Page 87 of Forever Mine
“You want anything?” I ask her.
“A twenty-dollar bottle of chilled water would be nice.”
She’s not that far off. A plain hot dog costs five bucks.
“April-Bae!” Ash says as they do a weird, choreographed handshake that ends with a mock finger explosion.
April loves the nickname. Jessi, not so much.
“Is Fallon here?”
April may crush on Julien, but she’s obsessed with Fallon. She says he fits all her hot guy book boyfriend B-tropes: bad boy, billionaire, broody, blue-eyed, and beautiful.
She squeals like a fangirl when he replies, “Sitting with Julien’s folks.”
At the mention of Julien’s parents, my palms begin to sweat. They must have arrived after April and I left for the beach this morning. I’ve been wanting to talk to them, while also being scared shitless of seeing them. Asking your boyfriend’s parents for their blessing to marry their son is vomit-inducingly nerve-racking. What if I screw it up? What if they don’t think I’m good enough for him? What if they say no?
“Earth to Elijah.” April snaps her fingers in front of my face. “You want anything? On me. Or rather my dad since it’s his money.”
“Just a soda.” I already feel like I want to hurl. I don’t want to add greasy food smothered in fake liquid cheese to the mix.
The sun beats down warmly, making me grateful for the light breeze that occasionally flutters through the stadium. We circumnavigate through a sea of people to our row. Ryder and Jayson bookend Mr. and Mrs. Jameson, while Liz sits on Ryder’s left, her head angled toward Fallon as they talk. If Jay glared any harder, they’d turn to stone. I send up a silent prayer that Jayson and Fallon behave and ignore one another.
“Look who I found,” Ash proclaims as he slides into the first available seat next to Jayson.
The aisle is wide enough for Mrs. Jameson to stand up and grab me in a motherly hug. “It’s been too long. We’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
And that’s the honest truth. The Jamesons welcomed me with open arms and loved me like a son. They’ve been so good to me and so supportive of my and Julien’s relationship. Freda is the kind of mother I wish mine could’ve been.
“How’s your father?”
“He’s good.” In love and finally happy.
Mr. Jameson shakes my hand in a firm grip. “Elijah.”
My heart rate goes ballistic under his unwavering, paternal gaze.
“Sir.”Holy hell, please don’t pass out and shake the man’s hand like a normal person.“How was your drive up?”
“Smooth, thankfully. No traffic at all. You and Julien need to visit more often. Freda is nesting.”
Mrs. Jameson swats his chest. “I am not.”
“Two words. Baby albums.”
Jayson groans. “I thought you hid them.”
“She found them. Tossed the house looking for them,” Mr. Jameson replies.
“I did not,” Mrs. Jameson proclaims, then asks, “Who’s this beautiful young lady?”
“This is April. Best stepsister ever.”
April preens at the compliment.
Mrs. Jameson hugs her next. “It’s so nice to meet you, April.”
