Page 74 of Undeniable Love

And she did. “Okay, okay, okay…this isn’t terrible. I’m overreacting. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Um…”

“OH MY GOD!! You think something’s going to happen?”

“Lucy…”

“No, no…I should be prepared. What if they’re all going to grill me on why I’m with Jax? Or what if they decide to call my brothers and tell them? What if they call my parents? Oh, no…this is bad. This is so bad!”

“Lulu, do you even hear yourself? Why would they call your parents or brothers? Think about it! And you saw them all back at the whole groundbreaking and luncheon thing. It’s not like you’re a stranger or they hate you. You really need to stop freaking out. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“Maybe. But you totally hesitated when I asked what’s the worst that could happen.”

“I was trying to think of something to say to put your mind at ease, but you immediately started yammering and talking nonsense!” Then she laughed.

“And that’s funny, why?”

“Because now I know that this relationship is a good thing.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna need a little more context.”

“You’re freaking out because this means something. Jax means something to you. Back when you were with…you know…he who shall not be named? You were almost robotic whenever you talked about him. There was zero emotion there. So hearing you like this makes my heart happy.”

“Aww.”

“Look, have fun,” Gemma told her. “Enjoy yourself and be thankful that you have this time with Jax’s family. You know they’re going to be curious as hell about the two of you, but you know you’re kind of curious as hell about them too!”

“I know.”

“And do I even need to remind you how you’re basically spending the weekend with Simon Freaking Bennett? I mean…I am so damn jealous right now!” She squealed with excitement. “I love his music so much! The first time Mike and I kissed, it was to a Simon Bennett song.”

“Seriously?”

“Oh, yeah. It was a great song!”

Snickering, she asked, “And the kiss?”

“Let’s just say he’s gotten better at it.”

They both laughed at that and for the rest of the ride, they just chatted. “I appreciate you taking my call. I know you’re at work and all.”

“Pfft…it’s a quiet day here in the office. All the animals are behaving. The actual animals and the ones I work with.”

“I thought Dr. Vic was supposed to retire soon. When’s that happening?”

“Not soon enough. Trust me.” There was a loud ruckus in the background, and Gemma groaned. “I spoke too soon. Gotta go. Have fun and I’ll talk to you when you get back!”

When she hung up, Lucy realized they were at the gate to Jax’s neighborhood. She put the window down and smiled at the attendant. “Hey, Bill!”

“Hey, Lucy! I’ve got you on the list. Go ahead through and have a nice weekend!”

“You too!” And with a wave, they drove on to Jax’s house where she grabbed her bag, thanked her driver, and watched him drive away. Facing the house, she let out a long breath. “Okay, here we go…”

Noah was waiting for her at the door with a serene smile. “Hey, Lucy!” Stepping back, he motioned for her to come in. “Perfect timing! Jax let us know when you were landing, so we ordered lunch. I hope you’re hungry because Jules and Lily went a bit overboard.” He took her suitcase from her as they walked in to greet everyone else.

It was friendly chaos, and they were all so warm and welcoming that she forgot to be nervous. Within minutes, they were all filling their plates with sandwiches and assorted salads while Simon got drinks for everyone. It was all so normal that it was easy to forget that she was basically surrounded by a wealthy celebrity family.

“I love how this all came together,” Lily said as they sat down. “Jax rarely is the one to invite all of us here—especially during football season—so when he offered to host, we all jumped at it!”

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