Page 25 of Switch

“What’s this about someone?” Sophie asks, her voice carrying across the room as she sets down a pack of soda.

Chloe’s head pops up from behind the counter. “Wait, Jax has a girl? Why don’t we know about this?”

Carlie puts down a loaf of bread, her hands on her hips. “Spill it, Jax. Who is she?”

“I didn’t say anything,” I protest, holding my hands up.

“No, but the way you reacted just now?” Jenny says, grinning. “That says everything.”

“See, this is why I don’t tell you anything,” I grumble, grabbing another bag and hauling it inside.

“Oh, come on!” Carlie says, following me. “If there’s someone special, we need to know. What’s her name? What’s she like? Is she cute?”

I set the bag on the counter, shaking my head. “I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“Yes, you are,” Chloe insists, her eyes wide with curiosity.

The chatter gets louder, each of them throwing out questions faster than I can dodge. I try to tune them out, focusing on hauling the bags, but they’re relentless.

Finally, I sigh, turning to face them. “Look, it’s nothing serious yet, okay? And I don’t even know if she’d want to meet all of you.”

Carlie’s face lights up like Christmas morning. “Oh, shehasto meet us. We’re family. And we’re not that scary.”

“Debatable,” I mutter under my breath.

“I’m serious,” Carlie says, crossing her arms. “We should have a barbecue. Something casual, no pressure. You bring her; we’ll be on our best behavior.”

“Yeah, right,” I say, raising an eyebrow.

Jenny grins. “Come on, Jax. What’s the worst that could happen?”

I shoot her a look. “You’ve met yourselves, right?”

Sophie laughs, tossing a bag of chips onto the counter. “It’s settled, then. Barbecue at Mason and Carlie’s place. You bring your girl, and we’ll all play nice. Promise.”

The way they’re all staring at me, eyes shining with excitement, makes me realize there’s no getting out of this. They’ve already decided, and nothing I say is going to change it.

“Fine,” I mutter, shaking my head. “But if this goes south, I’m blaming all of you.”

“Oh, it’ll be great,” Carlie says, clapping her hands. “Trust me, Jax. She’s going to love us.”

I’m not so sure about that. But as I think about Bella, I can’t help but wonder if she might actually like this crazy, nosy, and surprisingly big-hearted family.

Only one way to find out.

It’s a warm Saturday afternoon, and I’m behind the wheel of my truck, heading toward Mason and Carlie’s place with Bella sitting beside me. The windows are cracked, letting in the scent of fresh-cut grass and the faint hum of spring.

Bella’s quiet, her hands folded neatly in her lap, but I can tell she’s a little nervous. Her fingers tap lightly against her knee, a subtle rhythm I don’t think she realizes she’s doing.

“Relax,” I say, glancing over at her with a grin. “They’re not that bad.”

She raises an eyebrow at me. “You told me last week they were nosy and relentless.”

I laugh. “Yeah, but they mean well. Besides, you’ve got me. I won’t let them gang up on you too much.”

She huffs out a breath but smiles, her fingers relaxing just a little. The cheesecake she made rests in a carrier, perfectly smooth and topped with berries. It looks like it came straight out of a magazine, and I told her as much when she carried it out to my truck.

“Are you sure this is enough?” she asks, gesturing toward the food.“Maybe I should’ve made something else, too.”

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