by Jamie Summer
“This area or somewhere else?”
“They live on the South Coast these days.”
I didn’t mind the family questions, as long as they stayed basic. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t stay that way for long. Mrs. Portsmith didn’t seem like the type to do things halfway.
Maybe I should’ve thought about this a little more before agreeing to it.
“Mom, do you really need to play twenty questions with Jo before the ceremony even starts?” Tyler asked, breaking away from talking with his dad.
“It’s okay,” I assured him. “It’s the first time she’s meeting me. I wouldn’t have expected anything else.” At Tyler’s curious glance, I merely shrugged. I wasn’t a damsel in distress who needed saving. I was perfectly fine on my own. I was sure his mom’s inquisition had only been the start, too. After all, we had the whole day ahead of us.
“Tyler, Mark, Carla… So happy to see you.” A new voice joined our midst, and I watched a woman approach our small group. “We’re getting situated inside, and I’d love for you guys to be a part of the actual ceremony.”
“Trish, it would be our pleasure,” Tyler’s dad said.
“You must be Tyler’s girlfriend we heard so much about. I’m Trish, his cousin. My daughter, Ella, is the one being christened today.” She looked me up and down. I wasn’t sure if she saw me as a friend or foe.
“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard great things about Ella already. Tyler seems really smitten with her.”
She grinned, looking at him. “Is that so? Tyler, have you developed a crush on my daughter?” she teased, and I heard him laugh next to me. The sound was happy and carefree. It was clear that no matter the expectations his family put on him, he loved them dearly.
“You know how cute she is. Can you really blame me?” Tyler asked, making Trish giggle.
“Not at all. If you want to follow me, I can show you everything,” Trish explained. Everyone nodded and we made our way inside the church, where the atmosphere was cooler due to the stone exterior.
Tyler took my hand again, shooting me a quick glance. The smile on his face hadn’t faded, and something in my heart skipped a beat as I watched this content, happy version of him. I wasn’t sure if his worries had simply disappeared or if he had pushed them to the back of his mind.
“Your seats are over here, right behind my parents. The service won’t take longer than half an hour, then we’ll move outside. I’m so happy the weather held up,” Trish said.
Tyler’s mom and Trish talked about British weather for a few moments before Trish excused herself to get ready and we all stepped outside to enjoy the sun a little more. We still had twenty minutes left before we had to sit.
Tyler’s parents started asking him question about his team, and he dutifully answered them all. They seemed genuinely interested, which was something I couldn’t quite relate to.
“What about you, Jo? Ty said your job is exhausting. How can you travel so much?”
“I have a lot of late nights and phone calls. When I was single, I didn’t mind, but once I met Tyler, it was a different issue. If it all works out, I plan on getting an office job in London. That certainly would make things easier.”
We had practiced this, so answering was easy enough. Nothing to embarrass myself. Yet.
“Oh, I’m keeping my fingers crossed. We told Tyler it must be horrible to have a long-distance relationship. He never seemed the type who would be satisfied with one of those,” his mom said. I let my gaze wander over to Tyler. He didn’t meet my eyes, and I wondered if he was embarrassed.
“We are certainly trying our best to make it work. I’m so happy I finally managed to make it to a family gathering, though it’s not a Sunday brunch.”
“So he did ask you to come before?” Tyler’s mom asked, surprise in her voice.
“Mom!”
“What? With the number of times we nagged you about it, I figured you stopped asking her at some point.”
“Let me assure you, he brought up the topic time and time again, but it just never worked out.”
“Jo? Is that you?”
I froze at the voice. Holy shit. It can’t be. Not here.
“Jo?”
I didn’t dare glance in the direction the voice came from. Everyone else didn’t have the same hesitation and I felt every head turn in his direction.
“It is you.”
He was close now, and though I didn’t want to, I knew I needed to face him eventually.
“Jo?” Tyler asked carefully, and I didn’t blame the furrowed brow he threw my way.
“Who are you?” the voice asked from behind me.
Don’t answer, Ty, I silently pleaded. Please…
“I’m her boyfriend.”
And just like that, disaster found its way into our midst.
Tyler
I studied the guy standing behind Jo. He didn’t look familiar with his perfectly styled blond hair, tailored tux or…make-up? He woke actual freaking make-up.
“Her boyfriend?” The guy laughed, and I was blindsided by the anger building up in me. I was seconds away from stepping in front of Jo protectively. I knew she didn’t need it. Hell, the woman probably threw a punch as well as I did, but my instincts kicked in.
“Yes. Do you have a problem with that? Who are you anyway?” I asked, trying to not show how much his dismissive attitude irritated me.
“I’m Charly, her friend,” the guy said, but I sensed there was more to it. “Jesus, Jo. You’re in big trouble if this guy’s your boyfriend. Can’t believe you were stupid enough to—”
My nostrils flared. “Don’t you dare talk about her like that. Understood? I have no idea who you think you are, but that isn’t the way to talk to a lady.”
“A lady? Are we talking about the same Jo? The same woman who—”
“I think we all need to head inside,” Jo quickly said, interrupting. I was glad for the distraction because I had completely forgotten we were at Ella’s christening.
