Was he?
“The style is similar to your house.” Ridley pointed to the draperies and furnishings in the family room, all various shades of blue. The old-fashioned armchairs were passed down from his mom’s parents, Jackson knew. Most of the rest of the furniture had been replaced in the past few years.
“Yeah, my mom helped me decorate the house. She’s really into all that stuff. I’m practically color blind.”
He and Nick, both, had been adamant that their successes would give their parents access to whatever they wanted. The only thing his mother had wanted was to redecorate, since the family home had pretty much looked the same since he was a child. His father had yet to allow either of them to buy him anything.
Jackson was itching to replace the old pickup truck his father drove. He would have just done it without asking but he secretly thought his dad might have a fondness for the beast. He’d been threatening to replace it for years but never had.
He held in a groan as Ridley crossed to the mantel. His mom still kept all their high school graduation photos displayed.
“Oh my god, you were so cute!”
“Cute? I had a curly mullet thing going on in that photo.”
Ridley moved down the line, looking at the other pictures. Bennett had the worst photo of them all, hunched over, his face almost obscured by the massive glasses he’d worn up to college. Eli looked sullen. The only one who looked decent was Nick, who’d been a playboy even then. His hair was cut short and slicked back and he was smiling widely.
“Nick looks exactly the same. Why am I not surprised?”
His chest tightened, thinking of Nick. Despite the circumstances, part of him was still pissed that he’d kissed her. Especially since his brother still seemed determined to make trouble for them.
“Do you mind if I use the bathroom? Before everyone gets here?”
“Sure. There’s one right here.”
She followed him as he walked down the hall leading to the bedrooms. He pointed her to the hall bathroom.
“I’ll just go check on the boys. My parents should be back soon.”
Jackson continued down the hall to the room his parents kept for the kids. Inside he found toys already strewn across the floor. The room consisted of two sets of bunk beds—which his mother insisted on just in case any of his brothers had children—a dresser, and a desk. His parents doted on their grandchildren and liked to keep the kids’ bedroom well-equipped for whenever they visited.
His thoughts strayed to his parents. They had been together for almost thirty years, and still seemed as in love as ever. That was the kind of relationship that he wanted. Someone he could trust with his whole heart and whom he could respect and admire in return.
His mother and father had been through many ups and downs while raising him and his brothers, but they had always been a team. He hadn’t thought he’d been looking for that. He’d had it once and it hurt too much to lose it. But what if the perfect woman passed him by because he had his eyes closed? What if Ridley left him because he was too scared to let himself ask her to stay?
At the sound of footsteps, he turned and was encased in a strong hug. Laughing, he embraced his oldest brother, Elliott, just as warmly. The two had always been close, but lately his hectic work schedule and Eli’s constant travel for his job gave them less time to hang out. He missed the time they used to spend together and resolved to make it up in the future.
“Hey bro, where have you been? I came by yesterday but you weren’t home.” Elliott smiled warmly as Jase and Chris launched themselves at his legs.
“Oh, Ridley and I took the boys to the park yesterday afternoon.”
“You and Ridley, huh? You guys are turning into a regular little family.”
He stopped at the speculative look in Eli’s eyes. Despite being a confirmed bachelor, Elliott seemed to think that what Jackson needed was a wife. His position was the exact opposite of Nick’s, who seemed to think that what he needed was sex—with as many women as possible.
“Hey, don’t look like that. Mom is bad enough with all the matchmaking. Where are they anyway? I would have thought that Mom and Dad would be here to meet us.”
“They went to pick up a few last minute necessities for dinner. You know how they insist on cooking everything themselves. I don’t know why they don’t just buy the food already cooked.” Eli shook his head at the baffling idea of doing unnecessary work if you didn’t have to.
“Now Elliott, you know that one of the ways I show my love to my family is by preparing their meal with my own two hands.”
Eli doubled over with laughter at Jackson’s imitation of their mother.
“Ooh, I’m gonna tell grandma. I’m gonna tell!” Chris laughed and skirted away when Jackson playfully swiped at him.
“Let me just check on Ridley before the rest of the family arrives.”
“You brought her with you today?” Eli raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, I brought her with me.” Jackson narrowed his eyes.
Eli raised his hands in defense. “I didn’t say anything. You’re going to get more than enough from everyone else. I’m sure Mom will be planning the wedding by dessert.”
* * * * *
RIDLEY DROPPED HER purse and hurriedly applied lip gloss and a touch of eyeliner. Although she felt very clichéd doing it, she couldn’t help wanting to make the best impression she could on the rest of Jackson’s family. Judging from the relatives she had already met, everyone in the family had hit the genetic lottery.