“The baby is due in January?” Mr. Wangford says, eyes wide as he leans over to look at my stomach.

“No, I’m not pregnant.” I hold up my empty wineglass for proof. But Mr. Wangford doesn’t look like he’s heard anything I’ve said, still looking at my stomach like it’s impossible for me to be so far along.

“So, you’re just…getting married. At twenty-two years old,” Mrs. Wangford says, voice lighter and less accusing, but the way she looks at me has me reaching for more wine.

“Yes,” Landon says, filling my glass for me. “And the wedding is in January. We want you guys to be there.”

“And Elle to be a bridesmaid,” I add, looking at my new sister-in-law, who is enjoying herself way too much. She tips her glass at me as if to say, “If this wedding happens, sure.”

The wine still burns as I down some more. Mrs. Wangford looks to my ring again, then up and down my body, and I’m wondering what I’ve done now when she asks, “Do you like the diamond? Is it big enough for you?”

“Mom…”

“What? I’m allowed to ask.”

My eyes widen, and I let my hand fall to Landon’s lap and squeeze his thigh twice. He finds my leg and squeezes back once.

“It’s beautiful,” I tell her. “I have a hard time not staring at it 24/7.”

Landon’s dad lets out a nervous chuckle, but his mom just gives me one of those fake half-smiles. I find the bottom of my wineglass again. Landon fills it up without my having to ask.

“Oh, you know who has a giant ring?” Elle says after finishing her own glass. “Freddie Clawson.”

“She’s engaged?” Mrs. Wangford says. “That’s too bad.” She turns to Landon and me. “Her and Landon were so close. We really thought they’d be the ones to tie the knot. But you know…” She waves her hand at me as an afterthought, then takes a bite of her Thai.

Ugh, I need a Tums. My chest is burning and I feel like I’m about to burp fire. Landon’s eyes meet mine for a brief second. I tell him with mine to keep quiet. We’ve had enough arguing for one night, I think. And they clearly want to move on from the marriage thing.

Not even a congratulations. What a bust family.

I reach for more alcohol.

Mrs. Wangford swishes her red wine and eyes me thoughtfully. I stay straight-backed and calm, smiling like, yep, I’m so going to marry your son and I can handle all the looks you throw my way, even though my innards are crumpling in a heap of dried massaman curry.

“Ha! Mom’s giving Liz ‘the look,’ ” Elle says around a giant mouthful of Thai. She leans across the table. “Sorry, the last time Landon brought a girl home was, like, six years ago. So a few of us”—she blatantly points at her mom with her fork—“are a bit rusty.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Mrs. Wangford says as if her daughter didn’t just call her out. She points her wineglass at Landon. “Sophie. I loved her. What’s she up to nowadays?”

“I don’t know, Mom.” Landon squeezes my thigh, and I find the bottom of my wineglass for the billionth time. Things are starting to blur.

“So, what do you do?” Elle asks with a wide grin, probably assuming I work at the mall. Well…I sort of do.

I gulp down more wine, the burn in my throat not nearly as potent as it was during glass one.

“I work at Bed Bath & Beyond,” I announce proudly. “Employee of the Month this past June and July.” Damn straight. August was a bust, though, because of my mid-month proposal and baby scare. I snort into my glass, and I’m not sure why.

“She works with Alec,” Landon says, interrupting whatever his mom was about to say. She’s stuck with her mouth open, and when she realizes how ridiculous she looks, she sticks a shrimp in there. Buster makes me jump as he settles his head in my lap. I decide to scratch behind his ears while I have a stare-off with my future mother-in-law.

“That’s right. And I know you like Alec, so you can stop looking at me like that.”

Landon snorts into his food, and I give him a funny look. Why is he laughing?

“Excuse me?” Mrs. Wangford looks right at me, and I blink. I didn’t say anything, did I?

She puts her fork down, leaning in her chair, and crosses her arms. “In what way am I looking at you?”

I cross my arms to mimic her, pretty sure I’m hallucinating this entire thing while we all sit in silence and eat. So I’m going to let my mouth run like I wish I had the guts to do in real life.

“You’ve passed judgment since the second I walked through that door. You don’t know me well enough to do that.”

“Okay, then enlighten me.”

“I’m Elizabeth Fanning, grew up in Covington, Georgia, then moved to New York. I am much more than someone who sweeps floors at Bed Bath & Beyond.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.” The room is spinning. “I’m a cashier, too.”

Elle laughs behind her hand. I think I like her, but I can’t tell if she’s laughing at me or with me, and it doesn’t matter anyway because I’m pretty sure I’m dreaming.

“And I’m marrying your son because I love him. We’re also really good at living together. But he keeps those damn socks on the floor. What is with that? So you should stop looking at me like I have some kind of ulterior motive. It’s insulting, and I don’t like it.”

Check and mate. I lean back in my seat, but the back of the chair is nonexistent and I topple into Landon’s side. He’s grinning at me. Laughing.

Mrs. Wangford pushes her chair out and stands. “That reminds me. I have laundry to do for our day out tomorrow.”

“Day out?” Huh, who, what? Why does my head feel puffy?

“Mom and Dad were going to show you and Landon around town.” Elle hands me a napkin, and I look at it weird before she gestures to my chin and I wipe away whatever goo is there.

“So it was nice meeting you,” Mrs. Wangford says. It’s so not nice meeting me. She gestures to the dishes, and Mr. Wangford nods. Then she leaves the room.

“Did I do something?” I ask Landon. He’s wearing his I-absolutely-love-you smile.

“I think we should go lie down.”

“I concur.” I wobble on my feet and wipe the drool stain Buster left on my pant leg.

“It was nice meeting you, Elizabeth,” Mr. Wangford says, getting up from the table. Aww, I like that. Elizabeth. My dad calls me that, too.

He chuckles, and I wonder if I said that out loud, but the ground starts moving and I realize Landon’s pulling me away from his family and into the hallway. Buster follows, sniffing at my sandal the whole way.

We get to the landing, where we’re alone. Ah, it’s about time. No pressure, just me and my Landy boy. Ha! Never called him that before. I don’t think I like it. Yeah, that is so not his nickname.

Do I have a nickname for him?

Landon crooks a finger at me. I swallow a burp and lean in to him.

“I want to show you something.”

“Landon, keep it in your pants.”

He shakes his head. “Remind me to cut you off after one glass next time.” His hand finds mine and he starts leading me up two flights of stairs. I trip and giggle behind him, following with a few hiccups that are beyond my control. Buster barrels up the steps with us, his tail whacking me in the legs. Silly canine. What a funny word…canine.

“Easy there, Tumbles,” Landon says. His smile is so adorable. And even though he needs to trim it, his beard looks pretty good, too. Sexy papa right here. I’m so lucky I don’t have to wonder what he looks like naked. I’ve seen all the goods and they are gooooood. Yummy, yummy, yummy, I got love in my tummy.

Landon laughs and I assume my mouth is running with my brain again, but I don’t ask. I just want to kiss him. Kiss him so hard he’ll give in and I’ll get the Bahamas. We get to the second-floor landing and I toss myself at him.

“Kiss me!” I say through a giggle. Then my lips miss his by a lot, landing on his eye. He hits his head on the wall, and Buster woofs so loud it makes me scream.