“It’s huge,” Jackson said with a grin in his voice, telling me without words that we were good now. “Our precious Doe is going on her first date.”
I heard the doorbell, and my heart started racing. I glanced in the mirror again, making sure my makeup and hair were still okay. “I have to go. Love you!”
“Love you!” the three chimed before I disconnected the call.
Turning my phone to silent, because I knew at least one of them would try to text me throughout the night if I didn’t, I grabbed my purse. Telling myself not to rush down the stairs, I had to focus on taking one step at a time so I didn’t do just that. Hearing the deep timbre of my father’s voice, I had the urge to run to save Jenner. But if he couldn’t handle himself alone with my dad for two minutes, then he wasn’t the man I hoped he was.
Dad’s laugh reached me, and I was able to relax a little. I’d told my parents about my date over breakfast that morning, and other than asking who I was going out with, they hadn’t shown much of a reaction to my news. Of course, that wasn’t always a good thing when it came to Dad. He could hide his feelings until someone pushed him over the edge, and then he turned into Hulk 2.0. When that happened, only Mom could calm him down.
Two-thirds of my way down the stairs, they came into view inside the front door. Dad stood there with his arms crossed over his massive chest. He’d gotten a little soft in the belly over the years, giving him more of a dad bod, which, weirdly enough, his female fans seemed to drool over even more. But his arms were still huge, and I could easily imagine him ripping apart a man with them if he were in a rage.
Jenner was just as big, though, and I knew he could hold his own if he needed to. As the two men talked, I saw respect flashing in Jenner’s eyes. The grin on Dad’s face told me all I needed to know about his feelings for my date. He liked Jenner, respected him not only for his service in the marines, but as a man he trusted to keep me safe and happy.
Growing up, I’d never had to worry if Dad would scare off any guy I brought home. For one reason—I’d never been interested in any of the jerks in West Bridge to want to bring one home to meet him. But mostly because he’d always told me, as long as I was happy, then he would be happy for me.
He would follow up that sweetness with a promise to murder any guy who so much as made a single tear fall from my eyes.
I believed him, in both regards. As long as I kept my eyes dry, then Jenner would always be safe from Wroth Niall. It was my brothers he really needed to worry about.
Catching sight of me, Jenner turned his head. I was glad I was holding on to the rail, because the moment his gaze landed on me, the breath was knocked from my lungs. His jaw didn’t land on the floor, and with the way his throat moved when he swallowed, I figured his tongue wasn’t glued to the roof of his mouth either.
His chest heaved with his labored breathing, and he took a step toward me, a glitter in his eyes as his gaze skimmed over me from head to toe and back again. I liked this reaction better than what Piper had predicted.
“You are so beautiful,” he rasped as he met me at the bottom of the stairs.
“Thank you.” Heat filled my face, and I shyly placed my hand in his when he offered it to me.
He entwined his fingers with mine, tugging me closer. Thankfully I was wearing flats, because if not, I would have been taller than him since I was still on the stairs. My height had always been the one thing I disliked the most about my body, the second being how round I was in places.
But with Jenner, he made me feel small, almost delicate. It was a heady experience, getting to enjoy being truly feminine for the first time in my life.
The sound of Dad clearing his throat startled me. For a moment, I’d forgotten we weren’t alone. I would have pulled away, but Jenner tightened his grip and lifted our joined hands so he could brush a soft kiss over my knuckles. Calmly, he turned to face my dad and smiled. “Have a good night, sir,” he said as we walked to the door together.
“You two have fun,” Dad said, his face completely blank of emotion. “Doe, do you have your keys?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Try not to be too late getting in,” he advised. “I know you’re too old to have a curfew now, but don’t make your mom worry by being out all night.”
I bit my lip, trying to stop the smile that wanted to spread across my face. “I won’t make Mom worry,” I promised.
With a grunt, he bent to brush a kiss over the top of my head. “You really do look beautiful, sweetheart,” he murmured softly. “Have fun…just not too much fun.”
A light laugh escaped me. “Relax. I think I’m in good hands.”
Dad glanced over my head at Jenner and sighed heavily. “Yeah, I think you are too.”