December 26
Great Falls, Montana
Kevin arrived back at home at eight o’ clock in the morning.
Waking up beside Jasmin was something he’d wanted to hold on to for as long as possible and he’d only managed to pry himself out of bed twenty minutes ago.
As soon as he opened the front door, he heard Jordan screaming for his mother like the house was on fire.
There was enthusiastic chitter-chatter, but he couldn’t make out one word.
He walked to the living room where he found his mother crying and Jordan looking like she was going to burst from excitement.
Max and Danny were in there too. Danny had a big, bright smile on her face, but Max seemed a little annoyed. It was a very confusing situation.
“What’s all the commotion?” Kevin asked and all of them turned to face him at once.
“Where are you coming from at this hour?” Jordan asked and she seemed to be taking note of the fact that he was in the same clothes as the day before.
He shrugged. “I went out last night,” he replied, keeping his voice neutral so she wouldn’t ask more questions.
“Max and Danny got engaged,” his mother said as happy tears rolled down her cheeks.
There was a brief moment of shock. He’d only found out yesterday that they were together and now they were engaged? He really needed to take a more active interest in the lives of his siblings.
“Congratulations!” Kevin gave them both a hug. “So Danny finally got down on one knee.”
“I proposed!” Max shouted. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”
Kevin chuckled to himself, now understanding the look of annoyance he’d seen on his brother’s face when he’d walked in.
Everyone had made the same assumption—Danny must have been the one to propose.
And Kevin didn’t hesitate to tell him why that had been the obvious assumption.
“Max, you are so slow when it comes to women. You’ve been in love with Danny since day one and it took you seven years to make a move.
Actually, I don’t even think you made the first move. I can bet Danny kissed you first.”
He should have put money on that bet because Danny’s shy giggle confirmed that he would have won.
Max turned to face her with a smile. “You’re not helping,” he said with a groan. “If I’m getting this much flak from you guys, I can only imagine what Shane’s going to say when he finds out.” He turned back to Kevin. “Speaking of which. Are you coming skating with us today, Kev?”
It was a tradition that Perry had always been a part of and it didn’t feel right to go without him. Also, he had other plans for today. “Nah, I’m gonna stay at home with mom.”
It was over an hour later when Dom and Shane came to pick them up and as soon as they left, Kevin grabbed his phone and sent a text to Jasmin to tell her to come over.
* * * * *
Jasmin walked up the stairs leading to the porch and tapped lightly on the door. Kevin opened it almost immediately and greeted her with a wide smile. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
He stuffed his hands into his pockets and his nervousness told her that he’d never brought a girl home to meet his mother before. That was enough to cause a wave of girly tingles. He led her past a large dining room to an equally large kitchen, where his mother was busy mixing a batter.
“Mom,” he said to get her attention, “there’s someone I want you to meet.” He placed his hand on her back and urged her to move forward to the island counter. “This is Jasmin.”
Her eyes lit up and a huge smile stretched across her face. She looked like she’d never been happier to meet anyone in her entire life. Jasmin melted instantly and for a second—only a second—she wished her own mother could have looked at her like that.
“Well, hello, Jasmin.”
“Hello, Mrs. Shepard. It’s so nice to meet you.”
She tsked. “Don’t be so formal. Call me Momma J.” Sadness flickered on her face. “Perry used to call me that. Or you could use Danny’s variation—she calls me Mommy Jess. I’m fine with either.”
It was odd. Jasmin knew her for less than a minute and those few sentences already made her feel like she was part of the family.
“Okay. Mommy Jess.” It was uncomfortable at first. She’d never used the word Mommy before, but the discomfort slowly transitioned into something different, a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Kevin sat down on a stool and pushed out another one for her to do the same. She hopped up onto it and rested her forearms on the counter.
“So how did you and my boy meet?”
“At a gas station,” Jasmin replied with a giggle.
“Mom, Jazz was the one who drove me to Florida”
His mother eyed her with an unreadable expression. “So it was you?”
Before Jasmin could make sense of that, the backdoor swung open and another woman walked into the kitchen.
“Hi, Momma B.” Kevin stood up and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. “So you’re probably wondering why I asked you to come over. I wanted you to meet Jasmin.”
Her eyes lit up as well. “Is this your girlfriend?” she teased.
“Not yet.” He looked over at Jasmin, his dimples sinking in. “But maybe one day.”
More girly tingles. He did it so easily.
“That’s if she can put up with your moods.” Momma B moved past him and gave her a quick hug. “Good luck, child. Lord knows, he acts like a teenage girl sometimes.”
Jasmin giggled. “Screams like one too.”
“It’s in the box,” Kevin mouthed from behind Momma B.
Momma B sat down beside her, taking the stool Kevin had occupied. “Now where have I seen you before?”
“She does look familiar, doesn’t she, Beatrice?”
Kevin leaned over on the counter on the other side of her and nudged her gently with his shoulder, his small sign of encouragement.
“I was on a talk show a couple months ago,” Jasmin admitted, albeit a little sheepishly.
“Oh, that’s right,” Mommy Jess said with a nod.
“You’re going to be researching all that environmental stuff.
What you’re going to do is incredible. When we saw you, I remember telling Beatrice that you could be such a positive influence on the youth of today.
You’re going to be doing presentations at major universities across the country.
You, and everything you stand for, could be an inspiration for so many young women out there. ”
Jasmin had always seen her new job as just a job.
A job she was going to love, a job she was passionate about, but still a job.
They made her realize that it carried a lot more responsibility than she had initially anticipated.
Listening to them made her excited to rise to the challenge.
These two women had faith in her and she felt empowered to make a difference.
“We are so proud of you and everything you’ve achieved,” Momma B added.
That got her choked up. It was the words she longed to hear from her mother. “Thank you…I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
“Kevin, you better get your act together and marry this one,” Momma B said. “A girl like her isn’t going to wait around for you forever.”
Jasmin laughed at her unabashed directness. “I already asked him to marry me in Vegas,” she said, giving him a teasing grin. “He turned me down.”
His mother stopped beating her batter and glowered at him. “You turned her down?”
“I even told him I’m a good cook,” Jasmin said, adding fuel to the fire. “And I’m also a phenomenal dancer.”
“I’m disappointed.” She was still looking at Kevin as she shook her head playfully. “I feel like grounding you.”
He laughed. “Mom, in my defense, I’ve never tasted her cooking and she can’t dance. That part’s a blatant lie.”
“Okay, so maybe I’m not a phenomenal dancer, but I definitely have some moves.” She demonstrated this by showing off her Grease Lightning choreography.
“That’s good enough for me,” his mother said before her eyes flicked back to him. “Kevin, you’re grounded.”
Jasmin stuck out her tongue at him, giving a smug smile, and the small exchange didn’t escape Momma B’s eyes.
“Oh, my Perry would’ve loved you.”
Kevin tensed beside her and she eased her hand into his, squeezing it gently. He lifted her hand to his lips, giving it a quick kiss before he straightened. “I think I’m gonna give you ladies some girl time,” he said and exited the kitchen.
They all knew the real reason why he left, but none of them protested. As soon as they heard his bedroom door close, Mommy Jess focused her eyes on Jasmin again.
“I’m sorry.”
Jasmin’s eyebrows creased in confusion. “For what?”
“I misjudged you. There’s a log out back named Jasmin and it’s got a few nails in it. When I first saw it, I thought you broke his heart because he was so depressed all the time.”
A few things fell into place when she heard that. She now understood why Kevin had said that there were holes left behind when he’d hurt her. She also understood the weird comment his mother made earlier when she’d said: So it was you.