As soon as my knuckles met the door of Jo's apartment, echoing a quick rap, everything happened at once.

My phone belted out a tune signaling an incoming call and a disorientated yelp came from the other side of the door before Jo shouted the door was open. Hearing a rush of footsteps, I drew my phone from my pocket, and seeing it was Henry, sent the call to voicemail with a text saying I'd call him back before twisting the doorknob and stepping inside.

Only to come to a stop when I saw the state of the apartment.

It was a lacy warzone.

"Jo?" I called out, nudging the door shut behind me as I kicked my shoes off. "Everything alright in here?"

The work space that had previously been confined to Jo's room had spread, with fabric strewn across the floor, the television, and the kitchen table—boxes of small pins and decorations scattered amongst them. Even her mannequin, now dressed in nothing but a pink see-through bodysuit, had made the move, but what caught and held my attention was the line of bras across the back of the sofa. Each a different design, all expertly made.

"Sorry about the mess," Jo said, looking frazzled as she appeared with a large hanger in one hand, straightening the violet dress she wore with the other. "I spent the day re-creating some of my designs so I have an inventory once the boutique is ready to open, but I lost track of time."

I bit back a smile, watching her pile all the finished pieces onto her hanger before disappearing into her room again. "Relax," I said once she returned. "It's okay, they're not expecting us over for a little while anyways."

They being Cameron and Isla, who had invited Jo over for dinner tonight, and to say I was a little nervous was an understatement. It'd been years since I'd introduced them to a woman. Not since I was a young kid—before hockey had become such a focal point in my life. And while I didn't necessarily have any expectations for the evening, I wanted Jo to feel comfortable being herself.

"Are you sure?" she asked, turning to me with a look of uncertainty.

I nodded, moving to help her clean up. "Positive. Besides—" I plucked a lace, dark blue bra from the floor. "—I'll gladly show up late if it means getting a chance to see you in this."

She rolled her eyes, though I didn't miss the way her lips curved before she turned away. "Considering that's not my size, I highly doubt that's happening."

"But you have more?"

"I do," she mused, plucking the bra out of my hands and adding to the pile she held before carrying it back to her room. Picking up three rolls of fabric and a few boxes from the table, I followed. "And if you play your cards right, who knows what'll happen."

Placing her things on her desk, I moved quickly, wrapping my arms around her waist from behind and dropping my lips to her neck. A hum of pleasure filled the air before I began to nuzzle, evoking a laugh as she turned in my arms. Lifting on her toes, her lips brushed mine.

"But seriously, we should get going."

"Good plan," I said, laying one more kiss on her before grabbing her hand. "After all, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back here."

A rumble of laughter escaped her lips. "Is sex all you think about?"

"Of course not," I replied cheekily, pulling her towards the front door. "Hockey and food are up there too."

***

"Nervous?" I asked, lifting a brow as I killed my truck's engine.

On the drive across town, Jo had taken over the conversation, filling me in on the smaller details of her business and how things were coming together. Permits had been acquired and she'd made a few calls to contractors, hoping to get a jump on renovations sooner rather than later, and while it was all news to me, the enthusiasm with which she spoke made it difficult to be anything but happy for her. Though as we'd turned into my brother's driveway, I realized her excitement may have been exaggerated slightly. A way of distracting me from the way her leg bounced and her hands fidgeted.

A sheepish expression flitted across her face. "A little."

"It'll be fine, really," I said, reaching across the center console to squeeze her hand. "They'll love you."

My words were proven true as we hopped out of the car and headed for the front door, which Isla opened before I could raise a hand to knock.

"Come in, come in," she said, her excitement evident as she waved us inside with a wide smile. Jo stepped in first, and before she could even remove her coat, my sister-in-law pulled her into a hug. "It's so great to see you again."

Surprised at the forwardness, but delighted nonetheless, Jo laughed. "You too. Thanks for having me."

"Oh, it's no problem. I figured it was time we all got together somewhere other than the back hallway of a hockey arena," Isla mused. "Especially considering how much Seb's talked about you."

Jo's eyes found mine. "Is that so?"

"You've come up in conversation, once or twice," I replied, shrugging it off as though it was no big deal.

"More like every time he's here," Isla corrected, ignoring the pointed look I sent her way. "It's Jo this and Jo that and do you think Jo would like—"

I grimaced, stepping forward. "Isla."

"What? You're going to deny it?"

"No, it's just—" My gaze flitted between the two women, noticing that Jo was pressing her lips together, trying not to laugh. "—you're over exaggerating."

"Maybe I am, but if I can't embarrass you in front of your girlfriend, when can I?"

"Every other day of my life," I muttered, finally pulling her into a hug. "But if you feel the need, at least do it when I'm not in the room."

Isla patted my stomach. "Then how about you make yourself useful and grab Cameron from his office, since dinner's just about ready, while I get to know Jo a little better over a glass of wine."

I turned to Jo and raised an eyebrow, as if to ask, That okay with you?

She smiled. "Wine sounds great."

"Then it's settled," Isla said, looping her arm through Jo's.

I chuckled, and when my eyes met Jo's, I saw none of the wariness that'd been there minutes before. "Just don't believe everything she tells you."

"Oh, she will," Isla replied as she led Jo into the kitchen, glancing back to where I stood with a smirk, "because it'll all be true."

I knew there was no use trying to stop the inevitable, so I shook my head and let Isla have her fun as I made my way towards the back of the house where Cameron's home office was set up. With the door cracked open, I could hear the way his fingers flew across the keyboard as I knocked and stepped inside.

"Hey," I said once his attention lifted from the screen. "Working away at another New York Times bestseller?"

