Chapter 20

Fraser

It"s real.

I"m in a real relationship with Evie.

And right now, I"m really kissing my real girlfriend.

For real.

"We"re gonna be late," Evie mutters, managing to wrestle her lips away from mine.

"Don"t care. Making out like teenagers is more fun."

"My mother will kill us."

I pull apart immediately. "True. We should get going."

Mrs. Freeman has always low-key terrified me, but I think I"ve done a pretty good job of hiding it over the years. I"ve heard enough stories from Levi—and more recently from Evie—to know she is not a woman to be messed with.

Her intimidation has this weird effect on me, making me super polite around her, which I think in some weird way has endeared me to her. But I am not willing to risk ruining that by showing up late to my first family dinner as Evie"s boyfriend.

I push to my feet and extend my arms to help her up.

"Wow," she says with a laugh, sliding her palms into mine. "Can"t believe you"re still scared of Mom. I would"ve thought you"d have grown out of it by now."

"I am not scared of your Mom," I white-lie, pulling Evie to her feet.

I lean in for another kiss.

She ducks her head out of the way. "You so are. "You look beautiful, Mrs. Freeman," "Can I get you something to drink, Mrs. Freeman?," "You"re just so wonderful, Mrs. Freeman.""

"There"s nothing wrong with having a healthy respect-slash-fear of your girlfriend"s mother."

Evie flashes me a dazzling smile. "Say the second-to-last word in the previous sentence again. Non-possessive form."

I lower my voice to just above a whisper and trace my fingers along her neck. "Girlfriend."

Evie"s eyes flutter to a close.

I brush my fingers along her jaw. "Girlfriend."

Around her ear. "Girlfriend."

Across her soft cheek. "Girlfriend."

She"s not the only one who likes the sound of the word. I do, too.

I"d been working up to asking her to be my girlfriend—for real—for a while, but getting the timing right proved tricky. Ideally, I would have liked to have done it in person, but our schedules have been crazy busy lately.

Her bringing up the invitation to a family dinner during a chat date last week was the opening I needed. I switched the call to video, waited the longest five minutes of my life while she got ready, and then I found myself asking the only girl I"ve truly loved to be mine.

I lower my hand into the arch of her lower back and tug her in closer to me.

A breath shudders out of her as she lifts her head and opens her eyes. "For the record, if this is my punishment for teasing you, expect a lot more teasing to come your way."

"Oh, I do."

I expect a lifetime of it.

But first, I have to survive a Freeman family dinner.

It"s been a while since I"ve been to one, and I"m pretty sure not much has changed. I know what I"m in for. Plenty of fast-talking. Mrs. Freeman expressing her opinions freely. Mr. Freeman being totally laid-back and relaxed as ever.

And chilis.

"Hey, did you get a chance to request a low-spice, would still like to feel the roof of his mouth by the end of the evening option for me?" I ask as we drive the short distance from Evie"s place to her parents".

"I did."

"And?"

"No luck. Mom said the food will be what the food will be. That"s all I remember her saying. I zoned out when she started rambling about messing with her dinner theme."

"Uh, okay."

"Look, if it"s too spicy for you, don"t eat it, okay? Don"t feel pressured to keep up with us. Especially when Mom starts laying it on. Be strong, Fraser, and resist the almighty Meredith Freeman."

I let out a chuckle, hoping it conceals my nerves.

Evie"s playing it off, but the Freemans are crazy intense when it comes to chilis. Levi once didn"t talk to me for a whole week because I refused to split a jalapeno with him.

I come to a stop before reaching the Freeman"s house and take in my old family home. Mom and Dad sold it a year after that night. They wanted a fresh start, so they bought a beautiful house in the hills, halfway between Comfort Bay and Dawn in Cedar Crest Hollow.

"Walking down memory lane?" Evie asks, placing her hand on the center console.

"I"m just taking a minute."

I gaze at the house where I grew up, then turn to face Evie, threading our fingers together. She looks stunning in a chic form-fitting emerald-green dress that perfectly contours to her figure and accentuates her eyes.

