“Thirty?” Jackson smirks. “Damn. Now we know why you wear cargo pants, Grandpa.”
“They’re tactical pants,” Reece shoots back. “And I’m pretty sure the cutoff age for skinny jeans is twenty. It’s time to retire the nut-huggers.”
Jax kicks his leg out. “These aren’t skinny jeans! They’re a normal fit.”
The corner of Reece’s mouth twitches. “Normal for middle schoolers.”
I stifle a chuckle. “Speaking of your family, what are we doing? Are we pretending Jackson is with Aurora?”
“Oh.” Our little devil scrunches her nose. “I kind of took care of that too.”
Reece’s expression falls. “What did you do?”
“I made a tiny…” She stretches out the word, pinching two fingers together. “…donation to their church to improve the daycare. I saw it on their website.”
“They don’t have a daycare, Aurora. They have an empty room.”
“Well, they do now,” she singsongs. “I told Sadie it was a surprise and not to tell you. So, surprise,” she finishes with jazz hands.
“I left you alone for one fucking day—not even a full twenty-four hours—and you managed to bribe a federal agentandmy parents?”
“I know, right? I got a lot done.”
She grins brightly, once again proud of herself, and a snort escapes me.
“Aurora,” Reece scolds.
“What?” she snaps playfully. “I used my own money, and, per Sadie, your mom is thrilled to furnish the daycare. She’s also been showing off pictures of us and isover the moonabout you coming home.”
“You sent pictures to my mother.”
“No, I sent pictures to your sister, which you approved of.”
Jackson shakes his head. “I’ve never been happier not to have siblings.”
Same.
She adjusts herself on my lap to face him. “Maryanne, Reece’s mother, loves cooking and baking—that’s your in.” At his blank stare, she adds, “You can be charming when you want to be. I know you can. This is important.”
I tug her braid. “What about me?”
“His dad is a pastor.” She shrugs. “Probably not gonna have a lot in common.”
Definitely not.
“Holy shit, dude.” Jackson’s brows shoot up. “Your dad is a pastor? That explainseverything.”
Chapter 34
Reece
Aurora pauses on the sidewalk, a few feet from Sadie’s downtown Charleston rental, a frown creasing her brow. “All jokes aside, your sister is fantastic. I already love her. But if you’re uncomfortable, we leave. No questions asked.”
It’s late Thursday, less than a week before Christmas. The air is crisp, the historical streets are decked out for the holidays, horse-drawn carriages clop along, and the pastel houses twinkle with lights. All this charm to appreciate, and she’s staring atme, worried aboutme.
“I’m fine, princess. We’re only seeing my sister tonight.” I hoist my bag higher on my uninjured shoulder while Ethan and Jax grab theirs from the trunk of the Uber. “Being here with you makes this easier.”
It’s true, even though I thought it’d be the opposite. I feared my family would offend her, reject her and our relationship, and ruin my sister’s wedding when I stormed out of here. I dreaded Aurora’s reaction to my parents’ conservative views, but she seems to have embraced them, at least for now.
