When we were kids, Mom and Dad made Christmas magical. And when our grandmother was around, we'd eat a beautiful meal at her place. She made the best pork belly ever. Christmas and New Year's had been quiet in our home for a long time.

The magic was gone, and the food was average; it was just another day. Except we ate a lot of sugar and watched Hallmark Channel Christmas movies. In the past, I'd been to Gabby's for dinner. But Nathan didn't want to go this year, and I didn't want to leave him. So we spent time together and reminisced about when our parents were alive.

Nathan headed out for New Year's Eve this year. He wasn't gone all night, which surprised me. It seemed as if our conversation in California had made a difference. Whatever the reason, it was nice to have his full attention until he dashed off to the bar to count in another year.

I'd tried to convince Gabby that we should do something together even if it meant going to one of the many countdown parties that our peers were throwing, but her mom wanted her at home.

The night was uneventful because as luck would have it, Drayton was in Texas over the break. He said that his mom had family and friends there. He didn't let up with the texts while he was gone. It was never ending . . . and sweet and super inappropriate sometimes.

When we went back to school, the snow was thick. It was cold—an inconvenience to everyone. White covered the grounds and glittered in the setting sun. The parking lot had to be plowed before, during, and after the cars had left. All sports practices had to remain indoors. Drayton and I made discreet plans in the gymnasium to meet each other after school. We were still being cautious around the cheer team, although I thought that after Thanksgiving, some of his teammates had a fair idea about what was going on. He and Austin were civil again after Austin had apologized for being so unhinged. "Sorry for being a dick when you pissed me off."

Not exactly the most heartfelt apology that I'd ever heard, but I accepted it and let it go.

While it was torture to go the entire six and a half hours of school without a kiss or cuddle after being apart for almost two weeks, I looked forward to a proper hello when I went over to Drayton's house later. He'd informed me earlier that he'd have a few hours alone before his parents were back, and he wouldn't object to making use of the privacy.

Gabby and I walked through the halls later that afternoon. We had both hung back to work on an assignment for English. The chosen novel for our current read and review was My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. It was sadder than I cared for—forced trauma on pupils should be illegal.

The students had all gone home. The corridors were quiet, and it was getting colder and darker outside. Gabby was filling me in on how Josh's Christmas in Canada with his parents had gone. It sounded cold—colder than what we experienced here.

"I think one day I might go to Australia or New Zealand for Christmas break," I mentioned, sliding my phone out of my pocket when I felt it vibrate. "It's summer there. Could be a nice change to experience."

"Christmas in the summer," she mumbled with amusement. "It's hard to imagine."

There was a text message from Drayton. I read it while Gabby continued to weigh the pros and cons of experiencing a different season over our winter break.

Are you still at school? I left my folder in the locker rooms. I have a bunch of dumb quiz question things to fill out for Coach. Can you please grab it for me if you haven't left?

And drive safe please x

"I have to run over to the gym and grab something for Drayton," I said, slipping my phone away as we pushed open the school doors and stepped into the white, cold parking lot. It was getting dark and Gabby frowned.

"I'll come."

We both reached into our bags and retrieved our gloves. "No, Gabs, it's fine. I'll be quick. It's so cold. Go home."

Gabby dropped her bottom lip. "But it's getting dark."

"I'm going to the gym and then back to the car. I'll survive."

"But—"

"Gabs." I walked backward, slow and careful on the slick concrete. "Go. I'll probably see you at Drayton's, hmm?"

She grinned. "Yeah. I'll be with Josh."

I didn't let her keep arguing. "Good. Go and keep warm. I'll see you later."

I carefully jogged over to the gym, a cloud of white air billowing with each breath that passed my shivering lips.

The locker rooms reeked. I'd never been into the boys' one before, but the odor was foul. The wall of sweat-smell hit me the moment that I opened the door, but I didn't plan on hanging around. I headed toward the row of cubby holes in search of Drayton's.

As I passed Coach Finn's office, I peered at the large window and came to a standstill.

