Baz chuckled, then got out of the truck. She waited for him to come around to her side, but only because her hands were trembling so much she didn’t think she could get the door open on her own.
Why was this so freaking hard? It wasn’t like they were aliens from another planet, and she was going to be asked to join their race and move to Mars. And it wasn’t like she was a social hermit. She could talk to people when she had to. Plus, she was strong and intelligent, and… Baz opened her door, cutting off her internal motivational speech. Before she could step out, he moved in close. He cupped her cheek, turning her head toward him as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
“Do you need a safe word?”
She laughed, pulling back to meet his gaze. “You joke, but maybe.”
He grinned, and his handsome face relaxed one of the knots in her chest. She was tempted to tousle his silky blond hair and thank him for being so protective. But if she did that, she would probably try to seduce him into taking her back home, and the last thing she wanted was for Baz to realize she was a coward.
She could do this. She could. It wouldn’t be easy, and she doubted it would be fun, but she knew Baz’s parents were important to him. The fact that she hadn’t met them yet was her fault. JJ was a chickenshit, there was no doubt about that, and she’d broken things off with him because of a suggested outing very similar to this one. But that was eons ago. Back before she’d thought the only man she had ever truly loved was going to have a baby with another woman. And if there was one thing she’d learned from the events of the past year, it was that she did not want to spend the rest of her life without this man. Which meant she had to put on her big-girl panties and do grown-up things like meet the parents.
“You ready?”
No.She nodded, then took Baz’s hand when he offered it.
He led her along the decorative concrete path, allowing her time to admire the clean, white stucco house that was offset by the dark wood that lined the underside of the overhang protecting them from the Texas sun.
He was almost to the front doors when she jerked on his hand, pulling him to a stop.
With endless patience glittering in his teal-blue eyes, Baz looked down into her face.
“What’s your dad’s name?”
His smile was slow and so sexy, it was a good thing she wasn’t moving, or she would’ve tripped over her own feet.
“Wesley. His wife’s name is Aretha.”
JJ frowned. “I thought it was Anna.”
“No. Anna was my nanny when I was a kid.”
“Right.”
Wesley and Aretha. She hoped she could remember that.
“And my mother’s name is Julie. My dad calls her Jules; everyone else calls her Julie.”
Oh, jeez. She was never going to get that one right.
Baz leaned down and kissed her sweetly. “You’ve got this. They’re gonna love you.”
Yeah, well, she was about to find out whether or not that was true.
***
Baz used his thumb to open thebiometric lock that granted him access to his father’s house.
He heard JJ’s sigh, figured she was likely impressed by the man’s security. If she only knew all that this modern monstrosity entailed. Biometric locks were just the first of many things to protect his father’s modern-day fortress and those who inhabited it.
“Ready?” he prompted with his hand on the steel handle.
“Not really, but let’s do this.”
Smiling, he opened the door of his father’s house, JJ’s hand gripping his like he was leading her to the gallows, not into a ten-thousand-square-foot mansion where her future-in-laws lived.
His grin widened, but he kept it hidden. The last thing he wanted was for her to know he was already thinking about marriage. If she knew, she would likely turn and run for the hills as fast as her sexy little feet would take her. He had every intention of marrying JJ, but taking things slow with her was the only way to move forward. Hell, it was a wonder she’d even agreed to meet his parents, and he figured theonlyreason she had was because she was having his baby, and she knew this would be something his parents wouldn’t want to miss out on.
Just thinking about JJ carrying his child made his chest swell with love and pride. He remembered the visit to the doctor when they’d gotten the official confirmation and seen the first images of their future son or daughter. Despite having a name that reminded him of a dating app, Baz had liked the doctor who would be along for the journey. Dr. Tinder had assured them that the baby’s heartbeat was strong, and he saw no complications thus far, sending them off with a sense of relief so potent Baz still didn’t remember the drive home.
