Kal put his arm around my waist. “You’ve got this, Paul. And no matter what happens, your grandmother will be smiling down, knowing you served her dish tonight. While we celebrate my sister’s engagement, your grandmother will be celebrating also.”
Paul blinked a few times quickly then told us to choose a seat and he’d have someone bring us champagne. Left to our own devices, Jade and I studied the seating. “What do you think?” I asked.
“Anywhere is good.” Dominic and Sebastian could snag the ends of the table if they wanted. I didn’t care where we sat as long as we were surrounded by family.
Jade chose two seats side by side near the center of the table. We were served champagne almost as soon as we sat. Jade raised her glass and said, “To celebrations—may we have many reasons to have them.”
“I’ll toast to that.” I tapped my glass against hers, took a sip, then leaned forward and kissed her, enjoying the taste of champagne on her lips as well. “Is your family as crazy as mine?”
She looked down. “I really only have my grandparents.”
Oh, yes, she’d told me that. “Call them,” I urged on impulse.
“Now?”
“Is that crazy?” It sounded crazy once I had time to think about it. “You don’t have to.”
She tipped her head to one side. “Why did you suggest it?”
I asked myself the same thing, and when the answer came to me, said, “You’ve told me some about them, and I remember you saying you hadn’t spoken to them much. Maybe I’m riding high on how well things are going with my family right now, but I imagined having a quick video chat with them so they could see how happy you are. And how happy you make me.” I frowned. “Like I said—you don’t have to.”
She took out her phone and started a video call. The woman who answered was probably in her late seventies, but her eyes were sparkling, and she was lovely.
“Who is this?”
Jade laughed. “Grams, it’s me. You can literally see my face.”
“Oh, hang on, I don’t know where I put my glasses. Parker, do you have my glasses on again? He does, that stinker. Well, walk them over here. Jade wants to do that video thing with the phone.” A moment later, she added, “And for God’s sake put some pants on. No, give me the glasses first then go get your pants.”
I was gurgling on the laughter I was holding back, especially when Jade met my gaze briefly and shrugged. I’d never met any of my grandparents, but hers sounded exactly as Riley and I used to imagine ours would be. I mouthed, “I love her.”
Jade smiled. “Grams, there’s someone I want you—”
“Hang on. Parker no, go get your pants first, then bring me my glasses. Jade doesn’t want to see your junk. Your grandfather sat outside in the sun too long yesterday and overheated his . . . down-under. I told him to put some powder on his heat rash, but he’s convinced airing it out in front of the air conditioner will clear it up faster.”
I coughed at that one. Jade was holding the phone so I couldn’t yet see the screen and now I understood why.
Looking from me to the phone and back, Jade seemed to be regretting the decision to call them. I shifted closer and put a hand on her leg. I wasn’t looking for flash and perfection. This was real and so damn funny it made me want to fly out to meet them in person.
A male voice that I assumed belonged to her grandfather grumbled, “Fine, all covered up. And here are your glasses. If you’d stop hiding mine, I wouldn’t take yours.”
Jade turned the phone so we’d both be visible to her grandparents. “Grams. Gramps. There’s someone I want you to meet. This is Kal.”
“Are you calling to tell us you’re engaged again?” her grandmother asked.
“No,” Jade said quickly. “We just wanted—”
Her grandmother cut in. “You’re not pregnant, are you?”
“Is she pregnant?” her grandfather asked.
“I’ll never know if you keep yapping.” Her grandmother moved her phone so both she and her husband were in the video shot. “Jade, can you hear me? I hope I didn’t mute her.”
“I can hear you, Grams. And no, I’m not pregnant.”
“Me neither,” I said to a completely deadpan audience.
Jade jumped back in. “I was just missing you. I’m up in New England with Kal for his sister’s engagement.”
Her grandmother asked, “He brought you home to his family? Already? Who is this man?”
“Kal?” her grandfather asked.
I leaned closer and smiled. “That’s me. Hello, sir.”
Her grandfather continued, “I may be old, but you know what that means? Life in prison means less and less to me the closer I get to the end of this ride, and you know what still has fast reflexes? My trigger finger—”
“Gramps!” Jade gasped. “He would never hurt a fly.”
“Because a fly would never hurt my granddaughter. We understand each other, Kal?”
“Yes, sir.”
Jade looked mortified, but I liked how protective her grandfather was of her.
“It took me time to get a little revenge on Robert, but I did and now he’ll think twice before he messes with a Tremblay.”
“Oh, my God, Gramps, what did you do?”
Her grandmother looked as shocked as Jade did. “Parker, tell me you didn’t.” She brought a hand to her forehead and shook her head. “We see Robert’s car around town sometimes. Your grandfather said the next time he saw it he was going to mark it.”
“You scratched his car? Gramps, you know you can get in a lot of legal trouble for that.”
“Don’t get yourself all in a tangle. I pissed on his driver’s seat.”
What?
“What?” Jade echoed my thought aloud. “No. Tell me you didn’t. Did anyone see you? Would they do a DNA test for something like that?”
“Oh, I was caught doing it so don’t worry about that. The police officer was really nice about it once I told him what Robert had done to my granddaughter, and then I told him the story I’d stick to would be a little dementia.”
Never had I heard a more fascinating story. I needed to know. “What did the policeman do?”
“After he finished laughing his ass off, he said I was lucky he wasn’t wearing his camera that day and that as far as he was concerned, he never saw anything.” Her grandfather put his face so close to the camera all I could see were the white hairs of his nostrils. “See, Kal, I have a license to do as I want . . . so watch yourself.”
Jade shook her head. “Grams, I don’t think you should let Gramps go out alone anymore.”
Her grandmother came back onto the screen and rolled her eyes. “You think that would stop him? I’d rather not know. This is why we need to be down in Florida near you. We can share the babysitting.”
Jade’s eyes flew to mine, and I saw a question there that I was sad she even had to ask. “That’s what family is for,” I said simply, and tears filled her eyes.
Her grandmother smiled. “Kal, you seem like a nice boy. Be good to our little girl.”
“I will,” I promised.