Because Emily and the assistant coach, Lincoln, were going at it. He had her bent over the desk. They still had their clothes on, thank God, but I'd seen too much. I'd been afraid that I might stumble on a pair of dirty underwear or an athletic cup while I was in here, not my cheerleading captain and the twenty-five- year-old assistant coach having a bone.

Before I could run, Emily shrieked. There was a series of panicked gasps and flustered hand gestures while the two of them put themselves together. Lincoln smoothed down his brown hair and wiped a hand across his damp brow as the two of them emerged from the office.

My feet had remained planted to the spot. I was in a state of shock and disbelief. I mean, I wasn't entirely surprised at Emily—she's the sort of girl you'd find screwing someone's uncle at a family brunch—but more so at the fact that I'd managed to snap a photo or two and I might just have a one-up on this witch who wanted to ruin my life for some unknown reason.

"Give me the phone." She held out her palm and used the other hand to fix a loose strand of her red hair. "Don't screw with me, Dallas. Phone."

"Yeah . . . no, I'll leave the screwing to Lincoln." He was flustered and blubbering, but he made no move to snatch my phone. I slipped it into my coat pocket and did up the zip.

"She's eighteen." Lincoln let out a strangled noise. "It's not illegal."

"I don't know if the board would see it like that." I narrowed a calculating stare at him. "She's still a student."

"Give it up." Emily's throat sounded as if it was closing over. "Linc, just get out of here. You're making it worse.

"Dallas." She was attempting to be calm but her voice trembled and her smile looked more Joker-like than friendly. "Please give me the phone or delete those photos."

"So you can keep threatening me and making the rest of the semester total shit?" I scoffed. "No."

She stared at me, then her lip began to quiver and soon after her entire frame began to hum with the realization that Drayton had told me about her attempt to keep us apart. It was sort of like watching the countdown on a microwave—you know that the beep is coming and you can count the seconds until it goes off. There's an anticipation. She finally exhaled loudly and collapsed on the bench seat outside of the office.

"You could ruin his career," she sobbed. She was crying actual tears. I watched her with marvel. "You can't do that to him. Don't ruin his career."

I almost didn't want to take the bait—she might be the best actress this county has ever seen. "You know that he's taking advantage of you, right?" I sat down beside her. "He's practically a teacher and almost a decade older, Emily. What are you doing?"

She turned and stared at me through tear-filled eyes. "He loves me!" It was hard to decipher her words through her blubbering, but I worked hard to keep up. "I love him. He really cares, Dallas. People never fucking care. He does."

I remembered Drayton telling me that her home life was terrible. That her parents didn't care and had never given her the time of day; consequences that followed such actions were often too dire to reverse. It explained her need to keep in constant control. Looking for love in place of parental affection was almost never going to end well either.

"I won't need to use the photo if you just leave me alone," I told her, spotting Drayton's cubby. I stood up and collected his folder, aware of Emily watching me with tears slipping down her cheeks. "Drayton and I are . . . together. We're happy. Don't call CalArts or whatever it is that you were going to have your mom do, and I won't show that photo to anyone."

"Fine." She stared at her feet. "Whatever. You always manage to get what you want."

"I really don't know what your issue is. You're obviously happy with Lincoln. What's with the need to keep Drayton off limits as well?"

"Because you piss me off," she snapped, standing so fast that I flinched. But she didn't move again, she just wiped her wet face. "You don't even make an effort with people and they still like you. Everyone likes you."

She almost sounded . . . jealous.

"I might not make an effort to make lots of friends or whatever, but I'm polite, Emily." I shrugged a shoulder. "Treat people with kindness and respect. That might sound like an overused Tumblr post, but it makes a difference. If you ever need someone to talk to," I told her, "I'm not a terrible listener."

She wiped her nose and the sound of her sniffling echoed as she squared her shoulders and glared. "I don't want to talk to you."

I turned around and started out of the room. "The offer is there."

***

"You're late." Drayton met me at the car when I arrived at his house fifteen minutes later. It was dark but the drive was illuminated with spotlights. Some of the trees along the edge had twinkling lights in them as well. It was such an enchanting property. "I was getting worried."

