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He wanted this process to go as smoothly as possible. It wasn’t that he thought of Rose as some delicate flower or anything. True to her namesake, she had her own thorns that protected her from such things. But he wanted to honor and respect her timeframe.
They had their whole lives to spend together. Why rush it?
“Look,” he spoke before his mother could. “I know you’re excited about this. And so am I. I only want her to feel comfortable. I don’t want to rush her into anything from which she can get cold feet.”
“Oh, my love. I wasn’t saying to do that at all. You know I’m looking forward to finally getting to know her.”
He smiled a little. “I know. You will soon, trust me. You’ll love her.”
“Oh? That’s a strong vote of confidence.”
“What, you worried she won’t impress you?”
His mother laughed. “No, no. I only hopeIcan live up to her expectations.”
“I’m sure you will. She’s easy to get along with.”
Sitting back in her seat, Lorine Kirby fixed him with another expectant look. “Tell me more about you two. How have the dates gone? Have you taken her anywhere yet?”
“I took her out a few times.” Dylan picked up his fork, stabbing a few pieces of pasta salad onto the ends. “Actually, our last date didn’t exactly go as planned.”
His mother’s brows furrowed. “Why? What’s that mean?”
He sighed and leaned back in his chair, rolling his shoulders. “I took her to that record store that I love. The one over by my place?”
“Yes, I remember. Your dad and I could never get you to come out of there on your own. We’d always end up dragging you.”
She smiled at the fond memories. Ones of him kicking and screaming while his father threw him over his shoulder and gave his back a hearty pat, promising to come back the week after.
Those memories were sometimes like a kick in the gut. Much like the memorial that had been for Jazzy. Both of his worlds collided into something that made his chest ache.
“When I took her there, they had a tribute set up for Jazzy.”
Her eyes widened briefly before softening. She reached across the table to take his hands in her. “Oh, honey…”
He squeezed her fingers. “It was hard … seeing that. But Rose, she was great. She knew exactly what to say to make me calm down.”
“You told her about Jazzy?” He nodded. She squeezed his hand again. “I’m proud of you. I’m sure that wasn’t easy to talk about with her.”
“It wasn’t … but I’m glad I did. She didn’t judge me or anything.”
His mother smiled softly. “She sounds wonderful, my love.”
“She really is. She’s, ah …”
His mother raised her brow. “What?”
“She’s …”
His mother reached out with her other hand, squeezing around both of theirs.
Dylan had to bite the inside of his lip. Maybe it was a bit cruel to keep egging her on like this, but he needed to lighten the mood somehow.
“Well…”
“Dylan Kirby, out with it.”
“She’s my fated mate.”