"I have a question," I say.

"What is it?"

"Well, I fell in love with you back in high school. Did you…did you not fall for me, too?"

She reaches out and strokes my cheek. "Oh. I definitely had a crush on you. I made you a tacky bracelet, after all."

"Not tacky. It"s the best lucky charm ever."

She smiles, her hazel eyes sparkling in the low light. "And I was heartbroken when you left which"—she raises a finger when she sees me open my mouth to say something—"I now realize wasn"t what I made it out to be in my head."

"I still feel bad about it."

"Well, then, stop it. Please. It wasn"t your fault. You did what you had to do for your family. That"s actually really admirable."

"I just did what anyone would"ve done."

"I don"t know about that. You put their needs ahead of your own. You spent the night comforting your sister when she would have been terrified and vulnerable and needed you more than ever. And you kept your end of the bargain all these years, shunning the spotlight and just focusing on being great at the thing you"re great at."

"I think you"re making me sound better than I am."

"Nope. I"m making you sound exactly the correct level of awesome that you are. I"m talented like that."

I can"t help but grin. "Thanks, Evie."

I drive up the Freemans" driveway and park next to Levi"s bright-blue Chevrolet Corvette. He came up from LA with Harper, so I"m assuming the other car belongs to Laney.

Everyone"s here.

"Have you spoken to anyone in your family about our change in status?"

"Haven"t had the chance," Evie says as we get out of the car. "Besides, everyone except for Levi thinks we"re dating anyway, so I figure there"s really no need."

"True." I walk next to her. Which brings us neatly to…"What about Levi, then?"

"Are you worried?"

"A little, yeah. He"s my best friend. You"re his little sister. He could get kinda weird about it."

"How would you feel if the situation were reversed? If Levi was dating Dawn?"

"Very weird given that she"s married."

Evie rolls her eyes. "Pretend that she wasn"t. Would it be strange for you?"

"I don"t know." I shrug, reaching the front porch. "Probably at first it would be. But once I got over the initial surprise, I guess I"d be fine with it. Levi"s an awesome guy, and as much as I don"t want to think about my sister"s romantic life…ever, I"d want her to be with someone awesome. So yeah, I"d find a way to be cool with it. Eventually."

"Well, then, there"s your answer. I"m sure Levi will be cool with it."

"You"re sure Levi will be cool with what?" the man of the moment asks.

I missed the front door opening, but there he is, leaning against the doorframe in ripped jeans and a Metallica T-shirt. How long has he been standing there?

"Oh, nothing," Evie dismisses, dashing up the porch steps to give her brother a hug.

"It wouldn"t have anything to do with your so-called fake relationship, would it?" he asks me before giving me a hug.

And he hugs me hard.

Real hard.

Wayharder than usual.

And he"s not letting go.

Oh, man, is he trying to suffocate me by hugging me to death? Is that a thing?

"What do you mean so-called fake relationship?" Evie asks, once he relieves me from his grip, and I"m…I"m still breathing.

Maybe he injected something into my skin through my jacket? No. I"m being paranoid. If Levi is going to kill me for dating his sister, I"m sure he"ll do it like a man and kill me to my face. Yeah, that makes much more sense.

"Oh, come on, you guys." He closes the door behind him to give the three of us a bit more privacy. "When did you crack?"

His eyes dance between Evie and me, a mischievous glint sparking within them. He"s enjoying this way too much.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, playing dumb, but inside, my heart rate is skyrocketing.

It would kill me if this great thing happening between me and Evie cost me my friendship with him.

He pats me on the shoulder. "Come on, man. You"ve been getting heart eyes every time I mention Evie"s name for years. And whenever I talked about anyone she was dating, you"d get all grouchy and silent. Correction, more grouchy and more silent than normal."

A giggle escapes out of Evie.

Levi faces her. "Oh, and don"t think this is all one-sided either, missy. Your crush on Fraser is as impossible to ignore as the inflatable T-Rex costume you wore for Halloween when you were ten."

