I hold my hand out to shake first Rebecca’s, but she skips my hand and goes in for the hug. In my ear, she says, “We’re huggers in the Mathers family.” Laughing, she pulls back enough for me to get a good look at her. She’s gorgeous with dark hair and bright blue eyes. I can’t believe she’s old enough to have a child as old as Billy. “You’re pretty,” I say without thinking.
It must amuse her because she laughs loud enough to draw attention to us. “And you’re beautiful, JoJo. I’ve heard a little about you, but I hope we can have lunch next week so we can learn more about each other.”
“Oh.” Do I want to have lunch with his mom? Alone? “Okay.”
“My son has never called me to tell me about a woman before. From that alone, I knew this was different than any of the others.”
Others. I wonder how many others there were.
I hold my hand out to William, but he does the same thing that Rebecca did, only his hug is brief. “It’s nice to meet you, my dear,” he says, giving me an older version of Billy’s smile.
I beam at Billy. “I feel like I’m going to wake up and this will all have been a dream.”
I turn to Rebecca, but she’s got a funny look on her face as she asks me, “You really feel that way, don’t you?”
“I do.” Why would I lie about that?
Without warning, she wraps me up in her arms again and whispers in my ear, “I want grandkids as soon as humanly possible.”
I giggle and whisper back, “Isn’t your daughter pregnant?”
“I wantmoregrandchildren.”
I laugh again. “I’ll talk to Billy. We’ll see what we can do.”
“Good.” Stepping back, she turns toward the large crowd of guests. “Have fun, kids. Happy New Year if I don’t see you again.”
“Happy New Year,” Billy and I say at the same time.
“See?” He kisses the top of my head. “Two down, one to go. Well, two if you count my brother-in-law.” He smirks. “Which I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.” I laugh as I slap his arm. It’s hard with muscle. My goodness, Billy is so dreamy tonight. I know I’m not the only one who thinks so. There have been many people, men and women, who have gawked at him. I can’t blame them.
After meeting his parents, Billy and I walk around the ballroom looking at the decorations, getting a glass or two of champagne, and sampling from the amazing food available. I’m not able to eat much. My stomach is still in knots from the whole experience. I mean, this night is like one of those you see in a Disney movie with the lights, orchestra, dancing, and the clothes. The clothes are the best part. I know I’m no fashionista, but I could spend the whole night sitting at one of the hundred tables and just look at the dresses. Luckily, my green dress fits in nicely with the rest of them.
During one of our walks around the room, we finally bump into Billy’s sister, Faye, and her husband, Mark. I like them immediately. Faye is funny and merciless when it comes to teasing her baby brother. I really like her. It’s nice to watch siblings who get along and see what it’s like when they actually like each other. Anyway, Faye’s gown is gorgeous on her. It’s white which looks great with her dark hair, but it’s flowy too for the baby bump. We talk for a few minutes and agree to have lunch soon as Rebecca suggested. Now that I’ve met them all, I sigh in relief. It also means my appetite is back.
As we walk away, I whisper to Billy, “Let’s get some more food. I’m starving.”
“As you wish,” Billy says with a wink and a smile. You know what, I think he means that. I have a feeling Billy Mathers is going to make sure all my wishes come true. I just hope I can do the same for him.
When it was time to count down to midnight, Billy wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. “This is the best New Year’s Eve of my life, JoJo and all because I get to look forward to the next year with you by my side. Then, while everyone else was yelling “Happy New Year”, Billy leaned down and kissed me softly.
I smile before the kiss is even over and say, “Best. New Year’s. Ever.”
As soon as we slide into the car, I get as close to Billy as I can and put my head on his shoulder and wrap my arm around his middle. “Best. Night. Ever.”
“It was. I’m glad you liked it.”
“I loved it.” I look up at him. “It was like a fairy tale and I was a princess. What woman wouldn’t love something like that?”
“I don’t care about any other women. Only you, JoJo. I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy.”
I push back so I can look him square in the face. “I’ll do the same for you, but I’m not as good at it as you are. But I’ll try.”
“Just be JoJo. That makes me happier than you’ll ever know.”
Just be JoJo. Hm, I think I can do that.
