You’ve got to be kidding me.
“Mom! Dad! What are y’all doing here?”
“Well, Jessie said you and Jase had come back from Llano and were here unpacking, so we thought we’d stop by and see your new place.”
Turning to look over my shoulder, I called out, “Hey, Jase. My mom and dad are here.”
When I looked back, my father was scanning the cabin and my mother was looking at me like she knew what they had just interrupted. Smirking, she asked, “Did we come at a bad time?”
My chest felt like a weight was sitting on it. Avoiding total eye contact with her, I looked at my father. “No. Not at all. We were unpacking.”
It was then I remembered the box of condoms on the table and the one Jase had ripped open. Quickly turning around, I noticed they were gone. My eyes scanned the floor but all looked good.
Jase walked out of the bathroom with a huge smile on his face. I wanted to giggle thinking about how he was just talking so dirty to me while taking me from behind.
“Amanda, Brad, it’s great seeing you again.”
My father lifted his hand and mumbled something. My mother on the other hand walked up and gave Jase a small hug. “So what have you two been up to?”
“Well, we went to Llano and I met Jase’s family. Well, almost everyone. I met his parents, his sister, and his nephew. They invited us back to dinner tonight to meet Walker’s parents and his sister, Ava.”
My mother grinned. “Oh, that’s so nice. You know, Taylor, you should invite Jase over for Grams’ birthday celebration.”
Doing a little jump, I clapped my hands together. “Yes! You can meet everyone.”
Jase smiled. “Is it here in Mason or Austin?”
“Oh, not my grandmother. Grams is Colt’s great-grandmother. She’ll be ninety-five. We’re all like family, though. I swear there were hardly any weekends that went by where we weren’t all hanging out at one of our houses.”
“Wow, ninety-five!” Jase said.
With a chuckle, I nodded. “I know. Her husband, Gramps, is ninety-eight and they are both still going strong.”
Jase pulled his head back in surprise. “That’s wonderful. Do they still live at home or in a nursing home?”
Clearing his throat, he walked up to us. “They’re both still at home. Jack has in-home health care for them both.”
Turning to Jase, I said, “Jack is Colt’s grandfather.”
Jase nodded his head. “That’s so awesome. To live such a long life together is amazing and such a blessing to still be at home.”
Oh my.
Jase’s words caused my heart to skip a beat. My mother gushed at them and my father looked at him skeptically. “Yes, it’s pretty amazing,” my father said looking between Jase and me.
There was a weird silence filling the room. Since my parents were there, I decided I might as well embrace it. “Well, since y’all are here, want to help unpack? You were a huge help yesterday, Mom.”
Perking up, my mom took off her jacket. “I thought you would never ask! I never got to help you move into your place in Austin. This will be fun.”
Jase laughed and headed back into the bathroom. I wasn’t even sure he had the right box.
Everyone quickly got to work and before I knew it, Jase and my father were talking up a storm. With a quick peek in their direction, I couldn’t help but get teary eyed. As much as my father was trying to fight it . . . he liked Jase. They were getting along beautifully.
Nothing could ever ruin this high I was on.
Nothing.
Jase
The day flew by and we quickly had Taylor’s whole place unpacked and almost everything put away. Brad and I ended up spending much of the early afternoon talking about sports. Of course, he had his subtle ways of asking me what my future plans were, how long I would be living with my parents, and how involved I was with the running of the ranch.
“You’re having a house built then?”
“Not right now. I meet with the architect after the holidays. We had to bump our appointment back a few weeks.”
Brad nodded. “That’s good that you have a plan, Jase. I’m impressed with how much you’ve thought this through.”
I nodded and gave him a grin.
Brad looked around and let out a satisfied sigh. “Well, I think we probably should call it a day.”
Reaching his hand out to me, we shook. “It was a pleasure getting to know you better, Jase. I see why my daughter is so taken by you. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders and I like where your thinking is.”
Holy shit. Could it really be that easy?
He gripped my hand harder and pulled me closer to him. “But if you ever hurt my daughter again, I’ll be at your doorstep. With a gun.”
My eyes widened in shock as I gulped and said, “No, sir. I’ll never . . . no um never.”
“Daddy, stop it,” Taylor said as she gently pushed her father back.
Amanda walked up and kissed me on the cheek and gave me a hug. Turning to Taylor, she kissed her and said, “I’ll let you know about Gram’s birthday so Jase can plan on coming.”