in love. We had so many obstacles in our life. My family… her family… traditions. But I knew that if we weren’t together, I would regret it my whole life.” He twisted his head to look up at Jorge. “If that’s what you feel, then how long you’ve known her doesn’t matter. All that’s important is what you’ll do about it.” With another pat on his arm, Carlos walked over to the other men.
Just then, Josie turned and caught his eye, her smile capturing his heart. He walked over and slid his arm around her shoulders, loving the feel of hers around his waist. Bending, he whispered, “You okay?”
She nodded, but before she could answer, the clinking on a glass caught everyone’s attention. Turning together, all eyes landed on his father as he held his drink.
“It’s always a pleasure when our adult children make a visit, and especially when they bring others into our fold. It’s with pride and love that I toast my son, Jorge. To the man he has become, we are so proud of you as you forged your own path of honor and duty in this world. And to the sweet and lovely Josephine, we are so pleased to have you with us as well. My son warned me not to make too much of things, so let me just say that I hope your… uh… friendship continues to grow together.”
Laughter rang out as they toasted the couple. Hugging her to his side, he kissed her blush-heated cheek.
It took thirty minutes for them to finally make it through goodbyes, each parent and grandparent having to have their moment with each of them. Once ensconced inside the SUV, he turned at the sound of her giggle and spied the gathering on the front portico of his parents’ house all waving goodbye.
“Jesus, you’d think they’d never had guests before,” he grumbled, looking askance toward Josie, unsure of her reaction to his multiple surprises during the day.
“You know, I should be furious with you.”
Her voice was calm, but he understood the gentle censure coming through her tone. Sighing, he nodded. “I know I shouldn't have sprung all this on you. Originally, I thought of coming by myself to speak to your dad. But after yesterday, I didn't want to leave you alone. But I couldn't figure out how to tell you that I wanted to speak to him about us. Not the case, but us.”
“I get that, Jorge. I do. But we're new. There's still so much we don't know about each other.” She snorted and shook her head. “That's an understatement if there ever was one!”
“Every great relationship starts with two people just getting to know each other. I may not know your favorite color, but I know you as a person. You’re the perfect blend of reserved in a large crowd and yet fun with your friends. I know you work tirelessly to help others and yet don’t toot your own horn. I know you love your family. Love to travel. Love to see new places. Are smart enough to not buy a house until you know it’s where you want to stay. I know you’re beautiful straight out of the shower with wet hair and no makeup or first thing in the morning when your eyes are barely open.”
The soft inhalation coming from next to him caused him to jerk his gaze toward her, observing the tears in her eyes and the play of a smile about her lips.
“Why do you always have to say things to me that make me want to jump you when you’re driving?” she asked.
Chuckling, he said, “Damned if I know!” He made an exaggerated effort to swing his head around. “Why the hell isn’t there a hotel around when you need one?”
She laughed and shook her head. Reaching over, she placed her hand on his leg. “Okay, you’re right. We know enough about each other now to be sure of what we feel.”
“Damn straight.”
The rest of the drive was spent in lively conversation, beginning with a game of twenty questions as they discovered a shared love of music, Thai noodles, homemade bread, long walks, and British comedies.
Parking in her driveway, he scanned the area as his typical precaution. Her security was monitored by LSI and he knew they had not noticed anything untoward.
Entering her house, she slid off her shoes and plopped her purse onto the counter, saying, “I’ll feed Melon.” As the cat slinked into the kitchen, its tail