She could feel the stiffness of two days’ worth of double shifts as soon as she opened her eyes.

But it was worth it, she thought.

Two nights ago, she and Jack had been close to fucking in a bar bathroom. By signing up for those double shifts, she’d avoided him completely since then.

Addy listened closely, but the rest of the condo seemed to be silent. They hadn’t spoken since that night. A couple of cursory nods when they passed each other coming or going in the living room had been the only contact they’d had.

Now, the condo sounded empty.

She couldn’t stop replaying what had happened in that bathroom in her head. It had consumed her during each of those eighteen-hour shifts.

Thank God waiting tables didn’t take much concentration after a certain point, she thought.

She’d been on autopilot, but it was good to keep her hands busy.

Huh. Is it weird to masturbate in his bed? she wondered.

Addy slid a hand down her taut belly and below her underwear. With knees drawn up and thighs spread open, she surprised herself by how wet she already was. A couple of light flicks across her clit, and she heard her breathing grow ragged.

“Jack,” she whispered, and the memory of his cock, hard and hot in her hand, rushed to her memory.

“Fuck.” She pushed away the blankets and sat up.

Would they actually have done it that night? Probably.

It had been nearly impossible to stop herself even when she’d heard Kenzie’s voice on the other side of the door. That ache she’d had for him, deep in her center, had stayed with her ever since.

“Stay busy,” she told herself.

Addy glanced at the clock. It was almost nine o’clock in the morning. Too late to call into the restaurant and pick up another shift. She had a lot of hours in the day to fill.

She flopped onto the couch and popped open her laptop. At least it would be a little easier to avoid the temptation of getting herself off when she wasn’t in bed. She opened Facebook and got a whiff of Jack’s cologne.

Of course the couch would smell like him, she thought. But she straightened her back and trudged forward—directly to his Facebook page.

Addy could tell the page had been carefully cultivated, but it wouldn’t be obvious to anybody else. There were scores of pictures of them together.

One photo, the one taken right after the glider trip, had a boosted comment from one of Jack’s friends about throwing them a reception to celebrate. She didn’t know who the guy was, but he made a good point.

If this was a real marriage, wouldn’t it be weird if they never had a reception or party with their friends to celebrate the elopement?

She turned it over in her mind. Addy pictured the perfect white dress. Maybe they could even have another ceremony in town? A more traditional one. She could see herself as she walked down the aisle, Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” performed by a string quartet.

In her mind, she walked alone. That stung briefly, for just a moment, but even in sheer fantasy she couldn’t fathom her father getting it together enough to walk her down the aisle. Jack would be waiting at the end in a sharp tuxedo, that smile across his face that made her wobble—

Stop it. You’re being ridiculous.

Addy sighed. She really was. It was clear even to her that this fantasy was more about a wedding and less about making sure their little ploy was believable. But is it about the wedding, or the marriage?

Her phone vibrated against her thigh and brought her back to reality.

I’m getting relieved from on-call duties this evening, be home for dinner, Jack texted.

Is he going to act like nothing had happened? After two days of silence? she thought.

Sounds good, she texted back. It was already almost four in the afternoon.

Shit. Did I really spend all freaking day on Facebook and fantasizing about weddings? Addy jumped up and threw herself into making a lasagna. Thank God for a stocked kitchen.

It had been one of the tasks besides work in the past two days to keep her busy and away from possibly running into Jack.

She preheated the oven and put on a pot of water to boil. Addy warmed olive oil and browned ground beef in a saucepan, then added garlic and oregano. As she added in the marinara, salt and pepper, she drained the cooked noodles and drizzled a touch of olive oil across them to prevent sticking.

This was her zone, in the kitchen and surrounded by food.

I should have relieved one of the cooks instead of busting my ass on tables the past two days.

Addy pulled out one of the heavy glass bowls from the cupboard and began to combine the ricotta, parmesan and parsley. She layered the sauce, noodles, and cheese in a casserole dish precisely and expertly. Even in her rush, she saw that it was restaurant quality.

“Perfect,” she whispered as she opened the oven door to start baking.

Addy almost dropped the entire dish as her phone rang in her shorts pocket. Kenzie.

“Kenzie? Everything okay?” she asked as she put the phone on speaker and set it on the counter.

“No,” Kenzie said quietly. She could hear the tremble in her voice. “It’s Dad—”

“What happened?” Addy pulled the phone to her ear. “Is he okay?”

“He’s… distraught,” Kenzie said.

“Distraught. What does that mean? What happened?”

“He won’t get out of his chair. Can you… come help?” Kenzie used the little girl voice that always worked on everyone in the family.

“Kenzie! Is he breathing? Is he alright? Do you need to call an ambulance—”

“Yes! He’s breathing, he’s alive, if that’s what you’re asking. God, do you think I’d call you if I thought he was dead?”

“I don’t know, Kenzie! Yes? Probably.”

“Wow, thanks! But seriously, Addy, he’s really out of it.” Really drunk, you mean. “Can you please just come help? I know you had the whole day off—”

Addy gritted her teeth. “I—fine. Yes, okay. I’ll be there soon.”

Addy hung up, slammed the oven door, and set the timer for twenty minutes. That was one of the perks of Jack renting at the best complex in town. Fancy kitchen gadgets with automatic timers. She pulled a sticky pad out of the junk drawer and started to scribble a note to Jack.

“Hey.” Addy nearly jumped out of her skin at his voice.

“Jack! I didn’t hear you come in. I was just leaving you a note—”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said defensively. “Why?”

“Addy, I can tell you’re upset. What’s wrong?”

She sighed. “It’s my dad—”

“Is he okay?”

“Yeah, sure. If you consider drunk and passed out okay. Kenzie just called, she wants me to go over there and help.”