“Good idea,” my mom agreed, ushering us toward the church. Charly didn’t follow, making me think he didn’t make the immediate family cut. It would’ve surprised me if he had because that would have meant I’d seen him before. Which I most certainly had not.
“This isn’t over,” Charly called after us, and I saw Jo flinch slightly. She tried to hide it, but I was holding her hand again.
“Are you okay?” I whispered, worry taking over.
“I’m fine.”
“Is there anything I should know before we go through this service?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Nothing.” When I started to continue my questions, I felt the stern gaze of my mom.
“Leave the girl be. She’ll tell you if and when she wants to.”
Jo’s eyes showed as much surprise as mine probably did. I hadn’t expected my mom to jump to Jo’s defense when there was clearly something she wasn’t telling us. My mom knew. She always did. I always figured there was a part of her that was psychic or something.
We took our seat right before the service started. While I tried to pay attention to sweet Ella’s special moment, I couldn’t keep my thoughts from wandering back to the douche who had spoken to Jo like that. Worst of all, she had let him. That didn’t seem like her.
“Stop worrying, okay? You’re making me nervous,” my mom whispered, squeezing my hand the way she did when I was eight years old and about to find out whether or not I made the cut to go to the soccer camp I had applied for.
Noticing my unease, Jo tried to send me a comforting smile, but it worried me even more.
I made it through the ceremony somehow, even managing to push Charly to the back of my mind. I congratulated Trish on a beautiful christening and gave little Ella a kiss on her cheek. This time, she didn’t start crying.
“Ha. She likes me after all,” I said, making everyone in the vicinity laugh.
“Not yet,” Jo joked. Sure enough, five seconds later, Ella’s wails filled the ch
urch.
I shoved her shoulder gently. “Thanks. You completely jinxed that for me.”
Jo laughed. “Sorry, but it was inevitable. She’s a small child. You’re a hunk of a man. I would be completely overwhelmed, too.”
I arched a brow. “A hunk, huh?”
Jo blushed, her cheeks turning a dark shade of crimson. I leaned down and kissed her forehead, pulling her close.
“Sorry. I know that wasn’t fair,” I apologized.
“I’ll give you a pass this once,” she replied. She was a few inches shorter than me, but with her glancing up at me, there wasn’t a lot of space separating our mouths. Her gentle breath fanned against my lips, and for a second, I wanted nothing more than to kiss her.
“Are you guys… Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt,” my mom said, then quickly walked between pews and out of the church.
“We should…,” Jo started, pointing outside.
“Yes, we should,” I agreed. I tried to read Jo’s expression, but most of the time, she was good at hiding what she thought. Probably something she perfected while working at the bar. With some of the stuff that went on there, it wouldn’t surprise me if she needed to keep her cool.
I grasped her hand and we walked outside. I had gotten very used to the feeling of her hand in mine. It felt good, natural…familiar.
Tables and chairs had been set up under a huge tent, probably in accordance with the usual English weather. Right now, though, it worked well as shade to anyone who wanted to escape the blazing sun. I saw my parents in conversation with some of my family, and before I could ask Jo what she wanted to do, she pulled me toward the crowded tent.
“Tyler, hey. I didn’t get a chance to say hello earlier,” one of my uncles said, then turned and shook Jo’s hand, greeting her. He asked me all kinds of questions you asked someone you hadn’t seen in a few months, and I was pleasantly surprised when my uncle included Jo in the conversation. She readily talked to him about whatever topic he brought up, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the ease with which she handled the small talk I sometimes found myself too stiff to participate in.
We moved on from conversation to conversation, Jo participating in all of them. She looked to be enjoying herself more than I would have expected being surrounded by a bunch of strangers. I felt pride swell within me. I knew Jo would be able to handle herself, but seeing her with my family did something to my insides I hadn’t expected.
“It’s a beautiful place for a wedding. You’re going to have a wonderful time there,” I heard her say, bringing me back to the present. My cousin Jonathan and his fiancée stood with us, telling us all about their upcoming wedding in a small coastal town I had never heard of. Obviously Jo had.
“You have to come. I already invited Tyler, but knowing him, the invitation is stuck somewhere he’ll never find it again. It’s next week,” my cousin’s fiancée said, and I felt myself blanch at the prospect.
One day… That was all we agreed on.
“I am not sure Jo has off—”
“I’d love to,” she interrupted. “It just so happens that I have some vacation days my boss is forcing me to take.”
Mouth dropping open, I stared at Jo. Had she just agreed to a second fake date with me?
“Perfect. If you give me your number, I can send you everything you need to know.” She smirked at me. “Like I said, I’m pretty sure Tyler already lost his invitation.”
“I’m right here, you know. I haven’t lost anything. It’s up on my fridge,” I explained, trying not to grin at the prospect of spending another day with Jo.
“Are you okay?” my cousin asked, his gaze on me.
“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He cocked his head at me. “You look…different.”
“Everything’s great,” I replied, reaching out for Jo another time. She let me pull her close, and I noticed—not for the first time today—how well her body fit into mine. I leaned down and kissed her on the head, enjoying the closeness for a moment before releasing her.
