I furrow my brow. “You never told me you did that.”

Gabe pats me on the shoulder. “How long have you two been together?”

I pause as I think about that question. Our relationship has been so crazy up to this point I can’t honestly give him an answer. “I’m not sure.”

He chuckles and shakes his head. “Sounds like there’s a lot you two don’t know about each other. Come on, everyone’s sitting down.”

He’s right. I’m sure there’s tons of shit we don’t about each other yet, but that doesn’t change the way I feel about her. She’s amazing, and that’s enough for me. The rest will come with time. I’m sure of it.

***

My father stands the moment Zach and I enter the room. “Hi, honey. Thank you for coming back over.”

Before I have a chance to answer, Mom swoops in out of nowhere and wraps me in a hug. “Dear, thank you for coming back. I’m sorry for that little scene earlier. You’re very important to your father and I, and we don’t want to drive you away by not accepting your…lifestyle. Forgive us?”

“Mom, it’s not a lifestyle. I’m not becoming a deviant. Sometimes first impressions are incorrect.” I step back and cling to Zach’s side. “Mom, Judge, I would like you to officially meet my boyfriend, Zachery Oliver.”

The Judge’s lips pull into a tight line as he extends his hand out to Zach. “Sorry about before, son. I’m Charles Jenson and this here is Connie.” He tilts his head in Mom’s direction.

“It’s good to meet you both,” Zach answers and I smile, silently thanking him for being so gracious.

“Come on, now. Everyone have a seat and let’s eat,” Mom says.

Once we’re all seated at the expansive table in my parents elegant dinning room, Anna serves salads and fills the glasses on the table with water. Zach removes his hat, revealing his crazy hair and both of my parents’ eyebrows instantly shoot up. I can tell it’s killing them not being able to say something about the hair, but they know they’re treading on thin ice here, so they hold it in.

The Judge sits at the head of the table, unfolds his dinner napkin and clears his throat. “So tell me, Zach. What do you do for a living?”

“Daddy…” I warn, wanting him to know not to cross the line.

“Calm down now, sugar. It’s a respectable question any father would ask a man his daughter brings home. I just want to get to know the boy is all.”

Zach pats my leg under the table and I instantly relax a bit. “It’s a perfectly legit question, Mr. Jenson.”

My father interrupts him. “Son, feel free to call me Judge. Most people round these parts do.”

I grip Zach’s hand and give it a squeeze so he knows no matter what he tells him or what they say, I’m with him.

“Well, Judge, I’m actually a musician. I play—”

“I knew it!” Gabe nearly shouts. “That’s where I’ve seen you before. You’re the guitarist for Black Falcon! Hot Damn!”

“Gabriel!” Mom scolds my brother. “We don’t use that type of language at the table.”

“I’m sorry, Mom, but this is Riff from Black Falcon—one of the biggest bands in the country.” Gabe stares at Zach dreamily with his mouth still agape. “I bet you pull women left and right. What are you doing with my sister?”

My mother studies Zach with curious eyes, awaiting an answer and no doubt mentally calling my boyfriend a manwhore while she waits. “How nice, you’re a celebrity. It sounds as though congratulations on your success are in order.”

Zach presses his water glass to his lips and takes a sip. “Thank you, Mrs. Jenson. My band has been really lucky to catch the breaks we have to get us to the level we’re on.”

My father swallows down his salad and then directs his attention towards Zach. “Is it safe to assume there’s quite a bit of traveling involved with being a professional musician?”

Needing to take some of the pressure of the firing squad off Zach I interject. “There is, but luckily he has enough pull to get me backstage whenever I want.”

“What’s it like back there? I bet the women are insane,” Gabe says.

“Pull yourself together, Gabriel, and act like you have some sense. You’re acting as though you were raised by wolves. The type of women that hang around those events aren’t for you.” Mom’s doing her best to keep her cool, but I can see the thought of her son indulging himself in a horde of groupies is going to cause her to lose it.

Gabe wipes some salad dressing from his mouth. “Your daughter was one of those women. They can’t all be bad.”

I choke on my water and my eyes grow wide. “Hey!”

“Actually, I met your sister during a business meeting when she worked at Center Stage Marketing. She was working on a project with us, along with Lanie Vance.” I smile up at Zach, thanking him for saving me a little bit of face with my family.

“You’re in the band that the boy Lanie married is in?” Mom’s finally starting to make the connections of how I ended up with a rock star.

“Yes, ma’am. The very same.”

“I couldn’t help noticing you said when she worked, as in past tense. Something you want to tell us, Aubrey?” I glance over at my father and tension instantly overtakes every muscle in my body.