Page 25 of Fierce-Jax (Fierce Matchmaking #18)

THEY WELCOMED HER

“ M y mother said Gianna has been talking about you this morning,” Dillion said four days later.

“That’s a good thing,” he said.

“It is,” she said. “I’m nervous and shouldn’t be and didn’t need to say that and make you nervous. I’m sorry.”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Dillion. I’m not nervous about meeting your father. I can handle adults. I was terrified of meeting Gianna. I can tackle anything thrown my way now.”

“That’s very sweet,” she said. “I need a hug. Give me a hug.”

“Gladly,” he said, opening his arms to her.

She moved in and held him tight.

The only other man in her life she’d ever held this tightly was her father when she was a little girl and scared.

Now she was an adult and worried that her father could make her life difficult if he didn’t like her new boyfriend that she was positive she was falling in love with.

“I’m glad you’re not nervous. I shouldn’t be. I wasn’t until this morning. I think my mother sent that text to give me a sign it’d be fine.”

“You said your parents have been good about us dating,” he said.

She leaned back and looked into his eyes. “They have been. My father is going to be protective. It’s in his nature. With everything that happened with Alec, and me not listening. It’s like the whole ‘I told you so’ thing.”

He frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing,” she rushed out to say. Talk about putting her foot in her mouth.

Maybe if her father hadn’t brought up Alec a few more times in the past couple of weeks and how he’d warned her, then she wouldn’t have thought much of it.

She’d gotten her father to back down once she’d said how nice Jax’s parents were and how well they all got along. It was a close-knit family and she felt very comfortable there.

That they welcomed her and made her feel like part of the family too.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “Give me a heads up if your father is going to put me on the firepit and grill me. You know, throw me a bone.”

He was laughing so at least he wasn’t overthinking it as much as she was.

“I don’t know what he’s going to say, but I don’t think it’s going to be horrible. The fact that Gianna was taken with you and has been talking about you so much will go a long way with them.”

The meeting with her daughter couldn’t have gone any better.

No, that was a lie.

She would have liked it to not be as embarrassing.

Gianna asked Jax if he’d be her new father.

Then wanting to call him Uncle Jax! That was even worse.

Dillion knew bringing Jax into Gianna’s life might trigger questions about Alec, but it hadn’t happened yet.

She was going to be prepared for it and know that at some point she’d have to give some more explanations.

“Every little bit helps,” he said. “Too bad I don’t have something to bring them as bribery.”

She laughed and moved out of his arms. “Nope, that won’t work.”

“Didn’t think so,” he said. “Do you want to get it over with? Sitting here watching the clock isn’t helping you any.”

“We can go,” she said. “I told them after ten. They know you stayed the night.”

“They’ve known it for the past three weekends,” he said drily. “Since you told me your father brought it up after the first time.”

“He’s fine with it,” she said. “My mother controls things in the household, but my father will argue that isn’t the case.”

“Sounds like my parents’ marriage,” he said.

“We’ll take my car,” she said. “Since I’ve got to bring Gianna home and her car seat is in it.”

“That’s fine,” he said. “I’m not one of those men that has to be the driver. Hope you don’t think that.”

“I hadn’t,” she said.

She grabbed her purse and the two of them left, drove the five minutes to her parents' house, and pulled into the driveway.

“The houses are newer over here,” he said.

“My parents have been here for about eleven years. I think they had it built or built it my senior year of college. They wanted first-floor living and my father likes to make a statement.”

Might as well put it out there now.

As if Jax couldn’t figure that out on his own with the garage door open and the three cars all worth over six figures.

An SUV, a sedan, and a convertible. Her mother always wanted a sports car and her father handed over what anyone wanted in his family.

“Nothing wrong with that if it’s a statement he feels comfortable with and can stand by.”

She turned to look at him and smiled. “He’s going to like you, even if he gives you a hard time.”

“I only care if you like me, Dillion,” he said. “And if you make your own decisions in life.”

“Yes to both,” she said. “More than you can imagine. I don’t want anyone to think my father sways my decisions.”

Just because her father opened up her trust fund to help buy her house, she refused to let him do it for her practice. That was all hers and she was standing by it.

“Then let’s go in and get it over with before you pass out.”

She laughed. “I don’t feel that way now. I did on Wednesday.”

“Phew,” he said, wiping his hand across his forehead. “You acted so calm, cool, and collected. I thought it was only me that worried that Gianna was going to stomp her foot and shout ‘no, get out, it’s my Mommy,’ when I walked in the door.”

“That’s pretty close to what my worst nightmare would have been, but she’s been asking when she was going to see you again.”

They walked up the front sidewalk and her mother opened the door, Gianna running out in a blue dress with pink and red socks on her feet.

They were matching but just didn’t match the dress.

No shoes either, but it didn’t stop her daughter from running into her arms like she always did.

“Mommy,” Gianna said. “I missed you.”

Normally her daughter didn’t say that when she spent the night because she had so much fun with her grandparents. Was it getting old now?

Was she pushing it by wanting that night with her boyfriend?

Now that they knew each other, she could try to ease into having Jax spend the night with Gianna there.

“I always miss you,” she said, hugging her daughter.

Gianna turned to reach for Jax. “Can I have a hug too? I missed you too, Jax.”

Dillion blinked her eyes when tears were gathering as Jax reached for her daughter and held her, then carried her into the house.

“I missed you too,” he said. “Did you teach your parrot any new sayings?”

“It’s got four new ones. So when I press the belly it can be any of them.”

“And they all have the name Jax in them,” her mother said. “Please come in. I’m Leigh Patrick. My husband is on the deck checking the smoker.”

“I heard Grandpa is trying to impress Jax with ribs,” Gianna said. “I like ribs too.”

“Shhh, Gianna,” her mother said. “Big ears in this house.”

It made her feel better her daughter let that slip.

Maybe she was working herself up for nothing.

“Let’s go meet my father,” she said. “And get it over with.”

“There is no reason to be nervous,” her mother whispered to her. “Your father is going to be fine.”

“I hope so,” she said.

They went to the back of the house, Jax carrying Gianna the whole time.

“Grandpa,” Gianna yelled. “Jax is taller than you.”

“Oh my God,” Dillion said to her mother.

The last thing she needed was for her father to think he had to compete with her boyfriend.

“Not by much,” Jax said. “I’d say we're about the same height.”

“Nah uh,” Gianna said. “I can’t reach the light in Grandpa’s arms. Look.”

Her daughter reached up and almost touched the sconce on the wall they’d just passed.

“Not quite,” her father said, moving forward.

Dillion took Gianna out of Jax’s arms. “Dad, this is Jax Hollister. Jax, my father, Dylan Patrick.”

“The OG,” her father said firmly, shaking her boyfriend’s hand.

She rolled her eyes when her father said that. Jax didn’t laugh, didn’t flinch, didn’t even comment.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jax said. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about you.

I’m glad Dillion has you in her life. Both of you.

Not sure if she told you, but my sister was a single mother for a while.

Well, her ex co-parents, but in the presence of a child, it’s best to keep my opinion of him to myself.

My point is, that my sister is a strong independent woman like your daughter, but she still needed us all there for her. No one can do it alone.”

The tears that she’d been blinking back filled her eyes again.

Her parents looked at each other, her father asking, “Did you tell him to say that?”

“No,” she said. “I told you he was great. Just perfect. Do you believe me now?”