From September to December—or longer, God willing—Sundays in my house were designated for one thing.

Football.

It was a Briar sisters’ tradition, easily expanded when Sabrina married Bryan, who just so happened to love the sport as much as we did. Most weekends football Sunday was hosted at my place. Sabrina said it was because I had more seating, but the truth was, after a week of stay-at-home-momming, she preferred for me to be responsible for all the cooking and cleaning so she could lie back, prop her feet on my coffee table, and boss me around to get her another beer or more chips.

I was in the middle of making my famous jalapeno poppers when my cell rang. My forehead puckered in a frown at the unknown number on the screen. “Hello?”

“Hey, cutie. How’s it going?”

It took me a second to register who was on the other end of the line. “Camden?”

“You expectin’ a call from some other dude, baby?” he asked with a chuckle. That laugh and hearing him call me baby made my body react in a very unnerving way. My nipples hardened into stiff peaks, and my lady bits quivered.

“No, sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you to call. How’d you even get my number?”

“Called Tate and got it from her. What kinda fake boyfriend doesn’t have his fake girlfriend’s number, right?”

Cradling the phone between my shoulder and ear, I let out a laugh and went back to de-seeding the jalapenos so I could stuff them with cream cheese and wrap them in bacon. “I can see your point. So what’s up? I didn’t miss a date, did I? I don’t remember seeing anything on our schedule.”

“Nah, not until later in the week. I just got back from a run and was callin’ to see what you’re up to today is all.”

That quiver grew even stronger, taking me by surprise, and the spoon I’d been using to scoop the seeds from the jalapeno in my hand clattered loudly against the marble countertop.

Camden must have heard it through the line and asked, “Everything okay?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I just dropped my spoon.”

“Shit, cutie. Why didn’t you tell me you were eating? I can call you back.”

Now that I’d gotten over the initial shock at having Camden Knight call just to chat, I found I didn’t want to get off the phone. “No. No, it’s okay. I’m not eating. I’m cooking, just trying to get everything ready before kickoff.”

“Before kickoff?” he asked, his tone perking up.

“Yeah,” I replied, moving on to the next halved jalapeno. “It’s Sunday. Sundays are designated for football. My sister and her family are coming over here, so I’m in charge of snacks. The beef queso is already in the crockpot, I’ve got hot dogs to grill up, and I’m working on jalapeno poppers right now.”

“Sundays are designated for football?”

I was thrown by the bewilderment in his voice. “Well… yeah.”

“You like football?”

“Uh, hell yeah. Football and beer. It’s the American way.”

“Jesus Christ, cutie,” he grunted into the receiver. “You just keep getting’ better and better.” He said it like he was speaking to himself, not me, and hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

My cheeks burned hot as an oven, and even though he couldn’t see me, I lowered my head and bit my lip before replying. “I’m just being me.”

“Well, I’m glad I got the chance to meet the real you, Sut. I like her.” Before I had a chance to reply or stumble over my words, he asked, “So what time you want me over?”

“I don’t—what?”

“What time, baby?”

Oh my god.

“But… my sister’s coming… and her whole family.”

“Okay, I’ll bring more beer. What’s everyone drink?”

Oh my god!

“Um, Cam, I mean her whole family. That means my little niece and nephew too.”

“I’ll get juice while I’m at it. Are they allowed juice?”

Oh. My. God!

“They’re kind of, uh, crazy. I’m not sure—”

“Kickoff’s around one thirty, so I’ll be there by one. Text me a list of anything else you need me to pick up.”

He hung up before I could say anything else—like come up with an excuse to keep him away.

My fake boyfriend was coming over to watch football with me and my family.

My sister was a disaster on most days. My brother-in-law was über protective of all of us. And my niece and nephew were little terrors. Cute, but still terrors.

This was going to be a disaster.

* * *

Sabrina stopped the tortilla chip halfway to her mouth. “What do you mean, Camden’s coming over to watch the game?”

