Page 95 of When Ben Loved Jace

“I do want a family,” I reply. “Just not yet.”

“Would a sizable bribe change your mind?” his father asks.

“Yes! Yes it would. Wait, is that why Bernie gave us so much candy?”

I do my best to charm them. Jace is clearly pleased by my performance. Whenever I look at him, his eyes are sparkling with affection. Michelle joins us in the afternoon. What I didn’t expect—and neither did my boyfriend, judging from his reaction—is for Greg to show up not long after.

“Surprise!” he says when entering the living room.

“Hey!” Jace rises to give him a hug. “I didn’t realize you were in town.”

“Yeah, well, business is slow at this time of year, and I haven’t seen my folks for a while. Or my best friend, so I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone.”

“Isn’t this the busiest time of year for the real estate industry?” Jace’s father asks while adjusting his glasses.

“Well actuallymybusiness is running slow,” Greg amends, “I decided to pop up here for the weekend, so we could get the whole gang back together and um… here I am!”

“Your mother said you got into town earlier this week,” Jace’s mom replies, seeming puzzled.

“I’m making it a long weekend. Uh…” Greg is looking everywhere except at Michelle. “Who’s up for some board games?”

“Sounds good!” I say, mostly to take the heat off him. We haven’t seen each other since I messed up, and I’m worried he’ll hold it against me. “Do you guys have Clue? It’s my favorite.”

“How about Trivial Pursuit?” Jace’s father suggests.

Michelle groans. “Don’t take him up on that. All the man does is read. Dad is a living encyclopedia.”

Her cheeks are a little flushed. I have a mystery to solve! Okay, so I already know whodunnit. I just want the details. I don’t get a chance to snoop—I mean sleuth—until later that night. The evening with Jace’s family is fantastic. Drinks are served, games are played, and much fun is had. If these are my future in-laws, I’ve hit the jackpot.

“Time for us to turn in,” Jace’s father says with a yawn. Then he grins at us both. “I’ll get your room ready first.”

“I’ll unpack the car,” Jace says, rising to follow him. He pauses on his way out. “Are you celebrating with us tomorrow?”

“Yeah!” Greg says. “What time should I be here?”

Michelle leaves the room as they exchange details, her cheeks rosy. She doesn’t even acknowledge Greg. Me? I follow him outside to the back porch. His parents live just across the valley.

“So…” I say, barely able to contain my smile. “How long have you and Michelle been together?”

Greg cranes his neck to look past me, but we’re alone. “Have you told Jace?”

“No. Why haven’t you?”

“It’s his sister!”

“I know, but he’s going to figure it out eventually. Like at the wedding. That’ll be a dead giveaway.”

Greg laughs. “You kid, but we’ve talked about waiting until then. Not that I’ve popped the question. It’s early days. So why upset him if this turns out to be a fling?”

“Is it?”

Greg inhales, his chest straining against his shirt before he exhales again. “No. I’m so in love with her!”

“From what I can tell, the feeling is mutual.”

Greg nods. “Michelle says she loves me, yeah. I guess it is getting serious. I’ve been up here more than Jace realizes. And she’s been down to see me a bunch. I feel bad about that too, because I should be visiting him more often.”

“Ithasbeen a long time since we’ve seen each other,” I say, gnawing my lip. “Did uh… Jace tell you about… Um.”