"Here's your folder." I handed it to him, and he threw it back into the car. He slammed the door shut and pushed me against it as his warm lips were on my cold ones.

It was abrupt and intense, and I melted into him despite being pushed up against a freezing-cold car. We kissed a kiss that made up for the winter-break absence, and when his mouth left mine, I felt breathless. And it had nothing to do with the freezing temperatures.

"Couldn't keep waiting," he mumbled, his smiling lips coming back in for a series of quick pecks. "Missed you."

"I missed you too," I admitted. The forest of trees that surrounded his home were almost buried up to their branches in white powder. It was sprinkled on the twigs and coated the ground.

"My baby cousins will be here soon. For dinner. You should stay."

"If you want me to. Is there an occasion?"

He shrugged with an indifferent nod, kicking the snow with his foot. I watched him, admiring his fitted long sleeve, vest, and sweatpants. I wondered how he wasn't colder. I was wearing tights, a skirt, a coat, gloves, and a hat, and I was still cold.

I leaned down and started scooping the snow into a ball. "So," I said in a casual tone as he began to help me with a small snowman. "We don't have to hide at school now. I caught Emily and Lincoln . . . in the coach's office . . ."

Drayton raised a brow and shook his head. "I'm surprised. But not," he commented, snapping a couple of twigs to create arms. Our snowman might not have a face at this point as we were lacking material. "She's bold when she's going after what she wants. Man, the texts that she used to send me."

He let out a low whistle and I refused to ask for details. The wince in his expression was more information than I needed. We stood up and assessed our little masterpiece. It was faceless, aside from a few finger holes that Drayton made for eyes, but it was cute. "I sort of feel bad for her."

Drayton wrapped an arm around me and we headed for the front door. "You feel bad for her?" His tone was disbelieving. "She's been a huge asshole."

"Yeah, but I didn't understand her as well befor—"

"Mhmm," he interrupted. "I get it. You know her more now. You see more and you understand. All of that. I just didn't take you for such a softie."

"I'm not going to let her push me around," I declared, shuddering at the mere thought of going back to square one, where I'd felt helpless under her thumb. "But I don't hate her. I don't hate anyone. I just—I feel bad that she hasn't experienced parental love and all that. I was young when my parents died, but I won't ever forget how special it was."

He was quiet. The only sound was our feet crunching in the fresh snowfall and a soft breeze rustling the tree branches. He smiled and peered down at me, his arm holding me close beside him.

"Sounds like my mom is home," he gestured with a subtle nod toward the drive behind us as we walked up the front steps. The stone was slippery, so we were careful. I guessed the incident with Emily had taken up more time than I'd thought, and we no longer had the house to ourselves. "We can watch a movie, eat food, and I can play with your hair?"

He'd come to discover that I was weak for people playing with my hair. Before we could go inside, though, headlights illuminated the snow and a white Mercedes with tinted black windows pulled in beside my dinky little car. His mom hopped out. She was stunning, as usual, the epitome of winter grace in a mid- length cashmere coat and a matching set of gloves, hat, and scarf.

"Dray," she called, "come and help me with the groceries, please."

Drayton sauntered toward her, so I followed along, figuring that I'd offer my assistance.

"Hello, Dallas," she greeted me with a chipper smile. I hadn't seen her since Thanksgiving. After she'd found out about Drayton hitting Austin, she'd let him have it in front of the entire dinner party. "How have you been, darlin'? I'm not in a foul mood this time. Unless Drayton here has been doing something he shouldn't."

She raised a brow toward her son, who was currently leaning into the trunk of the car. He rolled his eyes and proceeded to pick up the entire ten bags with ease.

"On the straight and narrow, Mom." He grinned as she closed the trunk.

"Good," she cooed. "Dallas, you should stay for dinner. We're having homemade burritos for Drayton's birthday."

"It's your birthday?"

Ellie looked at Drayton but didn't give in to whatever confusion she was feeling, just turned around and disappeared inside. Drayton and I followed behind her.

"My birthday is next week," he explained. "We celebrate early because my mom and dad go away on the actual day."

