When he pulled back an inch, he murmured, “It’s all cool, baby. Yeah?”

I nodded.

He lifted a hand to my neck, swept his thumb along my jaw and moved away.

I took in a breath, let it out and caught sight of Rich when I was looking to the packs of deli meats on the counter.

His eyes were on me and they were still speculative. The good news was, now they didn’t seem annoyed. Just thoughtful.

I tried another smile.

It took him a second, but he smiled back.

The problem was it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

* * *

Eight hours later…

Sitting next to Jacob and opposite his parents on Jacob’s couches in the great room, Jacob tried to curl me into him with an arm around my shoulders.

He failed because I stiffened.

Therefore Jacob stiffened.

Suffice it to say, the day had not gone great.

Lunch seemed to appease his father and we hit a happy spell that made me somewhat relax.

Things degenerated when we sat down at Jacob’s table for a game of euchre, boys against girls. This was when I discovered that Rich was highly competitive even though neither Jacob, Karla nor I were.

Competitive people always rubbed me the wrong way and I usually extricated myself from those situations.

This one, I had no hope of extricating myself from, so I did my best to ignore it.

It was difficult when Rich questioned nearly every card I threw even though I wasn’t his partner, finishing the fifth game they won (and thankfully the last game we played) by saying, “Thank Christ we didn’t switch it up, boy girl, boy girl.”

His meaning was not lost on me.

It was also not lost on Jacob.

The good news was, at that, if Jacob was still upset with me for being late, he no longer was.

The bad news was, he no longer was upset with me because he was all kinds of pissed at his dad.

I knew this when he said, “Dad, got something to show you out back,” in a way that meant his father was going to go with him or Jacob was going to haul him there.

Rich gave a look to his wife who was also looking at him like he was not her favorite person. Then he followed his son.

When they got back, we slid into a somewhat comfortable spell, which was broken when we went to Rosalinda’s for dinner and conversation turned to our current president.

Like his son, Rich and I didn’t see eye to eye in regard to the man who held that office.

Unlike his son, it wasn’t fun debating it with him. This led to me getting more and more uncomfortable, Rich pushing more and more to force me to explain my clearly idiotic opinion (according to him) and me trying harder and harder to extricate myself from the discussion.

Jacob was my wingman in that one. He didn’t agree with my opinion, but he did try in a polite way to move the conversation to a lighter tone.

His father was having none of it.

Therefore, Jacob started to get pissed. I saw it, felt it, and at one point, when a low, short rumble slid from his throat, heard it.

I wasn’t pissed.

I was freaked.

The day was an utter disaster (partially due to me) and Jacob’s father totally hated me.

It was Karla who cut into that by catching her husband’s eyes, stating quietly but firmly, “Enough, Richard,” then looking at me and just as firmly changing the subject.

We had not recovered from that and were back at Jacob’s, his dad, Jacob and me enjoying a glass of Jacob’s beer, his mom finishing the night with a glass of wine.

This was the only thing anyone enjoyed. Conversation was stilted and I was a nervous wreck.

I caught Rich’s eyes narrowed on me stiffening away from his son, but fortunately, right after, he stood and announced, “Time for some shuteye.”

I couldn’t tamp down a relieved sigh.

I’d not finished sighing before I heard Jacob make an irritated noise low in his throat which told me he heard my exhalation, knew it was relieved and didn’t like it all that much.

In order to cover, I popped up and pinned the three thousandth fake bright smile I’d affected on my face that day and lied, “Today has been great.” I didn’t lie when I went on to say, “I hope you sleep well.”

“We will, honey,” Karla murmured, giving me a warm look, giving her husband a cold one, doing all this while getting up from the couch.

Good nights were exchanged. Jacob got a hug from his mom. I got a cheek touch. Jacob got a slap on the arm from his dad. I got a distracted chin lift he threw my way when he was almost in the mouth to the hall.

They disappeared.

I closed my eyes.

“Babe.”

At Jacob’s call, I opened my eyes and announced in a quiet voice, “Time for me to be getting home.”

It was then Jacob’s eyes narrowed.

Not a good sign.

Apparently, my bad day was not yet over.

“What?” he asked.

“I should get home. Like, now.” Then I added for effect, “I’m super tired.”

“You’re sleepin’ here,” he stated, and I shook my head.

“I think maybe your folks will want to have an Emme Free Zone when they get up in the morning.”

He got closer and dipped his chin to hold my eyes. “Emme, you’re sleepin’ here.”

I lifted my hand and put it on his chest, leaning into him.

“It’s also important to me that they don’t think I’m a floozy.”

Jacob’s head jerked even as he did a slow blink.

Then he informed me, “They came into the twenty-first century right along with us, Emme. And I haven’t discussed it with either of them, hope to God I never will, but I still reckon they know I’m not a virgin.”

That was funny so I smiled up at him, leaning in further.

“Today hasn’t been good, honey,” I pointed out quietly. “My fault, but also, I think maybe they need some quality time with their son.”

“They’ll get it and get it with their son’s woman.”

“Ja—”

He interrupted me to declare, “Haven’t slept apart since that first night we got together. Not startin’ now.”

I liked that that meant something to him and wanted to keep our roll going, just as much as it kind of freaked me out.

But no way I was staying.

“Okay, let me rephrase,” I began. “Today hasn’t been good for me. Your dad isn’t my biggest fan and—”

He cut me off. “He’ll come around.”

I felt my eyes get big and I leaned closer. “Jacob, he was totally pissed I was late. He didn’t get over it all day and let me know it.”