Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Liam

Jasmine’s flustered at the idea of meeting my parents. She spent longer than usual getting ready—hair, make-up, everything. She’s wearing distressed skinny jeans and a long-sleeve cream sweater with a turtleneck collar.

We hop in the Jeep and head to my family’s community. I’m excited about seeing my folks. If we’re lucky, more family members will stop in and say hi when they see my Jeep parked in my parents’ driveway. I send Lia a quick text to let her know we’ll be there because I imagine she’d like to pop in and say hello to her protégé.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jasmine asks. “Your parents don’t even know me—or what I am.”

“Were.”

“I don’t think you should just spring me on them without warning. Maybe you could at least give them a heads-up.”

“Don’t worry, Jasmine. My mom’s going to love you, I promise.”

“Not if she knows my background. She’ll probably be upset when she finds out I’m staying with you. And when she finds out Lia is teaching me—”

“Stop.” I reach across the console to pat her thigh. “I promise

you don’t need to worry.” But no matter what I say, she looks nervous as hell. “What’s wrong, Jasmine?”

“These are your parents, Liam. Naturally, they’re going to be protective of you. They’re going to worry. They’ll think I’m up to no good or trying to take advantage of you.”

Smiling, I shake my head. “Just wait and see, okay?”

When we arrive at the gate, the security guard waves us through. I pull into my parents’ driveway and cut the engine. I look over at Jasmine, who’s staring up at my parents’ house.

“This is a really nice house,” she says.

I shrug. “Yeah, I guess so. It’s comfortable, and there’s room enough for our growing family to get together for special occasions. Besides the nine of us, there are spouses and significant others and a bunch of grandkids.”

“Tell me about your parents. What are their names?”

“My mom’s name is Bridget. She’s a retired kindergarten teacher. My dad’s name is Calum. He’s a retired firefighter.” I exit the vehicle, walk around to open Jasmine’s door, and hold out my hand. “Come on. Don’t be such a baby.”

When she sticks her tongue out at me, I laugh.

“Let’s go,” I say, tugging Jasmine out of the car. When she grips my hand tightly, I hang on to hers, and we walk up the front walk together.

As soon as we reach the threshold, the door opens, and my mom is standing there. She’s dressed in blue jeans and a pale floral top. Her strawberry blond hair is pulled back in a ponytail. “Welcome,” she says to Jasmine.

I motion for Jasmine to enter, and I follow her inside and make introductions.

“Hello, Jasmine,” Mom says, reaching out to clasp her hand. “I’m so glad to meet you.” Mom’s blue eyes dart from Jasmine to me and back again as she tries to figure out our relationship.

“Thank you, Mrs. McIntyre,” Jasmine says.

My mom chuckles. “Oh, sweetheart, please call me Bridget.”

Dad joins us in the foyer. “I thought I heard voices.” He shakes my hand, then turns to Jasmine. “And who is this beautiful young lady?”

“This is my friend Jasmine,” I say, smiling when I notice Jasmine’s blushing.

“It’s very nice to meet you both,” Jasmine says quietly.

“How about some breakfast?” Mom asks as she heads down the center hallway toward the kitchen. “You two must be hungry.”

In the back of the house is a large kitchen and family room combined—the perfect space for a large family to hang out and visit. Between the two rooms is a large table that seats a dozen people, but we always manage to squeeze in everyone. To my surprise, Aiden, my seven-year-old nephew, is seated at one end of the table munching on waffles. His dark hair sticks up in tufts, and he’s still got his favorite dinosaur pajamas on.

“Looks like someone just got up,” I say.

“Hi, Uncle Liam!” Aiden says, waving his fork in the air.

“Hey, buddy,” I say, walking up to ruffle his hair. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” I fill Jasmine in. “My brother Jake and his wife, Annie, live next door with their three kids. Aiden is the oldest. He’s got baby twin sisters.”

“I had a sleepover last night with Grandma and Grandpa.”

“I see that,” I say, chuckling as he crams a huge bite of food into his mouth.

“You two have a seat,” Mom says as she carries our plates to the table. “Your food is ready. There’s butter on the table, along with maple syrup, whipped cream, and some fresh sliced strawberries. There’s bacon, too. Help yourselves. If you want anything else, just holler. Jasmine, dear, what would you like to drink? Coffee? Tea? Milk? Water?”

“Water would be fine, please,” she says.

“Can I have some more milk, Grandma?” Aiden asks just before he shovels another forkful of food into his mouth.

“Careful, pal,” I tell him. “Don’t choke.”

My mom laughs. “That child is a bottomless pit. Just wait until he’s a teenager. He’ll eat Jake and Annie out of house and home.”

Aiden gives me a thumbs-up. “Gotcha, Uncle Liam,” he mumbles around a mouthful of food.

Jasmine sits at the table, and I take the chair beside her. She seems rather subdued as she starts on her breakfast. A moment later, the front door opens, and Lia and Jonah walk down the hall and into the kitchen.

“Hey, guys,” Lia says. She stops to give our mother a hug. “Hi, Jasmine!”

Of all the kids, Lia’s the one who takes after our mom the most. They’re both petite, blonde, blue-eyed, and strong-willed.

“You’ve already met Jasmine?” Mom asks Lia.