"Your parents won't be here for your birthday?"

"I haven't spent my birthday with my parents since Abby died." Sorrow filled my chest and I watched as he toed off his boots at the door, still holding the ten bags with ease. "Don't worry about it. I obviously shared my birthday with Abby, and it's hard for them. It doesn't really bother me. Josh and I usually throw a party. They go away to grieve, to remember her in their own way. I like to honor Abby by getting blackout drunk, and I don't think they want to see that."

We walked into the kitchen and I admired the stone theme and shimmering appliances once again. Drayton's house never ceased to amaze me. There was a frosted cake in a glass case on the marble table. Cushioned leather barstools lined up along one side of the island. It smelled clean and cozy, like citrus and coffee.

"Your parents are so young," I commented, leaning on the edge of the island to look at a photo of them. Drayton set the groceries down on the other side. His mom was nowhere to be seen.

"They are, I guess." He shrugged a shoulder, shuffling through the bags. "They had just graduated from high school when they found out that they were pregnant. First night that they ever met. Boom."

"Gold medalist, huh," I laughed.

He dug through the groceries and found a protein bar. "Do you like burritos?"

"Of course." I rolled my eyes as if it was the most ridiculous question that I'd ever heard. "I've never had them homemade, though."

"My mom doesn't do a lot of cooking," he explained as he leaned one hand on the lip of the bench and chewed on his snack, which was in the other. "But she makes fucking awesome burritos."

"Language," Ellie sang out, swiping the back of Drayton's head as she came back into the kitchen in a more casual outfit of sweatpants and UGG boots with a warm sweater. "Where are Josh and Gabby? They were here when I left."

"I don't know," Drayton pulled some orange juice out of another bag while his mother tapped her foot impatiently behind him. "Probably pounding it out in his room."

"Drayton Jacob Lahey!" she shouted, giving him another swipe, which he managed to avoid as he moved toward the cabinet then pulled two glasses from the top shelf. "Don't be foul!"

"You asked," he muttered, pouring a drink into each. Drayton was probably on the money, though. I wouldn't be surprised if that was exactly what Josh and Gabby were doing.

"Come on, babe." Drayton picked up the glasses and signaled for me to follow him as he rounded the kitchen island and headed for the entrance. "Let's go and stop those nymphos from making babies."

"Drayton!" Ellie hollered but we were already halfway up the staircase.

I was aware that we weren't going in search of our friends. We were going to his bedroom where the bed was made and the fire was going. I loved his room; it was a dream. He set our drinks on a bedside table and spun around, pulling me into him. His hands went south and as he grabbed my bum, his gaze became wide and his mouth popped open. "Damn, Cheer. You're soaked. That was quick."

I reached around behind me and felt the back of my skirt, which was indeed wet and cold. "It's from crouching in the snow." I gave him a shove in the chest. He laughed.

"Take it off," he casually ordered as he sauntered over to his dresser. "I think I have a pair of sweats in here that I wore when I was, like, seven. They might fit you."

I unzipped my skirt, thankful that my tights weren't wet.

"Dammit," he mumbled, pushing clothes from left to right. "No pants. This hoodie might be long enough, though."

I stripped off my shirt as he turned around with one of his football hoodies in hand. When his sights landed on me standing beside his bed in tights and a bra, his gaze lingered on my chest and then it moved, slowly, up and down as he drew his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Damn, if we were eating alone tonight, I'd be having your burrito for dinner."

"You are too damn smooth."

He grinned and tilted his head to the side as he walked forward. He handed the maroon hoodie over with a sigh of disappointment. "You're lucky that I care about your comfort."

"Thanks." I pulled the hoodie over my head. It smelled like him—masculine but fruity. There was a very real chance that he wouldn't be getting this back anytime soon. "It's huge."

"Why, thank you." He winked. "So I've been told."

"You can't be stopped."

"Nope. It looks good."

The number on the back was his 18, and Lahey was written across the shoulders in big, bold letters.

"I'm keeping this by the way," I told him as I sat on the edge of his bed.

