Page 52 of Boarded Hearts

“Oh!” Jennie waves her hand in front of her. “Never mind that.”

“Mom, this is Felicity, my friend, and Felicity this is Jennie, my slightly deranged mom.” I don’t miss the accented way Jon says friend, but he’s sticking to the agreement, and I appreciate that. After all, we aren’t anything more and we don’t have any other label.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Morgan.” I go with a traditional greeting and hold my hand out to her with a sweet smile.

“Wait? What! Sh-she’s, y-you’re, British?” Jennie’s mouth hangs open and Jon smirks. He clearly didn’t tell her that part.

“All the way from sunny blighty,” I say, exaggerating my accent a little.

“So cute!” And with that, Jennie pulls me into the biggest, and possibly tightest, hug of my life. “I love her already!”

“For fuck’s sake,” I’m sure I hear Jon mutter under his breath. I get the feeling Jennie likes to wind her son up and it would appear she’s pretty good at it, too.

“Where’s Dad?”

“He’s out the back with Adam. They’re putting up lights to get ready for the holidays,” Jennie finally releases me from her vice-like grip.

“He’s home?”

“Yes, honey, he made it back this weekend, but he’s only staying tonight. He seems to be in good spirits, but his support worker, Angie, tells me he’s had another difficult week,” Jennie replies, making her way back to the stove.

“Want to come meet them?” Jon eyes me and tips his head to the back door.

“Yes sure, let me just grab our shoes.”

We make our way out the back and across the gravel driveway, which runs the length of the property. “This is an impressive place.”

“Yeah, it’s perfect for them. Even though we didn’t grow up here, it feels more like home than the previous house ever did. As soon as I bought it, my dad was able to quit work, no longer having a mortgage to pay, and spend time with Mom and Adam. It’s the best thing hockey has ever done for my family.”

He’s incredibly generous. This house is a small estate which no doubt cost more than I will ever see in my lifetime. “It’s beautiful. Do you think you’ll live here when you’re older and you know, your mum and dad pass?” I don’t know what makes me ask the question, but from losing my parents so unexpectedly, I guess it’s always at the back of my mind.

“No. The house is written into Adam’s name.” We round the side of the garage. Adam is attempting to detangle a string of lights, and James is halfway up a ladder.

Placing his hand on the small of my back, Jon steps forward a couple more paces. “Alright, you two.”

James’s head whips around and Adam’s eyes shoot up. “Son, great to see you.” His dad’s eyes then meet mine. They’re a deep-brown color and his hair is even darker, almost black, from what I can tell under his gray baseball cap. I’d pin James at around six-foot-one and Adam at a similar height. However, Adam has the most beautiful blue eyes. I first noticed them when scanning photos at Jon’s place, but they’re even more striking in real life. His hair is slightly lighter, a mousey brown, tousled and thick. He’s a gorgeous man with a chiseled face and strong jaw. In fact, the whole Morgan family is beautiful. There’s no doubt they have strong aesthetic genes.

Jon lifts his hand to Adam, offering him a fist bump. “Alright, bro, great to see you.”

Adam’s eyes dart from Jon to me and then back to Jon again. Initially, I think he’s a little overwhelmed with my presence, but then he surprises me and smiles, and oh boy, he has dimples too. Adam’s smile reaches his eyes as he returns the fist bump and quickly resets his attention to unraveling lights.

“You must be Felicity,” James says as he climbs down the ladder, wiping his hands together before offering one out to me.

“I am; nice to meet you, Mr. Morgan.”

James stills and looks across at Jon.

“Yes, she’s British. Yes, Mom was shocked, too. And no, she doesn’t live in a castle.”

James throws his head back and laughs. “I’ll assume you’ve been Jennie’d in that case.”

“Yes. She’s a liability.”

James lets out a knowing laugh. “That she is, but she’ll never change.”

“Need any help?”

“Ah, no, son, you spend time with your girl. Adam and I have got this covered, haven’t we?”James looks over his shoulder at Adam, who’s crouched by a box, and he hums in agreement.“Food shouldn’t be long, and then we’ll be in.”

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