“It’s probably open. Jacob’s inside.” He glares at me disapprovingly and I shrug. “Country courtesy.”

I reach down and open the front door, and Blake half turns, threading me through the doorway with me still in his arms.

I groan in frustration.

If he had the least bit of hope left after the whole trailer park thing, it’s definitely gone after he gets a glimpse of the frat boy party happening in my living room.

Okay, not a whole party.

But at least a frat boy hang-out session.

Jacob and his best friend Angelo are flopped back on the couch, headphones on as they yell at each other and whoever is on the other end of their microphones. Their big, dirty tennis shoes are on my secondhand coffee table on either side of an open pizza box old enough that the cheese has congealed and I can see the cut lines on the three slices left.

“Come on, asshole. Get the key and meet me!” Jacob says, holding his game controller up as though that’ll help his on-screen character do what he wants. The movement of the door must catch their attention because I know they can’t hear us. Jacob’s eyes don’t cut away from the action on the screen, his fingers pushing buttons seemingly randomly, just tossing a greeting over his shoulder. “Hey, Zoey!”

But Angelo does look my way. His jaw drops open, and then he mouths, “What the fuck?”

He backhands Jacob, who shoulder checks his friend back. “Get the damn key! What are you doing?” A second later, he growls, “You let me die, asshole!”

When Jacob finally looks to Angelo, he follows Angelo’s eyes and his jaw drops, matching Angelo’s look of confusion at seeing me in some strange man’s arms just inside our front door. “Uh, Zoey?”

I wave, figuring I might as well fucking own this one. “Hey, guys. This is Blake. Blake, this is Jacob and that’s Angelo.”

Blake lifts his chin in greeting because his hands are full of me. “Where’s the bedroom?”

“You are not taking me to bed, Mr. Hale!”

Oh, yeah, I’m back to using his last name because he’s acting like all this is no big deal when it’s a Huge Fucking Deal. He’s in my house, I’m in his arms, and I’m introducing him to my family. Distance is needed.

Blake grunts, his face determined. “Yes, I am.”

“Zoey?” Jacob says, harsher and harder as he stands up, the game forgotten. He’s ready to defend me, which is so sweet of him. Angelo squares up next to Jacob, also ready to battle for my honor.