Kevin arrived back at home at eight o’ clock in the morning. Waking up beside Jasmin was something he’d wanted to hold on to for as long as possible and he’d only managed to pry himself out of bed twenty minutes ago. As soon as he opened the front door, he heard Jordan screaming for his mother like the house was on fire. There was enthusiastic chitter-chatter, but he couldn’t make out one word. He walked to the living room where he found his mother crying and Jordan looking like she was going to burst from excitement. Max and Danny were in there too. Danny had a big, bright smile on her face, but Max seemed a little annoyed. It was a very confusing situation.
“What’s all the commotion?” Kevin asked and all of them turned to face him at once.
“Where are you coming from at this hour?” Jordan asked and she seemed to be taking note of the fact that he was in the same clothes as the day before.
He shrugged. “I went out last night,” he replied, keeping his voice neutral so she wouldn’t ask more questions.
“Max and Danny got engaged,” his mother said as happy tears rolled down her cheeks.
There was a brief moment of shock. He’d only found out yesterday that they weretogetherand now they were engaged? He really needed to take a more active interest in the lives of his siblings.
“Congratulations!” Kevin gave them both a hug. “So Danny finally got down on one knee.”
“Iproposed!” Max shouted. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”
Kevin chuckled to himself, now understanding the look of annoyance he’d seen on his brother’s face when he’d walked in. Everyone had made the same assumption—Danny must have been the one to propose. And Kevin didn’t hesitate to tell him why that had been the obvious assumption. “Max, you areso slowwhen it comes to women. You’ve been in love with Danny since day one and it took you seven years to make a move. Actually, I don’t even thinkyoumade the first move. I can bet Danny kissed you first.”
He should have put money on that bet because Danny’s shy giggle confirmed that he would have won.
Max turned to face her with a smile. “You’re not helping,” he said with a groan. “If I’m getting this much flak from you guys, I can only imagine what Shane’s going to say when he finds out.” He turned back to Kevin. “Speaking of which. Are you coming skating with us today, Kev?”
It was a tradition that Perry had always been a part of and it didn’t feel right to go without him. Also, he had other plans for today. “Nah, I’m gonna stay at home with mom.”
It was over an hour later when Dom and Shane came to pick them up and as soon as they left, Kevin grabbed his phone and sent a text to Jasmin to tell her to come over.
*****
Jasmin walked up the stairs leading to the porch and tapped lightly on the door. Kevin opened it almost immediately and greeted her with a wide smile. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
He stuffed his hands into his pockets and his nervousness told her that he’d never brought a girl home to meet his motherbefore. That was enough to cause a wave of girly tingles. He led her past a large dining room to an equally large kitchen, where his mother was busy mixing a batter.
“Mom,” he said to get her attention, “there’s someone I want you to meet.” He placed his hand on her back and urged her to move forward to the island counter. “This is Jasmin.”
Her eyes lit up and a huge smile stretched across her face. She looked like she’d never been happier to meet anyone in her entire life. Jasmin melted instantly and for a second—only a second—she wished her own mother could have looked at her like that.
“Well, hello, Jasmin.”
“Hello, Mrs. Shepard. It’s so nice to meet you.”
She tsked. “Don’t be so formal. Call me Momma J.” Sadness flickered on her face. “Perry used to call me that. Or you could use Danny’s variation—she calls me Mommy Jess. I’m fine with either.”
It was odd. Jasmin knew her for less than a minute and those few sentences already made her feel like she was part of the family. “Okay. Mommy Jess.” It was uncomfortable at first. She’d never used the wordMommybefore, but the discomfort slowly transitioned into something different, a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Kevin sat down on a stool and pushed out another one for her to do the same. She hopped up onto it and rested her forearms on the counter.
“So how did you and my boy meet?”
“At a gas station,” Jasmin replied with a giggle.
“Mom, Jazz was the one who drove me to Florida”
His mother eyed her with an unreadable expression. “So it was you?”
Before Jasmin could make sense of that, the backdoor swung open and another woman walked into the kitchen.
“Hi, Momma B.” Kevin stood up and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. “So you’re probably wondering why I asked you to come over. I wanted you to meet Jasmin.”