“I mean just that,” I replied, stirring the French onion dip with way more gusto than necessary.

“Camden Knight.”

“Yeah.”

“The hot celebrity.”

“The very one.”

“Is coming over here,” she continued.

“That’s what I said.”

“To watch football?”

I dropped the spoon and threw my hands up in the air as my freak-out hit maximum force. “You know, repeating it doesn’t change my answer.”

Sabrina looked at me with a shit-eating grin. “You’re totally freaked.”

“Of course I am,” I cried, going back to the dip. “My world-famous fake boyfriend basically just invited himself over to meet my family. Wouldn’t you be freaked?”

“Oh my god,” she said on a giggle. “You like him!”

My head shot up, and my eyes bugged. “What? No! No, I don’t.”

“You do! You totally like him! You like your fake boyfriend,” she finished in a singsong tone.

“Shut up,” I hissed, flinging the dip spoon at her before stabbing it back into the bowl.

Reaching across the counter, she slid the bowl away from me. “Babe, have mercy on the dip. Pretty sure it’s done. You stir any more and you’ll liquefy the onions.”

With a heavy sigh, my shoulders sagged. “Crap. Yes, okay? Yes. I like him. But not how you think!” I quickly amended before she could say anything to that. “I had a lot of fun with him Friday night. He was….”

“He was what?”

Dropping my head, I traced the veins in the counter as I answered, “He wasn’t what I expected, Brina. He was funny and sweet and thoughtful.”

“Uh-oh.”

My head snapped up at that, and I found her watching me with concern. “Why uh-oh?”

“You like him exactly how I think.”

“Brina, honey. It’s not like that. He’s just a good guy.”

“Yeah,” she snapped. “And so was our sperm donor. You think Mom would’ve hooked up with him if he hadn’t been all those things? Funny and sweet and thoughtful?”

My heart sank. “What are you saying?”

“I’m just tellin’ you to watch yourself. Men like that are typically all the same. You don’t see who they really are until you’re too tied up in them to get out.”

“Look,” I rushed out, knowing the rest of her brood would be heading back inside at any moment, “I’ve got this under control, okay? Just don’t tell Bryan about it being fake. The fewer people who know the truth, the better.”

“I won’t tell. I promise.”

The sliding door to the backyard opened and Annabeth and Liam came rushing in with Bryan following behind, a platter of perfectly grilled hot dogs in his hands. His eyes went to Sabrina and automatically lit like they always did. “The man’s work is done. Fetch me a beer, wench.”

“I’ll show you wench when you’re sleepin’ on the couch tonight,” she returned, but her voice held not an ounce of malice as he closed the distance, set the platter down, and leaned in to plant a kiss on his wife’s lips.

“Daddy sleeps on the couch all the time,” Annabeth declared with a ton of little girl authority. “He says it’s his special sleepin’ place.”

Bryan looked at me with a crooked grin and an eye roll as Sabrina glared down at her daughter. “Annie, what did Mommy say about tellin’ private things?”

“Not to, ’cause it’ll make you look like a witch when really it’s all Daddy’s fault.”

I tried to hide my laughter, which resulted in a loud snort before I burst into a fit of giggles.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Bryan drop his head to hide his grin, but Sabrina turned her murder eyes to me and missed it all.

The doorbell rang, and the potential Brina Blowup was postponed when her head shot in it’s direction and her eyes went big.

“You expectin’ someone else?” Bryan asked with curiosity.

“Uh….”

“I’ll get it!” Annabeth yelled as she ran to the door.

“Annie, no! What have we said about opening doors to strangers?” Sabrina called as we all rushed after her, but it was too late. She already had the door open and was staring up at Camden.

His gaze lifted from my niece, and the polite smile turned wicked the moment it landed on me. “Hey, baby.”

Then he crossed the threshold, wrapped me in his arms, and planted a not-so-kid-appropriate kiss in front of my entire family.