He knelt in front of me. "Is that so? Going to sleep in it every night?"

"Maybe."

His hands slid up my legs, tantalizing and slow, as he went higher.

"Would it be weird if I got a little jealous over that hoodie," he mumbled with a low voice, getting up and trapping me between his arms. He leaned over me so that I had to fall back onto the mattress.

"No, not weird." I barely managed to finish my sentence before his mouth met mine and his tongue pried my lips apart. He reached back and his hand gripped behind my knee as he pulled my leg up so that it was wrapped around his waist. He lowered his hips onto mine and I gasped at his hardness. His kiss became rougher and one hand slipped under the hoodie, grazing my skin.

"Oh sheesh, you two," Josh's voice chortled from the door.

We broke our kiss but Drayton kept his position, hovering between my legs as he glanced to the side where Gabby and Josh stood. "Get a room."

"We're in a room," Drayton bit back. "Get out."

"Mom wants your help with dinner," Josh said.

"You go and help her."

"I am," Josh replied. "She wants us both downstairs. She was very specific."

"That's probably because I told her you and Gabby were making babies in your room." Drayton huffed with a pout but got up and helped me to my feet. As disappointing as it was to be interrupted, I tried to calm down and stop the throbbing between my legs. It wasn't as if we could have gone further in a full house anyway. The four of us headed downstairs. Drayton kept his arm around my shoulder. It felt safe being tucked beside him.

"You know," I said as I peered up at him, "you made this sound like a casual thing. Why didn't you tell me it was a birthday dinner? I would have come more prepared."

He leaned forward and looked me over. "You look like a main course to me," he grinned. "For real. That hoodie looks good on you. We should skip dinner."

"Ow!" he exclaimed as I nudged him in the side. "I didn't want to scare you. You're so anti-commitment. I thought you'd freak out."

"Fair enough. Don't stress about that though, tell me next time."

He wore a surprised but pleased smile as we walked into the kitchen and found Ellie in an apron, ingredients spread across the countertop. "Where have the four of you been? I need help. And you need to keep the bedroom doors open."

We offered our assistance to avoid the scolding.

"Gabby, put this on the table for me, please." Ellie handed a stack of condiments across the kitchen island to Gabby, who proceeded to place them in the middle of the large marble dining table.

She put Drayton and Josh to work cutting up vegetables. Honestly, I think there were more crude cucumber jokes going on than anything else. As for me, I was at the stove top, flipping the soft, homemade tortillas after Ellie had rolled them out.

She was in the middle of explaining her business after I'd asked her about how it all came to be. "It was the plan from the get-go." She cut off a handful of dough and threw some flour over it. "I wanted to get into skin care from the time that I was young. My mom and dad weren't that supportive, but that's a whole other story, we're only just on speaking terms again. Anyway. After I got pregnant, I moved in with Leroy's parents— sweetest people ever—and they actually left me a small-business starter fund in their will."

"Sounds like they really believed in you," I said, watching her wipe some flour off her cheek with the back of her hand.

"They were wonderful people," she said as she nodded, her expression distant. "The name of the brand, L.E. Skincare, was a play on my name—it sounds like Ellie. It's mine and Leroy's initials and it's Leroy's mother's initials. Eleanor Lahey. I managed to work all of the importance in there."

I flipped the tortilla in the pan and smiled. "That's so nice. And clever. I'll have to get some of the products. Are they online?"

"Don't be silly," she responded in that southern accent of hers. "I'll give you a cleansing set. We can figure out your skin type after dinner."

"Really?"

"Of course. The products are affordable anyway. When I was growing up, we struggled financially, a lot. I wanted a decent skin-care set to be accessible to people who didn't make a lot of money."

"She also donates a ton of her products to refuge centers and shelters, right, Mom?" Drayton towered over her and kissed her cheek. "She's big into charities too."

Ellie blushed and gave her son a pat on the shoulder. It was sweet to watch. Their family had experienced so much pain, losing a sister and daughter. I knew how loss felt, so it was heart-warming to see what a tight unit they were. How much love, care, and respect existed here. It was a stark difference to the Drayton that I'd met all those months ago.

