Page 78 of The Hot Shot

“Good to see you, man,” he says, stepping back, his gaze darting to Chess.

I make the introductions, give Emily the standard hello kiss and ask how she’s doing with her pregnancy. Yes, I knew. I just hadn’t seen the visual proof until now. Soon enough, Chess and I are tucked together on a love seat as my family not so subtly grills us for information.

“So,” my mom says, margarita in hand, “how did you two meet?”

“I took nude photos of Finn,” Chess says before biting into a tortilla chip loaded with guacamole.

Mom chokes on her drink as Glenn laughs, and my dad holds back a smile. Chess pauses, mouth filled with chip, and her creamy skin goes brilliantly pink.

“Shit,” she mumbles around her food, as I start to laugh. “I didn’t mean...”

“I was posing for a charity calendar,” I tell them, taking pity on Chess. “Chess is a professional photographer.”

Weakly, she nods as she takes a bracing sip of her drink.

“Finn must have made a good impression,” Emily teases with a wink.

“Jesus, Em,” Glenn blurts out, still laughing.

“What? All I’m saying is that a girl can get a little sidetracked seeing a naked guy.”

“Oh, he wasn’t the only one nude,” Chess assures, then catches herself again and grimaces. “I mean, I saw a lot of other dicks— Shit.”

My father loses it and starts laughing in that low, wheezing way of his.

“Fucking hell,” Chess mutters, now tomato red. The cuss words seem to make her even more mortified, and she buries her face into the crook of my shoulder. “Let me die now.”

My heart gives a weird sort of lurch at her unexpected turn to me for comfort and protection, and I wrap my arm around her slim torso, snuggling her close. “Maybe have a few drinks before you speak again,” I tease, pressing my lips to her hair. “You know, to loosen up your tongue.”

Her small fist punches my abs. “Shut up,” she says into my shoulder, her breath heating my shirt.

Because she’s my girl here in this moment, I grab her fist, press it to my heart, and then kiss the top of her head. I don’t even notice my family gaping at me until I lift my head.

The look on my mom’s face is so relieved, she’s almost weepy with it, and it sends an uncomfortable prickle of guilt down my neck. That look tells me she’ll no longer worry that I’m lonely, but it’s too hopeful. She glances at Emily, and her happy smile grows.

She’s finally getting her grandbaby.

At my side, Chess is still bemoaning her big mouth.

“Don’t worry, Chess,” my dad says, leaning forward to give her a gentle pat on the knee. “You’ll fit in here just fine.”

Chess lifts her head, brushing the inky strands of her hair away from her face. I miss the contact immediately.

“Somehow, I doubt you continuously stick your foot in it,” she says to my dad with a wry smile.

“No,” he agrees with a chuckle. “But Finn certainly does, and we’ve decided to keep him around.”

“That and, whenever he loses a game, I get sympathy drinks at the bar,” Glenn adds with a wink.

Absence has made me forget what a dickhead Glenn can be.

Chess takes a cool sip of her margarita before replying. “You must not get many free drinks, then.”

It’s right there, on my parents’ sunbaked patio, with the tart taste of margarita on my tongue and the sound of Chess’s husky voice in my ears, that my heart, brain, and body come to one simple agreement: this woman is mine.

Dad starts telling Chess about places she should visit in San Diego, and I help my mother take in the empty chip bowl. She doesn’t need the help, but I have a few words for her.

As soon as we’re in her sunny kitchen, she rounds on me. “All right, let’s have it, then.” She braces herself against the counter.