by Natalie Ann
He started to cough on the beer that he was drinking. “What we just did upstairs? That takes sharing to a whole new level.”
“No,” she said. “Not that. That we are dating.” She stopped and stared, felt her face flush and wondered if she was putting the cart before the horse. Shit, the horse just broke free and was running in the other direction at this point. “Are we dating or was this just something you needed to add to your list of conquests?”
“Whoa,” he said, putting his beer down and moving close to her, pulling her into his arms. “I’m a little offended you think that or even had to voice it.”
“Sorry. I’m not normally quite this vulnerable.”
“But you have been in the past?” he asked.
“I’ve told you dating and I don’t go hand and hand well. If it’s not all the things I’ve said before, it’s the fact that guys think I’m putting the pressure on them to settle down when I think my biological clock is ticking.”
“You’re young yet,” he argued.
“I am. But if I want more than one kid, it takes time.”
“You might have five at once like your aunt and be done.”
“Oh God no. No one wants that. My body couldn’t take that,” she said, shivering.
“Twins run in the family. That could happen twice like your mom.”
“Yeah, I know. And again, no use thinking of it. Not sure if my mom was fertile or my father. My Aunt Diane didn’t have twins so who knows?”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter, does it?”
“No,” she said, “and here I am having conversations that scare guys off too. So let’s change the subject.”
When would she learn?
“You wanted to tell your parents?” he said. “That we are dating, right? Why? Not that I’m opposed, just curious more than anything.”
“Let me go light the grill and I’ll be right back.” She walked out and got some fresh air, trying to clear her head, but she started this and was going to finish it.
“So, now that you are settled, tell me what is going through your mind,” Brock said, sitting at the island, relaxed and calmly drinking his beer. He didn’t seem upset or rattled over this conversation. That was something at least.
“Don’t laugh. I know you’re aware that my Aunt Jolene and Uncle Gavin set their five kids up. Travis fell prey to it, so you’ve got to know.”
His lips lifted. “Travis doesn’t fall prey to anything he doesn’t want to do. I’m sure most know that about him.”
“That’s true. Anyway. My brothers and cousins have all warned our parents not to do it.”
“Do you think they did?” he asked.
“My gut is telling me yes, but I can’t prove it.”
“Walk me through it,” he said. “I’m dying to hear this. Do you think you are the only one thinking this way?”
“I believe so. I haven’t said anything to my brothers or cousins.”
“Ella was the only one to figure it out too. Maybe a guy’s brain doesn’t work the same as a woman’s.”
“I think that goes without saying,” she said, leaning in to give him a kiss. “Anyway, it started with Sam and Dani. My Aunt Diane gave Sam Dani’s name for a haircut.”
“Sounds simple enough. Why Dani?”
“Because Dani owns the salon she goes to and Sam has always had wild hair. It was a joke in the family. She said he needed to see a stylist, not a barber and Dani cuts a lot of guys’ hair.”
“Again, not a big deal.”
“Bryce is next. Aunt Diane gave him a gift card to Payton’s deli. Payton’s mother works with my Aunt Diane and Bryce has always been ruled by his belly and doesn’t cook. Takeout is his thing.”
“I can see where that might raise some flags, but could be a coincidence too.”
“I think everyone thought so because my aunt has always been in their faces about their dating lives and wanting to fix them up with women exactly like them or with similar careers, which we know Dani and Payton don’t have with their spouses.”
“So, no reason to think much of it,” he said. “Did you right away?”
“No. Not really. Drake was next and since I work with him and Kara and they knew each other and always butted heads, I really let that one pass.”
“Noah is next. How did he and Paige meet?”
“When Noah had to call Paige in after Sebastian got in a fight at school,” she said. “Sebastian says he set Noah and Paige up.”
“I can’t see how your mother could have anything to do with that. Maybe your father with Drake and Kara, but that is pushing it if she’s been employed for a while and they always got on each other’s nerves.”
“I know. That is when I started to think I was nuts. But Wyatt was next and my mother asked him to show Adriana around if they ran into each other. She’s an OR nurse at Duke.”
“And your mother admitted it, so nothing sneaky there.”
“Yep, but the thing that is giving it all away in my eyes is that everyone is falling in birth order. Just like the Five did. And I’ve brought it up to my parents and aunt and uncle a few times and they all get this panicked look in their eyes. I threatened them saying I’d tell all my cousins if they even attempted to do it to me and they know damn well they’d never have a shot with Ryder if he knew.”
Brock started to laugh. “I’ve seen the women he dates. So you want to tell them we are dating so they don’t get any ideas with you?” he asked.
“Exactly. Besides, you don’t want the competition, do you?” she asked with a big grin on her face. “Though I can tell you, you’d win anything hands down.”
Brock didn’t want to say what popped into his head. That when Gavin and Jolene found out about his idea through Travis, they were the ones that pushed him to move forward with it.
