Page 103 of Make Her Mine

Now I’m standing. “What happened?”

“They got into it at the Come Again. Derek called me. I’ve talked them both out of pressing charges, so they’re just drunk asses who need rides home.” He pauses. “I don’t suppose you would take Zach home, too? Since he’s staying right across the street.”

“I don’t?—”

I start, but my dad raises his voice and calls, “Settle down, Riley, I was joking.”

I laugh. “Jefferson heard that?”

“Jefferson’s usually a friendly drunk,” my dad says. “Seems that Zach brings out a different side of him.”

I’m grinning. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that too.”

“You coming?”

“Yeah,” I say. “Be there in a minute.” I pause, then ask, “How drunk are we talking here?”

“Drunk enough that he’s informed me he’s madly in love with you and would like to ask for your hand in marriage.”

I freeze. “Um…”

“I said yes, of course, but he needs to sober up and ask me again. With your mom there. She’ll kill us both if she misses that.”

“You’re ruining the surprise, Scott!” I hear Jefferson yell in the background.

“Yeah, sorry,” my dad says dryly. “We’ll have to come up with something big and fun to surprise her with.”

“Okay, Peyton will have good ideas,” I hear Jefferson say.

I laugh. Loudly. And admit that I think my pounding heart is hammering more out of oh-my-god-I-love-him-and-I-think-I’d-say-yes instead of shock.

Why am I not shocked that Jefferson is thinking about marrying me?

Or that my dad doesn’t sound a bit shocked.

“Harlow?” Dad asks. “You coming?”

“I’m on my way.” I hang up and look at all my friends. “Zach and Jefferson got into a fight at the bar.”

Sasha is already texting someone. I assume it’s her mother who will have more details.

Graham just shakes his head. “A hundred bucks says I know exactly what the topic of their ‘conversation’ was.”

I have a feeling I know too.

Especially if Jefferson is talking this freely to my father about us getting married. God knows what he said to my ex. Who he hated even without adding me into the mix.

Five minutes later, I stroll through the front doors of the Sapphire Falls police station.

My dad is sitting at his desk, doing a crossword puzzle in an actual puzzle book with a pencil.

“I hope he doesn’t have to pay a fine. I didn’t bring any money.”

He lifts his head and gives me a smile. “I broke it up before they broke anything, including each other. Really brought them down here just to cool off and sober up a little.” He tosses me the keys. “You can let them both out. Up to you how they get home.”

“Zach is not my concern or responsibility,” I say, raising my voice enough that I’m sure the two men down the short hallway in the cell can hear me.

“Damn right,” Jefferson calls back.

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