He shrugged again. “No, but it’s the price I pay to date a woman like you.”

“Like me?”

“Who can kick my ass.”

I pressed my lips together, trying not to smile, but it vanished with my next words. I pulled away from him. “I’m not the jealous type. But you’re texting a girl you’re attracted to and didn’t tell me.”

“Was attracted to. I don’t think about her like that anymore.”

“Because she’s pregnant.”

“Because she’s not you.”

I sighed. “Whispering in Darby’s ear that she’s beautiful?”

“You’re absolutely right. It was stupid. I was thinking about her feelings and not yours, which is the opposite of what I’d want to do.” He looked around. “Now that I think about it, that’s just idiotic. Why would I do that? I’m in love with you, not her.”

“What?”

Zeke frowned then cleared his throat. “Let’s back up.”

“Okay…?”

He held out his hands, palms out. “Only because that’s not something I want to say to you when I’m drunk. Or…” he began, seeing the horror on my face, “to scare you off. Fuck.” He rubbed his face with both hands. “Turns out, I’m making all kinds of stupid mistakes tonight.”

“Let’s just table this, go back to our guests, and we can come back to it later.”

Zeke nodded slowly. “You’re not going to dump me later, right?”

I frowned at the thought. “No!” I blurted out.

He hugged me tight. “I’m sorry, baby. I wanted today to be perfect.”

“Okay. Okay, let’s just get back out there. I don’t want a bunch of questions.”

He nodded then led me out by the hand. Only Peter seemed to notice we’d been gone. Watts was talking to Darby, and everyone listened intently to their conversation. There was something about her that mesmerized people. She was stunningly beautiful, but there was something more. Maybe it was her Southern charm, or something she exuded that made everyone around her want to be in her light.

You okay? Peter mouthed.

I nodded, irritated he’d noticed.

“You still working nights, Darby?” Watts asked.

“Yep,” she said. “What have you been up to?”

“Traveling, mostly. One of the guys has a house in Mexico on the beach. I’ve been spending a lot of time down there. Is that Laney girl still working afternoons?”

Darby’s smile was strained when she looked at Trex when she answered. “Lane? Yep.”

I poured Trex an ice water and handed it to him. He was standing across the room, watching everyone be as ridiculously obsessed with Darby as he was. Even Henry and Miles had stopped playing long enough to watch her every move.

“Uh-oh,” I said, the ice clinking against the glass when I handed it to him. “What’s that about?”