I spot Adley as soon as she walks through the door of Chloe’s favorite Italian restaurant. It’s a quaint little place, and when I stand up, she catches my eye from across the room and walks toward us. Chloe stands and gets to Adley before I do, greeting her with a warm hug.

“Sorry. I got here as quickly as I could,” she says, squeezing my sister before turning to sit beside me. “Did you already order?”

Her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes look a little red. I reach for her hand under the table. “Are you okay?”

Adley’s eyes widen. “Yeah. Great. I’m great. Why—why do you ask?” she stammers.

“You just look a little flustered.” I rub a thumb under her eye. “And your eyes are red.”

“They are?” Adley reaches for her face, and I regret mentioning it because now she looks insecure. “Probably because I’m stressed over this stupid test, and I’m exhausted and—”

She blows out a breath as though if she keeps talking she may start crying, and I cup her face in my hands. “Let’s get out of here.”

“No.” Closing her eyes, Adley shakes her head and wraps her fingers around my wrist. “I want to stay and hang out.”

“Are you sure?”

Her lids flutter open. “Positive.”

“Okay, but tonight when we get home, you’re relaxing. You need a break.”

Adley nods and turns to Chloe. “Sorry.”

Chloe holds up both hands, unfazed by our interaction. “Don’t be. I know how stressful that shit can be. College is a bitch, and then when it’s over, it isn’t really over.”

I wrap Adley’s hand in mine and rest it on my thigh. “Speaking of college, did you register for graduation?”

“Yes,” Chloe says, rolling her eyes. “And speaking of graduation, I know about the party tomorrow.”

“Rose told you? I thought it was supposed to be a surprise.”

I’m not sure if she notices she’s doing it, but at the mention of Rose’s name, Adley’s grip on my hand tightens.

“It was, but we live together now, so it’s kind of hard to keep things like that a secret.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Our waitress stops at our table and places a glass of ice water in front of Adley. “Are you guys ready to order?”

“I’ll have the chicken alfredo,” I tell her.

“Ooh, that sounds good.” Chloe scrunches her nose. “I was going to go with the tortellini, but the chicken alfredo sounds good. What are you getting, Adley?”

“Oh, um…” Adley looks down at her menu. “I think I’ll have the lasagna.”

“Great choice.” Chloe grabs my menu along with Adley’s and hands them to the waitress. “I’m going to have the lasagna too.”

“You’re so indecisive.”

“What?” Chloe laughs, her eyes dancing. “The lasagna sounds great.”

After the waitress is gone, Chloe pins me with a look. “Please tell me you aren’t paying for the graduation party.”

“I’m not. It’s all Roy and Rose. And don’t worry, it’s not big, just a few close friends and family.”

And speaking of family, now would probably be a good time to tell her I invited Dad.

“Will you be there?” she asks Adley.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

“About the party, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Okay, what’s up?” Chloe grabs her water and takes a drink.

“I invited Dad.”

Chloe spits out the water she just sipped, and Adley jumps to avoid it.

Wiping her chin with a napkin, Chloe says, “Why on Earth would you do that?”

“Because he’s our father.”

Chloe glances toward Adley, and I know she wants to say something about our childhood, but is afraid to in front of someone else.

“She knows.”

“Good, then I don’t feel bad for what I’m about to say. He was a shit father. Still is.”

“Have you been over there recently?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

Chloe has always helped me with Dad, but she prefers to have little interaction, so she chooses to do things like landscaping and yard maintenance.

“No, I’ve been busy.”

“I know you have. But he’s been different lately.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Chloe rolls her eyes. “Come on, Linc, you aren’t seriously going to fall for that shit, are you? He’s done this before. He gets sober, is nice to us for a few days, falls off the wagon, and reverts back to his normal asshole self.”

I shake my head. “He’s different this time.”

“Different how?”

“I can’t explain it. It’s just something you’ll have to see. But I truly believe he’s different.”

“Linc—”

“Listen…” Reaching across the table, I place a hand over Chloe’s. “I know he’s an asshole. And I know it’s easier for you to pretend he doesn’t exist half the time. But I wouldn’t have invited him if I didn’t think he was actually trying to make some changes. I told you about the albums, didn’t I?”

