Jason’s family looked like an invading army coming out of baggage claim at Sea-Tac Airport. Joy didn’t realize she’d taken a step back until she felt Jason’s hand gently guiding her back to his side.
“Don’t worry.” His warm breath tickled her ear. “They’re all excited to meet you.”
After their afternoon at the pinball museum, they’d gone back to Joy’s apartment and found other creative ways to blow off steam. Most of those ways involved exploring each other’s bodies until they both lay sated in each other’s arms. Leaving for the airport to pick up Jason’s family, Joy became hyper aware that their time together was almost over. There was a little over a week before Thanksgiving, and the end of their fake engagement complete with a fake breakup. Now that Jason’s family was here, they wouldn’t have much time alone. Joy knew it was selfish but she wished it could still be just the two of them. It wasn’t because she wanted to spend as much time as she could with Jason, Joy was also worried about meeting his family. Even though he’d reassured her that his parents and sisters would greet her with open arms, Joy was still nervous. What would Jason’s parents think of a woman who’d agree to pretend to be engaged to their son?
Jason’s sisters were mini-me versions of their mother while Jason and Nick were a mix of both parents, sharing their dad’s lean build and darker brown hair. They all surged toward the two of them with friendly smiles. Right behind them, Joy saw a familiar face. Her breath caught, and she grabbed Jason’s arm. A shorter man with dark brown skin and close-cropped hair with a hint of gray and eyes sparkling with excitement walked toward them, arm in arm with a tall White man with blond, shaggy hair threaded with silver and a neatly trimmed beard peppered with silver.
Her dads were in the middle of the gaggle of Jason’s family walking toward her with huge grins on their faces. Joy’s hand went to her nape, they hadn’t seen her in person since she cut her hair short.
“Oh my God, my parents are here.” She looked up at Jason, wide-eyed. “Did you know about this?”
Jason shook his head, looking as surprised as she was. An older woman with shoulder-length, dark red hair, who could only have been Jason’s mom since they shared the same blue eyes and smile, pushed past everyone else and rushed toward them with her arms open.
“We’re finally here,” she said, somehow wrapping them both in her embrace. A minute later, Joy was enveloped in her father’s arms.
“Surprise,” her pops said with a sheepish smile.
“Oh my God, it’s so short,” her dad said, brushing his fingers over the curls at her nape as he pulled her in for another hug.
“Douglass.” Her pop’s voice had a warning tone as he admonished his husband with a stern look.
Her dad dropped his hand. His expression softened. “You look beautiful,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Joy’s eyes welled with tears when her pops leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I’ve missed you so much.”
She sniffed and fought past the lump in her throat to introduce Jason to her parents.
“Jason, this is my pops Shawn, and my dad, Douglass.”
“It’s nice to meet you in person.” Jason shook her dad’s hands with a warm smile.
Douglass looked at Jason with what Joy called his pageant assessment look before enveloping him in a hug. No doubt her dad had already figured out what size Jason wore and had completely redesigned Jason’s whole look in his head.
Holly and Nick pulled up, jumping out to join the chaos of greetings. The next few minutes were a flurry of getting luggage loaded and people sorted into Nick’s SUV and the one Jason rented. Within minutes, they were on their way to the rental house. Joy glanced at her parents in the back seat of Jason’s rental car. Now that the shock was wearing off, she was happy to have them with her for Thanksgiving. She was pleased that her parents would have this time to get to know Jason.
Her smile faded. Joy remembered their situation was temporary. It wouldn’t matter if her parents liked Jason or if her parents got to know him. Jason brushed his hand over hers.
“Everything okay?” he whispered.
Joy smiled and nodded. She’d made a deal with Jason, and she would not fail. No strings attached, she reminded herself.
“Jason, it’s very nice of you and Nick to rent a house for all of us,” Shawn said. “I hope you don’t mind us joining you.” He gave a nervous laugh. “Your mom can be very insistent.”
“I’m glad you’re here. And you’re right. It’s almost impossible to say no to my mom when she gets an idea in her head,” Jason said, turning onto a private driveway.
He stopped at the gate and punched in a code. The gates swung open silently. He drove through, continuing down a tree-lined driveway toward the water.
