Page 47 of Make Her Mine

She looks at me. “You agree?”

“That you would be unable to leave me alone?” I grin and nod. “Absolutely.”

“This week is going to be such a pain in the ass,” she mutters.

I just chuckle.

“I don’t know why you’re all making this so complicated,” my dad says.

Everyone turns to look at him. My father is quiet, almost always preferring to let my mother do the talking. And when he does talk, he’s often blunt. Okay, he’s always blunt. You never have to wonder what he’s thinking.

“We’re making it complicated?” Adrianne asks. “You don’t think Harlow should stay at Jefferson’s?”

“I’m talking about the entire premise,” Dad says. He looks at Harlow and me. “You’re trying to convince everyone that you’re dating. Instead of worrying about getting the details right and everyone being on the same page, why don’t you just actually date?”

I watch him. But he doesn’t go on. He lifts his drink to his lips and sips.

“But…” Harlow starts. But then she stops and frowns.

My mom starts nodding. “That makes sense.” She turns to look at us. “Don’t you think?”

“It does,” Joe agrees. “You’ve known each other a long time. You’ve been friends?—”

Harlow snorts. I squeeze her neck again. More to let her know I heard that.

“When it turned into more doesn’t matter,” Joe continues. “Only that it’s more now. Just date for this week. Don’t pretend. That would be simpler.”

“It would seem too new,” Harlow insists.

“I don’t know,” Joe says. “Is there a magic specific moment when a friendship goes from that to more?” He looks at Phoebe and it’s clear something passes between them. “Or does it happen all along until you just finally admit it?”

I’m fascinated.

“When did it happen for you?” Ginny asks him, smiling at him and Phoebe. “You were both intending to date other people. When did you decide you were in a relationship with one another?”

Joe grins down at Phoebe. “The first time she kissed me. I was done for. I fought it. We fought it. We tried to lie to ourselves. But yeah…kissing changes things.”

Phoebe giggles. “We were so dumb.”

“So dumb,” Joe agrees, watching her with so much adoration it actually makes my chest squeeze.

“Well, if kissing is the catalyst, I started dating your mom the first night I met her,” my dad says, grinning at my mom.

It always jabs me in the gut when my dad smiles at my mom like that. He doesn’t grin with pure joy and unrestricted emotion very often. He’s pretty serious. And even grumpy at times. But with her…he’s different. Every time.

“You kissed the first night you met?” Harlow asks.

I look at my siblings and we all smile. We know this story. We’ve heard my mom and dad’s love story dozens of times.

“I did. Couldn’t help it,” he says.

“You don’t…” Harlow trails off, pressing her lips together.

I chuckle. “Go ahead and say it. He doesn’t seem like the type of guy to lose control like that, right?”

“You really don’t,” she tells him.

“Things got a little out of hand,” my dad admits. With a big grin.

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