“Oak,” he said, looking up as I walked in. “You’re late.”
“Traffic,” I muttered, taking my seat.
His eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t push.
I was about to ask where Marcus was when I saw Valentina sitting in the corner, looking just as uncomfortable as I felt.
She spotted me and gave me a tight smile—more of a grimace, really. “Hey, Oak.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Val?” I glanced toward the kitchen, where my mother’s laughter drifted out, followed by a shrill counterpart.
Val waved me over. “That’s my mother in there laughing with yours,” she explained quietly, leaning in so my father wouldn't hear. “She and your mother… are apparently best friends now. Surprise.”
“Surprise,” I muttered. I wanted to leave.
She didn’t look like she wanted to be here any more than I did, judging by the way she was clutching her wine glass.
Just as I opened my mouth to respond, her best friend—but really her girlfriend—strolled in from the kitchen, carrying a platter of bruschetta. Dani was tall—nearly six feet—her long frame swallowed by baggy clothes. With her sharp cheekbones, pale ivory skin, and severe buzz cut, she looked intimidating. Like a fucking vampire. I’d met her right after my date with Valentina.
“Your boyfriend finally showed up, Val?” she asked, her lips curling into a grin as she set the platter down. “Damn, y’all are gonna have the cutest little Italian babies.” She thought it was hilarious to mess with us about our mothers' expectations.
Valentina froze, and I watched both our mothers stick their heads out of the kitchen at the mention of grandkids.
I leaned down, my voice a low murmur in her ear. “You want to shut this down, or should I?”
She tilted her head toward me. “Let’s just play along. It’ll be easier.”
So that’s what we did. For the next two hours, we pretended to be a picture-perfect couple. I pulled out chairs, Valentina laughed at my half-assed jokes, and Dani fucked with us, her commentary a running stream about our “future kids” and how “blessed” the family would be.
“You both make such a cute couple,” she said, winking at Valentina across the table. “So very Italian. Oak all broody and macho. You all domesticated, Valentina.”
Valentina kicked her under the table, and Dani howled with laughter, completely unfazed.
When dinner finally ended, I was halfway to the door before Valentina caught up with me.
“Wait,” she said, grabbing my arm as I reached for the door handle. “What’s going on with you?”
I sighed, glancing behind her to make sure neither of our mothers were listening. “I talked to Jordin,” I said simply.
Her eyebrows shot up. “And?”
I hesitated. “She said she’d think about counseling.”
“That’s good,” Valentina nodded. “That’s something.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, shoving my hands into my pockets. “Really fucking something. She also said she doesn’t like me.”
Valentina sighed. “That’s hard. But, Oak, you can’t expect her to forget the past overnight. You fucked your secretary. Fromwhat you’ve told me about her, you’re lucky she didn’t hit you with something heavier.”
I let out a low laugh, shaking my head. “Thanks for the pep talk, Val.”
She squeezed my arm. “I’m rooting for you, okay? She’s still communicating with you. That’s half the battle.”
“Yeah,” I said again. “Thanks.”
I watched her walk to her car with Dani, the two of them laughing about something I couldn’t hear—probably me. I slid into my car, sitting there for a long moment before starting the engine.
I was half a block away from my parents’ house, thinking about Jordin—the way she had looked at me in the restaurant—when it happened.