“Yes,” she huffs. “But that doesn’t mean anything.”

“I know it doesn’t. And this is just as hard for me. I’m not asking you to forgive him or trust him again, because Lord knows that’s something I may never be able to do. But I’m asking you to have an open mind and an open heart. He can’t change the past, but he also can’t change the present or future if we don’t give him the room to do so.”

“I’m never going to forgive him.”

“I know that. You don’t have to look at him or talk to him if you don’t want to. And if you really don’t want him there, tell me now, and I’ll call the whole thing off.”

Chloe links her hands behind her head and looks up at the ceiling. When her eyes find mine again, I see the resolve. “He can come.”

Adley sniffs beside me, and when I look at her, she’s wiping a tear from her cheek.

“Sorry.” She reaches for a napkin and blots under her eyes. “You two have been through so much, and I know this isn’t easy on either one of you. But you’re being so strong, and I’m proud of you. I’m a little emotional today, so you’ll have to forgive me.”

She looks over at me. Her tremulous smile makes me want to reach out and kiss her. Instead, I take her hand beneath the table. Our fingers interlace, and she seems to relax.

“I love this. I love the two of you together.”

Chloe’s smile is the widest I’ve ever seen it.

“I know we talked about getting together sometime soon, and I hope we can still do that,” she says to Adley.

“I’d love that. Let’s plan something before we leave tonight.”

I’m surprised by how relaxed I feel about the two of them getting together. Maybe it’s because Adley knows about my childhood, or because I’m comfortable in our relationship. Either way, it feels good.

“Absolutely. So, tell me about your family,” Chloe says. “Linc told me you have a few brothers, but Rhett’s the only one I’ve met.”

“I do. I have four brothers.”

“Wow. That must be difficult. I have a hard time putting up with just this guy,” Chloe says, pointing at me. “I couldn’t imagine having three more.”

“It’s not too bad. They’re a little overprotective.”

“A little?” I say, grabbing my water.

Adley nudges my arm. “They’re not that bad.”

“How are they gonna handle it when they find out you’re dating Linc?”

“They’ll be fine.”

I furrow my brow. She doesn’t really believe that, does she?

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Adley looks at Chloe and then at me before repeating herself. “Yeah, they’re going to be fine. You’re practically a part of my family. My brothers love you.”

“Because they don’t know I’m dating their little sister. Trust me, once they find out, they’re going to be pissed. Especially Rhett.”

“When are you going to tell them?” Chloe asks.

“We’ve only been official for a week,” Adley tells her. “The moment hasn’t exactly presented itself.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

The more I think about it, the more pissed at myself I get. I should’ve talked to Rhett long before now. It doesn’t matter that Adley and I have only been official for a week. The longer we wait, the more pissed he’s going to be.

And her parents…shit. I don’t even know what they’re going to think. My stomach sours as I imagine sitting down to have dinner with the Allens—something I’ve done more times than I can count—and explaining to them that the man their daughter is dating can barely pay rent because he’s financially responsible for an alcoholic father and his kid sister.

Knowing the Allens, they’ll rally around me, do whatever they can to help. I don’t honestly think they’ll shun me or look at me as anything other than Rhett’s friend. But it’s still nerve-wracking.

“We’ll tell him soon. Maybe we’ll have him and Mo over for dinner or something. And then we’ll tell the rest of your family.”

“That sounds good. And Mo will make a great buffer.”

“Who’s Mo?” Chloe asks.

Adley smiles. “Rhett’s fiancée. Linc and I are both in the wedding.”

Our waitress approaches our table, her arms full. “I have food.” One by one, she sets our plates in front of us. “Does everything look right?”

“It looks perfect,” Chloe says, unwrapping her silverware.

“Delicious,” I add, my mouth already watering.

But when I look at Adley, she’s frowning at her food.

“Something wrong?” I whisper.

Her head snaps up. “Oh, no. It looks wonderful. There’s just a lot there, that’s all.”

The waitress laughs. “We don’t want you to leave hungry. Let me grab you some more water, and I’ll be right back.”

“Should we say grace?” Adley asks.

Chloe and I look at eat other at the same time and say, “Grace!”

Adley laughs and grabs her fork. “Good enough for me. Let’s eat.”