Cocky Roomie_ A Bad Boy Romance Novel(33)
“Good, Aunt Marie. How’re that herb garden coming?”
She waves him away. “Oh please! It’s four little pots in my window sill.”
“It’s a garden in my book,” he smiles. “Hey, Uncle Don!”
“How’re ya doin’ son?” They heartily shake hands.
“It’s nothing compared to your garden!” Aunt Marie mutters, smiling.
“Good, good. Workin’ hard,” Jaxson tells him, then adds to Marie, “Fresh herbs to cook with, made by you? That’s something to me.”
With a pleased face, she again waves him away. Justin and Jason come out of the house, with Jason shouting, “Dad, tell Mom to stop cooking and come join us. Shit!”
Grandma, who’d been quietly watching the children until this, shouts, “LANGUAGE!”
“Sorry,” Jason calls to her.
“She’s doing what she does,” Justin tells Dad, referring to our mother.
“Being a perfectionist. I know. I’ll get her.” He slaps Jaxson’s bicep as he passes. “Did you do that thing I told you about?”
“No, dad. I told you that you had to do it. Remember?” They share a stubborn look that says neither will budge.
As soon as Dad’s out of earshot, I ask, “What thing?”
“Nothing. Dad’s being Dad. Forget it.”
“C’mere Jaxson!” Grandma calls out from her comfy, cushioned seat. “Give me a hug, dammit!”
Jason laughs, “Hey!”
“I get to swear! I’m eighty-two!” Jaxson strolls over with a big smile for her, and pulls her into a big embrace. “I’ve earned it!” she says over his shoulder to anyone listening.
Dressed less Hip Hop than usual since it’s a family affair (and Grandma always gives him a hard time for wearing his hats backwards), Jason shakes his head as he calls back, “Beautiful hypocrite, that’s you, Grams.” He moves a couple dishes around to make room for the big pot of chili.
Next to him Justin grabs a square of corn bread, and loudly announces, “FUCK, that’s good.”
“Not funny, Justin. That’s the last F word I’ll be hearing today,” Grandma grumbles, taking her seat. “Jaxson, talk Don out of sending our Jake away.”
“God! He’ll be back!” Our Uncle groans.
“I’m a big boy, Grams. Jaxson doesn’t have to rescue me. I need to get away from all of you anyway.”
She cocks a slender, grey eyebrow at me. “Never heard such a stupid thing in all my life.”
When we all sit down to eat, easy conversation flows throughout the meal. I’m reminded several times of Drew’s selfless act of giving me this time with my family, and the respect I’ve got for her, grows.
But when Jax and Justin laugh loudly over Jason accidentally saying, “How’d we run out of mom’s ginger-ale already? Fuck me!” and Grandma slapping the side of his face so hard we all hear it, I grin with only one thought in my mind: I wish Drew was here. She’d get a kick out of this.
This is when I stand up. “We’re gonna be here a while, yeah?”
Everyone looks up at me with different forms of questioning. “You have someplace you need to be?” Mom asks me with sarcasm.
Bracing myself, I explain, “I was gonna get my roommate and bring her over. She doesn’t have any friends in town. She’s alone, and I feel bad with us all having a good time. All this food.”
Everyone is staring at me.
“Well, go get her!” Mom calls to me with a wave to hurry up. As I head out, I hear them quietly filling each other in.
Mom asks my brothers, “Is he living with a girlfriend and didn’t tell us?”
Uncle Don says, “No. Just a roommate. Nice girl. Just moved to town.”
“Don gave her a job,” Marie says.
“He wants her to be his girlfriend,” Jason says.
“I heard that!” I call back, turning around and jamming a finger at him. “I just don’t want to feel guilty when I come home and find her watching some dumb movie all by herself.”
“He’s bringing her here for me, Ma,” Justin says, loudly.
“Fuck you, Justin!” I call back and head inside.
“LANGUAGE!!” Grandma yells.
DREW
Surprised, my head swings over to the sound of the key turning. Jake walks in wearing grey jeans and a light blue, short sleeved, form-fitting button-up, his hair perfect as usual. He frowns as he locks eyes with me and heads over to the couch, glancing to the flat screen. “What the fuck is this?”
“The Danish Girl.”
“No no no no no. Get up. Put on that yellow sundress. You’re coming with me.”