24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Jesse

As I pulled into the driveway on Sunday night, my stomach did a little flip. It wasn't like I was nervous about bringing Andy to meet the family—I knew they'd love him—but this was unusual for me. I hadn't brought anyone home since Marcus.

"You ready for this?" I asked, half-joking.

"Ready as I'll ever be," he replied with that easy-going grin of his.

As we walked up to the front door, it flew open, and Amelia came barreling out, nearly knocking Andy over in her excitement. "Uncle Jesse!" she squealed, throwing her arms around my legs. Carter was right behind her, his little legs pumping as he tried to keep up with his sister.

"Hey, you two," I said, ruffling Carter's hair as Amelia looked up at Andy with wide eyes.

"And who's this?" she asked, her voice full of curiosity.

"This is Andy," I said, crouching down to her level. "He's my friend."

Amelia's eyes narrowed for a second. Then she broke into a big smile. "Is he your boyfriend?"

I shot a quick glance at Andy, who was chuckling under his breath. "Yeah, he is," I replied.

"Cool!" she declared, taking Andy's hand and leading him inside like it was the most natural thing in the world. Carter, not wanting to be left out, grabbed Andy's other hand, and the three of them headed into the house.

Molly was in my mother's kitchen, stirring something that smelled like heaven, while Dylan hovered nearby, stealing a taste when he thought she wasn't looking. "Hey, stranger!" Molly called out when she saw me, wiping her hands on a dish towel before coming over to give me a hug. "And this must be Andy. I've heard so much about you."

"All good things, I hope," Andy said with that easy charm that always won people over.

"Mostly," Molly teased, her eyes twinkling. "Although, I get the feeling he's a bit biased."

Just then, my mom appeared from the dining room, her face lighting up when she saw us. "There's my boy!" she exclaimed, wrapping me in a warm hug before turning to Andy. "And you must be the famous Andy we've all heard about. It's so good to finally meet you."

Good lord, I hadn't talked about him that much. At least I didn't think I had. Oh, who was I kidding? I probably had.

"It's great to meet you, too, Mrs. Harris," Andy replied, slipping easily into her hug.

"None of that Mrs. Harris stuff. You can call me Rachel. You know," she added, giving me a teasing glance, "Jesse doesn't bring just anyone home. In fact, it's been a long time since he has.

"Mom," I protested, though I could feel my cheeks heating up. "What are you trying to do? Scare him off?"

We all made our way into the dining room, where Dad was setting the table. He looked up when we entered and set down the plate he was holding. He walked over and stuck his hand out. "I'm Kirby, this one's father. Good to meet you."

Andy shook his hand. "It's good to meet you, as well, sir. I've heard a lot about you from my brother, as well as from Jesse."

"Ah, yeah, Victor's a good man. He and Jesse have given new life to my old bar." My dad sounded proud. I always worried that he hated what we'd done to the place and hearing him say it that way made my chest puff up with pride.

Gigi was already seated at the table, a mischievous smile on her face. "Well, if it isn't my favorite grandson and his handsome fireman," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"Hey!" Shawn exclaimed. "I thought I was your favorite."

"You were, but you didn't come over and get my canning jars out for me, remember?"

"I was busy. I told you I would come the next day."

"Too late, dear. Your brother took care of it for me, and now he's the favorite."

"Don't believe a word she says," I warned Andy as we took our seats. "Gigi loves to stir the pot."

"That's because someone has to keep you boys in line," Gigi retorted, patting Andy's hand affectionately. "Keep making me tea, and maybe you'll be the favorite next."

Dinner was served shortly after, and the table was soon filled with the clatter of plates and the hum of conversation. Mom had outdone herself, as usual—roast chicken, mashed potatoes swimming in butter, and a salad so she could pretend it was healthy.

We dug into the meal, and my parents took the opportunity to quiz Andy about himself and his future plans. He took it all in stride, though, and actually seemed to be enjoying himself. When the conversation turned to Andy's career, both the kids' eyes lit up.

"You're really a firefighter?" Carter asked. "Like for real?"

"I am," Andy said.

"Tell us about a fire!" Amelia demanded, her eyes wide with excitement.

Andy glanced at me, and I nodded. I trusted him not to tell them anything that would give them nightmares. "Alright, I've got one for you," he began, leaning in as if he were about to share a great secret. "There was this one time when we got called to a big fire, and inside the building, we found this little puppy, all alone and scared."

"A puppy?" Carter gasped, eyes wide with wonder.

"Yep, a tiny little thing," Andy continued, smiling at their rapt attention. "I carried him out, and one of the other firefighters ended up adopting him. He's got a great home now. They named him Nix, and they even bring him by the station sometimes to visit."

Amelia sighed. "I want a dog. And I want to name him Nix."

Andy had no way of knowing that was the perfect story to share with Amelia since the girl was already dog crazy. He smiled at her across the table. "Dogs are the best. I have one. Her name is Seph. I'll show you some pictures of her after dinner if you want to see."