Cameron's lips curved as he leaned back in his chair. "You know my first book had a title, right?"

"Sure I do. It's one of the only books I own," I mused. Two years ago, he'd released his first novel, chronicling the life of a man who'd suddenly been confined to a wheelchair—much like himself. It'd been honest, heartbreaking, and an inspiration—fully deserving of the recognition it'd earned. "But since you won't brag about your work, it falls on me and Isla to bring it up every once and a while."

"I hope you know you're not required to do that."

"I know, but if it helps you out, what's the harm?" I shrugged. "And besides, you're only trying to avoid telling me what your next book is about."

Walking around his desk, I tried to sneak a peek at his work, but he minimized the window before I could. "That's because I'll let you read it when I have a draft I'm happy with."

"Fair enough." In that moment, laughter—a mixture of Jo's and Isla's—echoed down the hall. "By the way, dinner's almost ready."

Cameron's lips tugged into a faint smirk. "So, you left your girl with Isla?" he asked as he maneuvered his chair out from behind his desk. "You sure that's a good idea?"

I chuckled, already knowing it wasn't. "We'll just have to wait and see."

***

Despite having told Isla several times she didn't need to go over and above to impress Jo, dinner was a feast.

"This is delicious," Jo said as she took a bite of her salmon.

Isla grinned. "Thanks, and since I clearly made way too much, feel free to take home as much as you want."

"I just might." Jo brought another forkful to her mouth, side-eyeing me with a smile as my hand on her thigh squeezed gently. "With everything going on right now, I've been too busy to think about cooking most nights. I've pretty much been living off take-out."

"You're that busy?" I asked, curious as to why she hadn't mentioned anything.

"It's not a big deal." Jo shrugged. "I just get into this headspace when I'm working on my designs where my surroundings sort of fade away." The state of her apartment earlier flashed through my mind. "Add in the calls and meetings I've had with contractors and other designers—plus my shifts at Apollo's—I've barely had time to breathe. Let alone cook."

Isla lifted a brow. "But soon that'll all end, right? Seb mentioned things with your boutique are going well."

"The juggling will, yes, since I'm finishing up at the pub in two weeks," Jo replied, "but as soon as the store opens, I'm always going to need to be cranking out new designs and collections. Which, to be honest, I'm actually excited about."

"I'm gonna admit, when Seb mentioned you designed lingerie, I almost didn't believe him. It didn't ever occur to me there were people out there who made things like that by hand."

"Like you said, most of the market is made up of the larger, well-known companies, but smaller designers do well enough if they can garner the business. I already have a few people who've agreed to let me sell some of their designs alongside mine, so I'm hoping I can pull in customers with a bit of variety."

"I'm sure you will." Isla cast an encouraging smile across the table. "You'll need to let me know when you open. Heaven knows I need some new lingerie."

Not needing to know that, I cringed. "Isla..."

"What?" she asked innocently, a gleam in her eye. "Does me saying lingerie bring back bad memories for you? Maybe when you walked in—"

"Nope." I grimaced, shaking my head as a shiver of embarrassment coursed through me. "No way are we ever bringing that up again."

Both Cameron and Isla laughed, and despite not knowing what we were talking about, amusement filled Jo's features.

"Well, if you're looking for something new," Jo continued, "you're welcome to sort through the pieces I've set aside in my apartment and take a few in your size."

Isla's eyes widened momentarily before she shook her head. "Oh, I couldn't do that."

Jo waved her off. "Trust me, it's no big deal. Both my roommate and my sister pretty much have claim on whatever I make in their sizes and it doesn't bother me. The way I see it, I get free feedback on my designs and the reassurance people will actually have interest in them once they hit the store."

"Well," Isla said, "if you're sure."

"Hey, if they come off easily and look nice, I'm all for it," Cameron said, earning him a swat from his wife as a streak of color shot across Jo's cheeks.

"I'm sure they'll meet your standards," Jo teased with a quick glance my way. "I haven't had any complaints before."

Cameron chuckled, shooting me a knowing look. "I'm sure you haven't."

I rolled my eyes and brought a forkful of food to my mouth to keep myself from responding. This was what a normal family dinner was like for us, a night of merciless teasing and good food, combined with honest conversation, and despite the worries that'd plagued her when we'd arrived, Jo fit right in. There were no awkward pauses, no jokes she didn't get, and most importantly, she didn't once look at Cameron, who sat next to Isla in his wheelchair, as anything other than my brother.

He wasn't someone with disability in her eyes, and that meant the world to me.

When the four of us couldn't manage another bite, I stood, offering to do the dishes. But as I placed the dirty plates in the sink, leaving the water off, I turned to watch the three of them in the dining room without me. The sight caused an emotion to fill my chest, and while I couldn't quite pinpoint it, I knew it was a good one.

Isla was the first to notice my fixated gaze and quickly excused herself. With her empty glass of wine in hand as a pretense, she headed straight for me, placing her glass on the counter before lifting her gaze to meet mine.

"She's a little out of your league, don't you think?" she said jokingly, keeping her voice down as she nudged me gently in the side.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Just don't tell her that."

Her gaze turned curious, flitting between me and Jo, who was still seated at the table, talking to Cameron. It was as though she was trying to put together two pieces of a puzzle, and when Jo glanced my way briefly, a smile lifting her lips, things finally came together. "She's good for you, Seb," she said, "and if you mess this up, I might hurt you."

"Don't worry," I said reassuringly, pulling her into my side, "I don't plan on messing things up."

a/n: a reminder to vote and leave your thoughts in the comments below!