He looks from me to Jordan, and she smiles. “It works for me if it works for you, dad.”
He hesitates for only a moment. “Sure,” he says, “four o’clock it is.”
When we get in the SUV Jordan says, “Thanks for that. I really appreciate it.”
I shrug my shoulder. “It’s the least I could do. Plus, I figure I need to have a talk with him if I’m going to be dating his daughter.”
She groans and throws her head back against the seat. “Why do I feel like I’m in high school and you’re meeting the parents for the first time? He already knows you. It just feels so weird.”
I laugh. “Look, there’s a lot that needs to be said. He only knows me as Emmett’s bodyguard. I have to impress him so he’ll accept me as your boyfriend. I have a lot I have to answer for.”
She nods and bites her lip. “I still don’t know much about you. Where do you live? What kind of car do you drive? I just feel like there’s a lot of catching up to do.”
I grab her hand and kiss her palm. “You know all the important things. I kept everything as close to the truth as I could. I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” I promise her.
“Okay.” She smiles at me and then says, “Can we get some breakfast before I take you to the SD card?”
~ ~ ~
After grabbing breakfast burritos and eating them on the beach, Jordan directs me to a neighborhood that I’ve been to before. She has me park a few blocks away, but we end up at her dad’s house, his car nowhere in sight.
“This is the house I grew up in.”
I squeeze her hand and we both stare at the single-story bungalow.
I give her a small smile. “It must have been a great place to grow up.”
She nods. “It was,” she tells me, “give me a second.” She walks into the front yard and with ease, she lifts a rock that’s been placed in a flowerbed. It’s then that I realize it’s fake and has a false bottom. I’m assuming it’s for a hide-a-key, but Jordan pulls a small plastic bag from the bottom and then quickly places the rock back before making her way back down the driveway.
“Got it.” She shakes the baggy. “I came by one night when I knew my dad would be asleep. I wasn’t sure it was the safest place for it, but nobody has ever found the hide-a-key, and I took a chance.”
“Smart girl.”
She beams at me and then we make our way back to the SUV.
Once we’re all buckled, I grab her hand but don’t start the car. I turn my head to face her, and she faces me back. “My full name is Lucas Alejandro Amato,” I tell her. I want her to know everything about me and I may as well start now.
She smiles at me. “It suits you. When’s your birthday?”
“March thirteenth.”
“Is this your real car?”
I shake my head. “No. I drive a black Jeep Wrangler.”
“That makes sense. Where do you live?”
“Glendale. It’s just outside of L.A. I have a one-bedroom house that I bought five years back.”
“Will I get to see it?”
I smile at her question. “Of course. You’ll also get to meet my parents at some point too.”
Her eyes widen. “Really? You want me to meet your parents?”
“Definitely. They already know about you.” She swallows hard and I find it cute that she’s nervous about meeting my parents. “They’re going to love you.” I lean over the center console and brush my lips against hers. “Let’s get out of here and get the card to Miller so we can go home.”
She smiles and nods. “Sounds good.”
