June 28
Great Falls, Montana
Jasmin gathered up the long edges of her saree and climbed out of the cab carrying her small overnight bag.
The sheer pink draped skirt and matching half top was adorned with intricate silver beadwork and complimented her small frame.
Her hair – in Kevin’s opinion – had grown to an acceptable length and she left it down just for him.
She only ever got dressed up like this on special occasions and today was definitely a special occasion.
She was going to meet Kevin’s entire family today…
as his girlfriend. She spoke to his mother at least once a week and she’d had casual chats with his dad, but meeting the whole family was nerve-racking.
The anxious ball slipped deeper into her stomach as she climbed up the stairs leading to the front door of Kevin’s house.
He immediately opened the door, looking delectably handsome in a suit.
Seeing him face to face after six months did strange things to her.
One part of her was ready to burst into tears while the other part wanted to hug him and never let go.
“Hi,” she said.
He didn’t say a word, his eyes glued to her as if he couldn’t believe she was actually standing in front of him.
“Uh…are you gonna invite me in or…just stare at me?”
Still he said nothing, but he stepped forward, cupped her face and kissed her.
Longing, desperation, lust—it was all in that kiss.
Day by day they’d become more accustomed to the distance and it felt like an eternity had gone by.
The feel of his lips was like a memory of a dream and it took mere seconds to get lost in it.
The bag dropped from her hand as he spun her around and pushed her up against the wall.
“God, I’ve missed you,” he whispered against her lips.
Her arms wrapped tight around his neck, pulling him closer. She wanted to feel the heat of his body, his broad shoulders beneath her palms.
“Kevin, is that Jasmin at the door?” his mother called from inside.
He broke the kiss, looking irritated. “No, Mom!” he yelled back. “It’s…It’s one of those…” He struggled to find a believable excuse. “It’s one of those Bible pushers…the real preachy type, too. I’m trying to get rid of her.”
Jasmin giggled. “Why are you lying?”
“I just want you to myself for a few minutes.”
His lips came down on hers again. This time it was just lust. A blistering hot kiss that had her clinging to his jacket for support when her knees got weak.
She heard someone clear his throat beside them and Kevin immediately took a step back.
“I think we need to start going to church more often.” His father gave them an amused smile. “I had no idea that this is how you kids are spreading the word of the Lord these days.”
As if her body wasn’t already heated from that kiss, now embarrassment caused a hot flush to rise to her cheeks. She wanted to melt into a puddle and seep through the wooden beams of the porch. “Oh…Mister Shepard…”
“Mark,” he corrected.
It wasn’t the first time he’d told her to address him by his first name and he spoke to her in the same casual tone he usually used whenever he interrupted one of their video chats.
Somehow that made it more awkward…and humiliating.
The first time she meets her boyfriend’s father in person and he catches her playing tonsil hockey with his son.
Kevin wiped the gloss off his lips with his thumb and returned the playful smile his father gave him. He, too, seemed completely unperturbed by the situation. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey.” He turned to her. “And how are you doing this fine morning, Jasmin?”
“I’m…good. As soon as I can get my head above all this embarrassment I’m drowning in, I’m sure I’ll be even better.”
“No need to be embarrassed. I was young too once. When Jess and I were younger, we used to—”
“Don’t want to hear about it, Dad,” Kevin cut in.
“Well, we have five kids,” his father said with a shrug. “You can figure out the rest.” He stepped back inside. “Jess, Jasmin’s here. Are you ready to leave?”
There were a few seconds of silence before Jasmin heard her footsteps heading towards the door.
After excited hugs and kisses and compliments over each one’s outfit, they finally got into the car.
They arrived at the church within a few minutes and from the number of cars in the parking lot, Jasmin could see how big his family was.
His parents were already making their way towards the entrance, but Kevin gripped her arm firmly to stop her from taking one step. “Hey, Mom. Save us a seat. We’ll be there in a minute.”
“Sure, honey.”
As soon as they disappeared from sight, he pulled her into his arms. “Now, where were we?”
His lips were on hers a second later. She got lost in his kiss again and almost forgot where they were.
An unfamiliar female voice reminded her. “Oh, yeah, Kev. Slip her the tongue,” she said. “I wonder if making out on holy ground is an automatic ticket to hell?”
With an irritated groan, Kevin broke the kiss and dropped his forehead against hers. “That’s Jordan,” he whispered.
