"So, Mom and Dad, do I still have my job?" Lexi was seated right next to Tom, and their intertwined hands rested on her knee.

"Of course!" Scarlett held up her wad of tissues in front of her before continuing. "Listen, Lexi. Your father and I admit we came on a little too strong when we found out you were seeing Tom. We just didn't want to see our little girl being taken advantage of and it was dangerous. While we won't apologize for loving you and wanting what's best for you, we will apologize for not listening to you yesterday. As your father said, you're an adult now and can make these decisions for yourself." Scarlett's voice cracked and Jason moved to stand behind her placing his hands on her shoulders. "While you might always be our Baby Lex Bex," she paused seemingly to hold back tears, "we know that you're wise beyond your years and you're fully capable to excel in anything you set your mind to."

Heat radiated through Lexi's chest. "Thanks, Mom. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you guys about everything earlier and you found out the way you did. I hope you know I do take my work seriously. I just didn't expect to meet Tom."

Sniffle noises filled the air before Scarlett nodded. "We're happy to get to know Tom and we look forward to it!" She paused and glanced around the table. "Look at us, such blubbering messes!"

The group laughed before Mindy gasped and forced everyone to look at her. "Wait!" She glanced between Scarlett and Tom. "Does this mean Tom knows all about the hot tub incident?"

When Tom responded with, "Uhhh, what hot tub incident?" Mindy's eyes grew wide and she smacked her hands over her mouth.

Cole made spitting sounds and burst out laughing. Lexi squinted playfully.

"Oh my God, if someone wants to put a muzzle on me, I'll allow it." Mindy hid her face with the crook of her elbows.

Tom turned to Lexi with an amused expression. "Are they talking about our hot tub incident?"

Lexi nodded and scooted her chair closer to Tom. "So, that night we, um, talked at the hot tub." She hoped Tom was picking up the signal that she hadn't told her parents they kissed that night. He seemed to understand as a gorgeous smirk graced his lips. "Well, it wasn't exactly by chance that I was there."

"What?" Tom raised a brow.

"I was supposed to be flirting with Greg. We were hired by his ex-girlfriend Clara to catch him cheating. And so my family assigned me to get his number."

Tom's jaw fell open but amusement still laced his expression. He glanced at Scarlett and it seemed as if he was fitting in the last piece of the puzzle. "Oh, man! I thought you looked familiar! You were there that night, talking to Greg."

Scarlett laughed and brought her shoulders up. "Guilty."

Tom shook his head. "I always thought Crazy Clara would do something like that. I mean, Greg isn't innocent, as you all can already tell, but he's a work in progress." Tom laughed and rubbed his palm over his mouth in shock. He looked up and his soft, cerulean eyes met Lexi. "Well, good job, guys. Clara dumped Greg the next day. But, I must say, I'm glad it was me that reached the pool before Greg."

"Me too." Lexi squeezed his hand and their eyes stayed glued to each other. Holding Tom's hand, being close to him, and finding out that he was one of the good guys, was lighting a fire in Lexi's stomach and she wanted nothing more than to go somewhere private to show him how much she missed him.

"Wait, so is Tom your real name?" Mindy scratched the top of her head as she sat back in her seat.

"Yeah, it is. I didn't use an alias because there was too high of a chance I'd get recognized. I'm from the area and went to school at LMU back in the day."

"So, have you guys found any viable clues as to who the hacker is?" Mindy asked.

Tom laughed and shook his head. "That's classified information. I can't share that."

"What? Why not?" Lexi gave him a lifted brow.

"We're competing companies. If I let you guys solve the case, I won't get paid."

"But then we wouldn't get paid and we need the money."

Everyone waited for Tom to respond but he simply shrugged. "That's just business."

"Alright, I see how it is. Game on, Miller! We're going to win." Lexi waved her hands in the air while she spoke and Tom chuckled.

"We have so many clues! We're so close to solving it!" Mindy lied and Lexi's family either clamped their lips together or turned their faces away.

Tom blinked and tilted his head to the side. Lexi knew she needed to keep him on his toes. "Mhmm. Lots of clues. It'll be any day now." She smirked.

"Yeah, I bet. After chasing down someone who wasn't even the hacker."

"You'll never know if we had any other leads." Lexi shrugged playfully and leaned into Tom's shoulder.

"Alright, this could go all night. I think it's time for Scarlett and me to retire to the bedroom," Jason said as he squeezed his wife's shoulder.

