NOT QUITE PERFECT

When I met Professor David Carstairs on the ferry to my mom’s sixth—and hopefully last—wedding, I wasn’t looking for a rom-com meet-cute moment.

But David was smart. Sexy. Charming … the kind of man who made it dangerously easy to forget every cynical thing I believed.

We argued about books. Flirted like it was foreplay. And when he invited me back to his place, I didn’t even pretend to hesitate.

It wasn’t just a night I’ll never forget—it was the kind that gave me hope. For a moment, it felt like the start of something real. Something perfect.

And then everything fell apart.

Because my new stepdad? David’s father.

Now we’re suddenly stuck playing family, while living in the same small town where secrets don’t stay buried long.

We try to act normal. Smile politely. Pretend our bodies don’t remember every second of what we did that night.

But nothing about us is normal—not the chemistry, not the stolen glances.

And definitely not the two pink lines on the test on my bathroom counter.