and Dean quickly claps his hand over my mouth and shushes me as both of us erupt into uncontrollable giggles.
Dean releases his hand and wraps his arms around my waist, his entire body vibrating with silent laughter as he hugs me to him and whispers, “Seriously? A recliner?”
“His recliner.” I clasp my hands together behind his neck and do my best to contain my laughter, but it’s no use. I giggle even more into his chest because I can’t think of a less sexy piece of furniture to have sex on. I tilt up to add quietly into his ear, “The worst part is that it was one of those automatic ones, and my mother’s leg must have been bumping the remote because while she was on top of him, it was reclining backward.”
Dean jerks back to gaze down at me, his entire face lit up with amusement. “How long were you watching, you pervert?”
“Shut up!” I squeeze his neck in warning. “I was frozen in shock for like five seconds. It was enough to hear the sound of the motor or whatever…I’m scarred for life now. I’ll never be able to sit in a recliner again.”
Dean laughs and pulls me a little closer as we both try to catch our breath. “Nothing says true love like a power recliner.”
I sigh and glance over at my parents again. They are pretty damn cute, even if my mother is a pain in my ass.
The next couple of hours fly by, and despite my earlier thoughts, I’m actually having a good time. Dean smiles perfectly in all the photos and visits with everyone so easily. He even convinces one of my mother’s friends to host their weekly book club meetings at the bakery. My mother is in that damn club and has never once suggested that to them. Even my father was impressed by Dean’s predictions about my franchise expansion. It was exactly what I was hoping for tonight. In fact, the night has been going so smoothly I sort of forget this is all supposed to be fake. Having Dean by my side feels natural.
Dean is just dragging me back out to the dance floor for one of my favorite Heart cover songs when my mother’s voice peals from behind me. “Norah, look who’s finally here.”
My hand tightens around Dean’s, and I desperately want to turtle shell my way out of this meet and greet and run for the hills. Dean gives my hand an encouraging squeeze, and I exhale heavily. This is why he’s here. This is what we’ve been breaking all the rules for all night long. I can do this.
I release Dean’s hand and turn to face the music. “Nate, how are…?” My voice gets caught in my throat as I take in the sight before me.
The man standing with my mother beneath an obscene amount of twinkle lights isn’t the Nate Hawthorne I was expecting to see. Not even close.
Childhood Nathaniel was scrawny and constantly had food in his teeth. He thought showering was bad for the environment and didn’t go anywhere without his French horn.
This guy in front of me…is hot! He’s all fair-haired and tan with seriously broad shoulders that look like they’re going to rip out of that black suit coat any second.
And he’s tall. He wasn’t this muscular and tall in high school, right? There’s no way. I would have remembered that. My mother mentioned he got adult braces, but she failed to mention the rest of his transformation, which is remarkable. Honestly, he’s what Rachael and I would call a “Main-Event-Nut.”
You see, back before I perfected my croinuts recipe, Rise and Shine specialized in more traditional gourmet donuts. Our cases were chock-full of beautiful, colorful donuts we started making at three a.m. every day. And naturally, some donuts were prettier than others. So, Rachael and I came up with a sorting system. The best-looking ’nuts would go front and center. We called them the “Main-Event-Nuts.” The “So-So-Nuts” would go behind them. And the donuts in our first batch of the day before our coffee kicked in was called the “Butt-Nuts” and shoved in the back where nobody could see them.
Before this moment, I would have slotted childhood Nate in the “Butt-Nut” category. Quality and taste are great but not quite polished enough to be a headliner.
The man standing before me right now, though, is very much a “Main-Event-Nut.”
Color me surprised. And horrifyingly shallow. I seriously need to read more.
Nate flashes a pearly