“Hey.” Bryce leaned forward and playfully separated them. “You’re my girlfriend, remember. No kissing my friends.”

Bryce obviously had feelings for her, even if he didn’t realize it. Maybe it was his fear of settling down or his need to have fun, but Nick had no doubt the two of them would be exactly what Bryce’s parents still thought they were: a couple.

“Boo, you’re no fun.” She crossed her arms, and Nick found himself glancing back at Bryce in the rearview mirror.

Bryce caught his eyes, returning the look as he said, “I need to tell my parents the truth. Soon.”

“I’ve been saying that for a while,” Christi replied, and Nick turned away. His head was all fucked up. He didn’t get what he was thinking so he tried to clear his head, pulled onto the road, and asked for directions to Bryce’s parents’ house.

***

“The party can start now. We’re here!” Bryce called out as they went into the house. He heard Nick chuckle behind him and Christi mumble something about him being an idiot.

There was something about today that had him on edge. He never felt that way coming home, even though he was being an asshole by lying to his parents about Christi. He knew his parents always worried about him, saying he was never as settled or responsible as Mitch or Jamie. They’d celebrated as though he’d become a doctor when he got his certificate as a motorcycle mechanic.

Then he’d found out about the aneurysm and his mom went a little crazy, worried about all the things she thought he would miss out on in life, love, marriage and a family being on the top of that list.

It had helped her when Bryce and Christi tried to date. He could remember back to high school when she told him she knew they’d end up together one day. As he got older, she’d ask when he’d stop playing around and officially make Christi her daughter.

The truth was, that would never happen, and he didn’t know how to tell her that.

When they stepped into the living room, Mitch said, “Considering it’s my birthday, the party starts with me.”

“Hey, what about me?” Jamie added.

His mom stood and shook her head. “See what I have to deal with in this house full of boys? Thank God for Abbey and Hope. They saved me, and pretty soon we’ll be able to add Christi to the mix.”

Bryce held in his groan.

Christi squeezed his hand.

Nick was silent.

“Subtle, Ma.”

“Are you kidding me?” she asked. “I’m a Tanner. We don’t do subtle.” She hugged him and then moved to Christi, giving her the same treatment. “Hey, you.”

“Hi. Thanks for having us.” Christi let go and then nodded to Nick, who sort of hung out behind her. “This is Bryce’s good friend, Nick. I swear these two are attached at the hip lately. Fit right in together, though—like it was meant to be. They’re both a handful, though Nick’s a little less of one than your son. I like him.”

Bryce stared at her for a second, trying to figure out why it sounded like Christi was trying to sell Nick to his family. Then he wondered why she had to go and add I like him at the end. She was supposed to be his girlfriend. Then he felt like a fucking idiot because his thoughts were doing all sorts of crazy shit lately, and he needed to:

A)  chill the fuck out.

B)  introduce Nick to his mom himself.

“Nick, this is my mom, Georgina. If you’re not careful she’ll try to find a nice girl to marry you off to.” As he finished, the rest of his family stood and made their way over.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Nick. We don’t get to see a lot of Bryce’s friends, except Christi, of course.”

“Thanks. I appreciate you having me today.” Nick smiled at her and shook her hand.

Bryce continued introductions. “This is my dad, William. The tall, dorky looking guy behind him is my oldest brother, Mitch.”

“Hey! Nerds are sexy!” Abbey shook her finger at him.

“Are you calling me a nerd, too?” Mitch asked her, before smiling and turning back to Nick. “Nice to meet you. Excuse my boneheaded brother.” Mitch shook his hand. “The woman defending my honor is my wife, Abbey, and this knucklehead is our middle brother, Jamie, and his wife, Hope.”

They all shook Nick’s hand and started in on the questions. Bryce could tell Nick felt a little awkward so he walked over, put his hands on Nick’s shoulders and said. “Alright, that’s enough. You guys act like you’ve never met someone new before. We’re going to get the food. We’ll be right back.”