"I was going through a dinosaur phase," she explains to me while smacking Levi"s arm.

I step in closer, standing squarely between my best friend and my girlfriend. "What are you saying, Levi?"

I"m pretty sure I already know but I want him to confirm it.

"What I"m saying is you guys are meant for each other. Why else do you think I set this whole thing up?"

"Because you love to meddle," Evie and I respond in unison.

"Ugh. Now is not the time for facts. I was hoping that one date would get you guys to see what you could have."

"Really?" I say. "This whole thing, you set it all up?"

"Yes, really. Dude, you"re the best guy I know. And I know that no matter what happens, you"ll never treat Evie like…"

He stops, shaking his head, and I"m glad he does. If I never think of jerkface or any of the other idiots dumb enough to squander their shots with Evie ever again, it"ll be too soon.

"You"ll treat her well," he continues. "I know this because I know you. You"re the most loyal and decent guy. Unless Dad has opened the door and is standing behind me."

I grin. "Coast is clear. No Dad."

"Okay, good." Levi turns to his sister. "And Evie, you"re my favorite sister. Unless Harper and Laney are standing right behind me, in which case, you"re in my top three favorite sisters."

Evie smiles. "No one is standing behind you."

"Great. So you"re back to being my favorite." He takes us both in. "So why wouldn"t I want the two people I love most in the world…unless Mom is behind me…to be together?"

"I"m gobsmacked," I say, as a wave of relief washes over me.

"Gobsmacked and dumbfounded," Evie concurs.

"Ooh, dumbfounded, that"s a good one."

"Bamboozled is also a good word," she says.

"Highly underused, if you ask me."

"Should we try to bring it back? I think we could bring it back."

"You guys are…You know what? I don"t think a word"s been invented to describe what you guys are." Levi snickers. "I"d hoped you two would get your act together at Bryce"s wedding, but I get it. It might"ve been too emotional an occasion. I was scheming up some other way to force the situation, but you beat me to it. Well, the media beat me to it, which for once, I"m grateful for the intrusion. But then I was getting concerned that your relationship wasn"t progressing. I mean, how long was I expected to wait for you guys to make it real? Come on."

Evie and I look at each other. "Still gobsmacked?" I ask her.

She nods. "Yeah. And all the other words. You?"

"Yep. Same. Also, very grateful to still be alive."

Levi places one hand on my shoulder, one on Evie"s, with the biggest, smuggest smile stretching his lips. "But when I saw you both tonight, I knew."

"Knew what?" I ask.

"That you"d finally gotten your act together and crossed the line to something real. You guys have this really cool energy. I can"t describe it. But it"s not something you can fake."

I glance over at Evie, take her hand in mine, and smile. "No. It isn"t."

She returns my smile before turning her attention back to Levi. "Wait. Why were you spying on us? That"s creepy."

"I needed a momentary reprieve. Mom"s in a mood."

"I take back the creepy comment. It all makes sense now. Why is Mom in a mood?"

"We don"t have five years to unpack that, Evie. But don"t worry, she"ll be fine once Fraser arrives. Fraser can do no wrong in her eyes."

Evie pokes her tongue out at me. "Told you you"re a suck up."

"I am not. Also, just a quick reminder, we are all adults, and this conversation isn"t very adult-like." I punctuate my statement by sticking my tongue out, and the three of us chuckle like the adults we are.

"Bottom line," Levi says, looking between us. "I honestly couldn"t be happier for you. On one condition."

Evie frowns. "What"s that?"

"I hear absolutely no details about anything romantic, romance-adjacent, or within a thousand-mile radius of romanceville."

"Deal," Evie and I say at the same time.

"Great. Now come in. Mom should have simmered down, but you don"t want to be late."

I glance at my watch. We"re thankfully still two minutes early, despite the unexpected conversation with Levi.

But he"s cool with us.

That"s one barrier down.

