Mrs. Harrison remains quiet and then runs her hand over Jessa’s hair when Jessa reaches her. “You’re lucky it was me,” she smiles at her daughter. Jessa glances my way and then back to her mom and grins.

“I know.” She giggles and leans against her mom, letting her wrap her arms around her.

“It’s good to have you home. It’s been too long.” She kisses her temple.

“Thanks, Mom,” Jessa says. “It feels good to be home.”

I feel like an outsider watching them. It’s as though I’m staring through a window into a world I know nothing about. Jessa has this amazing family who loves and accepts her fully, so much that they want to protector her from me. I’m happy Jessa was raised in this environment, but I can’t help but worry I’m going to ruin everything for her. Can I give her a perfect loving family like the one she already has? Can I give her a future with the unconditional love she so deeply deserves?

“Grant?” Jessa stands in front of me and I blink, pushing the negative thoughts away.

“Sorry, what’s up?” I ask her and see her eyes filling with concern.

“Are you okay?” She puts her hand in mine and I stare down at her, wondering when this happened. I never saw her coming. She took me by surprise, like a cinder block to the head. This feeling of having something I could lose is so foreign to me. But I know I’ll never be the same whether I’m with or without her, so I might as well enjoy the happiness while it lasts.

“Nothing, baby,” I tell her, bending down and kissing her lips.

Her skeptical eyes stare intently at mine for a few seconds before she smiles up to me.

“Everyone’s waiting, let’s go,” she says, guiding me out of the room.

“Where?” I question.

“Dinner. Didn’t you hear my mom?” She looks up at me again. I must’ve been really deep in thought.

Everyone is seated around the long, rectangular table, including Jessa’s sister, Samantha. Now that I’ve seen the younger version of Jessa in the picture on the mantle, I can easily recognize their similarities.

“Hi, Grant!” she exclaims, standing up to greet me.

“Hi, Samantha,” I respond as her arms wrap around me, bringing me into a tight hug.

“It’s Sam, Grant. Don’t be so proper. You’re practically family now,” she says loudly, and I don’t miss the frown on her Dad’s face.

“It’s good to see you. Are you on spring break, too?” I ask her, ignoring her previous remarks.

“I just had mine, so I’ll head back to Boulder on Sunday. It’s not far though; you guys should come down next week,” she mentions while walking back to her seat.

Jessa indicates for me to sit, but I scoot her chair out for her before getting into mine.

“Totally!” Dex shouts. “I heard your campus is like a crazy party place,” he says to her and she giggles.

“Relax there, buddy,” she says. “I think it’s pretty typical to other schools. What do you think, Jess? Do you want to come down?” Sam asks her tentatively.

“I don’t know, Sam. I’ll think about it.” Jessa looks down at her lap and I place my hand in hers, squeezing until she looks to me. I give her a reassuring smile and she gives me a small one back.

Since Trey and Dex were at their respective homes when Sam came for Christmas, she starts peppering the guys with questions about the band. The conversation change perks Jessa up and within minutes, she’s back to her normal self. My eyes scan the table and I see her dad leaning back in his chair, silently observing the situation. It couldn’t have been easy for a father to deal with what happened. I understand his guarded behavior toward me. Proving myself won’t be easy, but it will get us over this hurdle.

“You play drums.” Sam turns her body toward Trey with admiring eyes.

“What’s so great about a drummer? All he does is pound on a couple cylinders with two sticks. I have to actually be coordinated,” Dex spouts off and the table erupts into laughter. Obviously, Dex is still feeling a little self-conscious regarding the Kailey situation.

“Relax, Hulk. By the way, when we get back, we’ll trade instruments and then you can tell me how easy drums are.” Trey leans forward, speaking directly to him with a humorous expression.

“They call you Hulk?” Sam laughs before turning her attention to Dex.

“Only these assholes,” he says and then grimaces. “Oh…I’m sorry,” he apologizes to Jessa’s parents.

“That’s alright,” Mrs. Harrison responds while Mr. Harrison continues to quietly eat his lasagna.

“Why do they call you Hulk?” Sam asks again, and I notice that her interest has clearly shifted to Dex.

“Seriously? The guy is all muscle,” Brady answers the question.

“You should have seen him at Halloween, Sam. He painted his body green and wore these cut-up purple pants. You could scrub your clothes clean against his abs,” Sadie says and Dex’s face starts turning red.

“That’s it, Dex, find a new place to live,” Brady jokes and Sadie gives him a sheepish smile.

“Not that they compare to my boyfriend’s though,” Sadie quickly adds and Brady smiles over at her, obviously secure enough in their relationship not to let it bother him.

“Can I feel?” Sam enthusiastically asks and Dex agrees, starting to lift his shirt.

“Let’s not do that here,” Mr. Harrison says without looking up from his plate, but Sam obscures her dad’s view and feels his abs through his shirt anyway. She and Dex smile at each other and suddenly the heat in the room gets kicked up a few notches.

We finish the meal and Jessa, Sam, and Sadie go to help Mrs. Harrison in the kitchen. The boys and I start to bring dishes in when I feel a hand clasp me on the shoulder.

“Join me outside.” I’m not ignorant to the fact that he isn’t giving me a choice.

“Yes, sir,” I respond. I sneak a glance at Brady, who has now stopped what he’s doing. He raises his eyebrows and then nods his head in encouragement. I know it’s time I face this, so I follow Mr. Harrison through the doors, ready to fight for us.

Chapter 16

Jessa

When I notice that both my dad and Grant are missing from the group, my stomach drops to my feet. It’s obvious that my parents are less than thrilled with this situation. I should’ve warned them, letting them get used to the idea of someone else. They seemed okay with Rob but then again, they never met him.

As I stand at the sink, incessantly scrubbing the pots and pans from dinner, I worry if this might push Grant over the edge. When he told me the story about his mom last week, my heart broke for him, and it was the first time I realized that he had no one in his life. He has Mr. C and Brady, along with a few other friends, but what he doesn’t have is a family that backs you and loves you no matter what. Based on the letters his mom left for him, it seems he must’ve known true, unconditional love at one time. That’s why it’s becoming easier for him to show it more each day.

“Jessa,” my mom quietly says behind me so the others sitting at the breakfast bar can’t hear. I turn my head toward her, continuing to scrub the pot. “You should’ve warned us. I could’ve eased your father into this.” She pats my shoulder and grabs the pot out of my hand, starting to dry it.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” I apologize. “But I really like him. I hope you and Dad will accept this,” I say sincerely.

“Are you sure you just like him?” She gives me a knowing grin and I giggle.

“God, I do, Mom. I love him. He’s nothing like Jason. I know you think that just because they were both in a fraternity and they present themselves in the same way, but…” I ramble.

“Relax, Jessa, it’s okay. He’s a very nice boy. I’ve thought so since Christmas. We knew you and Rob had broken up, but you never mentioned things had changed between you and Grant. And don’t worry, your dad knows Grant isn’t Jason. A father has to scare the boy who holds his daughter’s heart.” She laughs and I join in with her.