“Presley, this is my husband, Tim.”
Finn’s dad steps to me and gives Finn an approving look while shaking my hand. The next few seconds are a blur as I meet Jenna and James Hayes and learn my family was already introduced.
I’m still solid against Finn when I hear a crackling then a muted male voice in his earpiece.
“Shit, we gotta head to the unloading dock,” he tells Robbie. “There’s an unscheduled delivery, and the event planner is wrapped up with the catering manager.”
In a rush, he runs his lips over my temple again, places me next to my dad, and gives a chin jerk. Then he’s gone, Robbie on his heels.
Instantly, I miss the warmth of his body, but smile widely and link my arm through my dad’s. “You look dapper, Dad.”
He rolls his eyes, and the group laughs.
“You’ll learn my little girl has a knack for strange words,” he tells the crowd.
“Dapper is hardly a vernacular faux pas.”
This earns a strangled giggle from Ember, who hangs her head.
“Of course not, sweetie. Let’s go mingle a bit then find the bar.” Dad pats my hands and motions for Johnny and Reese to come along.
“Jeff, we’d love it if you guys would join our table,” Evelyn states hopefully.
He looks at me questioningly, and I give an approving nod.
“Evelyn, we’d love to. Give us a bit and we’ll find you.”
She shifts to Tim’s side and waves as we walk into the large ballroom. Once we’re far enough away, Dad stops, spins to me, and Johnny joins him at my side. He waves down the passing waiter and hands each of us a glass of wine.
“We approve,” is all he says as he clinks his glass to mine before taking a sip.
“I do, too,” Reese agrees and lifts her glass to her mouth. “Time to get out of safety territory. This guy is not in the safety universe.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourselves.” I ignore her last statement.
“I saw it. Hell, anyone in a fifty-yard radius saw it. He’s into you, completely into you, and not in an ‘I want to hook up’ way.” Johnny turns serious. “It’s still early, but from what I can tell, he’s solid. Good job, good friends, parents seems stable. I’m on board.”
“Me too. His eyes started to catch fire when he saw you walk in. I felt the heat across the room. He almost combusted waiting for you to get through security,” Reese points out.
And there it is… true approval from my family.
“I like him,” I admit. “But we’ve had one date, and it included a four-year old.”
Reese starts waving her hands. “And he put up with dipwad-ex Russell. Don’t screw this up by crawling in your head. He’s into you!”
At the mention of my ex, Johnny stiffens and Dad coughs.
“What?” Dad eyes me worriedly.
“No problem, Dad.” I explain what happened Wednesday night and how Russell finally left, uncomfortably.
“Good riddance. He was a tool,” Johnny says under his breath then lifts his hands to the air.
I follow his gaze and see Jenna and Evelyn motioning us to their large table, and my nerves start to fray. I can’t believe I’m about to have dinner with his parents. And he’s not even around!
Dad links his arm back through mine, and I let him lead me to the table. I look around for Finn but don’t find him anywhere. Instead, I see a bunch of guys in tuxes hovered in a corner, smiling at me warmly. One of them is the guy from the limo, who winks.
Suddenly, I’m flushed. I’m definitely in the hot seat tonight.