“Sure.” Lia grabs a waffle off a platter on the kitchen counter and pulls off a bite-sized piece and sticks it in her mouth. “I’m teaching her self-defense.”

“Lia, honey, use a plate, please,” Mom says. “Jonah, would you like a plate, too?”

While my mother gets Lia and Jonah settled at the table, the back door opens and in walks my brother Jake holding his infant twin daughters—Emerly and Everly—one propped on each hip. “Good morning, all,” he says in his deep, booming voice.

Jasmine’s eyes widen when she gets a look at him. At six-four, he’s a big guy, all solid muscle. He’s a former heavyweight boxing champion, now working for McIntyre Security. He’s in charge of their surveillance team. Let’s just say Jake’s not someone you’d want to run into in a dark alley. Dressed in his usual black jeans and T-shirt, with his dark hair and eyes, he’s intimidating as hell. But he’s also the nicest guy you could ever meet. And a great dad.

“Hi, Daddy,” Aiden says, waving. “Grandma made waffles for breakfast.”

Jake walks over to the kitchen counter, hands Mom one of the twins—no idea which one because I still can’t tell them apart—then snags a waffle off the platter and bites off a big piece. He winks at Mom. “I figured there’d be waffles this morning. Can I bring a couple home to Annie?”

“Of course,” my mom says. “I’ll make up a plate for her. Do the girls want some?”

The twin that Jake is holding reaches for his waffle, her little hand outstretched. She makes a plaintive noise as she tries to make a grab for it.

“I’d say that’s a yes,” Jake says, as he breaks off a tiny piece and hands it to his daughter.

“I think that one is Emerly,” I whisper to Jasmine. “The other one is Everly.”

“No, Uncle Liam,” Aiden says, laughing as he waves his fork in the air. “You got them backwards. Daddy has Everly, and Grandma’s holding Emerly.”

Jasmine suppresses a smile.

Finally, Jake turns his attention to those of us sitting at the table. “Hey, Lia, Jonah. Liam.” His gaze settles expectantly on Jasmine.

“This is Jasmine,” I say. “Jasmine, this is my brother Jake.”

“Pleased to meet you, Jasmine,” Jake says, and then he winks at me.

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Jasmine says, her voice barely audible.

I guess I didn’t think this through. I should have warned Jasmine that the odds of more of my family showing up were pretty high. Instead of just Mom and Dad, there are an extra six people here. Now all we need is for Jake’s wife, Annie, and my sister Sophie and her husband, Dominic, who live in the house on the other side of my parents, to stop in.

I reach under the table and squeeze Jasmine’s hand. “You okay?”

Smiling, she nods, but her eyes are a bit wide at the moment, and she seems tense.

“It’s okay,” I whisper.

Jake doesn’t stay long. He says he stopped by to collect his son. He and his wife are taking the kids to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Mom packs up Aiden’s overnight bag, and Jake collects his brood of three and herds them out the back door.

That just leaves Lia and Jonah—whom Jasmine already knows—and my parents.

After we’re done eating, Jasmine and I clear the table, carrying the dirty dishes to the sink, where Mom rinses them off and sticks them in the dishwasher.

“Thank you, dear,” Mom says to Jasmine.

“How are you feeling, Jazz?” Lia asks her. “Any soreness?”

“No, I feel pretty good,” Jasmine says.

“Good. Get ready to resume your training Monday afternoon.”

“So, you’re learning self-defense?” Mom asks Jasmine. “How exciting. Lia’s a great teacher. Both of my youngest kids are masters of martial arts and self-defense.”

After the kitchen’s cleaned up, we move to the family room to sit and get acquainted. Jasmine and I are on one sofa, Jonah and Lia on another. My parents sit in their favorite chairs near the fireplace hearth.

“So, Jasmine,” my mom says. “Tell me about yourself. What do you do? And how did you meet Liam?”

I can almost feel the waves of anxiety pouring off Jasmine. I reach for her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. She gives me a smile in return. Still clutching my hand, she says, “We met downtown one evening. Someone was… bothering me… and Liam chased him off.”

“That’s my son,” Mom says, smiling like a proud parent. “Always the hero.” She smiles at me. Then, to Jasmine, she says, “Are you still in school?”

“No, ma’am,” Jasmine answers. “At least not at the moment. I’m still deciding what I want to do.”

“Taking a gap year, then? That’s a good idea. We didn’t have gap years when I was your age, or I would have taken one.”

“She’s doing great with her self-defense training,” Lia says. “I think she’s a natural at it.”

I lean back in my seat and enjoy the conversation, all the while holding Jasmine’s hand. She shows no signs of wanting me to let go. And I’ll take the opportunity to hold onto her for as long as I can.

After a nice chat, Jasmine and I say our goodbyes and head out.

“Your parents are amazing,” Jasmine says to me as we drive away. “Now I know where you get it.”

I grin. “So, you think I’m amazing?”

She laughs. “Oh, stop.”

“How about we stop and do some shopping on the way home?” I ask Jasmine. “I think you need some more clothes. And you definitely need some workout clothes.”

She frowns. “And a workout bag. But I really can’t afford anything more. I’m down to my last dollars.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to lend you the money until you get on your feet.” I’d say I’ll just pay for her clothes, but I know that won’t go down well.

She frowns. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t know when I’ll be able to pay you back. Who knows how long it will be before I have a paying job?”

I shrug. “All in good time.”