let him fool you, Momma. Jayson’s got a girlfriend now.” He nods his head knowingly, smiling like a joker.
“Is that so?” she asks. I roll my eyes and shake my head, lamenting the fact Devon and Cast were with me when Kit and I hung out at the nightclub.
“She’s a cute one this time, too. We’re working on her house for her, and Jayson—.”
“Boy, mind your own,” I shout him down, laughing. All his life, I’ve had to deal with his teasing. I’ll be glad when he gets serious about somebody so I can return the favor, but Castiel has no business getting Momma’s hopes up. I know she wants me to settle down with a loyal, adoring wife who’ll start popping out grandchildren. That’s not in the cards for me, especially not with someone like Kitrina Schneider.
Momma dismisses my protests. “Quiet, Jayson. I want to hear this.”
Castiel snickers next to Devon, who’s quirking a brow and hiding a smile. Mom looks from the two of them to me. “Well, who is she, Jay?”
I sigh good-naturedly, shooting daggers at Cast with my eyes. “There’s nothing going on between me and Kitrina Schneider, Momma. She’s a sweet girl, but she’s too young for me.”
“Last I checked she was a sophomore in college,” Devon replies softly.
“How’d you even find that out? You’ve never even met her,” I point out in surprise.
“I have my ways.” He grins.
“She’s too young and immature for any type of serious relationship, and I’m not looking for anything serious anyway. So…” I shrug.
Mom replies, “You’re twenty-four, you wizened old sage, you. Seriously, you’re not too far off from 'young and immature' yourself.”
“Momma!”
“What? Everybody starts out young and immature. People have to live a little, get some life experiences. Come to think of it…you do, too!” She points to me, and I hold my chest at her mock disapproving stare.
“What?” I ask, smiling nervously.
“You need to, Jay. You’re not immature, mind you. I’m very proud of how responsible you are. But you certainly don’t open yourself to experiencing much of life. You can’t possibly, with all the working and lurking over these boys’ shoulders you do.”
“Tell him, Momma,” Castiel crows, hooting. Devon chuckles, and even Ashby snickers. I feel outnumbered.
“Now, hey, now—when did this become a bash Jayson day?”
“I’m not bashing you,” Momma softens. She reaches for my hand, and I take her warm, dry fingers in mine. She tilts her head to the side and studies me. “I just think you need to stop living vicariously through your brothers and do some living of your own. You’re well-established now, and you’ve helped with the kiddos long enough, so working yourself into an early grave on their behalf, or mine, isn’t at all what I want you to do. Life ain’t all about money anyway. It’s time you start focusing on yourself and what you want….You like this girl? I can tell you like this girl. Every time she’s mentioned, you don’t even notice, but you start to smile.”
I find myself smiling and shake my head to negate her claim, but she’s right. “Tell you what, Momma, if it makes you happy, I’ll start living a little. That’s all I can promise. Just because I like her doesn’t mean she likes me back. Can we change the subject now? Thanksgiving is at the end of this month. I was thinking each of us boys can bring a dish over here and do dinner at my place.”
“Have mercy, the four of you cooking!”
The conversation devolves into laughter at the potentially disastrous prospect of our culinary failings, and I sit back, enjoying my family’s company, but I’m thinking about Kit. She called me last night asking me if she could move in to the house in Western Addition. I suspected she had run into trouble with her mother when she got home late, which I regret. It was my fault. If we hadn’t gotten caught up in each other, dancing…kissing….
“About this commercial,”
“Is that so?” she asks. I roll my eyes and shake my head, lamenting the fact Devon and Cast were with me when Kit and I hung out at the nightclub.
“She’s a cute one this time, too. We’re working on her house for her, and Jayson—.”
“Boy, mind your own,” I shout him down, laughing. All his life, I’ve had to deal with his teasing. I’ll be glad when he gets serious about somebody so I can return the favor, but Castiel has no business getting Momma’s hopes up. I know she wants me to settle down with a loyal, adoring wife who’ll start popping out grandchildren. That’s not in the cards for me, especially not with someone like Kitrina Schneider.
Momma dismisses my protests. “Quiet, Jayson. I want to hear this.”
Castiel snickers next to Devon, who’s quirking a brow and hiding a smile. Mom looks from the two of them to me. “Well, who is she, Jay?”
I sigh good-naturedly, shooting daggers at Cast with my eyes. “There’s nothing going on between me and Kitrina Schneider, Momma. She’s a sweet girl, but she’s too young for me.”
“Last I checked she was a sophomore in college,” Devon replies softly.
“How’d you even find that out? You’ve never even met her,” I point out in surprise.
“I have my ways.” He grins.
“She’s too young and immature for any type of serious relationship, and I’m not looking for anything serious anyway. So…” I shrug.
Mom replies, “You’re twenty-four, you wizened old sage, you. Seriously, you’re not too far off from 'young and immature' yourself.”
“Momma!”
“What? Everybody starts out young and immature. People have to live a little, get some life experiences. Come to think of it…you do, too!” She points to me, and I hold my chest at her mock disapproving stare.
“What?” I ask, smiling nervously.
“You need to, Jay. You’re not immature, mind you. I’m very proud of how responsible you are. But you certainly don’t open yourself to experiencing much of life. You can’t possibly, with all the working and lurking over these boys’ shoulders you do.”
“Tell him, Momma,” Castiel crows, hooting. Devon chuckles, and even Ashby snickers. I feel outnumbered.
“Now, hey, now—when did this become a bash Jayson day?”
“I’m not bashing you,” Momma softens. She reaches for my hand, and I take her warm, dry fingers in mine. She tilts her head to the side and studies me. “I just think you need to stop living vicariously through your brothers and do some living of your own. You’re well-established now, and you’ve helped with the kiddos long enough, so working yourself into an early grave on their behalf, or mine, isn’t at all what I want you to do. Life ain’t all about money anyway. It’s time you start focusing on yourself and what you want….You like this girl? I can tell you like this girl. Every time she’s mentioned, you don’t even notice, but you start to smile.”
I find myself smiling and shake my head to negate her claim, but she’s right. “Tell you what, Momma, if it makes you happy, I’ll start living a little. That’s all I can promise. Just because I like her doesn’t mean she likes me back. Can we change the subject now? Thanksgiving is at the end of this month. I was thinking each of us boys can bring a dish over here and do dinner at my place.”
“Have mercy, the four of you cooking!”
The conversation devolves into laughter at the potentially disastrous prospect of our culinary failings, and I sit back, enjoying my family’s company, but I’m thinking about Kit. She called me last night asking me if she could move in to the house in Western Addition. I suspected she had run into trouble with her mother when she got home late, which I regret. It was my fault. If we hadn’t gotten caught up in each other, dancing…kissing….
“About this commercial,”
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