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Ty: I can’t stop thinking about you.

So. Damn. Sweet. I bit my lip as I considered my reply.

Why had we not done this earlier?

Right.

We hadn’t been ready yet.

Andi: Well, there’s a remedy for that, ya know?

Ty: So, you say you’re coming over tonight?

Andi: Or, you could come to me.

Ty: So long as we come.??

Andi: I wouldn’t want your half-and-half to go to waste …

I snorted at my fake-casual reply. Right. Because groceries spoiling was my key concern, not the orgasms we’d be missing if we weren’t together.

***

Trivia night became much more interesting after Ty and I made things official, though we sat at separate tables. My team thought it washilariousto synchronize making moony faces at Ty. Jimmy had perfected lash fluttering, but Chase still looked like a cross between getting dust in his eye and faking a seizure. Shelly had taken to joining us regularly, dragging Sam along when he was free, and she was the worst of the bunch. At some point she’d grabbed a picture of Ty and I canoodling in the hall between rounds and got it printed on a T-shirts withi ship it. She distributed them to our whole team. All of Trebek’s Rejects in their matching T-shirts, staring Ty down longingly didn’t go unnoticed. It became a game between our tables. We’d moon, and the Knit Wits would retaliate by mouthing “I love you” and holding their hands overhead in the shape of hearts. Our teams were still neck and neck for the most wins for the trivia season and the competitive edge between Ty and me made Thursday nights extra hot when we were finally alone together. Things between us were nearly perfect.

As happy as I was with how our relationship was progressing, I had to wonder – why hadn’t I been invited to family dinner night yet? Or Rosie’s monthly Uncle Ty Sleepover? I could understand not spending the night with him and Rosie when she visited, but he seemed reluctant to share his time with her. Not that we had to do everything together. We didn’t. But I was beginning to feel paranoid he was keeping me away from his sister and the rest of his family. Did they not approve of our relationship? The exclusion hurt. But I didn’t know how to approach the topic with him. Outside of that little snag, everything was so good between us.

Glancing at Melena, snuggled up against Jimmy in our trivia booth, content under his casual arm, I had to wonder: had my rejection of her hurt this much? I’d been a royal pain, mispronouncing her name and wearing black to their wedding, accusing her of taking advantage of Jimmy. Not accepting her as family. Over time, I’d relented, working to mend my relationship with her, but being on the other side made me realize I still had a lot to atone for. It was fine to protect the ones we loved, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t make room for new family. Treating love as a finite resource had only stifled Jimmy when I should have been supporting him.

In between questions I blurted out, “Hey, Melena. How about I take you out to lunch this week? Do you have time?”

The glint of approval in Jimmy’s eye when Melena accepted didn’t assuage my guilt, but it was a start.

Trebek’s Rejects wrapped up another trivia night victory, and I couldn’t help my triumphant smile as Ty dropped by our table to take me home.

“Hey, Ty. You want to join us Wednesday for some gaming?” Chase asked after a suitable amount of ribbing about the Knit Wits’ loss.

Ty shifted a quick glance my way. “Actually, that’s family dinner night, and I’m hoping Andi will join me this week.”

My pulse picked up. Finally. Who would have imagined an invite to family dinner as the highlight of my week? My month? It felt like a promotion, going from exclusively dating to true partner.

“Ooooh …” my team teased in unison.

Sometimes they really were of one mind. One puny, single-celled mind. Like they were watching a tennis match, six gazes swung from Ty to me. Our gallery of interested bystanders remained silent as I pretended to think it over.

“Hmm … okay,” I said with mock reluctance to hide my racing heart.

“Ahhhhh …” the satisfied moan from Chase and Jimmy made Ty grin.

“Andi and Ty, sitting at the dinner table …” Tamra started.

“Telling his family their relationship is stable …” Shelly continued.

Melena stared into the distance for a moment before snapping her fingers. “Got it.” Her wicked grin should have warned me. “First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes Ty sitting at the Rejects table!”

She, Shelly, and Tamra snickered at their own terrible rhyme while the others watched indulgently. Ty shook his head, all smiles now that I’d said “yes” to family dinner. I held back my snort. Not like my acceptance had been in doubt. It was only the invitation I’d been waiting for. Surely, he could see my heart eyes?

“You ready to go home?” he asked with a hand over mine.