“There is seriously something wrong with you,” Leah said with a laugh. She went back to whisking the eggs, and when there was no response from Sarah, she lifted her eyes to see her sister staring at her, a tiny smile on her lips.

“Well?”

Leah sighed. “It’s very, very new.”

“But you’re together.” She said it as a statement.

Leah nodded.

She grinned again, coming around the counter and giving Leah a huge hug. “Yay,” she squeaked in her ear, and Leah smiled.

Sarah let her go and leaned against the counter, grabbing another pepper. “Did Daddy and Chris meet him yet?”

“Not yet.”

She nodded, popping the pepper in her mouth. “He should probably wear clothes for that.”

Leah laughed again, shaking her head as she dumped the veggies and cheese into the eggs. “So, Kyle’s coming to dinner tonight?” she asked, turning the tables on her.

“Yeah. I never thought I’d be one of those annoying girls who says this, but…I think he’s the one.”

Leah raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

She nodded. “Anytime I think of the future, whether it’s next week or next year, I can’t picture anything without him there. That’s never happened to me before.”

Leah glanced at Sarah as she poured the egg mixture into the pan on the stove. “Ohhh, someone’s got it bad,” Leah sing-songed.

“Shut up.”

“All jokes aside, that’s awesome, Sarah. I’m happy for you guys.”

“Ditto,” she said, and they smiled at each other.

Just then they heard the bedroom door open, and they both immediately straightened as if they’d just been caught doing something wrong. They realized the absurdity of their actions at the same time, disintegrating into laughter just as Danny turned the corner into the kitchen. He was wearing his clothes from the night before, and his hair—as usual—was in sexy disarray, the messy wet tendrils sticking out in every direction.

He ran his hand through it, smirking at them as they continued to giggle like little girls.

“I’m not even gonna ask,” he said as he walked over to where Leah stood by the stove and reached for the coffee pot. “Sarah, do you want some coffee?”

“No, thank you. I can’t stay. I just came here to get a sweater from Leah.”

“Funny, I don’t remember saying you could have it,” Leah responded, poking the spatula under the edge of the cooking omelet.

“That’s probably because I didn’t ask.”

She heard Danny chuckle as he poured some coffee into a mug, and she shook her head. “It’s in my closet, on the right side.”

“Sweet,” she said, turning and walking down the hall toward the bedroom.

Leah turned to Danny, her expression apologetic. “I am so, so sorry. I didn’t know she was coming.”

He smiled as he leaned up against the counter, bringing the mug to his lips. “No worries,” he said before taking a sip. “It could have been worse. At least I wore the towel out here. I was undecided there for a minute.”

“Well, that would have been eventful.”

He laughed as he came up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. “What are you making?”

“Omelets,” she said, and she felt him turn his face, nuzzling her still-damp hair.

“Mmm,” he hummed, and she smiled, knowing it had nothing to do with the food.

“Can you push the toast down?” she said, lifting the edge of the omelet with the spatula. “This is almost ready.”

“Yep,” he said, kissing the side of her neck quickly before he turned toward the toaster.

Sarah turned back into the kitchen holding Leah’s sweater. “So Danny, are you coming to dinner at my dad’s house tonight?”

Leah whipped her head toward her sister, her eyes wide, and then she glanced quickly at Danny; his hand was frozen on the tab of the toaster. “Um,” he said, pushing it down slowly, “I didn’t have plans to.”

“Come,” Sarah said. “My boyfriend will be there, and my brother and his wife. It will be fun.”

He turned toward her, smiling easily. “Thanks for the invite. Maybe I’ll swing by.”

“Great,” she said with a nod. “Okay, I’m out of here. See you guys later.” She winked at Leah before she turned from the kitchen, and then the front door opened and closed. Leah kept her eyes on the omelet, poking at it with the spatula.

For a minute, neither one of them spoke.

“I don’t have to go, you know,” Danny finally said. Leah turned to see him leaned up against the counter, watching her. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“That’s not it at all,” she said as she removed the pan from the stove, slicing the omelet in half with the edge of the spatula before dishing it out onto plates. “I would love for you to come. It’s just…I don’t want you to feel obligated just because she asked. She’ll understand.”

“I don’t feel obligated.”

Leah looked over at him. “You really want to come meet my family?”

“I’d love to meet your family,” he said as if it should have been obvious.

They looked at each other for a few seconds, and Leah smiled as little butterflies flitted through her stomach.

“Well, this will make my dad happy at least. He wants to meet you.”

Danny raised his brow. “He knows about me?”

“Of course.”

It was quiet for a beat before Danny spoke softly. “Everything?”

Leah froze, her hand wrapped around two forks in the utensil drawer. She took a small breath before she looked up to see him watching her intently.

“No,” she said, dropping her eyes, and she could see him look down as he nodded slowly. “It’s not that I’m…you know I don’t…it’s just…he doesn’t know you yet. I didn’t want that to be the first thing he learned about you.”

“I totally understand. I appreciate it, actually.”

Leah heard the tiniest hint of sadness behind his words, and she put down the forks and walked over to where he was leaning against the counter. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Danny’s hands came to her waist, gently rubbing up and down her sides.

“I’m not ashamed of you,” she said, and he nodded, looking her in the eyes.

“I know.”

She went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his, holding them there until the loud growling of her stomach interrupted the moment. She felt his lips curve into a smile against hers, and she pulled back.

“I’m hungry,” she said.

“I can see that.” He laughed, brushing the hair away from her face.

Leah turned and grabbed their plates, and Danny grabbed his coffee and hers, following her out to the table.

They sat down and immediately dug into the food, and Danny shook his head as he chewed. “You’re spoiling the shit out of me with this,” he said, nodding toward his plate.

“You could make this, you know. It’s not hard.”

“You’re overestimating my culinary abilities.”

“You put cars back together!” she laughed. “I’m pretty sure you could make an omelet.”

He grinned, taking another bite. “So what time should I pick you up tonight?”

“Pick me up?”

“Well, yeah. I have to go home first. I’m not gonna meet your dad in my walk-of-shame clothes.”

“No, I know you have to go home,” she said with a laugh, “but you’d have to pass my dad’s house to come up here to get me.”

“So?”

“So you’ll be driving an extra twenty minutes to turn back around and do another twenty back down.”

“Okay.”

“Okay, so that’s a ridiculous waste of time and gas. You don’t have to do that.”

Danny put his fork down on the table and leaned toward her. “Leah?”

“Yeah?”

“What time should I pick you up tonight?”

She stared at him for a second before she conceded with a sigh. “Five thirty.”

Danny smiled, taking his elbows off the table as he picked up his fork. “There. Now, was that so hard?”

As Leah and Danny walked up her father’s driveway, she bit the corner of her lip, glancing over at him. She couldn’t understand how he could be so calm; her stomach rolled incessantly the entire drive to her father’s, and now that they were nearing his front door, she felt like she might be sick.