For the second time in half an hour, Jasmin wanted to die from embarrassment.
She was on a roll today. Kevin’s body was shielding her and she only caught sight of his tall, slender sister when he took a step back.
She was beautiful; long, dark brown hair and the same blue-gray eyes as Kevin’s.
A tall man—who she assumed was Tyler—stood behind her, towering above all of them.
His broad frame was intimidating at first glance, yet his brown eyes and warm smile made him look approachable.
He was handsome in that suave, sophisticated kind of way.
“God made the whole world,” Kevin replied. “Ergo…everywhere is holy ground.”
“You make a solid point, Bink.” Her eyes shifted to Jasmin. “Care to introduce us to the lovely lady you were sucking face with?”
Kevin shook his head at her bluntness. “Jeez, Jo!”
“You have to excuse her,” Tyler chimed in. “I’m still trying to find someone to fix her brain-to-mouth filter.”
“I’m just kidding,” Jordan told her. “It’s just a little payback for all the times they embarrassed me. Billy Mason. That’s all I’m saying.”
“You’ve been holding a grudge for almost nine years?” Kevin was in shock, but Jordan simply shrugged it off.
“I’m petty like that.” She gave Jasmin a warm smile. “I’m assuming you’re Jasmin. Mom can’t stop raving about you. She told me you were really smart, but judging from the guys you date, I have to disagree.” She stuck her tongue out at Kevin and he, in turn, groaned his annoyance.
“How do you put up with her?” he asked, looking at Tyler.
“Drinking helps,” he replied with a straight face. “Also she forces me to watch this stupid Soap Opera, which is always a very good reminder that life could be worse.”
Jasmin giggled. Tyler was a little strange, yet the way Jordan looked at him showed that she was crazy about him.
She hit his arm playfully. “Wow. Your third joke for the day, Mister Evans. I’m impressed, but we both know that you love that soap opera.” Tyler didn’t bother trying to deny it and Jordan turned her attention back to Jasmin. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Jasmin felt more comfortable now. If Jordan was the worst of the bunch, then she was confident she could handle the rest of them. “Same here. I can finally start putting names to faces.”
“Just watch out for cousin Morris,” Jordan warned as she began weaving through the cars to get to the church gates. “He’s a bit of a creeper.”
“Who’s cousin Morris?” Jasmin asked.
“You’ll know him when you see him,” Jordan replied.
“If you see some guy staring at you like he’s about to hogtie you and toss you in the trunk of his car, that’s probably cousin Morris.
Get as far away from him as possible. Trust me, being bound and fuckin’ kidnapped isn’t as fun as some people think. ”
She gave Tyler a playful wink and it seemed to be an inside joke between them because he chuckled. “Fun is a relative term, Roman,” he replied.
Jasmin didn’t ask to be let in on their banter. Instead, she focused on cousin Morris. “So if he’s so weird, why was he invited to the wedding?”
“He wasn’t. He crashes every family event. I don’t even know how he finds out about them. And in all honesty, he really is harmless. He just has a really creepy stare.”
Jordan was still explaining the extreme creep factor of their cousin when Kevin took hold of her arm and lowered his lips to her ear. “At some point today,” he whispered, “I’m going to get you alone.”
She smiled, her body heating up with those simple words. “Is that a promise? Because it sounds like a threat.”
He didn’t answer and dropped his head to hide the naughty grin on his face. He took her hand and led her into the church.
It was an all white wedding. The aisles were lined with white flower bouquets and sheer white cloths were draped over the side of the wooden benches. They took a seat on the same bench as his parents and Tyler and Jordan sat down beside them.
“That’s Max,” Kevin said, pointing to the front of the church where his brother was fidgeting with the buttons of his suit jacket. “And the gray-haired dude next to him is his best man, Charlie.”
Although he was taller, thinner and a little less rugged, Max had the same brown hair and boyish face as Kevin.
“He looks so nervous,” Jasmin commented.
“I think he’s more anxious than nervous. He’s been waiting for this for years.”
It took a few minutes before the sounds of the organ filled the church.
Kevin’s three nieces walked down the aisle, sprinkling white rose petals on the floor.
Danny followed behind them. She looked beautiful with her dark hair swept up, wearing an elegant off-the-shoulder white dress.
The smile that lit up her face was a telling sign that she’d been anxiously counting down the days until this moment.