Jackson continued down the hall to the room his parents kept for the kids. Inside he found toys already strewn across the floor. The room consisted of two sets of bunk beds—which his mother insisted on just in case any of his brothers had children—a dresser, and a desk. His parents doted on their grandchildren and liked to keep the kids’ bedroom well-equipped for whenever they visited.
His thoughts strayed to his parents. They had been together for almost thirty years and still seemed as in love as ever. That was the kind of relationship that he wanted. Someone he could trust with his whole heart and whom he could respect and admire in return.
His mother and father had been through many ups and downs while raising him and his brothers, but they had always been a team. He hadn’t thought he’d been looking for that. He’d had it once and it hurt too much to lose it. But what if the perfect woman passed him by because he had his eyes closed? What if Ridley left him because he was too scared to let himself ask her to stay?
At the sound of footsteps, he turned and was encased in a strong hug. Laughing, he embraced his oldest brother, Elliott, just as warmly. The two had always been close, but lately his hectic work schedule and Eli’s constant travel for his job gave them less time to hang out. He missed the time they used to spend together and resolved to make it up in the future.
“Hey, bro, where have you been? I came by yesterday but you weren’t home.” Elliott smiled warmly as Jase and Chris launched themselves at his legs.
“Oh, Ridley and I took the boys to the park yesterday afternoon.”
“You and Ridley, huh? You guys are turning into a regular little family.”
He stopped at the speculative look in Eli’s eyes. Despite being a confirmed bachelor, Elliott seemed to think that what Jackson needed was a wife. His position was the exact opposite of Nick’s, who seemed to think that what he needed was sex—with as many women as possible.
“Hey, don’t look like that. Mom is bad enough with all the matchmaking. Where are they, anyway? I would have thought Mom and Dad would be here to meet us.”
“They went to pick up a few last-minute necessities for dinner. You know how they insist on cooking everything themselves. I don’t know why they don’t just buy the food already cooked.” Eli shook his head at the baffling idea of doing unnecessary work if you didn’t have to.
“Now Elliott, you know that one of the ways I show my love to my family is by preparing the meal with my own two hands.”
Eli doubled over with laughter at Jackson’s imitation of their mother.
“Ooh, I’m gonna tell Grandma. I’m gonna tell!” Chris laughed and skirted away when Jackson playfully swiped at him.
“Let me just check on Ridley before the rest of the family arrives.”
“You brought her with you today?” Eli raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, I brought her with me.” Jackson narrowed his eyes.
Eli raised his hands in defense. “I didn’t say anything. You’re going to get more than enough from everyone else. I’m sure Mom will be planning the wedding by dessert.”
* * *
Ridley dropped her purse and hurriedly applied lip gloss and a touch of eyeliner. Although she felt very clichéd doing it, she couldn’t help wanting to make the best impression she could on the rest of Jackson’s family. Judging from the relatives she had already met, everyone in the family had hit the genetic lottery.
Looking at her outfit, she smoothed the front of her dress until the pleated skirt hung just right. She was glad she’d changed into the brightly patterned sundress. It showed off her legs but was still casual.
None of her past boyfriends had been serious enough to warrant a meet-the-parents scenario. Yes, technically, she’d already met them but that was as Jackson’s neighbor.
Now she was his girlfriend. Sort of.
Hurrying back out to the hallway, she ignored the quizzical glances she received from Jackson. She hardly ever wore makeup and he was probably wondering why she’d bothered for a simple family gathering. Luckily he didn’t comment, he just pulled her to his side.
“Hey, there you are.”
Ridley couldn’t help admiring again how well Jackson pulled off the weekend-casual look. Instead of looking unkempt, he looked rumpled in a sexy, tousled sort of way. Her thoughts stalled when she saw Jackson wasn’t alone. She recognized the DJ from the Memorial Day party. Since she had already met Bennett and Nick, she had to assume this was Elliott.
“I didn’t realize that you weren’t alone. Hi, I’m Ridley.” She extended her hand to the silent man and felt herself melt when he gave her a shy smile. She could tell this one was a heartbreaker.
“Well, hello. I’m Jackson’s older brother, Eli. I’m starting to see what all the fighting has been about.”
“Um, thanks, I guess.” She was surprised into laughing when he refused to let go of her hand.
Jackson scowled at them both.
“Okay, Elliott, if I’d known you were going to hit on her I would’ve never introduced you. Can you believe the nerve? That’s family for you, I guess.”
Ridley and Eli chuckled at Jackson’s overly dramatic expression and finally Jackson joined in. Gesturing with his head, he motioned for Ridley to follow them.
“We were just going to find everyone. Are you ready or do you need more time?”
“No, I’m done. We can go.”
As they walked back to the family room, she was immediately struck by the sheer number of people who had arrived in the past ten minutes.
“Where did all these people come from?” She hadn’t meant to speak out loud and hoped she hadn’t come off as hopelessly rude. Eli and Jackson just laughed, however.
“Cousins, church members, friends. Sunday dinners around here are kind of a free-for-all. Don’t worry if you can’t remember anyone’s name, they won’t expect you to.”
Ridley gulped and allowed Jackson to pull her into the middle of the fray. After meeting at least five different cousins, she gave up any hope of ever keeping names and faces straight.
“Let’s take a walk. I’ll show you some of the property.” He led her outside onto a huge back porch. His parents stood next to the railing, looking out into the fading sunlight.