It’d been a pipe dream for him more than a reality, but the more he thought of it, the more it gave him a purpose that he desperately needed when he left the service.
He was afraid if he mentioned that to Jade though, she’d get suspicious and he didn’t want that.
Was he thinking maybe they thought he’d be good for Jade? It was starting to cross his mind. And if it was in his, it definitely would be hers.
If she thought that, would she rebel just for the sake of going against getting set up? She was stubborn enough and he wasn’t willing to take that chance right yet.
“If I want it bad enough, it will be mine,” he said, winking at her. She could take that as possessiveness or she could take it as the joke he intended.
When she laughed and then shook her head, he knew she wasn’t offended with it. “Hang on while I put these steaks on the grill now that the water is boiling.”
She dropped the beans in the pot, went to the deck and came back. “Speaking of getting what I want. I put an offer on the house yesterday.”
“Really?” she said. “Congratulations. I haven’t wanted to ask, as it wasn’t my business.”
“Don’t congratulate me yet. I’m still waiting to hear from them. They told me what they were looking for and I felt it was still a little high. I’d spent some time researching prices in the area and talking to the bank to see what I need for a private sale. I had to find a lawyer and so on. I’m not used to this stuff and wanted my ducks in a row first. They knew I was gathering information but was interested.”
“I’m sure it will work out,” she said.
“I think so. I’m not low-balling them. I did the math on what the houses are worth in that area and factored in some things they’ve got others don’t. Then I figured out what they’d net after paying realtor fees they won’t have to with a private sale. They’d make out a little better even with my lower offer and I think they know it.”
“Did you give them a timeline to get back to you?” she asked.
“Tomorrow. They could be waiting to the last minute or they could be working out things on their own. I’d like to close fast for them since they are moving. That
was one of my questions with the bank and I hope a deciding factor for them.”
When his phone went off, he pulled it off the counter hoping it wasn’t work. It seemed he got messages all the time.
“Problem?” she asked.
“Nope. I’ll be damned. Brenda just texted to say they are accepting my offer.”
“Then it’s a great night all around,” she said, coming forward and giving him a hug. “Guess that means you really are staying put for a bit.”
“Guess so,” he said, returning her kiss.
19
A Thing For You
“You’re still coming to dinner tonight, right?” her father asked her at the end of their staff meeting.
“I’ll be there,” she said. She didn’t want to add that she’d be bringing some news with her. It wasn’t the time or the place to do it at work. They’d just gone around the table updating where they stood on their projects and she was going back to her office now.
She wasn’t working for more than two minutes when Kara appeared in her doorway. “I don’t owe you any receipts,” she said, laughing.
“I know you don’t. You never do. That would be your brother.”
“What’s up?” she asked when Kara came in to sit down.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course I am. Why do you ask?”
“You seemed a little lost in thought in the meeting. You were staring off in space and had a grin on your face a few times.”
Crap, she hadn’t realized that. “Nothing major,” she said. “Did Drake send you in here to talk to me?”
“Maybe. He thinks you are dating someone and won’t say anything. That you are keeping things like that to yourself because he and your brothers have been rough on you over the years.”
“They have been,” she agreed. “I normally keep those things to myself for that reason.”
“So there is someone?” she asked.
“Can you keep a secret?”
“No. Not from Drake. Don’t tell me,” Kara said, standing up and laughing.
“Fine. I’ll just tell you yes, I am, and I’m going to tell my parents tonight at dinner. I won’t tell you who and you won’t have to worry about keeping it from Drake.”
“He’s going to ask me about this conversation,” Kara said.
“Then tell him yes, I am, and if he comes in here to ask me I won’t even tell Mom and Dad tonight. That will shut him up. Trust me, I know. He’s patient and he can wait.”
“Sounds like a deal.”
But Noah and Wyatt weren’t patient and she wasn’t surprised that Drake had let them know. What did surprise her though was that her father hadn’t come in asking and she hoped her brothers were keeping it to themselves even though they’d been a nuisance all morning texting her to find out who it was.
When her phone went off two hours later she was ready to throw it against the wall if it was one of her brothers again. Instead it was Brock asking how her day was going.
Rather than text him back, she called, “Frustrating. How about yours?”
“Busy,” he said. “What’s frustrating? I thought you weren’t saying anything until tonight.”
“That was my plan, but Kara came in because she and Drake suspected something was going on with me. Guess I’m still smiling and staring off into space thinking about our weekend together.”
He laughed on the other end. “What did you tell Kara?”
“That I was dating someone but not saying who until dinner with Mom and Dad tonight. My brothers aren’t really happy with that.”
“Brothers?” he asked.
“Drake told them. Probably Noah first as they always run to each other. Anyway, I told him they have to wait.”
“Do they normally hound you like this?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m used to it. It’s fine. My parents don’t know yet. They know if my brothers told them. I’d say I was withholding the name and they’d get in trouble when my mother went up one side of them and then down the other because everyone knows how stubborn I am.”
