Page 37 of The Heart of the King

“Now, what about this David guy?” Her father moved onto the next subject on his list.

“He’s a good guy, Dad. I promise.”

“I looked him up.” Her mother withdrew her hand. “Jazz...”

Jazz shook her head. “Whatever you read, he’s not that guy anymore.” She prayed he wasn’t - but she still didn’t know what her mother might have found. It had been difficult - especially given the glimpse she’d gotten when she looked him up on his phone - but she wanted him to tell her anything she needed to know rather than reading the tabloid version of it.

“I hope not. Nothing I read about was in the last couple of years, but that could mean he was just better at staying under the tabloid radar.” Her mother’s tone was as skeptical as it had been a moment earlier.

“Aren’t you the ones who taught me about forgiveness and redemption? That no one is beyond the reach of the Cross?” She looked from one to the other.

“Of course no one is beyond the reach of the Cross,” her father replied. “But that doesn’t mean there’s not some caution to be applied at times. The best indicator of future behavior is still prior behavior and should be taken into consideration.”

“That doesn’t leave much room for grace,” Jazz pointed out. “People change. Just ask Travis Harders.” His now-father-in-law had been horrible to him when he found out Abi was pregnant. Travis spent fifteen years raising their daughter on his own, but when Abi’s father needed a bone marrow donor, Travis’s daughter had been tested without a second thought. It had taken a long time, but Travis and Abi had gotten married, and Travis and Cassie both had a decent relationship with Abi’s father.

“You make a good point,” her father conceded. “We’ll do our best to give him a fair shot if you want us to.”

“I do.”

“What happened?” It was her mother’s turn. “Why did you elope again?”

Jazz shook her head. “I don’t know. I know I went to the bar to get something to drink, because I was depressed over losing Leo while everyone else was celebrating Wendy and Dean. I met David. But I don’t remember much of what happened after that - not until the next day. We have the license, though. His legal team looked into it. It’s legal.”

“Were you drugged?” her mother asked cautiously.

Jazz shook her head. “I don’t believe that for a minute.”

“What about annulment?” The question came from her father. “Did you consider that?”

Jazz shook her head. “I may not remember much about that night. I might have been wrong about how many compromises Leo and I would have had to make in order to make our marriage work. But I’m not wrong about this. I have peace about it. A peace I’ve never felt.” She hesitated. “And Mama Beach gave her stamp of approval. She’s never wrong about these things. You know that.”

Her parents shared a glance. They knew Mama Beach had a kind of sixth sense about these things.

“You really have peace about it? That’s more important than what Mama Beach thinks.” Her father’s quiet tone meant he was coming around.

A different kind of tears filled her eyes. “I do. This is where I’m supposed to be.” The peace filled her once again. “I was meant to be David’s wife.”

Walking into the dining nook,David’s nerves were making him a bit nauseated. He had hoped to meet Jasmine’s parents when they arrived, but a phone call with Christiana ran long, and he wasn’t able to.

“Good evening,” he said as he walked in. Jasmine came to his side, and he kissed her cheek before resting his hand on her back.

“David, these are my parents, Tom and Betty Roberts.” Jasmine slid her arm around his waist. “Mom and Dad, this is His Majesty, King David the First of Auverignon.”

He tried not to cringe as she used his whole title and reached out to shake their hands. “Please, call me David, especially when we’re in private. Unfortunately, in public, sometimes things are more formal.”

They both shook his hand then took seats around the table.

Conversation remained light. David asked about their lives back in the States.

They asked about him, but didn’t delve too deeply.

That meant one of two things.

Either they weren’t comfortable asking him more deeply personal questions because of his titles, or they’d researched his past online and didn’t want to trust him with their little girl.

Or possibly a combination of the two.

They did compliment the meal. He promised to pass that on to the chef. There were a few jokes made about how good it was he didn’t have to count on Jasmine to make dinner regularly.

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