"Hello," a masculine voice greeted us, and I turned around to find Leroy strolling into the kitchen. "There are a lot of teenagers in here."

"It's Drayton's birthday dinner, Leroy." Ellie grinned while she power grated through a block of cheese. "You know Dallas and Gabby of course."

He slipped out of his designer suit jacket to reveal a fitted shirt that accentuated his large shoulders and massive arms. Good bodies must have run in the family. "Where's the rest of the team?"

"Oh please," Ellie scoffed. "I wasn't going to host the entire football team. It'd cost us a small fortune in food."

"Probably for the best after what happened the last time Drayton's team members were here." Leroy gave his son an amused but disapproving stare as he headed for the fridge and retrieved a beer. Drayton shrugged.

Josh and Gabby were sitting on a small two-seater sofa beside the floor-to-ceiling glass patio doors at the end of the kitchen, and I was about to join them when we heard a cluster of foot- steps, the door closing, and a sing song of hellos from the front passage before Cass and two children appeared.

"Hey, Cass," Ellie rounded the kitchen island and took the bottle of wine that Cass held out. She pecked Cass's cheek and greeted the two young children. I recognized Coen but I hadn't met the little girl. She was a spitting image of her mother, with tight ringlets and bright-blue eyes. Two of her front teeth were missing as well. She must have been around seven, and it was obvious that she was going to be a heartbreaker when she was older.

Cass said hello to Leroy before she gave Gabby and Josh a quick wave. I took the last tortilla out of the frying pan and added it to the plate in the warming oven, proud of myself for completing such an important task. It wouldn't be dinner without the tortillas. Drayton laced our fingers together and we strolled over to the other side of the island where he embraced his aunt in a one-armed hug, still keeping his grip on my hand.

"Hello, you two." Her smile was warm. She slipped an envelope into his hand. "How are you both? Good to see you again, Dallas."

Drayton dropped the envelope onto the countertop without opening it.

"When did you meet Dallas?" Ellie asked with furrowed brows as she dropped a package of ground beef into a frying pan. The three of us exchanged wide-eyed, cautionary glances. Drayton's parents were aware of our away-game antics, but we hadn't gone into specifics about what we had actually got up to.

Drayton was usually so quick with his wit that I'd expected him to cover for us, but he was at a loss for words.

"At the away game," Cass finally answered with a convincing smile. "In Fort Collins. I went and watched the game. That's where I met her."

"You went and watched a varsity football game?" Leroy questioned her with an arched brow and a doubtful tone. "Since when do you watch varsity football?"

"Since it was my nephew playing, and I was being supportive."

Cass smiled a that-was-close grin and changed the subject. "How are things between you,"—her eyes flickered toward our joined hands—"two who are 'just friends.'"

"Things have changed a little since then," Drayton declared with pride. I glanced up to find him regarding me with an affectionate gaze and, as always, my response to his adoring looks was an erratic heartbeat and an eruption of flutters in the pit of my stomach.

Our moment was adorably interrupted by a little Coen, who was bouncing up and down with outstretched arms and twinkling fingers. "Dray-Dray!"

"Hey, little dude." Drayton scooped the toddler up and perched him comfortably on his forearm. Coen wrapped his arm around Drayton's neck and grinned with significantly greater energy than he'd had the last time I'd met him. The young girl, who'd been quietly chatting to Leroy, skipped toward us with a small grin.

"Draaaaay," she sang.

"Yes, Lucy?" Drayton gave her his undivided attention while he continued to bounce the little boy on his arm. I'd never seen him more domestic. Or more gorgeous, for that matter.

"Coen wants to know who that girl is."

She pointed a finger at me with a shy, toothless grin. It was adorable, and I believed I used to use the same tactic to get answers to questions that I didn't want to ask.

"Oh, that's Dallas," Drayton smiled, putting Coen down again. "My baby momma."

