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Like Jo, my parents hadn’t known much about my previous relationship with Layla. I’d told Mom the full story right after I’d told Jo, though. Even though my mom and sister had a whole country separating them, I knew it wouldn’t stop them from talking about my business. I didn’t want her to hear how badly I’d messed up from anyone but me.
At the time, Mom had warned me not to get my hopes up about Layla being able to forgive me for leaving her like that. She wasn’t being mean about it, just honest, considering the hurt I’d caused. Once Layla and I worked it out, however, she’d been very happy for me.
Jo and I repeated the hugging routine with our dad, then Trevor walked in just as we were about to head to the dining room without him.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” he said, standing before us more dressed up than I’d ever seen him in a brown polo shirt and pressed khaki slacks. His man-bun and scruff were still present, however, so it wasn’t a total makeover. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Miller. I’m Trevor Morgan. It’s nice to meet you.”
My mom’s brows practically flew off her forehead as she gawked up at him, but my dad was the first to speak. He stepped forward and shook Trevor’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too. We’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Yes, we sure have,” Mom agreed, also shaking his hand. But then she turned to Jo and stage whispered, “I’ve seen pictures, but wow. He reallydoeslook like Jason Momoa.”
I rolled my eyes as Trevor’s chin tipped down, looking both flattered and embarrassed. It was a true statement, though, and he knew it. And it didn’t make me self-conscious about my six-three frame or decently big biceps in the slightest. Not one bit. Okay, fine, maybeonebit. But who could blame me?
“Who’s Jason Momoa?” Grayson asked, staring up at Trevor with a furrowed brow.
“Aquaman,” I replied, knowing he’d get that reference before any other.
“Oh. Yeah, you do look like him. But you don’t have a mermaid’s tale.”
“If I did, I’d be amerman, not a mermaid,” Trevor said with a wink.
Grayson shrugged. “You have long hair, though.”
Everyone chuckled, and Dad held up a hand toward the dining room where they were serving a special breakfast open to the public. “Let’s eat, shall we?”
“Yes, please,” Grayson said, trotting over to my dad and taking his hand.
We all started for the dining room, but Trevor tapped my shoulder and leaned closer to whisper. “Hang back a sec, will ya?”
“What’s up?”
He eyed the family until they were out of earshot, none of them noticing that we’d stayed behind. When he was sure it was safe, he cleared his throat. “Jo told me your dad is the traditional type.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I crossed my arms over my chest. Was this what I thought it was? “Yeah, I’d say so.”
“Okay. I’m not going to do it today because I want to get to know him a bit first, but before they leave, I plan to talk to him about marrying her. I’d be honored to have his blessing.”
Suspicions confirmed, I straightened. “I see.”
“But before I do that, I also planned to talk to you.” He paused, gauging my reaction. Whatever he saw must have been enough for him to keep going, even though on the inside, I was reeling. “I know how much you and Grayson mean to Jo. She doesn’t want to leave you hanging with Gray, and I’ve known that from the start. But now that things are serious with you and Layla, I was hoping to have your blessing, too.”
I blew out a breath, then adjusted the sleeves of my button-down where they were folded on my forearms. “Right, yeah, because if you two got married, you’d stay here in Bluffton even after I get orders.”
“If that’s what she wants, yeah. My family is here, and obviously I’m working here at the inn. She’s an amazing woman, Zac. I don’t want to mess up what you guys have going on, with her helping with Grayson while you’re at work or when you deploy. But I can’t imagine my life without her.”
“It’s only been a few months,” I stated, keeping my voice neutral like I did at work when I was intentionally trying to avoid conflict. “How do you know for sure she’s the one?”
He smiled, a full, blinding, genuine smile. Then he shrugged. “When you know, you know, man. Your sister has had me wrapped around her finger from the moment we met.”
I thought through the progression of their relationship, starting with that first day when I’d found out he’d become her early-morning running buddy. A suggestion that had apparently come from him because he hadn’t liked the idea of her running alone in the dark any more than I had. And he hadn’t evenknownher. They’d been full steam ahead ever since.
So, yeah. He was clearly protective of her in a way that gave me the impression he’d never let anyone hurt her. Not that they’d try, with him around. And the guy had spent a fair amount of time around me and Grayson, too, and I’d never seen him be anything but gentle and respectful with her or my son. Despite his heavily tattooed arms and gruff outward appearance, he was actually really funny, and dare I say it …sweet.
“Well?” he asked, sounding nervous for the first time.
“What would you do if I said I still needed her help with Gray?”
I didn’t plan to need her. I planned to marry Layla, and the three of us would be a family. But there was one thing I’d learned through all of this, and that was to prepare for the unexpected. If Layla and I crashed and burned, I couldn’t very well leave my son without someone to look after him with my rotating schedule. It just wasn’t feasible, and I knew Jo would agree.
