“Of course, babe. Now go show that asshole your amazing new facility so he can eat shit.”
Jace laughed and walked back to the boardroom. I was confident Sutton would handle Martin, but I didn’t think he’d go quietly.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kayden
At no point inmy adult life had it ever occurred to me that I would need to meet my partner’s parents. Mostly because I’d never had an adult relationship that was serious enough for that to ever be a topic of conversation, and I certainly had never considered anyone ever meeting my father.
Jace squeezed my hand as we stood outside of his moms’ condo—the condo where he grew up—which was apparently right across the hall from Sutton and her husband, Adrian.
“You feel nervous,” Jace said, effortlessly reading my energy for the one millionth time since we’d met.
I love that about him.I didn’t have to tell Jace when I was anxious, he could feel it, and he was ready to help me through it without question every single time.
“I’ve never met parents,” I said.
“Like ever?” he asked with a chuckle. “Surely you’ve met people who are also parents. You’ve met Liv. Hell, you’re a parent, baby.”
I tilted my head to the side and attempted to glare at him, but I wasn’t sure it was having the intended effect since his smile grew.
“I have the most chill parents in the world,” he said. “I promise they’re going to like you. You don’t have to impress them.”
“That’s a relief because I know absolutely nothing about hockey”—which I understood was Lavi’s favorite thing in the world—“nor can I carry on a conversation about art for very long unless it’s about art history.”
Jace chuckled and rubbed his beard. “Yeah, no. Not Mom’s thing. Just be you, Kayd.”
“I am being me. I’m anxious and my palms are sweating.”
Jace grabbed my cheeks and turned me to face him as he planted a big kiss on my lips. “My moms arenothinglike the parents we grew up with. They’re the most sex and love-positive people you’ll ever meet. There’s a reason I’m as chill as I am, and it’s all because of them.”
I nodded, still uncertain.
“Think of it as practice for Liv’s mom,” Jace said, as he knocked on the door twice. He waited thirty seconds before opening it while he kept talking, “Val’s great too, but this way you’re getting first-time jitters out of the way.”
I looked at him curiously.
“It’s always best to give them a clear warning that I’m about to open the door. I told you: very sex positive”
I laughed, feeling a knot of anxiety release.
“Thank you,” I said, as Jace opened the door.
“For what?”
“For saying that to distract me. It worked.” I squeezed his hand as he led me into the condo.
“That wasnotan exaggeration, and it took me too long to come up with this method,” he said, putting his hand on the small of my back. “Ladies, I brought home a hot man.”
A blonde woman in a pair of pink leggings and a Bruins shirt with the number fifty on it appeared from the hallway that I assumed led to the bedrooms. “Good thing we came up with that method. Ima will be out in a minute,” she said.
Jace shook his head and hugged her. “Mom, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Kayden.”
She let go of him and offered her hand for me to shake. “I’m Sloane. We’re so excited to finally meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too,” I said, hoping she didn’t notice how sweaty my palm was.
“Nervous about the whole meet-the-parents thing?” she asked.