Tension seized the entire room. Silence was all that followed his statement. It was so quiet that I could hear the groan of the fridge and the beating of my own heart. Ellie stopped grating. Leroy's shoulders became rigid. They both stared at me with bewilderment and a touch of outrage. Lucy looked more confused than anything.

"What's a baby momma?"

"You better be kidding," Leroy snapped, his thunderous glare moving between the two of us.

"Excuse me. Teen father"—Drayton pointed at his own chest—"I'm the evidence. Don't be a hypocrite."

"Touché," Cass laughed.

Gabby and Josh stared at the floor, attempting to smother their laughter. Ellie gave her son a warning stare. "Dray—"

"I'm kidding." He rolled his eyes and waved his hand flippantly. "I wrap it before I tap it. You're on the pill anyway, right, babe?"

Ellie forced a laugh while her husband muttered obscenities and Cass sniggered, pouring herself a glass of wine. I slapped Drayton in the chest with a backhand.

Drayton chuckled. I slapped his arm again for good measure. "Rough. I like it."

He kissed my neck and although it made my toes curl, I leaned forward and attempted to move out of his hold. There was only one person who could possibly annoy and turn me on at the same time.

"Stop," I whispered. "Not while there's so many people around."

"I don't care who sees." He turned me around and cupped the nape of my neck, locking our lips in a tasteful, gentle kiss. It had such a whirlwind effect.

"Food's ready."

The kitchen became a flurry of frenzied bodies, scraping chairs, and loud inhaling as people took in the aroma of the delicious meal that was laid out on the table. My mind wandered to Nathan, and I felt a little guilty that he'd probably fix himself toast or noodles because I hadn't let him know about my plans. He'd no doubt texted me, but my phone was in my coat upstairs, and I wasn't going to check it now. I was almost certain that Drayton would follow me, and then we'd never get to eat. Well, not burritos anyway.

During the first half-hour of the meal, there wasn't a lot of chitchat as everyone was too busy devouring the delicious food that Drayton's mother had made, which, to make no exaggeration about it, was mouthwatering.

But as the rush to eat settled, the conversation picked up. Gabby, Josh, Drayton, and I were on one side of the table. Cass, Ellie, Leroy, and the kids were on the other. Gabby talked with Ellie for a while. She spent more time here than I did, so it wasn't surprising that she was close to Drayton's mom.

Cass chatted to us when she could, but she did spend quite some time taming her toddler, who didn't want to be at the table. And then Leroy decided to pick up the conversation. He leaned an elbow on the tabletop and clutched a cold beer. "Good New Year's, Dallas?"

"It was good, thanks. Quiet, but nice. I spent it with my brother for the most part."

"Parents?"

"Dad." Drayton paused with his burrito midway to his mouth in front of him. "Come on. I tol—"

"It's okay," I interrupted and smiled with assurance that it didn't bother me to talk about. Of course, his loss was different, so his reaction would be too. "My brother looks after us. My parents died when we were kids."

Leroy nodded and there was a subtle flinch of empathy on his face before he continued. "So you don't plan on going to college?"

"No, I do. I've been saving up for college for a while now. I want to major in dance. I've got a part-time job at Rocky Ryan's in town, and my brother is going to help too. Plus, I've applied for financial aid, and I think I have a good shot at getting it . . ."

"What colleges have you applied to?"

"My top pick is CalArts." I nodded and noticed Drayton, sitting with his elbows on the table and his hands clasped in front of his chin beside me. His shoulders were tense and his thumb grazed back and forth across his bottom lip. "I just had an audition for their dance program."

"CalArts as in California?" Leroy asked, watching me as he drank his beer. It was startling to see how alike he and Drayton were.

"No, Dad," Drayton interrupted when I began to nod in confirmation. "CalArts as in Caledonia."

The rest of the table were eating and immersed in their own conversations, but I caught Ellie checking out of her chitchat with Cass once in a while, watching the three of us with particular interest, more so when her son piped up with something sarcastic and irritating.

"You didn't want to apply for SMU? They have a commendable dance program."

"Can we not do this right now?" Drayton snapped.

