Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Rae

T he mirror above the bathroom sink wasn't big enough for me to see much of myself in the reflection so I had to trust that everything worked. I'd resurrected one of the outfits from my old life, hoping to impress. I grabbed my lipstick and dabbed a bit more on the center of my puckered lips as a knock sounded on my front door.

Butterflies took flight in my belly as I looked toward the front of the cabin and pulled in a steadying breath before heading in that direction. Zach stood on the other side of the door, dressed in a navy button-down and a pair of jeans that were substantially less faded than his usual ones. His boots were fancier than the ones he wore for work and buffed to a shine instead of covered in dust.

His clean-cotton scent was still there, but it was combined with a hint of spice and amber from his cologne that made me all tingly and warm.

"Wow," I said on a gust of air. "You look..." I didn't have the proper words to finish that sentence.

"Goddamn, baby. Right back at you." The air around us sparked with electricity as his lids lowered like they had weights tied to them. His gaze went molten, lighting me up from the inside. "That dress should be illegal." His nostrils flared, reminding me of a bull only seconds away from charging.

His arm shot out, banding around me and yanking me forward. My squeak turned into a giggle as I fell into him. Bracing my hands on his broad chest, I lifted up on the toes of my high-heeled sandals and pressed my lips against his.

"Hey, baby," he rasped once I lowered back down, smiling at me with an affection that warmed my heart. I would never get tired of him looking at me like that. Like I was everything.

"Hi," I returned, smiling giddily.

"Screw the party, I want to fuck you in that dress. Then I want to strip you out of it and do it all over again."

I laughed, feeling lighter than air. It was the effect Zach had on me. When he was around, I was just... happy . "We can't skip it. It's for you!"

He let out a groan, pulling my hips to his so I could feel the evidence of his arousal prodding my belly. "You feel what you do to me? I'm gonna walk around like this all damn night because of you."

Man, he was good for my ego, that was for damn sure. Knowing I could drive this man as crazy as he drove me made me feel incredibly powerful. "I'll make it worth your while, I promise."

"Fine," he said on a displeased grunt. He nipped my bottom lip. "You ready to do this?"

"Yeah. Give me a second." I turned and jogged back into the kitchen, grabbing the bottle of wine I'd bought in town earlier after borrowing Ivy's car. I really needed to learn how to drive a stick shift, for crying out loud.

"Ready."

He took the bottle from me and grabbed hold of my hand, lacing our fingers together. I pulled the cabin door open and let him lead me to his truck. I could have met him at his parents' house or his place after he got off work, but he'd insisted on picking me up. "You didn't have to bring anything."

I shot him a look as I climbed into the passenger seat when he held the door open for me. "Our moms are friends, so I know yours taught you not to show up at someone's house empty-handed just like mine did."

He chuckled and passed the bottle back to me. " Valid point." He closed my door for me as I buckled up then rounded the hood, climbing in behind the wheel. "This is going to be great," he assured me as he started the engine. "You'll see."

Lennix rushed out the front door of her parents' house, bounding down the steps, lunging forward, and wrapping me in a crushing embrace the second my feet hit the ground.

"I can't believe you're dating my brother!" she squealed loud enough to burst my eardrum. I pulled back with a wince, hoping she hadn't rendered me partially deaf. "This is the best news ever !"

"Jesus, Len. Give her some space, will you?" He yanked me from his sister's embrace and tucked me into his side, giving Lennix a frown. "You're either gonna crack all her ribs or scare her off."

She clasped her hands together beneath her chin and did a little dance-y hop. "Oh my God, you're so stinking cute, all protective over her and stuff. I love it! You two are so cute together."

I curled my lips between my teeth to hide my smile.

Zach rolled his eyes, but I could see the way the corners of his mouth twitched with a suppressed smile. "Are you about done losing your mind so we can go inside?"

Lennix shot her big brother a vicious glare and crossed her arms over her chest. "You know, she might be your girlfriend, but she was my friend first. Uteruses before dude-eruses, jerk face."

Zach tilted his face down to me like he was looking for some sort of confirmation. I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. "It's true. It's scientifically proven."

"Christ," he grunted, but I knew it was all in good fun. "The two of you teaming up together will be my nightmare, won't it?"