“Holy shit,” Joy murmured when they reached the bottom of the long driveway to the house Jason and Nick rented. “This isn’t a house. It’s a mansion.”
A grand house with a mix of modern with some craftsman touches sat toward the front of the lot, leaving room for a massive expanse of lawn ending with a tiny patch of beachfront and a dock on Lake Washington behind it. Even on a gray fall day, the view was spectacular.
“We wanted something big enough for all of us. Nick wanted to have everyone under one roof for Holly. You know how she’s all about family.”
Joy nodded. “I’d feel the same way if I grew up in foster care. I’m so glad your family has welcomed Holly with open arms.”
“Family house party,” Joy’s dad exclaimed, rubbing his hands together.
The rest of the family pulled up, and the air filled with a cacophony of conversation and laughter while they unloaded luggage. There were excited exclamations of “oh my” and “look at the view” as they entered the house.
They all gathered in the large living room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking an enormous deck with a spectacular view of Lake Washington. Soft shades of gray mixed with sage green and gold gave the house a warm comfortable feeling despite the high-end designer furnishings. A large stone fireplace promised cozy nights with the family.
“There are six bedrooms in the main house with en suites, so you won’t have to share a bathroom,” Nick announced, eyeing his sisters. “There’s also a guest room in the pool house and another apartment over the garage with two bedrooms and a pullout sofa. Plenty of room for everyone.”
Joy leaned over and whispered to Jason, “Everyone knows our engagement is fake. What do we do about sharing a room?”
“I didn’t think about that.” Jason’s hand brushed against hers, his voice lowering to a husky whisper. “I don’t want to give up any of the nights we have left. We’re two adults. Do we care what anyone thinks?”
She shook her head. “No.”
Jason held her hand and announced to everyone, “Joy and I will take the apartment over the garage if no one minds.”
“We can stay with—”
Shawn put his hand on her dad’s shoulder and gave a slight shake of his head. Joy gave her pops a grateful look that he returned with an understanding smile.
“Okay, that takes care of one couple. Let’s get ourselves sorted and unpacked. I’ve got a dinner to cook,” Jason’s mom announced.
Jason grabbed their bags and jerked his head over his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get settled, and then we can tour the rest of the house.”
As soon as they walked into the apartment, Jason dropped their bags and swept her into his arms.
“I should have known my mom would plan something like this. I didn’t know they were planning to ambush you,” he said.
Joy relaxed in Jason’s arms, inhaling the woodsy scent from his cologne. She wound her arms around his neck, taking a deep breath and then another.
“It was really nice of her, and I’m glad they’re here. It’s just…” She sighed. “Even though our families know our engagement isn’t real, I still feel like… I don’t know. A fraud, I guess.”
Jason gently cupped her face and kissed her. “I promise, no one thinks you’re a fraud.”
He slid his arms down to her waist and pulled her so their bodies were flush. The familiar heat flared in his eyes, and Joy eagerly met his lips when he dipped his head. Kissing Jason in public was fun, but when they were alone, the intensity of his kisses shifted. Those were the kisses she felt in her soul, down to the tips of her toes and every other part of her body. His lips were firm and warm against hers. There was nothing better than the way their tongues swirled and danced together. Kissing Jason had quickly become one of her favorite things. Of course, sex with Jason was at the top of her list. Jason shifted and deepened the kiss with a possessive growl.
A knock on the door broke them apart. A minute later, Joy’s dad poked his head in the door. “Sweetheart, I brought some bridal magazines. I’ve already started a Pinterest board. Just for show,” he said when she objected. “But I thought it would be fun to look through them together anyway.”
Joy sighed and dropped her head to Jason’s chest for a second before she turned and gave her dad a smile. “Sure, Dad.”
His sister Melissa crowded in the doorway next to Joy’s dad. “Hey, Nick says there’s a trail we can walk along the water. Do you guys want to come along?”
“Yeah, sure,” Jason said with little enthusiasm. “Can you give us a minute, and we’ll come over.”
As soon as Melissa and Joy’s dad closed the door, Jason groaned. “I thought we might get a little privacy being over here.”
