“It was so nice to meet you both,” I say, smiling, hoping desperately that I’ve made a good impression. Though, I can’t say I’m very much taken with his father. The way he berated Jackson’s poor Mom like that when she reminded him about his diet.

“And you, Lauren,” his Mom says, smiling at me. She hugs me overenthusiastically and I’m glad my Mom isn’t the only one who does that.

His dad gives me what I hope is a smile and shakes my hand firmly. For a moment, I see Jackson in him, the spitting image. Still holding my hand, he leans in towards me. We’re out of earshot from anyone else. “I’m sorry if I seem like a bit of a grumpy old bastard, but I think you’ll do nicely,” he says. Then he grins. A real smile.

I feel myself blushing. He must have been just as gorgeous as Jackson in his day.

“I hope we meet again,” he says.

I feel a strange flutter in my stomach. Maybe one day I’ll be part of the family too… That’s if Jackson doesn’t run away screaming when he hears about the magic potion.

Jackson and his Mom come back from the restrooms and we say another quick goodbye before they finally walk off into the night and I breathe a sigh of relief.

I look at Jackson and giggle. “That was a bit intense.”

“Yeah, sorry about my Dad. He really needs to learn to loosen up. I know he likes you though. I can tell.”

“I hate to think what he would have been like if he didn’t like me!” I say, grinning. I’m feeling almost dizzy with elation. Yikes, I got through the meeting of the parents. It didn’t go terribly. His dad even liked me!

“What was my Mom saying to you?” he asks me. “When you came out of the restroom before dessert? You looked like a couple of naughty co-conspirators.”

I can feel my face getting hot. I’m not going to tell him how she has ‘such high hopes for us’ and that, in her opinion, I’m the nicest girl he’s dated for a long while. Nor the fact that she mentioned his great grandmother’s diamond engagement ring! “Just that she was happy to meet me, that’s all.”

“Oh, I thought it might be about David’s wedding. She’s desperate for me to take someone. He’s a close friend of the family. A little older than me, but we practically grew up together. Our families have been close for years.”

I smile and don’t know what to say. This is going to be really awkward if he doesn’t ask me to go with him now.

“It’s not for a while,” he says. “But do you think you’d like to go with me?”

“I’d love to.” I almost sigh with heavy relief.

He leans towards me. I know what’s coming and my whole body melts into his delicious kiss. I can never get used to how soft his lips are, and the wonderful contrast between them and the shadow of slightly rough half-a-day-old, stubble, surrounding them. I drink in the very male wood-musk smell of his cologne and wish this moment could last forever.

He pulls away and we look at each other. I can’t help the giggle that bubbles forth. I feel like a teenager.

“So, what do you want to do now?” He grins, playing with my fingers in his hands.

“My friends are drinking at a bar a few blocks from here,” I say. “Or we could go somewhere else, if you’d prefer?”

“I’d love to meet your friends. Andrea and Nina, is it?”

I flush a little when I realize I must babble on about them a lot.

“You girls must be pretty close, huh?” he asks.

“We are. We’ve been inseparable since we were kids. There used to be a fourth member of the gang too, but she moved away a few years ago and we only meet her twice a year now.”

“I’ve lost touch with a lot of my friends,” he says. “They moved away or fell down the married-with-kids hole. I’m stuck with my buddy, Joe, and the crazy softball team that I usually need a couple of days to recover after a night out with.”

“I bet Nina would get on well with them,” I say giggling. “If there’s beer pong involved, you won’t get her away from it!”

We leave the restaurant and he gives me his jacket. It’s freezing outside and I’m shivering in my oh-so-cute but not very warm dusky pink jacket. What a gentleman. I can’t wait for the girls to meet him.