"Eww" and "You guys are disgusting" were spoken over by Mindy, Lexi, and Cole.

Tom made a face at the theatrical reaction. "What? They just said they want to go to bed. Why is that gross?"

Lexi shook her head. "I'll tell you later."

"Oh, kids. Hush. It's not like that! We're tired, goodnight." Scarlett stood up. "And Tom, thank you for our talk this afternoon. We're sorry we doubted you. And we're happy to have you here anytime," Scarlett said before giving Tom a warm smile.

"She doesn't actually like you, she just wants you to spill your company secrets," Lexi whispered to Tom with a touch of sarcasm.

As Scarlett and Jason made their way upstairs, Cole stood up and faced Mindy. "Mind, can I talk to you in private?"

Lexi received a glance from Mindy and knew exactly what her best friend was asking her. "Mindy, you don't need my permission. I'm fine with it now. Go talk things out." She gave her an encouraging smile.

"Alright." Mindy nodded and turned to Cole. "Let's go talk in the garage." She led the way and soon, it was just Lexi and Tom sitting in the quiet dining room space.

Tom opened his mouth to say something, but before any words could be heard, Lexi grabbed the sides of his face and planted her lips on his. Their lips melted together and Lexi confirmed it to be sweeter than any chocolate ice cream she had ever tasted. Tom's hands snaked to the small of her back and the pair continued to devour each other's lips. Heat surged through her.

"We should table this for later. What if your parents walk back down?" Tom asked in between kisses and then laughed. "I feel like a teenager again trying not to get caught."

Lexi leaned back and then swiftly hid her face against Tom's chest, inhaling his familiar sandalwood scent in the process. "You're right. I really should move out of this house."

Tom pulled Lexi's head up and planted kisses along her forehead and cheeks. "Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?"

"Aren't you still worried someone might find us out? Technically, we're still doing undercover work."

Tom nodded pensively and then shrugged. "I know, but I want to take my girlfriend out on a proper date."

"Your girlfriend? Who said I was your girlfriend?" Lexi teased but Tom's face grew serious.

"I want you to be my girlfriend, Lexi. I want you to meet my family. I want us to keep getting to know each other. The more I get to know you the more I'm realizing you are someone I could see myself being with forever. I'm crazy about you and I'd be a damn fool if I didn't continue exploring what we have."

Lexi's heart nearly leaped out of her chest and she grasped Tom's hands. "I'd really like that too." She planted a quick kiss on his lips and sighed. "I hope you don't miss the name Hannah too much." A sad smile formed on her face.

"It'll take some time to get used to." Tom leaned in and his lips grazed the top of Lexi's ear lobe sending shivers down her spine. "But I happen to think the name Lexi is very sexy. And it seems to suit you a whole lot better."

After a few minutes of kissing, they managed to detangle themselves from each other. "I need to figure out how I'm going to get intel out of you. I'll have to try to think of something tonight so that I can be prepared for our date tomorrow." She gave him a mischievous smirk and he chuckled.

"I'd like to see you try." He paused for a moment and his smile faltered. "I can't tell you how much of a relief it is that you aren't an actual student."

"And I'm so glad you're not an actual professor." Instantly, the memory of her stealing his laptop and hard drives surfaced. "Okay, um, before you leave tonight, I'll need to grab Mindy's car keys from her. I have some things that belong to you."

Tom raised a brow. "What?"

Lexi stood up and led him to the door that opened to the garage. She gently knocked before opening it. Cole and Mindy sprang apart. "Oh my God, my eyes!" Lexi smacked her hands over her face, but it wasn't fast enough. She had already seen Mindy and Cole embraced in a passionate kiss. Both were breathing hard with cheeks reddened and Mindy's top was slanted over her shoulder. "Mindy, I need your car keys to give Tom his stuff back. Quick! Just drop it in my hand!" Lexi kept her eyes welded shut and put out a hand for Mindy.

Mindy fidgeted. "W-we were just, um. We were just talking things out." Her words hung in the air before everyone started laughing, including Lexi. "Alright, one sec. Let me grab the keys." As soon as the cold metal landed in Lexi's palm, she turned and closed the door behind her.

She took a deep breath in and faced Tom. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to give to you. And I'm sorry for what's waiting for you at home." A smirk graced her lips when she recalled Mindy's present on his lawn.

***

Any tips for Lexi on how she should get intel out of Tom? Thanks for reading, voting, and commenting! ♥️