The Secret Ingredient to Falling in Love

Chapter 34. Loud And Clear.

I open the front door with a giant grin. Zander matches my smile half-heartedly, his hands wringing together nervously. I reach forward and gently pull his hands apart, intertwining our figures and leaning up to kiss his nose. Dropping back down to my heels, I pull him into the hallway and nudge the door shut behind him.

"You'll do great, it's just dinner."

He blows out a shaky breath and nods, "I'm just really nervous, I mean, our first encounter wasn't exactly on dating terms."

"I know but -"

Dad walks in with a wide grin, "Zander! Welcome back, son!" He slaps his hand down on Zander's shoulder, causing him go rigid under Dad's touch. He looks over at me terrified. I cover my mouth to hold back a laugh, nodding my head towards Dad, who is still waiting for his response.

Zander gulps and his eyes close as he brings in a shuddering breath, then he turns around with a straight face. "Nice to see you again, Sir." He grips Dad's hand tightly, shaking it firmly.

Dad looks down to their hands with amusement, "Respectful, firm grip, and still a little nervous?" He looks up to gauge Zander's reaction, obviously very happy to see the slight tint of pink gracing his cheeks. He looks past Zander's shoulder to smile at me brightly. "I like him already."

I grin widely, sending Dad a silent 'thank you' with my eyes. He gives me a playful wink before turning his attention back to Zander. His hands grip his shoulders firmly, Zander's eyes wide slightly in shock and his shoulders tense up immediately. He tightens his hands into a fist, but quickly relaxes and calms down. I frown but brush it off. I'll definitely ask about that later.

Dad quickly loses his happy demeanor, his eyes boring into Zander with a stern glare. "But let's get one thing clear. My wife isn't the only scary parent, so, if you hurt my daughter I'll rip you to shreds. Got it?"

~•~

Zander's P.O.V.

"Got it?" His grip gets impossibly tighter on my shoulders. I struggle to keep a straight face and not grimace.

"Yes, Sir. Loud and clear."

Her Dad grins widely again and pulls me into a tight hug. I awkwardly hug back, my eyes wide with surprise and my heart threatening to jump right out of my chest. What the hell is happening? Should I be worried or something?

He pats my back roughly then pulls away, giving me a once over then turning towards Sarah. He gently kisses her forehead then nods his head for both of us to follow him. "Gen is serving dinner now, we had better get in here before she gets too impatient!" He chuckles softly to himself then disappears around the corner. I hurry to follow him, only to be stopped by a light tug on my shirt. The heck? Did I catch my shirt on something? I look back to see Sarah staring up at me, her hand hanging onto my shirt. I got caught on a Cupcake!

Okay, that sounded so lame.

I raise an eyebrow and turn to face her fully, worry etched into my features. "What is it, Cupcake?"

She moves forward and wraps her arms around me tightly, pulling me into warm hug. My heart calms down immediately, my tense muscles relaxing under her touch. She leans her head back to look up at me, a soft smile gracing her lips. Damn, this girl knows just what to do, doesn't she?

"Just wanted to make sure you're alright before we head into the lions den. You seemed," Her brow furrow slightly as she thinks of the right word, "Troubled for a second there."

I smile and brush my fingers across her cheeks, "Yeah, I'm alright. Later, okay?"

Her eyes widen slightly in shock that I agreed then she quickly nods, "Of course."