Page 40 of Burning for Him

After turning off the engine, Doug leaned over and kissed her gently. “You’ll be fine. I promise. Just be yourself, and they’ll love you.”

She wished she felt as confident as he did. “Right. Well, here goes nothing.”

Shaking his head and smiling, he opened the driver’s door, climbed out, and rushed around to open her door. Her heart fluttered when he held out his hand to help her down from the elevated truck seat. Yup, he was still a Dom-unaware. Her parents would’ve loved him and all his gentlemanly gestures toward her. He opened doors, pulled out chairs for her to sit, walked between her and the street whenever they were on a sidewalk, and did many other things that showed how much he loved and cherished her. Over the years, she’d watched her uncles perform similar acts with their partners, and she knew the man she gave her heart to would have to be cut from the same cloth.

In return, Jenn treated Doug as if he’d hung the moon. She loved cooking and doing special things to show him how much she adored him. They might not live the BDSM lifestyle, but the mutual respect and care they showed each other could rival any couple who did.

After shutting the passenger door, Doug opened the one behind it and handed Jenn a bakery box while he carried another. They’d picked up desserts at Fancy’s on their way to meet his family. Cupping Jenn’s elbow, Doug led her up the walkway to the front door, which opened before they reached it. An older couple stood there, beaming at them, and Jenn gulped. They had to be his parents. She hoped her attempt to put on a sunny expression belied her anxiety.

“It’s about time you got here,” Doug’s mother said as she stepped out onto the small porch and opened her arms.

Doug released Jenn’s elbow and gave his mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Hi, Mom. Hey, Dad.” He stepped aside and pivoted to face her, giving her an encouraging smile. “This is Jennifer Mullins, the incredible woman I’ve been telling you about. Jenn, these are my folks, Eleanor and Owen Henderson.”

Before Jenn could get a word out, his mother stepped forward and embraced her. “It’s so nice to meet you finally, Jennifer.” She leaned back to look her in the face. “Please, call me Ellie.”

She grinned, thinking her own mother would’ve greeted Doug in the same way. “It’s nice to finally meet you, too, Ellie. And you can call me Jenn. Everyone does.”

“Nice to meet you, Jenn. Let me take that from you.” Owen opened the door further to let her in, took the bakery box, and offered his elbow to her. “Let’s get you inside and introduce you to the rest of the family before they burst. They’ve been waiting a long time for Doug to finally bring home a woman he’s dating.”

Her eyes widened as she placed her hand in the crook of the older man’s elbow and glanced over her shoulder at Doug, who shrugged apologetically. He’d never brought someone home to meet his family? How did she not know that?

Great. Now, the knots in her stomach became flying bats, which seemed to be creating their own little tornado.

She was led into a large living room filled with three couples and one elderly, slender woman. Except for the latter, they all stood. The men smiled warmly at her, but it was the women who caught her attention. Their expressions were filled with a combination of glee and curiosity. Owen patted her hand and then released it. “Everyone, this is Jenn Mullins. Give her a few minutes to get used to us before you start bombarding her with questions.” He leaned toward Jenn, gave her a wink, and stage whispered, “They can be a loud and nosy bunch, but they don’t bite.”

She smiled at his attempt to put her at ease, as he gestured toward the older woman. “Jenn, this is Doug’s Nana, my mother, Janice Henderson.”

With a twinkle in her eye, the woman smiled at Jenn and held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, dear.”

She stepped closer and gently shook the wrinkled but surprisingly strong hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Mrs. Henderson. Doug has told me so much about you.”

“All good, I hope.”

“Oh, yes. I promise it was all good.”

The woman nodded her approval before her son cupped her elbow and cocked his head toward the three couples.

“Jenn, these are my daughters and their husbands.” Owen pointed at each person as he introduced them. “Grace and Julian Stoll, Lila and Christopher Yearwood, and Rowan and Wesley Gannon. The grandkids are playing in the backyard—all six of them. We’ll introduce them to you later after they’ve burned off some of their rambunctious energy.”

Doug’s sisters and brothers-in-law exchanged greetings with her before Julian took the bakery box from Owen. “I’ll put this in the kitchen, Pops. Have a seat, Jenn. Can I get you something to drink?”

Glancing around, she noticed all the women, except a heavily pregnant Rowan, had glasses of wine, while the men held bottles of beer. “Um. If there’s more white wine, I’d love a glass, please.” It would help settle her nerves.

“You’ve got it.” He glanced over her shoulder. “Hey, Doug. Let me take that box from you too. I’ll grab you a beer.”

“Thanks, Jules,” Doug responded, moving to stand beside Jenn. After his mother joined them, he gestured for Jenn to sit on a loveseat, then perched beside her as his family settled onto a long couch and several chairs around the large, but comfortable, room.

“So, Jenn,” Lila started. “Tell us how you finally got my little brother to commit to the point he brought you to meet us. He’sneverdone that before—not even in high school. I was starting to think he was in the closet or he’d be a hopeless bachelor for life—not that there is anything wrong with either of those.”

She tittered nervously and blushed. “Would you believe me if I said it took a few years to break down his walls?”

“I canabsolutelybelieve that. He can be a stubborn schmuck at times.”

“Hey!” Doug cried. “No picking on me. You did that enough when we were kids.”

“That’s what big sisters are for!”

“Well, all I can say is it’s about time,” Ellie chimed in. “And from what Doug told me about you, Jenn, I think he found a winner. I couldn’t believe it when he explained what happened to you in South America during that earthquake. I would’ve hopped on the next plane out of there, but you insisted on staying. You’re a brave woman.”

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