Leroy watched me, waiting for an answer. I looked at Gabby and she was focused on anything but the subtle drama that was unfolding. I wished that she could save me right now.

"I did apply at SMU, but I didn't get an audition. If CalArts doesn't accept me then . . . I'll probably try again next year. I don't really want to go anywhere else."

Leroy shrugged after a moment of deliberation. "Long-distance relationships work. It's not the end of the world if you and Drayton end up in different states."

"Dad," Drayton warned.

Ellie leaned in closer beside her husband, her soft features contorted with concern. She placed a hand on his forearm and murmured for him to drop it for now.

But he didn't. "Drayton is attending Baylor. Close to SMU. That school has seen generations of Laheys graduate. I just get the feeling that something is holding him back from writing his letter of intent."

Drayton's palms slammed down on the tabletop and his chair pushed back, scraping the stone floor. He stood up and offered me his hand while his glare remained fixed on his father. "Couldn't leave it alone for one fucking night. It's my damn birthday for fuck sakes."

Ellie watched him, inching out of her seat while her gaze glimmered with concern. "Dray—"

"Come on, Dallas."

I stood—mostly because he had a hold on my arm, but also because I knew that he needed someone right now. Before we could disappear, I turned and looked at Ellie. "Thank you for dinner. Loved it."

In Drayton's room, I closed the door and watched him in front of his window. His shoulders were broad, and his jawline could cut the tension that had been felt in the kitchen. Even though he was still, looking into the night, his frame hummed with restless irritation. Relationships between a child and parent were never something that another person should weigh in on; all families were different. But I felt pissed that Leroy chose tonight to grill me over college. It was meant to be his son's celebration, and he spoiled it.

From that one interaction, it was obvious to me that Leroy was smooth when he was getting his point across. He didn't need to shout or get upset because his delivery was calm, intimidat- ing, and calculating. I knew what he meant without him saying it once. He didn't want me influencing Drayton's college choice. Not that I'd ever attempted to.

Drayton's sigh was low and exhausted. He didn't even look this drained after a grueling three-hour practice. I sat down on the bed and waited until he wanted to talk. He knew that I was there. He pulled his hoodie off. It pulled up the T-shirt underneath, exposing his firm torso.

I knew that I shouldn't drool over his unreal muscle definition at a time like this, but I couldn't help it. He pulled his shirt down and dropped the hoodie on an armchair beside the fireplace. When he sat beside me on the bed, his familiar scent surrounded me.

"He thinks that I'm going to choose you over Baylor," he told me.

I wasn't sure what Drayton had told his parents about our . . . relationship. Had he told them that it was the real deal? Hell, he hadn't even told me that. There had been no talk of titles or labels, even if I felt it. I was still uncertain about what our future held.

"I talk about you a lot," he answered my thoughts. "And a month and a half is longer than any of the other girls have lasted."

I let out a breath of laughter through my nose and nodded. "I get it. This is new for me too."

"I've obviously dated here and there." He shrugged, still watching the soft charcoal carpet beneath his feet. I noticed that his socks had little footballs on them. "But most of them dip after one evening in our house."

"Can't handle the embarrassment?" I nudged him, referring to the earlier baby momma comment.

"You say that like it's a joke, but it's pretty much how it is. I put my cards on the table. I don't hide much—with the exception of my sister—but most of them want the surface and not the rest of it. They see who I am. Who I really am. And they complain. Nitpick. Freak out that I say whatever I want."

He turned his head and watched me with that gorgeous green stare. His lashes were thick and framed his almond-shaped eyes. "You don't take shit," he murmured, his gaze sweeping my face, focusing and absorbing all of the details that he saw. "But you've never made me feel like I shouldn't be exactly who I am."

"With the exception of telling you not to be a jerk to me at school in front of the boys." I leaned in and pressed a kiss against his soft lips. "I like all of who you are," I whispered.

"You're not going to run?"

It was hard to know what would happen after school. Falling in love with someone before I moved was the reason I'd avoided it for so long. And it still scared me.

"No running," I promised.

This feeling could become so strong that it broke me. But I didn't want to turn back now. I loved being in love.