Now I just need to pull off my big plan, confess that I"m still a virgin, and who knows, I might actually be in with a shot of keeping Evie.

We follow Levi into the formal living room, where the rest of the Freeman clan are seated. I head straight for the matriarch.

"You look wonderful, Mrs. Freeman," I say extra loudly for Evie"s pleasure, knowing full well she"ll mock me mercilessly for it later.

"Fraser. So lovely of you to join us."

I kiss her on the cheek, and if she was in a mood before, I certainly can"t spot any signs of it now. She"s as polished and well-dressed as ever in a fitted black turtleneck sweater, tailored high-waisted trousers, and a belt adorned with a gold buckle.

I go over to Evie"s dad-slash-hockey legend. "Mr. Freeman."

"Fraser." He stands and gives me a solid handshake.

The man is the epitome of California cool. He"s still in great shape, with a thick head of sandy blond hair and warm hazel eyes. For how elegantly dressed Mrs. Freeman is, he"s his usual super casual self in a plain white T-shirt, board shorts, and flip-flops.

He and Mrs. Freeman couldn"t be any more different, and yet, they seem to be as happily married as my folks are.

"I was going to say we need to talk about your last game, but I assume you"ve heard anything I was going to say from Evie."

"About a hundred times."

She shoots me a faux-murderous look across the room. "Heard that."

"And I love hearing her notes every single time."

"Correct answer," Mr. Freeman stage whispers to me with a chuckle. "Also, call me Alex." He glances over at his wife. "But stick with Mrs. Freeman until she gives you the green light."

"Roger that."

I move on to the sisters next, giving them each a kiss on the cheek.

"How"s the world of reality TV treating you?" I ask Harper since it"s been a few months since I last saw her.

"Still as brutal, backstabbing, and cutthroat as ever. And that"s what happens off-camera."

"Oh."

She waits a beat before adding with a grin, "And I love every single second of it."

"That"s great." I turn to Laney. "I assume the world of hotel management in Comfort Bay is a little less cutthroat."

"You"d think that, wouldn"t you? But let me tell you, there is a whole underbelly in the hotel world that would blow your mind."

"Oh."

"That would actually make for a great reality TV show," Harper says.

"It totally would," Laney agrees.

They start cackling in laughter, and yep, I"m officially with the Freemans.

I know I"m going to be behind the eight ball all night. Might as well get comfortable, settle in, and hold on for dear life. I suspect that"s how someone as laid back as Mr. Freem—Alex survives in such a high-energy family.

"Dinner is ready, if you"d like to make your way to the dining room," Mrs. Freeman announces.

I take Evie"s hand, and she sways into me as we walk. "How are you doing?" she whispers.

"So far, so good."

We sit down next to each other, and I can"t help but notice Mrs. Freeman smile approvingly when I hold Evie"s chair out for her.

Evie clocks her mother"s glance, too, and yep, that"s another item she"ll be adding to her I"m going to rib Fraser about this list. For the record, I always hold her chair out for her because that"s how a man should treat the woman he loves.

The first course comes out, served by two butlers in fancy uniforms. I know the Freemans have domestic help, but I"m pretty sure these two were brought in for tonight only. Say what you want about the woman, but Mrs. Freeman knows how to throw a dinner party.

"Oh, no spice?" I say, concealing my relief as I take in the spice-less seafood chowder being placed in front of us.

"We"re saving that for the next three courses," Alex tells me.

"We"re having Indian tonight, but somebody felt like chowder," Mrs. Freeman explains, shooting a look at her husband that spells out in no uncertain terms who that certain someone is.

"Guilty." Alex raises his hand by his face, "So, it"s my fault and no one else"s that tonight"s dinner lacks thematic consistency."

"I never said that, Alex. Never mind." Mrs. Freeman forces a smile, and okay, I think we"ve stumbled upon what might have set her in a bad mood before our arrival. Here I was thinking it might have been something serious when it turns out it was about dinner thematic consistency.

"Welcome to the madhouse," Evie whispers as she reaches over for the sourdough bread.