“I’m going with you.” He looked exhausted in wrinkled scrubs.

“No, stay. Dinner will be ready in twenty, so just help yourself to—”

“Addison. I’m going with you.”

Something in his voice told her not to argue. She let him usher her toward the door as visions of what they were walking into raced through her head.

“Jack, my dad doesn’t even know you. What will I say? Honestly, I don’t even know how much he knows about our whole… situation.”

“We’ll read the situation when we get there,” Jack said calmly. “I’ll just be your doctor friend if he doesn’t know.”

Jack opened the passenger door for her. It overwhelmed her, all of it. He didn’t have to be so kind to her. She leaned up and hugged him close. But the scent of him, the nearness of him, knocked her right back to the bar bathroom.

“Let’s, um… let’s go,” she said.

He’d barely parked in the driveway before she had the door open and rushed up the stairs. The front door was open, as always. It looked like Kenzie had every light in the house on.

“Dad! Come on, let go!” Kenzie cried from the living room.

Addy rushed toward the sound, faintly aware of Jack’s footsteps behind her. Kenzie leaned over the recliner and tried to pry a bottle of whiskey out of their father’s hands.

Instantly, Addy was embarrassed.

I shouldn’t have let Jack come.

She saw her whole messed up family in a new light. Even from feet away, she could tell her dad smelled awful. He obviously hadn’t showered or eaten a decent meal since she’d moved in with Jack.

God. Have I really not seen him since then?

Her dad rolled his eyes toward Addison. Well. At least he’s awake.

“You,” he stammered. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I called her, Dad,” Kenzie said.

She took his distraction as an opportunity to finally wrench the bottle from his hands.

“I don’t need you interfering in my life,” her dad growled at her.

She frowned at him, but he wasn’t about to start taking her social cues.

“Ungrateful. Just up and leave us when we need you—who’s this?” he asked, finally aware of Jack.

“I’m Jack Stratton,” Jack said calmly. “I’m a doctor at the new hospital.”

“A doctor, huh?” her dad asked as he eyed him. “Well, good for you.”

“Mr. Fuller, do you mind if I ask you a few questions? Do a basic checkup?”

Addy was shocked her father didn’t immediately object. Instead, he looked at Addy and Kenzie carefully.

“Since you’re already here…” her dad said.

“Addy, Kenzie? Do you mind giving us some privacy?” Jack said.

It wasn’t really a question.

Kenzie gripped Addy’s arm as they bolted out of the living room.

“Oh my God, thank God you’re here,” Kenzie said. “I didn’t know—”

“How could you let him get this bad?” Addy demanded.

She shook Kenzie’s grip off her arm.

Kenzie blinked. “He’s an adult, you know …”

Addy hung her head. She felt betrayed—and responsible.

Of course Kenzie didn’t take care of him. You knew she wouldn’t. What the hell were you thinking?

“Kenzie,” she said slowly. “I came back here, dropped out of college, to take care of things so they wouldn’t turn out exactly like they are right now. It’s only been a few weeks, and… and…”

She stopped as her dad walked straight through the kitchen, took a water out of the fridge, and continued to the back of the house toward his bedroom.

“What the…” Kenzie started.

Jack followed close behind. “Your dad is going to take a shower,” he said. “Then all of us are heading back to my, uh, our place, for dinner.”

“Dinner? But I had plans…” Kenzie started to complain. Addy shot her a look that shut her up immediately.

Good to know the big sister warning shot still works.

“How did you do that?” Addy asked. “What did you say to him?”

“I’ve been trying to get him to just sit up for days,” Kenzie said.

“It’s nothing,” Jack said.

The three of them hovered in the kitchen in silence as they listened to the sound of the shower running.

“All set!” her dad said.

He appeared in the kitchen freshly showered in a button-up shirt and jeans. His eyes were still bloodshot and there were burst vessels across his nose, but it was the nicest—and soberest—she’d seen him in years.

“Let’s take two cars,” Jack said. “Kenzie, you mind driving your dad?”

Addy kept an eye on the headlights behind them as they wound toward the condo. There were a million questions she wanted to ask Jack, but none of them managed to make their way out.

As soon as the four of them stepped into the condo, they were hit with the rich, hearty aroma of a perfectly crafted lasagna.

She was nervous as she served the table and kept an eagle eye on her father. He behaved perfectly, though she kept waiting for his usual drunken self to emerge.

It was something about Jack, she realized. It had her dad on his best behavior.

“This is amazing, Addy,” Kenzie said. “Seriously, we should add this to the menu.”

“Good stuff, kid,” her dad said. He sat beside her and smelled like his old self, of Old Spice aftershave and Dove soap. Like how he used to smell when Mom was alive. “You know, you should find yourself someone like Jack, here,” he said.

Addy shot a look to Kenzie.

Really? She hadn’t told their dad? Kenzie’s eyes widened to feign innocence.

“I think your daughter’s doing pretty good,” Jack said quickly.

Addy hurried to clean up the plates as they finished up. “Kenzie, it’s getting late. Maybe you should get Dad home?”

Kenzie looked at her phone.

“Yeah, I have something to get to tonight, anyway,” she said. “Come on, Dad. I’ll take you home.”

For once, Kenzie’s social life worked in my favor.

It felt strange to hug her dad goodbye, but for a second it felt like the old days.

“Need some help washing?” Jack asked.

“Sure,” she said with a shrug. “Just need to get the cheese off, mostly. The dishwasher will take care of the rest.”

She stole glances at him beside her at the sink. When she checked to make sure the table was clear, she returned to his broad back bent over the farmhouse sink while he scrubbed away at the casserole pan. Overwhelmed, she embraced him from behind.

“Thank you for today,” she whispered.

He started to turn. Before she could get herself into trouble, she ran off to her room.