He leans into my touch and closes his eyes. “I’m the luckiest man alive.”

“And who might this be?” We both turn to face the woman standing beside us. Tall and slender with dark hair, she smiles warmly. It’s the same smile that Jaxon has.

Jaxon wraps his arm around my waist. “Mom, this is Raegan.”

I extend my hand. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Waters.”

She waves my hand away and pulls me into a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you, Raegan. I’ve heard so much about you.”

I lift an eyebrow at Jaxon before his mother releases me. “All good things, I hope.”

She laughs softly. “Thank you for coming. I hope you’ll come back to the house for dinner later.”

“Oh, I don’t want to intrude on your family time.”

“Nonsense,” she says. “As Jaxon’s girlfriend, you’re part of our family now. Oh, there’s Mrs. Filmore. Excuse me.”

Jaxon pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry about that.”

I smile and squeeze his arm. “She’s sweet.”

“You don’t have to come back to the house if you don’t feel comfortable.”

“Do you want me to come?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then I’ll be there.”

My eyes skate over to where Jaxon’s father is standing several feet away. I know it’s him because Jaxon’s the spitting image of him. Tall and tan. Dark, intimidating eyes.

Eyes that are zeroed in on me.

That’s when I remember: Jaxon’s father had been the one to get the search warrant. Jaxon believes that I didn’t steal his grandmother’s ring … but his father might not share that same belief.

“So, Raegan, how long have you been teaching At Roosevelt?”

“Six years.”

“Aren’t there rules about dating a staff member?” Jaxon’s brother, Josh, asks.

The real Josh.

I look around the table, hoping my face isn’t as red as the tomato sauce in my bowl. “Well, we plan on keeping things quiet until the summer. We’ll figure out what to do from there.”

“Ah, yes. You’re a professional when it comes to keeping things quiet.”

Jaxon’s hand balls into a fist. “Don’t fucking start, Josh.”

“Make sure you check her purse before she leaves.”

Jaxon pushes out of his chair, but I pull his arm.

Mrs. Waters puts her hand up. “Enough. I don’t want to hear another word about that ring. Raegan is a guest in this house and you will treat her with respect.”

Josh mutters something inaudible before chugging the remainder of his scotch, his third glass.

“I know it must be hard to believe,” I say. “I’m a stranger and the ring is gone. But I can assure you that I didn’t steal anything from your family, and I’d never do anything to hurt Jaxon.”