"Jean's a great parent and she deals just fine." I kept my face nice and blank. These people, they hurt my head. "But everyone can do with a little help now and then. No one should have to go through life on their own. That's what family and friends are for, isn't it? Supporting each other, being there for each other even if you don't exactly agree with all of their life choices?"
Hint, hint.
Dad's frown increased by about a billion. Over guilt or me, who knew? Meanwhile, the mom seemed to be putting a whole lot of effort not to let her gaze drop to my bare chest.
"Ada threw up on my shirt," I told her.
"Oh." Again.
They actually seemed a bit startled by this new information. Judgey asshats. And even if I might in fact be having sex with their daughter, information like that definitely fell under the heading of none of their goddamn business.
I physically resisted the frown lines threatening to crease my brow. No sense making this more uncomfortable for Jean than it already looked like it was becoming. On my shoulder, Ada babbled happily while sucking on a fist. I don't know how she could be so happy with life on so little sleep, but at least she wasn't crying or puking anymore.
"I'll go see if Jean's awake," I said, walking, not running away from her parents.
All those years of avoiding meeting a girl's folks. I'd been so right. A shame I'd fallen headfirst into the situation here and now, but the rules for what I was willing to do for Jean were distinctly different than for just about every other woman I'd ever been involved with. It was a fact. No point denying it. Eventually, I'd probably have to give her the whole, "Hey, let's attempt being a couple" speech. Hopefully, she'd be more receptive to it than Karen had.
A guy could only hope.
Gently, I knocked on Jean's bedroom door before opening it to peek inside. Shit. Even first thing in the morning, the woman looked like my dirtiest dreams come true. Sometime during the night, she'd kicked off the blankets and the negligee had ridden up her thigh. I slipped into her room, closing the door behind me. Let her folks think what they liked. Honestly, the damage was probably already done.
"Jean?"
"Mm?" Slowly, she stirred. "What's the time?"
"Almost nine. And, ah, your parents are here."
"My parents?"
"Yeah."
At that, she bolted upright in bed, eyes wide. "But, Eric, you're only half dressed. In my apartment. First thing in the morning."
"Yeah, took me forever to get Ada back to sleep, and then she kept waking up," I said. "I just grabbed a cushion off the couch and crashed in her room so I could get to her before she woke you."
Jean's eyes went all soft. "You slept on the floor in her nursery?"
"You were exhausted, sweetheart. You needed sleep."
"Wow." She scratched at her head. "My parents are here and you're here and you've all met each other. Okay."
I gave her a minute. Clearly, she needed it. For her, this was probably the equivalent of Nell finding out about us. Only I'd long since accepted that that would happen and pain would follow. Jean was still navigating the ins and outs of having her parents meet me. Obviously.
She slumped. "God, they probably think I'm back to my old wild girl ways and we're having sex parties every time Ada goes down for a nap."
"I told them I slept on the couch and that I got baby puke on my shirt," I said. "Both of which are true. Mostly. Definitely the puke part."
At this news, the worry seemed to seep straight out of her. A hint of a smile lit her face. "You slept on the floor and got puked on."
"Being best buds with Ada has its perks, don't get me wrong." I bussed the baby's head. "But it definitely has its downsides too. Not that I mind."
"You're too good to us. I don't deserve a friend like you. But..." Her gaze darted to the bedroom door. The solid wood was obviously not up to the job of blocking her parents' judgey eyes.
"But what?"
She just shook her head.
"You don't need their approval, sweetheart."
"Logically, I know that. I guess it's just habit," she said. "I was so close to my grandma. She meant everything to me. To think Ada might miss out on having that sort of connection sucks."
"It's not your fault or really your choice, though. Is it?"
"No, I guess not." Jean gave me a smile that didn't work for shit. "They seem to be trying."
No comment there from me.
"Anyway, thank you for letting me sleep. I owe you big-time. We'll discuss this later." She bounded off the bed and started pulling on clothing. "Has she had her morning bottle?"
"A few hours ago."
"Did you get any sleep at all?"
"A little," I said. "You know, she's very demanding, made me sing Janis to her for hours. Babies are hard work."
Jean snorted. "Tell me about it."
"How'd you sleep?"
"Amazing."
"Good."
She took Ada from me, settling the baby against her own shoulder before leaning in real close. "Morning-breath warning."
"Lay it on me," I said without hesitation.
Her closed lips pressed firmly against mine. "You're the best."
"I know."
"And so humble." She laughed. "How did my parents react to you being here?"
"I think they're a little weirded out."
"Hmm. We're not much of a secret, you and me, are we?"
"I don't know about that," I said. "Nell still hasn't attacked me with a chainsaw or anything, so we can't be doing too badly. How long are your parents here for anyway?"
"Only a few days."
"Oh, hey. Before I forget, a friend's having a get-together Monday if you're up for it." I tried to sound casual, but I really, really wanted her to go with me. It promised to be pretty special. Plus the weekend was coming up and it was going to be a busy one at work. Since both Vaughan and Pat were occupied elsewhere, there wouldn't be much time for sneaking in visits to my two favorite girls. Doubtless, Nell would be inviting her to the party as well. Hopefully, however, I'd gotten there first. "Should be fun. What do you say?"
"Will it be baby friendly?"
"Of course." I gave Ada's little back a rub. "I think there'll be other kids the
re."
"Then I'd love to."
My heart stuttered at the mention of that word. The L thing on her lips had power for some reason. No biggie. It was stupid really. I'd maybe give my reaction some thought later. Or try never to think about it ever again so long as I lived. I wasn't sure which just yet.
"Okay," I said. "You distract your parents while I make a run for the front door."
"They're not that bad. Or were they?"
"Be ready with that distraction," I said. "I'm trusting you to have my back here."
She laughed again. Prettiest sound in the world. Right up there with her moans.
"I better go grab a few hours' sleep before work," I said. "Also, we need to make a date for adult playtime again soon."
"Yes, we very much do," she said. "Thank you again for looking after her all night so I could sleep."
"Anytime. Ready?"
I opened the door with a grin while she giggled. But all of that shit quickly stopped the minute her parents' gaze hit us. There was so much worry in their eyes. Disapproval, maybe? Then I remembered, they'd been the ones to drive away their only child. If Jean and Ada were halfway across the country from them, they'd been the cause. All the time I'd spent hanging out with Ada had given me a small taste of what it must mean to be responsible for a child, to get all wound up worrying about their future. So I could appreciate their reservations. Didn't mean you could go trying to make the decisions for your kid indefinitely, however.
Something seemed to change in her mom's demeanor, though. The woman stepped forward, holding out her hand. If anything, she seemed a bit flustered. "We didn't think to introduce ourselves to you, Eric. I'm Leah and this is my husband, Will."
"Nice to meet you." I shook Jean's mom's hand, then her dad's. He seemed hesitant at first, but then gave me a grim smile. Maybe they weren't so bad. It'd probably been a bit of a surprise to find me answering their daughter's door half dressed. But surely the baby on my shoulder clued them in to the fact that it wasn't all sex games and swinging from a chandelier. I was there to help their daughter, not harm her.
"Hi, Mom," said Jean. "Dad."
Immediately, a wide grin cracked her dad's face. "Sorry to drop in unannounced, honey."
Jean gave them both a kiss, handing over Ada for some cuddling from her grandmother.
"We thought we might take you to breakfast?" asked her mom with a smile. "How's my gorgeous granddaughter?"