every other cringe-worthy moment from dinner. “He mentioned travel! I have connections! I know people!” Why didn’t I just print my bank statement and tape it to my forehead? It would have been less obvious.

“He mentioned visiting his sister in San Diego.” Nora’s eyes sparkled with amusement, not entirely unkind. “You suggested a helicopter tour of wine country.”

I groaned, scrubbing a hand over my face, feeling the rough texture of my stubble against my palm. “I’m a disaster. A walking, talking, restaurant-recommending disaster.”

“You’re not.” She took my hand, her voice softening. The unexpected touch made me freeze momentarily, her fingers warm against my suddenly clumsy ones. “You’re...”

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