Jen parked in front of a nondescript ranch house with its Christmas lights already on. It sat among similar homes built around the same time period and with varying degrees of holiday decorations. Last week’s snow still covered the yards and lined the sidewalks. “Ready?”
“Why did I have to come again?” Carter sounded more confused than petulant. Her conversation about Madison had gone rather well. He’d shrugged and told her, “I kind of guessed.”
“Because we were invited. It’s just this once, and I won’t make you do it again. Okay?” Jen reached behind him and grabbed the bottle of gin. Madison had said that her parents didn’t drink wine, but she couldn’t show up empty-handed.
Madison opened the front door as they came up the walkway. She caught Jen’s eye before turning all her attention to Carter. “Welcome. I’m glad you could come. Let me show you where to put your coat.”
He flushed under the attention and cleaved to Jen’s side when they entered the living room.
Brushing a light kiss against her cheek, Madison wrapped her arm around Jen’s waist and whispered in her ear. “Be forewarned, there are more people here than usual. Kayla’s birthday is next week. We’re celebrating early. Are you nervous?”
Jen squeezed her hand. “No.”
“Liar. You’ll do fine.”
She wasn’t lying, exactly. She wasn’t nervous, more apprehensive. The last time she’d met someone’s parents had been over twenty years ago. A lifetime.
Madison led the way with Carter and Jen behind her. An older but fit woman in her late fifties walked across the room. People automatically made way for her as she came closer. She extended her hand to Jen and smiled. “Welcome, I’m Tisha.”
Jen shook hands with her and said, “This is Carter.”
Tisha shook his hand. “Hi, Carter.” She focused her attention on him. Jen liked her instantly. She asked him a couple questions about school, and then she hit on one of his favorite subjects. “Do you like video games?”
He smiled. “I have a Switch at home. I have Minecraft, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe…” He rattled off a whole list before launching into a description of his newest Minecraft creation.
Jen could tell Tisha had no idea what he meant. “Well, okay, then. You should check out our basement. There’s a whole bunch downstairs.”
He hesitated, and Jen asked, “Do you want me to go with you?”
Madison tapped her, and her expression said, I’ve got this. “You like Minecraft? Wait until you see what my sister has been building.”
Jen watched them walk away. Her instinct was to go with him, but Madison had already engaged him. Jen had forgotten how much nerd culture the two of them shared.
“He’s sweet.”
“Thanks.” Well, shit. Jen had been so grateful at how welcoming Madison was toward Carter, she didn’t realize that meant she was left alone. Time to kick into gear. “Madison says you don’t care for wine. But that you like a gin and tonic.” She handed over the gin.
Tisha pulled it out of the gift bag and eyed the label. A slow smile spread, and Jen knew she’d done the right thing. “Carriage House. I’ve heard of this. Thank you.”
Tisha led her past the living room and straight into the kitchen where the bulk of the family were sitting around playing cards, watching TV, and cooking. A broad shouldered, muscular man was standing at the stove, stirring a pot as she walked in.
Tisha came up to him. “This is my husband, Xavier.”
He put the spoon down and walked over to greet her. “Welcome, welcome.”
Jen extended her hand, but Xavier swept her into an unexpected hug. Jen stiffened and then relaxed, wrapping her arms around his bulk. They were about the same height, but he was much broader in the shoulders.
“I’m glad you came.”
Tisha handed over the gin. “She comes bearing gifts.”
Xavier tsked. “Now, you didn’t need to bring anything.”
“Like hell, she did.” Tisha winked at Jen, but she wasn’t completely sure it was a joke. “She’s dating our youngest. She needs to make an impression.”
Tisha introduced her to a whole plethora of people. Family and friends of all ages had squeezed into their house. It was good that Madison had Carter downstairs. This crowd would have been too much for him. She could work a room alone, and Madison’s family was a friendly group who wanted nothing more from her than to figure her out. She had nothing to fear here.
Madison’s aunt and cousin from the restaurant showed up a few minutes after introductions, and Jen spent some time talking with them before she checked her watch. Carter had been gone for a half hour and so had Madison. As soon as there was a break in the conversation, she slipped downstairs to check up on them.
She heard shouting from halfway up the stairs. Alarmed at first, she picked up the pace and stepped into the downstairs game room. Carter, Kayla, Madison, and another boy, a few years younger than Carter, were jumping up and down with controllers in their hands, cheering each other on while simultaneously talking smack. A loud roar went up, and several sets of hands flew into the air in both triumph and defeat.