Amelia looked at him, cocking her head to the side. "Seph," she said, then repeated it a second time. "Seph. That's a weird name."

"Amelia," Molly scolded, but Andy just laughed.

"It is, but it's actually a nickname. Her real name is Persephone. But that's a big name. Can you imagine being out in the backyard calling your dog?" He cupped his hands around his mouth and pretended to yell. "Per-seph-o-ne, Per-seph-o-ne."

Amelia and Carter both giggled. "That is a long name," she agreed.

"Right, so I shortened it to Seph cause O-ne is a pretty bad name for a dog."

"It is. But Nix is better. I want to name my dog Nix."

"You should probably wait until you get a dog and get to know them before you name them," I said.

"Maybe I should start a list of dog names. Mommy, how do you spell Nix?"

"Remind me when we get home, and I'll help you."

As the meal wound down, I started gathering the plates, and Andy immediately stood to help. He didn't have to, but I wasn't sure I wanted to leave him in here by himself with my family. "Shawn and I usually take care of the cleanup, but you're welcome to help us."

"Not tonight, Jesse," Mom said, waving me off. "You've got company. Let Shawn handle it."

Shawn groaned dramatically, slumping back in his chair. "Oh, come on! Just because Jesse brought someone home doesn't mean I should have to suffer."

"You're not suffering," Mom shot back with a smile. "You're just doing your part."

Molly grinned, nudging Dylan. "Why don't you lend a hand, too? It'll give you a chance to earn some brownie points."

Dylan rolled his eyes good-naturedly but stood up and started helping clear the table. "Alright, alright. But if I break a dish, it's on you."

Gigi chuckled from her seat. "You boys and your complaining. It's not like you actually have to wash them by hand. Back in my day, we didn't have all these fancy dishwashers. We were the dishwashers."

"Well, you've got us to do the hard work now, Gigi," I said with a grin, leaning back in my chair as I watched Shawn and Dylan take over the cleanup duties. The rest of us settled into easy conversation while we waited for them to finish up.

Mom asked Andy more about his work at the fire station, and he shared a few more lighthearted stories, making everyone laugh. Gigi took the opportunity to tell everyone about how she'd been teaching him to crochet. I knew for a fact he had only made four small squares, but just like with us when we were doing something new, she made it sound like he was a crochet prodigy.

By the time Shawn and Dylan had finished up in the kitchen, everyone was relaxed and chatting comfortably. When they finally returned to the dining room, Mom clapped her hands together. "Alright, now that the hard work is done, it's time for dessert."

Mom went into the kitchen and came back with an apple pie that I could tell was one of my Gigi's. She made the very best pies, hands down. I didn't know where we were going to put it after such a huge meal, but we all took a slice, and it was just as delicious as it looked.

After my dad took the last bite of his pie and pushed his saucer back, he looked at me. "I found some old pictures of the bar the other day, and I wanted to see if you wanted them. They're from when we used to have live performers. I don't know if you have any need for them or not, but if you want them, they're yours."

"Yeah, sure. I'm not sure what we might do with them, but I bet Victor could come up with something."

"I have them in the den if you want to take a look." My dad stood and waited for me to join him.

I glanced over to see Andy deep in conversation with Gigi. She was talking animatedly, her hands gesturing as she spoke, and Andy was listening intently, nodding along with a warm smile on his face. It made me smile, too, seeing how easily he connected with her. I loved my parents, and we were close, but Gigi had always had a special place in my heart. All her teasing aside, I knew I really was her favorite.

I leaned over and gave Andy a kiss on his temple. "I'll be right back."

He glanced my way and gave me a little smile and a nod before turning his attention back to my grandmother.

I followed my dad down the hall into the den. It was a large, but cozy room, filled with the rich scent of leather and the soft glow of lamplight. My dad had never had an office here at home. With three kids, he'd never had the space, but he had an old roll-top desk that he'd always used to pay bills and do paperwork. He walked straight to the desk while I took a seat in one of the armchairs. He picked up a small stack of what I assumed were the photos, and then he settled into the chair across from me.

For a moment, he just looked at me, a soft smile on his face. "You've got a good guy there, Jesse."

I nodded, feeling a lump in my throat. "I thought with Marcus…" I paused and shook my head to clear it. "It doesn't matter what I thought. This is something different. Something better."

Dad's smile widened. "I can tell. And I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Dad."

We sat there for a few more moments, just enjoying the quiet comfort of the den. Eventually, we heard the sound of laughter from the dining room, and Dad stood up, clapping me on the back before handing me the photos. "Come on, let's get back in there. There's no telling what family secrets your Gigi is sharing now."

I chuckled because this family had no secrets. We were pretty much one big open book. But I stood and followed Dad back to the dining room. Sure enough, Gigi and my mother were regaling Andy with some story, and he was laughing along, completely at ease.