"Probably," Lennix chirped sunnily as she reached forward and grabbed me by the arm. She pulled me out of Zach's hold and looped our arms together, leading me toward the porch steps. "Consider this payback for the way you threatened every boy I ever brought home." She cast me a look and said, "He scared my prom date so bad the guy was afraid to lay a finger on me. I spent the entire night dancing by myself because he thought even that would be too intimate."

My head fell back on a deep laugh. Maybe Zach was right. Maybe this night wouldn't be so bad after all.

"This is ridiculous," Zach grumbled for the millionth time since we arrived at the party a little over an hour ago. "I can't believe you guys did this."

I'd laughed so much since Lennix pulled me through the door into her parents' house that the muscles in my stomach ached. This really had been the best night so far.

The cake in the center of the table had to have been the biggest sheet cake I'd ever seen. There was no way this group of roughly ten people was going to make a dent in it. The words piped across the center in swirly, feminine pink icing read Happy Adoption Day , and there were twenty-three bright sparkler-style candles lit up like flares.

The Paulson family went all out for Zach's adoption day party. There were mylar superhero balloons and streamers and printed out photographs of Zach through the years, only it appeared that they'd picked the worst, most unflattering ones to put on display.

Apparently, as soon as Becky called to inform them of Zach's and my relationship status, they'd gotten the brilliant idea to throw the most embarrassing party their imaginations could concoct, and they'd done a fantastic job. They'd even reworked the words to Happy Birthday to make it about adoption. Each terrible picture had a hilarious story behind it, and I hadn't been able to get enough.

As soon as the last strains of the song came to an end, Zach shot a scowl through the entire group and grumbled, "Tomorrow I'm findin' a lawyer and filing whatever is the equivalent of divorcing your family."

Rory came up to him, looking unfazed as she leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek. "Oh please. It's our right as your family to embarrass you in front of your girlfriend, and since this is the first one you brought to a family function, we're finally exercising that right."

I gaped at Zach. That was the first I'd heard of him never bringing another girl home, and I was beyond honored to be the first.

I lifted the glass of wine to my lips and took a sip, trying not to show how happy I was to have heard that.

Zach had been right when he said his parents wouldn't care that we were seeing each other. The moment I walked through the door, the Paulsons had treated me like one of the family. Rory had pulled me into the living room with her, Lennix, and Becky so they could share embarrassing stories. They made me feel like I belonged and gave me no reason to believe they were anything but happy to have me as their son's girlfriend .

Becky cut into the cake once the sparkler candles had been extinguished, plating massive pieces of cake and handing them out as people broke off into groups to chat.

Zach pulled me closer to him and leaned down to speak softly in my ear as I forked off a corner of my cake slice and took a bite. It was delicious. "You having fun, baby?"

I smiled up at him, my heart fuller than it had ever been. "I'm having the best time."

He grinned as he said, "I'm glad. I won't take offence that most of it is at my expense."

I giggled, rising up for a quick peck. I couldn't seem to stop kissing him. "Only a little bit was at your expense," I clarified. "But seriously, I love watching you with your family. You all love each other so much." I reached up and caressed his cheek, loving the way the short whiskers coating his jaw abraded my palm. "I'm so happy you all found each other."

He took my wrist, holding my hand in place and leaned deeper into my touch. "I am too. Only thing I'm happier about is the fact that I managed to find you too."

God, this man could undo me with only his words. Every time I thought my feelings for him couldn't possibly grow any bigger, he did or said something that proved me wrong. I was falling for him, spinning head over heels at lightning speed.

"You are the best man I've ever met, Zach Paulson," I whispered, my voice raw with emotion.

He came in for another kiss, this one bordering barely on the right side of appropriate. Seconds later, he was pulled away by some family friend who wanted to talk cattle. I took another bite of my cake and let my gaze scan over the room, taking everyone in. When my eyes landed on Rory, she was already staring at me. Her eyes were a little glassy and her expression was warm, her lips tilted upward ever so slightly as she placed a hand on her chest resting it right above her heart.

She'd witnessed that intimate moment between her son and me, and whatever she saw between us made her happy.