“Yeah.”
Trevor leaned against the windowsill. “That could get complicated. He doesn’t know about the two of you yet, does he?”
“No. I mean, for a while, we were light and uncomplicated, not even really dating, I guess. And now . . .”
“And now, what? It’s more than that?”
“I guess. I don’t know.” Tucker looked out the window and sipped his tea, still wishing like hell he had a whiskey or a shot of tequila. This was way too much deep thinking for iced tea.
“So if you’re not into her, don’t go to dinner with her parents. Seems a simple enough solution.”
If only it were that easy. “Yeah, I’m into her. That’s the problem.”
Trevor laughed. “That’s always the problem. The ones we’re not into are the easy ones. The ones we fall in love with? That’s where it gets complicated.”
Tucker looked at him. “I didn’t say I was in love with her.”
Trevor patted his shoulder. “You didn’t have to. If you weren’t in love with her, you’d have said no.”
Shit. Trevor was right. He hadn’t even realized it. He’d never potentially jeopardize his job unless he had true, serious feelings for Aubry. He looked over at Trevor. “Well, hell.”
Trevor laughed. “Good luck, Cassidy. You’re gonna need it.”
AUBRY SHOULDN’T BE NERVOUS ABOUT HAVING Tucker at her parents’ house for dinner. It was just dinner. And her parents had both met Tucker before, of course. So it wasn’t like they were going to grill him about what he did for a living or anything. They knew him.
But still, she knew her father and his stance on her dating . . . anyone. This was going to be a hard sell. She hoped he would go easy on Tucker because he was part of the Rivers team, he was responsible and a really nice guy.
She had planned to prepare her dad in advance by telling him about Tucker, but he’d been stuck in meetings all day and her mom told her he wouldn’t be home until late. If she’d known that, she’d have told him about Tucker sooner. As it was, it was possible both her father and Tucker might arrive at the same time.
She was just going to have to hope it all went as she expected it should—no big deal.
To keep her mind occupied, she busied herself in the kitchen with her mom, who was making one of Aubry’s favorite dishes—lasagna. Aubry made the salad while her mom baked bread. The smells emanating in the kitchen were to die for. Her stomach was growling.
“You’re awfully quiet, Aubry,” her mother said. “Did you have a bad day at work?”
Aubry took a sip from the glass of wine she’d poured earlier, trying to calm her nerves. “Work was fine today.”
“Then it’s something else. What is it? Are you nervous about your father meeting Tucker?”
She sat at the island. “Yes. You know how Dad is about me and relationships.”
Her mom looked at the oven timer, then poured herself a glass of wine. “It’s all going to be fine. He’s not the ogre you think he is.”
“I know he isn’t. It’s just—I don’t know what it is, honestly.”
Her mother graced her with one of her calming smiles. “You haven’t brought a man over here before. Not since high school.”
“I know. I guess this is kind of a big deal to me.”
“Which means that Tucker is a big deal to you?”
Leave it to her mom to get to the root of her angst. “Yes, he is.”
Her mother’s lips tipped up. “This makes me very happy.”
“Don’t get too excited or start planning a wedding yet, Mom. We’re just dating. It’s not serious.”
Except it kind of was. Otherwise, Tucker wouldn’t be coming over here.
“Which is more than you’ve done with any man for quite some time, honey. It’s been school and work and nothing else. I’m just happy to see you happy and enjoying yourself.”
Aubry couldn’t help her own smile. “Thanks. I’m kind of happy as well. Now we just have to hope Dad feels the same way.”
The doorbell rang, which meant it was Tucker and not her father.
“I’ll get that.” Aubry went to the door and opened it, her heart skipping a beat when she saw Tucker dressed in black jeans and white button-down shirt. He looked so handsome he took her breath away.
“You look amazing,” she said. “Come on in.”
He had a bottle in his hand, but he looked around, then swept his arm around her. “And you are gorgeous.”