“Good to know that bit of information,” he said. “Keep me posted tonight when you get home. Just want to make sure there aren’t three men waiting for me on my doorstep. Four, if I count your father.”
“They wouldn’t dare,” she said. She hoped. They never had before, but they might think this was different. Brock wasn’t just a stranger to them. It might be tricky for everyone involved now. She should have thought of that herself. “Have you said anything to Travis?” There was some silence. “Brock?”
“No. Not like you think. He knows I’ve got a thing for you, but I haven’t talked to him since last week. Long before our Friday night date was even established.”
“A thing for me, huh? Is that what we are calling it now?”
“Back then I was,” he said, laughing.
She shook her head. “I’ll reach out to Ella tonight. If I don’t, she’ll never let me hear the end of it. I might get an earful anyway, but it’s a chance I’ll take.”
The two of them ended their call and she went back to work.
By the end of the day, she ran home and changed, then drove to her parents. She made sure she showed up the same time as her father so she didn’t have to get grilled too much by her mother alone.
Her mother could spot a secret a mile away.
“Smells good in here,” she said. “What are you making?”
“Lasagna. I made a veggie one for you and me too.”
“Yum,” she said. “That will hit the spot.”
She waited until everything was on the table, and they were digging in. Then her mother said, “Jade, when are you going to tell us what is on your mind?”
“Did one of the boys call you?”
“No,” her mother said, looking at her father.
“What is going on?” her father asked. “Why would they call your mom?”
At least her brothers listened to her. “I’m dating someone.”
Her mother just nodded her head. “Your brothers know that over us?” she asked. “That’s a first.”
“Kara came into my office and asked if everything was okay today. She said I was staring off in space and smiling and wanted to know what was going on.”
Her mother looked at her father again and now Jade was wondering what was going on. “I didn’t notice anything off,” her father said.
There were more looks exchanged between them. “What?” Jade asked.
“Your father isn’t very good at picking up when things are wrong with his kids. He’s getting my stink eye.”
She smiled. “There wasn’t anything to pick up because there isn’t anything wrong.”
“See, Carolyn,” her father said. “Cut me some slack. It was a staff meeting. I was focused on the group.”
“He was,” she said, agreeing with her father.
Her mother just snorted. “So, who is this guy? Are we at least allowed to know that?”
Here goes nothing. Their reaction would tell her what she wanted to know. “Brock James.”
“He’s a nice guy,” her mother said calmly and went back to eating.
Hmm, not what she thought. “I hope he’s treating you right,” her father said as he continued to eat. “My guess is he has some demons. Are you sure you want to get involved with that?”
“We all have demons, Dad. Why would you say that? He’s buying a house and putting down roots here. It’s not like he’s going to pick up and take off.”
“That’s fast,” her mother said. “How long have you been dating?”
This was odd. They were talking like it was just another guy she’d told them about. Maybe she had this all wrong. Or maybe Brock wasn’t the guy they’d pick for her because if her mother was happy with their choices she was all over having them come to the house and making them feel welcome. Well, too damn bad.
“A few weeks,” she admitted. “I’ve had him as a guest to my gym and we’ve had a handful of dates. I told
him about Tom and Brenda Marker’s house and brought him there to look at it earlier this week before they listed it.”
“That was nice of you,” her father said. “You’re a good girl.”
“That’s me,” she said, letting it drop for now. Guess she got worked up over nothing.
“How the hell did we pull that off?” Carolyn asked the minute Jade was out the door. “You have no idea how hard it was for me not to jump up and do a booty shake when she said she was dating Brock.”
“Tell me about it,” he said.
“And you,” his wife said, pointing her finger. “How could you not know and Drake and Kara figured it out?”
He knew he might get his butt handed to him over that and had to defend himself about the meeting. But the truth was, he hadn’t noticed Jade doing that. He’d have to pay better attention to things now or feel his wife’s wrath.
“I told you I was focused on the meeting. You heard Jade agree with me.”
Carolyn snorted. “She always backs you. Daddy’s little girl.”
“She’s not so little anymore and if you say that to her she gets all defensive,” he argued.
“I know. I can’t wait to tell Jolene that her plan is working. She’s going to be more excited than us.”
“I told you they thought things were falling into place when Gavin saw Brock at the pub a few weeks ago and mentioned Brock’s crack about them being afraid of the women in the family. Like he’d experienced it himself.”
“That was just Gavin’s opinion though.”
“It must be spot on then,” he said.
“Ella can’t know,” she said. “Because if she did, she’d tell her mother and then we would have known.”
“Do you really think Ella would tell her mother knowing everything that has gone on in the past few years? Ella figured it out and Jade has too. We just won’t admit Jade figured it out. At least our hands are clean of this one. Jolene can take the fall.”
“Are we awful people thinking this way?” Carolyn asked. “I mean there is no fall to take, but Jade won’t think that. Even if those two are perfect for each other.”