Page 86 of Give In To Love
I chuckled at the exchange between the two of them. “You are welcome to take a nap. But if I don’t get up and feed this cat, he’s going to make us pay.”
“Well, that sounds ominous.”
“Lucy is short for Lucifer. He’s a great cat, but occasionally, he takes it upon himself to do his best to live up to his name.”
45
TJ
After breakfast,I called and checked in on Gram, then joined Jimmy in the shower. He was still sore from the night before, but that didn’t keep us from exchanging lazy hand jobs, stroking each other slowly while the water rained down over us until we were gasping and spilling our releases down the drain. Now that he’d given the green light on the physical side of our relationship, I couldn’t get enough of him. It was like I needed to make up for the last five years.
We dressed, then I helped him start the process of packing his apartment in preparation for his move the following weekend. He’d told me yesterday that the little blue house was perfect, and once he’d seen it, he’d felt like something slid into place.
It was small—a two-bedroom ranch with an unfinished basement—but it had an abundance of windows on the backside facing the woods and there was a walking path that led to the creek. Not having the money set aside to purchase a house just yet, he and Gram worked out a deal where he would rent for now with the intention of buying when he had enough saved for the down payment. She’d given him a good deal on the rent, which he’d balked at, not wanting to take advantage, but she’d stubbornly refused to accept anything more, and he’d eventually agreed. Gram was a force when she had her mind set on something.
Around mid-afternoon, we made the drive to Astaire, and I found myself faced with the uncomfortable feeling of being nervous. Meeting the people who’d stepped up for Jimmy after his mom abandoned him was nerve-wracking, for sure. But the idea of meeting Sammy had my leg bouncing, and I repositioned myself in my seat every couple of minutes.
When I recrossed my legs for what felt like the thousandth time, Jimmy’s hand shot out to rest on my knee. “They’re going to love you. Everyone loves you.” He squeezed my knee. “You performed at the Tony’s, live on TV. Surely you can handle meeting my family.”
“You watched that, did you?”
He shrugged, but I didn’t miss the color that flooded his cheeks. “Of course I did.”
That little admission pleased me greatly, but I returned to the topic at hand. “The difference is that thismatters.”
“Performing at the Tony’s didn’t?” He gaped at me briefly before returning his eyes to the road.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong. I was honored and thrilled. It’s definitely one of the highlights of my career. But this is… They’re your people. The most important people in your life. What they thinkmatters.”
“Theyareimportant to me. But so are you.” He took the turn off the highway and drove through the center of town. We stopped at a stop sign, and he pulled my hand to his lips and kissed it. “They’re going to love you. But even if they don’t, it won’t change the way I feel about you.”
My stomach swooped. Jimmy didn’t share his feelings easily, at least not the deep ones. The ones that felt a little too much like declarations and promises I knew he wasn’t ready to make. But damn, this felt close.
I didn’t know what to say. My own declaration was on the tip of my tongue, the words desperate to escape my lips, but he squeezed my fingers and proceeded through the stop sign as if he hadn’t just turned me inside out.
We pulled up behind an orange Dodge Charger parked in front of a raised ranch on a quiet street. I wasn’t a car guy, but it looked like a classic that someone had obviously taken care to restore. There was a black SUV in the driveway parked next to a flashy nineties-era Mustang. We passed them both as we made our way up the steps and rang the bell. A man with long, dirty-blond hair pulled into a short, stubby ponytail at the nape of his neck opened the door, then stood there, giving me a long look.
“Sammy, don’t be a dick. Let us in. It’s drizzling out here.”
Wordlessly, he stepped back to allow us entry. I could feel the weight of his gaze trailing me as we passed. We kicked off our shoes, and I followed Jimmy back to the kitchen, which was overflowing with people. Conversation came to a screeching halt as we entered, all eyes on us. Jimmy let out a frustrated breath. “This is my boyfriend, TJ. Quit making it weird.”
I waved awkwardly to the room at large, and then a man with short dark hair and neatly trimmed scruff stepped forward, offering his hand. “Hey, man. I’m Will. It’s good to meet you.”
Ice broken, everyone sprang into motion, making introductions. I’d met Rafi at the bonfire, but every other face in the room was new. Thankfully, I was pretty good with names.
By the time the introductions concluded, Stephanie announced dinner was ready, and we took our seats. The chatter continued as plates were passed and loaded with food. Coming from a close-knit family who wasn’t afraid to speak over each other, it all felt very homey and comfortable.
I jumped right in, asking questions about the cars out front, learning that the Mustang belonged to Rafi’s brother, Freddy, who was in college. The SUV belonged to Rafi, much to his dismay. He’d traded in a Camaro just before he became a father last spring. He acted like driving the SUV was an affront to him personally, but as he took his sleeping daughter from Elise so she could eat, I suspected it was mostly an act.
The Charger apparently belonged to Sammy, who hadn’t seemed inclined to say much about it, but his fiancé Will had been more forthcoming, explaining it had been a pet project of Sammy’s when he’d first gone to work for Julio.
As the conversation turned to other topics, I couldn’t shake the feeling of Sammy’s eyes on me. Will had nudged him a couple of times and given him a look that I took to be couple-speak forchill out, but it didn’t appear to be working. Jimmy could feel it too. He’d been tense throughout the entire meal, glaring at his brother sitting across from us. At the conclusion of the meal, everyone stood to take their dishes to the kitchen, rinsing and putting them in the dishwasher before moving into the living room to watch football.
Jimmy asked if I wanted something to drink, then went to retrieve the pop I’d requested from the fridge in the garage. He asked Sammy to come with him, giving him a meaningful look that no one missed. It was clear the two brothers were about to have atalk.
I watched them go, worry and helplessness settling in my gut. I didn’t want to be the source of conflict between them, but I also wasn’t sure why Sammy was being so hostile toward me.
“He’ll be fine.” Will settled in the seat next to me and popped the top on his beer. “Sammy’s being an overprotective dick. Jimmy’ll set him straight.”
