She bobbled the plate. “Tuh . . . We’re going to Tennessee.”
“Unless you’d rather call them.” He leaned forward then, eyes serious. “After yesterday, people are going to talk. People are going to speculate. After you passed out on the set, and then what happened between us . . . sooner or later, somebody is going to toss it out there and this time, they’ll be right. I’d rather tell my parents. Wouldn’t you?”
Instead of answering, she nibbled on another piece of bacon. Taking her time, Marin drank some juice, and then looked over at him. Because she knew Sebastien, she asked, “And when do we head to San Francisco?”
“We don’t.”
“We don’t,” she echoed, not quite believing him.
“It’s . . . ah . . .” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, you know Abby’s birthday is coming up. It’s on Sunday. Zane’s is on Wednesday. My folks are going to be in Tucson this weekend, so I thought we’d crash the party.”
“And the movie?” She frowned at him. “You never did tell me why Sojo announced the sudden break.”
“Yeah. That.” Face grim, he looked away. “Sojo’s mother passed away. She had to leave to make arrangements. I . . . Hell, I called her earlier, offered my condolences. She told me to keep them, expects us all to be back and ready to work our asses off come Tuesday. Doesn’t much sound like she’s grieving. She just sounded pissed off.”
“Sojo’s mother threw her out of the house when she came out about being a lesbian.” Marin plucked at the sheet. “They reconnected—sort of—over the past year, but it wasn’t really friendly. It was mostly just being cordial if they saw each other at other family events. Her mother never really forgave Sojo for . . . well, for being Sojo...” Marin shrugged.
“Bullshit.” Sebastien shook his head. “Why’s Sojo even bothering to help, then? Let other family members do it.”
“Because Sojo still loved her mother. And if she sounded pissed off, that might be why.”
***
Telling her parents had been easy compared to this. And oddly enough, neither of them had been surprised.
Mom had given her an appraising look when they’d shown up on the front porch and Marin had the weirdest feeling that her mother had known—maybe not about the baby, but about her and Sebastien.
Of course, her father had teased them both something awful about her snagging a younger man. Sebastien had taken it all in good-natured humor and after spending the night, they’d caught a flight to Arizona.
This was going to be the hard one.
She didn’t know why, but ever since she’d disembarked in Tuscon, she’d been entirely too nervous.
She didn’t get it.
She was about as close to Ron and Denise as she was to her own parents—they were like a second family. This should be easy.
Speeding down the highway in Sebastien’s rented Corvette, Marin found herself lifting her hand to her lips—to bite her damn nails. A habit she’d broken years ago.
She stopped and clenched her hand into a fist, turning her head to stare out at the desert around them.
“Why are you nervous?”
“Who says I am?” Marin shot Sebastien an easy smile, determined not to let him see how her belly felt like it had gone and twisted itself into a hundred thousand knots. It was just plain stupid. She was going to see Ron and Denise, the rest of the brothers, and Abigale. The only person she didn’t know particularly well was Keelie, but they’d always gotten along. No reason to be nervous.
Sebastien held out a hand.
Curious, she looked down and then put hers in his.
“Other hand.”
Rolling her eyes, she complied. She’d already uncurled the fist. The second their skin touched, he turned her palm upright. “You’ve gouged your nails into your skin. But you’re not nervous.”
Snatching her hand away, she tucked her hand under her thigh, hiding those little half moons of evidence from him. “Don’t be silly. There’s no reason to be nervous. I mean, I’ve known your parents for more than half my life. Zach is like a brother to me.”
“Yeah.” There was a faint half smile on Sebastien’s face as he hit the blinker and started to slow down. A massive house up ahead caught her eye. “That’s the place.”
Marin lifted her brows. “Wow.”
“Yeah. So . . . since there’s no reason for you to be nervous . . .”
She smacked him on the thigh. “Shut up.”
***
It was almost like any other get together with them.