Page 84 of One Bossy Date

Before I could approach them, my cousin Russel slapped my back, appearing beside me with a glass of whiskey. “I hear someone is finally becoming a daddy, huh?”

I gave him a tight smile.

“Yes.” I heard Dax call from behind. “Let’s hear all about it, shall we?” Dax appeared on my other side, swirling his glass of red wine. His grin was wide and teasing. I glared at him. So, my younger brother had decided to fuck with me. The dick. Dax was always up to some kind of fuckery. He knew damn well she wasn’t pregnant.

“Yes. It’s exciting,” I said curtly, hoping to brush over this topic.

“Tell us, brother. How far along is she?” His eyes sparkled with mischief, and he stood in front of me with his shoulder against Russel’s, as if they wanted to corner me in.

I smiled, taking the teasing in stride. “Thanks for your concern,brother. Not very far.”

“I’m sure your mother is ecstatic,” Russel said, oblivious to the sarcasm around him.

“She sure is, Russel,” Dax replied, enjoying himself immensely and taking a slow sip of his wine before conjuring up his next question. “So, tell us. Will you be moving, bro? Or are you having the baby here?”

“Oh, yeah, good question.” Russel seemed invested in my answer.

Dax’s shit-eating grin was on full display. So far, I’d tried to remain vague with my answers, but Dax’s clear enjoyment on my behalf was riling me up. He was obviously enjoying the fact that, for once, I was the one under scrutiny. Before answering, I took a quick glance around to make sure my mom wasn’t within earshot.

Luckily, she was on the other side of the room.

“I’m not too sure yet,” I said, smiling confidently. “We still have a lot of plans to make.” I earned an understanding nod from Russel, who was content with my answer. Then, I made a topic change that was sure to get the heat off me. “Have you asked Dax about his new job?”

“Oh, no, I haven’t.” Russel swiveled to face Dax, whose smile was now gone, simply because he hadn’t yet found a new job. Take that, fuck-stick.Two can play this brotherly game. I smirked into my soda as the air around us simmered. Dax could feel the heat for a while.

Time to get out of here. “Apologies, my fiancée is waiting for me. We’ll chat more soon, Russel.”

“And I have to fill my glass,” Dax said flatly, turning toward the drink table.Coward.

“Bring me one too,” Russel called to Dax, but he was already long gone.

I moved away quickly, heading toward Zoe, whose attention was still deeply ingrained in Aunt Gwendolyn’s conversation. For some reason, it warmed my heart to witness my great-aunt beaming at her, thankful for the attention she was getting from Zoe. At the same time, I could just about feel the daggers Dax was shooting at my back. It served him right, fucking with me, when he was the one who was still figuring his life out. He could explain that to our nosy family just fine without me.

I stopped in front of the ladies and gently touched Zoe’s shoulder.

“Oh, here he is.” She smiled up at me, still holding Aunt Gwendolyn’s arm. “Aunt Gwendolyn was just asking about you.”

“Come, Anders, my boy. Kiss your aunty hello!”

Clearly, she was more forgetful these days than I remembered. We’d kissed hello when she’d arrived, but I played along. The good thing was, she’d long forgotten about the nonexistent ring. Nobody else had noticed it either. One less thing to worry about.

“Hello, Aunt Gwendolyn.” I bent down and kissed her cheek. “I’m so glad you could make it tonight.”

“It’s no hassle, dearie! I’m so happy to see you finally settling down, my boy.”

“Thank you. I hope you’re still doing well in Meadows Walk?” I referred to the retirement village she lived in.

“Oh, no, I don’t walk anymore.” Aunt Gwendolyn shook her head, seeming almost disgusted. She turned to Zoe again. “It’s too taxing on my knees, you see.”

Zoe nodded emphatically. After another minute of confused conversation, I touched Zoe’s shoulder again. “I’m sorry, Aunt Gwendolyn, but may I steal my fiancée away?”

“Go along now.” She waved one delicate hand, shooing us from her presence with a wistful expression.

We stepped aside. “Thank you for being so patient with her. It means a lot.”

“Of course. She’s a trip.”

“True,” I agreed. “Aunt Gwendolyn is one of a kind.”