Page 82 of Playing With Temptation

I didn’t let him respond. I didn’t need him to. I said what I had to say and pushed out of his arms so I could get to his mother.

After a rocky start, the rest of the night went off without a hitch.

None of the kids looked upset I delayed dinner.

It had taken my mother less than ten minutes to fall in love with Juni and Colson.

Janis was taken in by Lucas, and she didn’t hide it, therefore Lucas warmed up to her and acted his normal, hilarious self.

It was obvious Jonathan and Allen knew each other well.

And of course, my mother was over the moon to see Jase.

“Gigi,” Lucas called out to his grandmother from the end of the table where the kids were playing Crazy Eights.

My mother’s gaze went down the table with a brow raised.

I knew what was coming.

So did Lucas, and since my kid was smart and he knew that look, he beat her to the punch. “I mean, excuse me, Gigi.”

“Yes, Lucas?”

“Next time we do a popcorn and movie night can Juni and Cole come over?”

I speared my son with a look. He knew he wasn’t supposed to ask questions like that with an audience. It was rude and potentially forced someone to make a choice they didn’t want to make.

“Oops,” he mumbled.

“Of course.”

“Yippy! Can we watch Goonies? Daddy says I’m old enough to watch it now,” Juni asked.

That earned Jase a look from his mother. “Is that the movie with the scary man?”

“He’s not scary, Granny J,” Colson answered. “Juni can watch it. But if she gets scared, we can watch something else.”

More proof that Colson was a replica of his father.

Jase didn’t have a sister. But if he did, those words would’ve come out of a twelve-year-old Jason’s mouth.

Jase leaned over and kissed my temple before going back to the conversation he was having with Jonathan and Allen.

Janis smiled at me, and my mother looked like she was going to start crying tears of joy.

To stop her from doing this I asked, “Mom, do you still have the guest bedroom furniture from the old house in Allen’s garage?”

“She sure does,” Allen answered, like he’d be happy if it found a home outside of his garage.

She ignored her man-friend and answered as well. “I do, would you like it?”

“Please say yes,” Allen said under his breath.

“I heard that,” my mother snapped.

I pretended they were getting ready to embarrass me and start bickering like an old married couple. Though I was sure Janis and Jonathan wouldn’t be surprised, since they bickered a lot.

“Not for me, but Jase needs it.”