Nolan and I had been driving up to the dried up creek for almost a month now. Still, I got this nervous mass of butterflies in my tummy and changed outfits at least three times before he picked me up. The feeling seemed to have gotten worse since the game the other night.

That kiss was still fresh in my mind. I couldn't tell if it was also playing on constant repeat in Nolan's head. Honestly, he acted like it never happened. I hoped he was only acting.

I was just about to change for a fourth time when my phone rang. Nolan's face popped up on the screen. Could he feel me thinking about him?

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey." He dragged the word out a little, like he was leading up to bad news. Was he cancelling our date? "You know how you told me to stop pushing my mom away?"

"Yes?" Where was this going?

"Well, I did. Now she wants you to come over for dinner," he said. "Tonight."

"Oh," I muttered as my mind began churning a mile a minute. Dinner with your boyfriend's family was a big step in a relationship. I didn't know what it meant when it came to fake dating. "Does she know that we're not really—"

"No, she doesn't." He paused a beat. "You mind if we keep it that way? She usually hates the girls I bring over. She likes you, though. Thinks you're a good influence."

I smiled at that. Having his mom's approval was something I didn't realize I needed. "Okay. I'll be over soon."

* * *

I smoothed invisible wrinkles from my dress then rang the doorbell of Nolan's cozy, grey house. The door opened before the tune of the doorbell stopped. Nolan was standing on the other side of the door making me look over dressed in his jeans and t-shirt.

"You're late," he teased, closing the door once I was inside. He had already pointed that out through his many texts. If I didn't know any better I'd say he was nervous about me coming over.

I held up a box of warm pastries. "I had to make a stop."

"Oh, you're here." Mrs. Chambers stepped out of the kitchen, a wide grin on her face. She looked a little more fragile than the last time I saw her. If I didn't know she was sick I'd think she was some new trendy diet.

"These are for you," I said, handing her the pastries.

Her smile became brighter as she peered into the box. "Red velvet cupcakes? These are my favorite." She looked up at her son. "Did you put her up to this?"

Nolan's brows raised as turned to me. "I did not."

"I need to hide these before your father gets his hands on them. The whole box would be gone before dinners on the table."

Mrs. Chambers shuffled back into the kitchen where she tucked the box into the microwave above the stove.

"You actually remembered my mom's favorite cupcakes?" I gave a small shrug in response. It came up once in our many creek dates. "I already told you she liked you, there's no need to be a kiss ass."

I smacked his shoulder. "Shut up."

The back door slid open and Nolan's dad walked through. He looked nice when he wasn't covered in greasy coveralls. "Nole, keep an eye on the grill, would you? I have to run to the store to get—"

"William." Mrs. Chambers scolded her husband. Fragile or not, she looked fierce standing there with her hands on her hips, eyes narrowed. Nolan looked so much like her. "Our guest is here." She motioned to me.

Mr. Chambers looked embarrassed as he apologized, holding out his hand for me to shake. With his other hand he pointed at me. "Radiator."

"Excuse me?"

Nolan looked like he wanted to roll his eyes. "Her name's Jade."

"You'll have to forgive my husband." Mrs. Chambers tap the side of her head. "It's all cars, all the time."

"I fixed your radiator a while back, right?" Mr. Chambers went on, oblivious to his family's annoyance with his shop talk. "How's it holding up?"

"Great. Thanks." I smiled politely.

"Fantastic!" With that Mr. Chambers hurried out the door.

Nolan flashed me an apologetic look before going out to man the grilled. We were having something called Cajun lime chicken. I'd never had it, but it smelled amazing.

While Nolan poked around at the grill Mrs. Chambers sat on the sofa and patted the cushion next to her, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"So, you're the girl who's had my son smiling lately," she said once I sat down.

I feigned disbelief. "You mean he wasn't always so broody?"

She chuckled, tucking wisps of hair back behind her ear. "He pretends to be so tough, but he's really such a sweetheart. I guess you know that already. Otherwise you wouldn't be with him"

I forced a smile. It felt wrong lying to her. Nolan was right, though. She seemed so happy we were together. I didn't have it in me to tell her it was all fake.

"I don't know what kind of spell you have him under, but it's got him to stop treating me like a stranger." A soft smile spread across her face as she reached over and gave my hand a tight squeeze. "Thank you."

