Page 88 of The Captain

“Yes.”

“No,” I say again, exasperated. “I’m working on it. I can’t push her.”

“Family dinner,” Mom says to Dad, who nods his head in agreement. I stare at him, then at Mickey, who smiles broadly at me in shock. “Family dinner, Mickey, can you get Tanner to come?”

“Of course!”

“No! Why would she want—” I get cut off by my mom pulling up recipes on her phone, and they all abruptly stand.

“Where are you going?” I ask them, and Mickey turns back to answer, a shit-eating grin still on her face.

“We’ve got a dinner to plan. You should call her and make sure she’s free for Friday!”

They leave in a hurry, and I highly suspect my dad leaves with them just so he can be done with this whole conversation.

I throw myself back on my bed and let out a long sigh. This is why I don’t tell my family anything.

The doorbell rings, and I’ve never moved so fast in my entire life. I knew it was her because everyone else was already here, being loud and overly happy in the kitchen.

Cassie is standing on the other side of the door, her hair braided off to one side and a floral sundress on, showing off her legs.

“You look incredible,” I tell her, watching her blush rise up on her cheeks. She’s holding a bundle of flowers and a casserole dish.

When I’d called and asked if she would be up for dinner with my folks, she’d only hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

I didn’t know how she was feeling right now, but if she was anything like me, her stomach was in knots.

“Thank you,” she replies, stepping into the house and kicking her shoes off like it’s second nature. It probably is, she’s been here numerous times.

I lean forward, grasping her elbow and pressing a kiss to her cheek before taking the dish out of her hands.

“Thanks,” she says again, stepping down into the living room and following the voices to the kitchen.

Right before we enter, I grasp her arm again and say, “I’m really sorry about this.”

She frowns at me, glancing from me to the kitchen. “Why? Am I about to be interrogated?”

“Um.” I pause, my hand still on her arm. “I’m not exactly sure what their plan is.”

“Well.” She glances toward the kitchen. “What have you told them?”

I tilt my head from side to side, nerves coming on to me. “A little bit of everything.”

“Everything?” Her voice rises for a second before she lowers it, her eyes wide and pleading.

I lean in closer, my body touching her. “Well, not everything.”

“Which is it, Muscles?”

I smile at the nickname and say, “Enough for them to know we were—are—together, not enough to know how together we’ve been.”

“Lincoln!” she hisses at me, that flush overwhelming her gorgeous cheeks. “I thought this was just a nice dinner.”

“It is. I swear.” She calms down a bit, but I don’t know what my family is planning, and now I’m even more nervous. “Hey, we could just leave? Go grab a bite somewhere—”

“Cassie! Is that you?” My mom comes around the wall separating us from the kitchen, and I groan quietly. So much for a quick escape.

“Hi, Mrs. Ellis, thank you for inviting me.” Cassie smiles graciously, handing my mom the flowers in her hand. “These are for you.”

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