Page 5 of Jamison's Story

“Now that makes sense,” I say, shaking my head feeling a bit dumb now. “I’m guessing that’s also why you said ‘or girl’ earlier too?”

“Partially,” he says, watching me closely. “Serena was the first woman Julie ever dated, but they were meant for each other. They adopted Anya who was thirteen when they met her. Her mom threw her out because she told her she liked girls. Serena’s biological parents did the same to her when she was fifteen. She moved in with her best friend’s family though, so she didn’t have it as hard as Anya. Julie met Serena at a bridal salon while Jackie was there to pick out bridesmaids dresses for her upcoming wedding to Ethan. Julie introduced Jackie to him actually,” he adds and that has me spellbound.

“More please,” I tease him when he stops, looking like he’s trying to gauge if he’s said too much.

“Alright, well, Julie and Ethan went to college together in Sherman. Jackie is basically Mom just twenty years younger, and like Mom who just wanted a family, that’s what Jackie wanted as well. She was entirely content to just stay home and help Mom with the rest of us kids—she was eleven when we were born,” he explains. “She didn’t really want to go to college, and Dad would have caved to her pleadings if she’d really pushed it, because not only is Jackie like Mom, she looks just like her too,” he says, the love in his eyes as he talks about his family enough to make my heart melt, wish I had something that went that deep as mine.

I love Nanci and Nick, but there’s definitely not this closeness. I don’t know if he even realizes how lucky he is to have it.

Chapter 3

Jamison

Watching Natalie’s eyes tells me more than her mouth ever might. They’re so expressive it hurts when sadness crosses through them.

I want her smiling though, so I go on, telling her about my family—the one she’ll be part of before she knows it, because I’m not about to let her go. Not ever.

“Mom suggested that Jackie go to college out of town because even if she’d stayed in-town and went to Presley, or State like Jasmine and I did, she would just go between classes and home. She’d have stayed at the house even and just drove the hours every day to State unlike the others of us that lived in a condo our parents bought for us to avoid doing that because she’d want to help with the other kids.

“Julie went to visit her and while waiting for Jackie to get to the restaurant, she saw Ethan. They were talking and when Jackie got there, it was obvious that they were meant for each other,” I tell her, wanting her to see that this is real. She might be running from it a bit because it’s so fast atop of everything else, but I know it’s real. The same way it’s been for the rest of my family.

“And Julie met her wife while out to get a bridesmaids dress for Jackie’s wedding?” Natalie asks and I nod.

“Jennie, the second oldest, is a diva and wanted final say on the dresses they wore. Julie didn’t care, doesn’t really wear dresses, then or now, so when Mom suggested one and Jackie really liked it, she went back to try it on. She met Serena in the changing room. Serena’s best friend Bailey was picking out her bridesmaids dresses that day and she was trying them on for her. Serena saw Julie in the showroom earlier, started crushing on her, and they ran into each other. Apparently they had their first date that afternoon and have been together ever since,” I explain, loving the smile that graces her lips hearing that. “They have one biological daughter, Serenity, who’s almost thirteen. Her birthday is at the beginning of June.”

“And they adopted a daughter?” Natalie asks and I nod again.

“Anya, she’s twenty-four now. She just finished her master’s in social work at Presley actually. It took her a while to figure out what she wanted to do, but she decided after seeing what Matt and Grace went through with foster care, that she wanted to be part of the ones doing good for those kids.”

“Who are Matt and Grace?” Natalie asks as we finish our meal, but she doesn’t begin to make an effort to leave the table.

“They’re a brother and sister that Julie and Serena were fostering. They were able to adopt them after two years. Matt is now eleven and Grace is nine. Anya has had several girlfriends, as has Maddie’s sister Kayla since they’ve been part of the family, so I know gender doesn’t mean much when it comes to who can do wrong in a relationship,” I add, as she shakes her head a bit.

“And your parents, your family is okay with Julie, Serena, Anya and Kayla’s preferences?” Natalie asks, picking at her thumbnail and I lift her face to mine, seeing she’s not asking because she’s not. There’s something else in her gaze and it makes me want to know exactly what, so I can make it better for her.

“Everyone loves them for who they are, and honestly, if you saw Julie and Serena together, I don’t know how anyone couldn’t be okay with them loving each other. They’ve had it rough. Julie was working for the construction company already when she and Serena met, and some of the guys weren’t very cordial about it. My older brother Jesse’s the beast you have to worry about if someone says something stupid to or about any of them though.

“He met Maddie while she was being accosted by two creeps that thought she was gay, and wanted to ‘change’ her,” I add, making her eyes widen and jaw drop. “Yeah, she was at an event to support Kayla. Jesse was headed over to it to find Julie, Serena, and Anya who were all there. Took one look at Maddie and fell for her, hating himself for it because she was wearing a pride shirt so he at first thought that she was gay.”

“He didn’t?!” Natalie gasps, pulling a chuckle from me.

“He did,” I tell her, grabbing our drinks before getting up to head for the couch. She doesn’t hesitate to follow me, and I settle in on the end of the couch, smiling when she takes the spot next to me, rather than the other end or the other chair in the space.

“Clearly they figured it out if they’re now married then,” she muses and I nod, letting my smile grow.

“They cleared it up pretty quickly while he was cleaning up her knees from where she’d scraped them trying to get away from the creeps. They went back to the park to find Kayla, running into Julie and Serena while there. When they found Kayla back, Julie and Serena took her with them and Anya to get some food and hang out with the younger group that Anya was part of.

“Jesse stayed with Maddie who was exhausted. She was going to college and working two jobs, afternoons in a restaurant and evenings at a gas station, trying to save up enough money to get her and Kayla out of their parents’ house,” I tell her, watching her eyes widen further in shock at that news, but there are tiny little specks of hope bubbling up as well and I’m pretty sure I know what she was thinking earlier.

“And they’re now married,” she states.

“He hasn’t let go of her since that day. Maddie fell asleep while he held her at the gazebo in the park, even with everything going on around them, she knew she was safe with him, and let her guard down. Kayla was shocked when they finally got back to them, said that she woke to every little sound normally, but she slept the rest of the time they were there, on the entire walk from the park, down the four blocks to the condo Jesse was living in at the time, and the rest of the night. He took her to the courthouse less than three weeks later and married her, although he didn’t tell the rest of the family they were at that time. He wanted Maddie to have the wedding she wanted, which included her baby belly on display, but he wasn’t about to wait six months to have her legally as his.” Her smile softens, growing deeper and I brush the hair from her face, needing to touch her again.

“Has everyone in your family…”

“Grabbed hold of what they know was meant to be theirs and never let go?” I offer when she pauses, pulling a little nod from her. “Pretty much. Johnnie didn’t take Carly home with him the first time he saw her only because he thought she was too young for him. She’d just turned nineteen.”

“Really?” Natalie says, her tone full of surprise as well.

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