Her gaze went up to mine. She looked like she was about to say something when a voice interrupted us.
Again.
“There you lovebirds are. I was looking all over for you.”
“Really? This isn’t a huge area, so it’s hard to imagine you couldn’t find us within five seconds. Then again, maybe you weren’t looking that hard,” I said, my alarm bells going off. Something about this guy rubbed me the wrong way. Jo seemed to sense my tension and took my hand in hers, squeezing tightly.
“Charly,” Jo said, slight warning in her voice. I’d been to the bar a few times and heard Jo use this exact tone when diffusing situations. “Let’s go talk somewhere else.”
He smirked. “Why? I want to get to know this new boyfriend of yours. After all, it’s the first time I’ve heard about him.”
My cousin and his fiancée, clearly sensing trouble, gracefully stepped away, leaving the three of us alone.
“Charly, this is Tyler. Tyler, Charly, a friend of mine.”
I noticed the way she put emphasis on the word friend, just the way Charly had earlier. It made me wonder what the issue between these two truly was.
“Are you an ex of hers?” The question was out before I could help it. It seemed curiosity got the best of me.
Charly’s laugh rubbed me the wrong way. His condescending expression didn’t help matters. Who did this guy think he was?
“Well, it’s none of your business, is it? Just because you’re her boyfriend doesn’t mean you get to know everything about her.” There was a challenging undertone in his words, and I felt myself take a step forward.
“Tyler,” Jo whispered, and I nodded in her direction.
“No worries. I just wanted to get a little closer to hear Charly a bit better. He’s a little shy and quiet.” My words had the desired effect. The veins in Charly’s neck throbbed.
“If you want me to tell everyone else how fake you two are…”
I tried to hide my shock at his words, but I wasn’t sure I truly pulled it off.
“Yeah. Don’t think I believe this bullshit for a second. Jo would never stoop so low as to go out with a football player. She has much better taste than that. She should anyway.”
“Excuse me, but it’s my life. I spend my time with whomever I want.” The fire was back in Jo’s eyes, and I had to admire the way she didn’t let this douche get her down. “Clearly, I am not spending my time with you, which should tell you all you need to know.” Her words seemed to hit some kind of nerve because Charly’s laugh was hollow.
“Wow. I can’t wait to tell your parents about this. They will have a field day. Do you want me to give them your best?” Charly asked, and I saw Jo pale.
What’s the issue with her parents?
“Sure. Tell them I said hi and can’t wait to see them again.” There was a bittersweet smile on her face. I was confused.
Who was this Charly guy, and what’s going on between Jo and her parents?
“I will. But once they hear what levels you’ve stooped to in order to find affection, I’m sure they will be happy to cut you out of their lives altogether.”
I stepped in front of Jo, wanting to shield her from his hateful words. “That’s enough. I have no idea what you think you’re doing, but if all you want to do is harass Jo, you can just leave. I will not let you talk to her like this.” I had enough. With every word Charly spat in Jo’s direction, I saw more red.
“Tyler, can you give us a moment?”
I turned toward Jo, unsure if I heard correctly. “You want me to leave you alone with this asshole?”
She merely nodded. “You know I can handle myself. I need to clear a few things up so he doesn’t get the wrong idea.” Her voice was so low, I doubt Charly heard her.
“Wrong idea? About what?” Is she talking about our relationship? Why should he care? What does it matter to him?
“About us. About what all of this means.”
I fro
wned. “Why? He doesn’t deserve any kind of explanation.”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Jo said, but before I could ask her what she meant, she grasped my face in her hands and pulled it to hers, kissing me gently. I had no idea where the impulse had come from, but I felt myself reacting to it instantly.
My arms went around her. I pressed her to my body, wanting to hold her as close as possible, as if every inch separating us took me farther from her and closer to dickhole. I didn’t want that.
Someone cleared their throat next to us, but I couldn’t care less who thought it was wise to interrupt at this moment.
“Ty…” Jo’s soft voice broke through my haze and I met her gaze. There was a sparkle in her eyes that wasn’t there before, and it made me stand ten feet taller at the thought I put it there.
“I’ll be right over there,” I explained, noticing how Charly continued to glare. I hated leaving Jo alone with him, but something told me she had a plan, so I was willing to let her try.
I walked over to where my parents were talking with my aunt and uncle. The same ones who had been at brunch last week.
“Tyler, we haven’t gotten the chance to say hi yet. And I gotta say, that girlfriend of yours is incredible. Everyone only has the best things to say about her.” The compliment made me smile. It also proved what I had felt while Jo and I had moved from conversation to conversation over the course of the afternoon.
She was a natural.
“You have to promise to bring her around more.”
“We’ll be at Nikki and Steve’s wedding next week,” I quickly said, and every gaze swung to me.
“You will? How did that happen?” Mom asked, clearly shocked. Happy, judging by the smile on her face, but shocked nonetheless.
“She said she had some vacation days to take,” I explained as I grasped a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, and my mom clasped her hands together.
“How wonderful. That will give us even more time to get to know her. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be going to your wedding one day.”