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“I’m not babysitting you,” I say with an eye roll. “I want to meet her. She sounds cool.”
His eyes narrow with clear scepticism. “You want to meet Bà Ngoai?”
I shrug. “Yep.”
Jack sighs. “Fine.”
Linh smiles at me. “Alastor, would you like some more
chicken?”
“You don’t haveto actually come with me,” Jack says as I pull up at the retirement home where his grandmother lives. “You can just drop me off and I’ll Uber it home.”
I offer a wry grin. “The fact that you’re so reluctant for me to meet her just makes me want to meet her more.”
We get out of my car and head into the retirement home. It’s obvious Jack’s been here many times because he knows his way around the place and the staff all know him by name.
When we get to his grandmother’s room, we find a very small, elderly Vietnamese woman waiting for us. The moment she sees Jack, her face breaks into a wide grin and she rushes forward to greet him. She only comes up to his sternum, but that doesn’t stop her from reaching up to place her hands on his cheeks and rubbing them in obvious affection.
“Ba, this is Alastor,” Jack says, once he’s finally been released from her greeting. “Alastor, this is my grand- mother, Lan Williams.”
I offer a warm smile, although I’m finding it hard to hide my surprise at her surname.
Jack notices and provides the explanation. “My granddad was a digger in Vietnam. He didn’t make it home from the war.”
“And you are more and more like him every day,” Lan declares, beaming affectionately at Jack.
“What about me? The blond hair or the blue eyes?” Jack asks dryly, gesturing at his dark features.
“No. In here,” Lan says, placing a hand over Jack’s chest. “Same spirit.”
“So his granddad was a pain in the arse, too?” I ask
Jack’s mouth falls open in shock, but Lan’s eyes light in amusement and she gives a little shrug. “He a larrikin. Always trouble. But serious when it matter. His mother call him...cyclone,” she adds with a smile, as though recalling a fond memory. “But he beautiful man. So kind. Passionate. And he save me. And he give me Linh.”
“You never told me any of that,” Jack says, a little awe in his tone.
Lan shrugs. “You never ask.”
“She likes you,” Jack says as we’re walking back to my car. “She thinks you’re like fire or some shit.”
“Yeah, I know. I was there when she said it,” I say wryly .
It’s kind of impossible to miss the way Jack’s mood has lifted over the course of our visit with his grandmother, and it’s easy to see why. Lan is awesome, and she radiates positive energy. It’s obvious she dotes on Jack, and he needs that given the way his parents have pretty much labelled him as ‘not good enough’. I’m sure that’s not their intention—they seem like nice enough people—but that’s how Jack has interpreted it, and if dinner last night is anything to go by, I don’t blame him.
Once we get back to his place, I’m expecting him to suggest we order some takeaway or something, so I’m caught off guard a little when he grabs me and kisses me.
“Mmm...what’s that for?” I ask, after we’ve exchanged a few intoxicating kisses that have me feeling a little breathless.
“Just really wanted to kiss you,” he murmurs. “Also, I’m glad you came today. And I’m glad Bà likes you.”
I quirk an eyebrow at him. “I’m glad she likes me too.” I’m not exactly sure what he’s trying to say right now, but I’ll take it. I’m going to try not to overanalyse things too much, because that will just lead to a hell of a lot of confusion. Right now, I’m just going to go with it.
“Bedroom?”
He nods. “Yep.”
We rush to the bedroom, hastily undressing on the way.
