Page 21 of Forever Foolish

“Jamie,” Lucy began and there was a slight warble to her voice that caused Chloe to look at her. The woman’s eyes were shining with happiness, love, and pride as she looked away from her son to Chloe, then turned to look at J.J.’s father. “I’m more than satisfied, and it’s time to go.”

“Wait… what?” his father began – and then sighed. “Nice to meet you, Chloe – and please call me Jamie, not Mr. Post. That just sounds so darn stuffy, and I have a feeling things are going to be a little bit more casual around the family.”

Chloe couldn’t help the smile on her face as his parents rose to their feet, making their way to the front door. She and J.J. joined them, saying their goodbyes in a most awkward fashion that was setting up a precedent that they were guests in J.J.’s home… their home.

“J.J., I suppose we’ll see you Sunday night for dinner – and bring Chloe, dear.”

“I would love to come to dinner,” Chloe volunteered, nodding to them.

“Be good,” his father grumbled, looking J.J. in the eye. “I don’t want her father crossing me – if things are as serious as you two are implying.”

“I’m staying on base,” she admitted, looking at J.J., who spoke softly toward her, not hiding his intentions.

“For now, she is.”

“That’s good,” Lucy agreed quickly, nodding. “There’s no rush, and this is the smart way to go about things. You are going to need support and family around you – there is no reason to cause problems or rehash old memories.”

“Memories that aren’t ours,” J.J. added pointedly as Chloe moved to his side, putting a hand over his heart as she looked at his mother.

“We both know that there’s a past, but it’s not ours to mend or handle. It’s between the four of you - not us. I mean this in the best way, Lucy, but the sins of the father…”

“Are not the sins of the son,” his mother finished softly, staring at her with respect and understanding. “You’re right. You weren’t there, and it’s not fair for us to hold our grudges or try to steer you away from making the same mistakes.”

“If we make a mistake, Mom… then it’s our error to handle,” J.J. added quietly, looking at his parents before looking at Chloe. “But this is no mistake.”

“No, it’s not,” she agreed as J.J.’s arm wrapped around her shoulder in a show of support. His parents made their goodbyes and left a moment later, leaving them alone. Turning, she looked at J.J. once more and met his eyes. “I should probably go, too.”

“One more kiss,” he invited softly, already leaning toward her. “Then we need to plan our second date, third date, and figure out a way to get all of our parents in the same place so we can have a real discussion of what the future is going to look like.”

“Oh? You want to tackle that battle?” she chuckled against his lips as he hesitated, looking at her. His eyes searched hers, and while he’d never popped the question,the big question, it was always kind of assumed between them that they were going to be a couple, eventually getting married.

Neither had dated anyone else nor had they ever wanted to. It was like they had spotted each other in the chaos, grabbed on for dear life, and held fast to their littlebubble of happiness. He was hers, and she would never let him go, and she knew that J.J. felt the same way.

“We’ll need to at some point – won’t we?” he whispered, looking insecure for the first time ever, and it broke her heart. This man loved her with every ounce of his being, and he was right. Their families would need to know, need to accept and understand this was inevitable between them. They were happier than either could have ever imagined and had waited long enough for their moment that was finally here.

“We do indeed,” she whispered, touching his cheek and closing the gap between them to kiss him softly.

6

J.J. POST

“Honey… I’m home!”

J.J. was in the kitchen trimming some chicken breasts to put in the oven for them to have for dinner when Chloe came bursting in the front door. He loved that woman’s enthusiasm and playfulness – even if she wasn’t living here yet. They both agreed not to make any moves or changes until everyone knew what their intentions were.

“’Bout time,” he chuckled, looking over his shoulder at her. “Kick off your shoes and get comfy. I picked up a movie for us to watch.”

“You’re treading on dangerous territory, honey. A girl could get used to this,” Chloe teased, yanking off her sneakers and hopping on one foot before changing to the other one. Not a second later, she was walking in his direction, still sassing him – and he loved it. “Come home from work, sexy man in the kitchen, dinner on the table soon…”

“Where’s this sexy man at?” he chuckled as sheslid up to his side, kissing him on the cheek. “Should I call the police for someone breaking and entering?”

“Ha!” she retorted, swatting him playfully on the backside. “I think we both know where he is. Lemme wash my hands, and I’ll help with dinner.”

“If you want to butter the rolls, I was going to pop them in the oven.”

“I’ll butter your bread, honey…”

“Chloe,” he chuckled, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly. She was awfully forward sometimes, and he knew she did it to get a reaction out of him. “If your parents heard you, your father would have me in a headlock before I knew what was happening… you know he would think that we’ve crossed a line seeing how easy we are together.”

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