Obviously the winners, Madison high-fived Carter and ruffled his hair. He hugged her. The gesture was so unexpected that Jen didn’t know how to react. He was very selective about who he let touch him. He’d picked up his natural reserve from her, and like her, once he let someone in, they were in. Her relationship with Madison had a deeper impact now, and she doubted her decision to let Madison into his life. She’d counted on him being slow to come around. What if she’d made a mistake introducing him too soon?
“Dinner,” a voice came from upstairs, interrupting her spiraling thoughts.
Carter saw her first and ran over. “Did you see that? We totally kicked their butts.”
She grinned, his enthusiasm a counterbalance to her worry. “I did. Go get something to eat. I’ll head up after you.” He scrambled past her with the other kid in tow, laughing and rehashing their plays.
Kayla switched off the screens, and on her way by, she touched Jen’s shoulder. “He’s a great kid. I’m glad you brought him.”
Madison walked up and bit her lip, a nervous tick Jen recognized. “How’s it going? I’m sorry I abandoned you upstairs.”
Jen pulled her close, wanting to express her gratitude at how well Madison had read her son. “This was more important. Your family is great, by the way. And so are you.”
Madison blushed and bumped her shoulder. “I didn’t want him to feel overwhelmed. I love these people—I really do—but all together, they can be a bit much.”
Jen’s family and Rachel’s family had always been small. Jen’s sister had married into a huge extended family and loved it. Jen had never experienced that kind of large family closeness. Growing up an only child was sometimes lonely for Carter. Occasionally, she wished she could give him more. Madison’s empathy for her son ticked a box she didn’t even know she had. A warm fuzzy spread from her chest to her limbs. She did not want to cry, so she deflected with humor. “Sure. You leave me to the wolves.”
Madison pulled her toward the stairs. “Oh, come on. You’re not exactly a deer in headlights.”
Jen laughed and stopped her on the stairwell. “And that’s what keeps you coming back for more.”
Madison paused, her eyes serious and intent. “Thank you for coming. And for bringing Carter. I hope you know that I care about him. Like I care about you.”
A deeper emotion than desire and lust suffused her body. “I didn’t realize this was so important to you.”
Madison shook her head. “It’s not. You are…I’m mean it is but…you’re the first person I’ve ever brought home to them.”
Ah. Jen resisted her urge to deflect and stuck with the moment by acknowledging its importance. “I understand.”
“Do you?” Madison seemed to want to say something more.
Whatever she was about to say was interrupted by Kayla’s appearance at the top of the stairs. “Hey, are you coming up or what? Food’s ready. You know how Dad hates when it gets cold.”
Disappointed by the interruption, Jen knew they’d get back to what Madison was trying to say later. Maybe by then, she’d be able to name this pleasant hum of contentment and happiness for what it was.
Halfway through dinner, talk turned to basketball, and Jen listened to Kayla and Tisha go back and forth about the Providence Friars. She spoke up without thinking. “Well, the defense is not what it used to be. That new coach is terrible. What’s her name?”
Silence greeted her. Fuck. What did she say? Thankfully, Carter was at the kids’ table in another room, watching a movie.
Madison gripped her thigh under the table.
Tisha looked at her. “Janice.” The whole room waited for what she’d say next. Jen’s heartbeat sped up, and she mentally prepared for the worst. She really wished she knew what she’d said. Waving her fork at Jen, Tisha said, “And that’s exactly what I told my cousin.”
A collective breath released, and the room visibly relaxed. Madison leaned in and whispered, “Janice is her cousin.”
Her fucking cousin. A little warning would have been nice. Jen whispered back. “Next time, I will need a more in-depth brief on your family.”
“You got it.” Madison kissed her cheek. That delicious shock that came with Madison’s kisses traveled through her body.
Kayla groaned. “Oh, gross. Do you have to do that at the table?”
Jen felt her face grow hot, and Madison tossed a roll at her sister, who threw it back.
Xavier put a stop to the volley. “No, none of that. I worked hard on this meal. You all need to eat it, not throw it.”
But all of it was said with love in their voices. They adored Madison, and when Jen looked around, she could see it reflected in their faces. This was what family was, and sitting at that table, she longed to be a permanent member.
On the ride home, Carter talked a mile a minute about the games they’d played and what he wanted to do next time. Next time. And there would be a next time. Giddy with the possibilities, Jen reached for Madison’s hand, happy and utterly in love.