She bit back a laugh. “With your family and my dads? I don’t think so. This weekend is about family, not about us.”
He growled and dipped his head, kissing her. Everyone else disappeared, and it was the two of them again. It was so easy to forget everything happening around her when Jason kissed her. His tongue swept into her mouth while his arms tightened around her waist, lifting her onto her tiptoes as their bodies crushed together.
Joy tore her mouth away when his hand sneaked below the waistband of her jeans.
“We’ll just get interrupted again,” she tried to protest, putting her hand on his chest to stop him when Jason tried to reach for her again.
“I’m going to charter a plane and send everyone home,” Jason said with a scowl.
“No, you’re not.” Joy laughed. Taking Jason’s hand, she led him back to the main house. “Come on. You hang out with your sisters while I spend some time looking at wedding gowns with my dad.”
* * *
Jason missed this. A house full of people that meant the world to him. The house buzzed with activity. His mom and two of his sisters were with Shawn, making shopping lists for Thanksgiving dinner and comparing family recipes.
Holly, Joy, and Douglass were exploring the waterfront with his dad while Nick was at practice.
It didn’t matter where they were as long as they were all together; it felt like home. Joy, her parents, and Holly fit seamlessly into the mix. He wouldn’t use the cliché “one big happy family” to describe it even though it fit. He fought with his brothers and sisters just like everyone else, and of course, there were times when his parents got on his nerves. They weren’t perfect, but there was enough love in the room when they were all together to make up for the times when disagreements turned into arguments and feelings would get hurt.
Jason picked up Rusty and found a quiet spot in a small alcove off the living room. He stared at the stormy waters of the lake, his fingers hovered over the strings, an idea for a new song beginning to form in his mind.
“It’s nice to hear you play like this again,” his sister Melissa said, perching on the arm of his chair.
Jason laughed softly. “That’s a big change from when you used to bang on the wall and yell at me.”
“That was only when you played past one in the morning,” Melissa said, giving him a playful punch in the arm. “Are you working on something new?”
“Just playing around with some new ideas.”
“Anything or anyone inspiring you?”
Jason put Rusty aside. “Maybe.”
Melissa huffed. Folding her arms in front of her, she gave him a sharp look. “Are we going to talk about what’s going on between you and Joy, or are going to keep pretending like this is nothing more than a fake engagement and that you don’t have feelings for her?”
Jason pressed his lips together, refusing to answer.
“Do you think everyone hasn’t noticed how you look at Joy like you want to devour her?” Melissa said.
“Devour?”
Melissa threw up her hands. “Devour. Throw her over your shoulder and haul her out of the room like a caveman. Whatever you want to call it. You can’t keep your eyes or your hands off her.” His sister smirked. “And she’s as bad as you are.”
Jason glowered at his sister. “And you’re just as bad as Mom.”
“We want you to be happy, Jase.”
“I am happy.”
Melissa cocked her head, her eyes searching his. “Are you? You can’t keep using touring as an excuse not to have a life.”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
She gave him a pitying look, shaking her head. “I’m not sure when this fake engagement is over that your real heart isn’t going get broken,” she said, getting up and leaving.
Instead of picking up Rusty again, Jason got up and opened the French doors, walking out to the expanse of lawn.
The cool air cut through his sweater, reminding him that winter was almost here. He stared at the whitecaps on the lake. The waters were as turbulent as his emotions. Melissa always had a way of seeing through his bullshit. He wouldn’t admit to her she was right: he used touring as an excuse to avoid having a personal life. For a long time, it was enough, traveling from city to city and playing for enthusiastic fans. He was lucky to do what he was passionate about for a living, and if giving up having a partner was the price he had to pay, he was willing to do that.
Until he met Joy.
Joy gave him a glimpse into a future he’d given up on. If this were one of those romantic movies, he’d give up everything to be with her. But this was real life, and Jason couldn’t live without music. He wanted, needed that connection that came from playing in front of people, and that meant touring. Their engagement was ending after Thanksgiving, and that was what would be best for both of them.
A bracing gust of wind hit him like a slap in the face. “Yeah, I’m not sure I believe it either,” he muttered.