I fight back a smile. Mom might be the only person on the planet that Dad is afraid of, and it’s hilarious to watch the two of them. After chewing and swallowing, Dad’s eyes move to Dayton, and his gaze drops to where Dayton has his hand resting on my stomach. When Dad was finally coherent enough to talk about the fact that I’m pregnant, he told me that he’s excited. I’m not sure that would have been his response if he hadn’t had a near-death experience, but I was relieved that he didn’t use the word “disappointed” and that he wasn’t upset with Mom for keeping the news from him. I was also relieved that neither he or mom blamed me for his heart attack when my news felt like the catalyst for it.

“So, when are you two getting married?” Dad asks casually.

“Before the baby’s born,” Dayton replies at the exact same time I say, “We’re not.”

Turning to look at him over my shoulder, I frown. “What did you say?”

“Before the baby’s born, we’ll get married.” He says it as if it’s something we decided a year ago.

“We’re not getting married.” I laugh.

“We should,” he responds, and my expression turns to one of confusion.

“No, we shouldn’t.”

“Why not?” Dayton asks like I’m the one who said I never, ever wanted to get married and had a vasectomy, not him.

“Are you serious right now?” I scan his face, but his expression is unwavering, which gives me pause.

“Yeah.”

I blink. “You’ve never even had a girlfriend, and all of a sudden, you want to get married?”

“I think it would be smart.” He shrugs.

“Smart?”

Is this conversation really happening? I glance over at my mom and dad, and they both look totally invested in the topic while I’m beginning to get annoyed.

“It will make things easier in the long run.”

“I’m sorry—did you do some kind of drugs on the way over here to pick me up?”

“He’s right. It would be smart,” Dad inserts, and I look at him as my chest starts to burn.

“It’s not 1920. Women do not have to get married if they end up pregnant.” I get off Dayton’s lap. “And I just got divorced. I don’t even know if I ever want to get married again. Also—” I hold up my hand when it looks like he’s going to speak. “—you and I barely just agreed that we are, in fact, seeing each other. So how do we go from that to it all of a sudden being ‘smart’ for us to get married?” I glare at him and wait for him to reply. Not surprisingly, he doesn’t say a word. “That’s what I thought.” I turn my attention to my mom. “Can you drive me home?”