* * *

Mr. Chambers came back with the missing ingredients. Can't make Cajun lime chicken without the lime. The chicken was served with rice and salad. The four of us crowded around the round kitchen table and began filling our plates.

Memories of dinners with my family flooded my mind. Mom always out did herself in the kitchen. Dad used to make a big show of bowing at her feet when he really loved a meal. How did he go from treating my mom like a queen to treating her like peasant?

I was pulled from my thoughts when Nolan nudged my knee with his. His golden brows furrowed as he looked at me. I ignored his questioning gaze and tried to focus back on Mr. Chambers's story of the time he changed a tire for some famous athlete.

After dinner we moved to the backyard with the red velvet cupcakes and Uno cards. The yard was small. Half of it was Mrs. Chambers's vegetable garden and the other half could only fit a couple of lawn chairs and a small table, which we circled around. It was dark out, but the area was well lit by an outdoor lamp and the pale blue glow of the moon.

"I can't believe you've never played Uno!," said Mr. Chambers's.

He wasn't at all what I pegged him to be after briefly meeting him at the repair shop all those months ago. He was a goof and full of terrible dad jokes. His marriage to Mrs. Chambers made a lot more since now. Neither of them took their selves too seriously.

And it was obvious how much they loved each other. They'd been married twenty years and Mrs. Chambers still blushed when Mr. Chambers complimented her new glasses. They were adorable.

It was almost enough to make me believe people could stay in love forever.

"My family preferred Monopoly," I told him.

"Well, the games really simple and won't last hours," Mrs. Chambers said as she dealt the cards.

Nolan leaned over and whispered loud enough for his parents to hear, "You have to watch her, she cheaters."

"Only when I'm losing," Mrs. Chambers winked.

After a few rounds of Uno and Mrs. Chambers winning under suspicious circumstances they were ready to call it quits.

Mrs. Chambers frail body hugged me tightly as she said goodbye. "It was so great having you here," she said, pulling away and giving Nolan the stink eye. "Even if I had to twist my son's arm to make it happen."

I chuckled. "Thanks for having me, Mr. and Mrs. Chambers. The food was delicious."

"Please, it's Bill and Allison," Mr. Chambers—Bill—said from the kitchen, half a cupcake in his mouth.

"That better not be the last cupcake!" Allison warned, going after him. Their playful bickering was snuffed out when Nolan closed the door and walked me to my car.

"Thanks for doing this," he said, slipping his hands into his back pockets.

"No problem," I said. "Your mom's really cool and if you're mean to her again I will fight you."

"Noted." He looked amused as he opened the car door for me.

My eyes narrowed up at him. "I'm serious. I'll kick your ass, Nolan."

He still didn't take my threat seriously. "Just get in the car."

I slid in and he shut the door. "Are you nervous," I asked, peering up at him through the opened window. "About the interview thing, I mean."

They started doing them randomly earlier that week. Nolan and I hadn't been summoned, but as the week came to an end my nerves went crazy.

"Nope." I envied his confidence.

"Good. Me neither."

He saw right through that. "Don't worry about it. There's no reason we won't make the cut."

"What if they out us as frauds? Like they did Zoë and Irvin."

His brow creased. "Weren't they cousins?"

"Distant cousins," I pointed out. "Yet someone dug deep enough to figure that out. What if they dig into our lived and find out—"

"There's nothing to find out," he said, leaning a hand against the car and looking down at me. "Unless there's something in our family's history you'd like to tell me about."

I laughed despite my rising anxiety. "That's a really disturbing thought."

He bent down to my eye level, gripping the opened window, "Seriously though, we've been together since the beginning of the school year," he pointed out. "There's no reason for them to suspect we're not really together. We've been acing this couples shit."

I smiled. "You're really good at these pep talks."

"Well, you've given me a lot of practice," he joked.

"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes.

A silence feel over us. I tried not to focus on how his lips weren't that far away from mine. Tried not to think too much about how he hadn't made a move to leave yet. That I'm pretty sure he just looked at my lips.

The front door opened and Nolan stood, abruptly. His dad walked out with a bag of garbage, ruining whatever moment Nolan and I were having before going back inside.

Nolan pushed his hand through his hair, stepping away from my car. "So, um, drive safe."

"Yeah," I said before starting up the car and leaving.