“Well maybe I want to know so badbecauseyou won’t tell me.”
“Ah, there she is—the stubborn thorn in my paw.” Linc tilted his head back against the island cabinet. “Figured you were in there somewhere.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been acting weird.”
“Iamweird, Linc.”
“You know what I mean.” Now it was his turn to swivel toward her, dark hair falling across his forehead. “Things have felt off again lately.”
“Oh, you mean since I lost my business, became homeless, impulsively married my best friend, and helped take in the daughter he didn’t know he had?” The words exploded from her lips, and she sucked in a tight breath. Wanted to take them back.
But he didn’t seem offended. In fact, he only smiled, nodded slowly. “Yeah, since about then.”
“What a puzzle.” She rolled her eyes.
“Seriously. You doing okay with all this?” Linc asked. She studied his eyes, his expression deep, more serious than she’d ever seen without being accompanied by some kind of aggravation.
He was genuinely asking.
She nodded. “Talking like this—like we used to—helps.”
“Agreed. We’ve always been a team…maybe against my better judgment.” He bumped her shoulder. “And like I promised—nothing’s changed.”
She was starting to hate that phrase.
“I think we made the right decision.” Zoey lowered her voice despite the fact they were alone in the kitchen. “But every now and then, the gravity of what we’re doing hits, you know?”
“Tell me about it.” He blew out a breath, looked up at the ceiling where Amelia slept upstairs. “I think Amelia and I reached some kind of understanding today after the party.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. She seems to finally believe I didn’t know she existed. That I didn’t just bail on her all her life.” He released a slow breath. The refrigerator hummed behind them. “I think she’s going to give this a fighting chance.”
“Good.”
“Good, yes, but…also a lot of pressure.” He sighed. “Like I don’t even get three strikes.”
“You’re pretty decent at baseball.” Zoey shrugged. “Maybe you only need one.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Maybe.” He reached for the fork again. “What about you? Why are you up?”
“Just thinking.”
“About?” He speared a bite of cake.
“Why do you want to know?” she parroted, only half teasing.
He narrowed his eyes, and for the life of her, she couldn’t keep her eyes off his lips sliding the bite of cheesecake off the fork. “Are you always going to be this difficult?”
“Don’t think I’m letting the tattoo thing go indefinitely.”
“What about just for tonight?”
“Deal.” Zoey yanked the fork back, finished the last bite of cheesecake. “I guess I was up because…well, I didn’t grow up thinking I’d elope at a courthouse, you know?”
“I get it.” Linc shifted his weight, drew one sweat-pant-clad leg up. “As much grief as I give the guys for calling me a permanent bachelor, I kind of figured I wouldn’t ever get married at all.”