"Hope you"re ready to handle some heat, Rademacher," Alex says, smiling at me from across the table.

"I"m sure his tolerance has increased since he was a teenager," Mrs. Freeman adds, then mutters something that sounds an awful lot like, "At least I hope so," under her breath.

"So, girls, what"s been happening?" Alex asks his daughters, and the first lightning round conversation of the evening gets underway.

Levi, who"s sitting on my other side, taps my leg and leans closer when the next course is brought out. "Avoid water and heap an extra spoonful of yogurt onto your plate. That will help you when you overheat."

"You said when, not if," I whisper back to him.

He claps me on the back. "Oh, Fraser, my man, you have no idea what you"re in for, do you?"

He"s absolutely right. I don"t.

Because over the next three courses, the dishes get progressively hotter and hotter. Levi"s tip to load up on yogurt seems to be doing the trick, though, even if Mrs. Freeman casts the occasional odd look my way. Not sure you"re meant to be consuming spoonfuls of yogurt the way I am, but if it gets me through this meal, that"s all I care about.

"You"re doing really well," Evie says, wiping beads of sweat off her brow with her napkin. "I thought the vindaloo would be your limit."

"His tolerance has matured," Mrs. Freeman says with an approving smile. "Should I get them to bring out some more yogurt, Fraser?"

"Yes, please. That"d be great, Mrs. Freeman."

After dinner, Mrs. Freeman invites everyone back into the formal living room. Evie excuses herself to use the powder room, so I take the opportunity to have a quiet word with Mr. Freeman.

There"s something important I need to discuss with him.

After about an hour chatting in the living room, Evie yawns and suggests, "Should we make a move?"

My stomach started making some strange gurgling sounds about ten minutes ago, so I"m happy to go. "Sure."

We say our goodbyes to everyone, and once we get in the car, the gurgling noises amplify.

"I"m so sorry," I say, completely embarrassed. "My body isn"t used to handling so much spice."

"I was surprised at how well you kept up."

"Can"t take all the credit. I downed about a gallon of yogurt. Levi"s suggestion."

Evie smiles. "He"s always looked out for you. You"re the brother he never had. I"m so glad he knows the truth about us and that he"s happy for us."

I"m about to say something when a pain rips through my gut accompanied by the loudest rumble yet. I clutch my stomach with my non-driving hand.

"Are you okay?"

"No. I"m not. I need to go to the bathroom. Stat."

The plan was to hang out at my place for a bit before dropping Evie back at her apartment, but her building is literally just around the corner.

"Let"s go to mine," she says.

"I was just thinking the same thing."

I screech to a stop outside her block. We race out of the car. Evie opens the front door for me, and I sprint into her bathroom.

I"ll spare you all the gory details—because believe me, they"re gory—but the pain is unlike anything I"ve ever experienced.

From now on, the hottest thing I"m eating is mild salsa. The Freemans can laugh at me all they want. Including Mrs. Freeman. Nothing is worth this kind of agony.

After a few minutes, there"s a tentative tap on the bathroom door. "Fraser. Everything okay in there?"

My stomach chooses that very moment to twist painfully, and even though there"s a door between us as well as the humming of a ventilation fan to conceal the unpleasant sounds emanating from my body, I don"t want Evie near any of this.

"I"m fine!" I call out.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Nope. Thanks."

"Should I call the doctor?"

"Also no."

"Hannah"s been raving about a naturopath who"s apparently helped her with?—"

"Evie!" I yell out. "I love you, but can I have some privacy please?"

"Oh." A brief pause, then, "Okay. Sure. I"ll leave you be."

"Thank you."

After an agonizing few minutes that feels more like a few hours, I"m finally feeling okay-ish.

I begin washing my hands and splash some water on my face when it hits me.

What I said to Evie.

Well, blurted out, actually.

I freeze—Macaulay Culkin in "Home Alone" style—my wide eyes staring back at me in the mirror.

Oh, no.

No, no.

No, no, no, no, noooooo!