Page 42 of A Perfect Match
“Can we hug?”Jackson offers in the same voice he uses to woo millions of women on the radio every day.
“Oh my god,let’s hug.”I throw my arms around Jackson.He feels solid and real, like a regular human, even though he’s also capable of playing to crowds of eight thousand people at once.“You’re family now.”
Bella laughs.“That escalated quickly.”
“Excuse me?”Griffin’s booming voice breaks through the reunion.We all turn to look at him.“You bring a famous rock star to my driveway and don’t even honk to let me know you’re here?”
I know he’s just giving them shit, since he’s been on Bella-and-Jackson patrol since nine a.m.He strides out to the driveway, pulling Bella into a hug.He and Jackson exchange hellos—and more hugs.I’m sure Jackson has more than realized by now that the Keegans are huggers.
“You’re a third of the way inducted into the family,” Bella informs her boyfriend.
“Not fully inducted until you meet the rest of the family,” I add.
“Is there anyone I should be concerned about?”Jackson asks, looking between me and Griffin.
“Well, my brothers are all kind of brutes,” I say.
“Hey.”Griffin elbows me.
“Sweet brutes,” I hurry to add.“Jett might be the wild card.”
“Is he the one I have to win over?”Jackson asks.“I can set up a private concert if needed…”
Griffin squeezes Jackson’s shoulder.“I’m suddenly very hard to win over.I want in on this private concert.”
“How about we go inside?”Bella suggests, glancing at Jackson, who’s watching some slowed cars on the street.“I’ve been dying to see how the house looks now that you two are roommates.”
“Significantly messier,” Griffin grumbles as we all walk toward the door.
“Listen, I’m running a business,” I snap.“I don’t have time to organize the shoe rack or whatever it is you wish I’d do every day instead of making marshmallows.”
Griffin holds the door open, and we all file inside.“I don’t need the shoe rack organized.I just need theshoeson therack.”
I sigh dramatically, looking back at Jackson.“Never move in with your older brother, Jackson.It only spells trouble.”I elbow Griff so he knows I’m just poking at him.He knocks my chin and sends me a lopsided smile.
“Trust me, I wouldn’t dream of it.Though I did temporarily move innextto my brother, and that seemed to work out okay.”Jackson grins as he looks around the cozy bungalow.I’m sure he’s thinking how crazy Griffin is to call me messy, since this place isspotless.
Griffin leads us into the living room.Jackson and Bella sink into the couch; I curl up next to Bella, and Griffin opts for the armchair.“How’s Aunt Laura doing?”Bella asks us.
“She’s great,” I say.“Doing the same old thing, as always.”Thesame old thingsounds like not much, but really, it’s everything.Baking bread, loving on her kids, and holding down the fort for us.
Bella and I share a warm smile.She gets it.My mom—practically her mom too—is the cornerstone of…everything we’ve achieved.Bella’s amazing event management career, my marshmallow business, Griff’s professional hockey career, and on and on…
It’s all happening because our mom held the space for us to flourish.
“She’s expecting you for dinner this week,” Griff adds.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Bella says.“I texted her when we were close to Bayshore, but I haven’t heard back—”
An intense buzzing interrupts her sentence.Griffin’s phone.A moment later, my own phone starts ringing from in the kitchen.I scamper to my feet to grab it.
And then Bella’s phone rings as well.
Griffin’s eyes are on his phone as he announces, “It’s Asher.”
“Dane’s calling me,” I inform them once I grab my phone.
“And Jett’s calling me,” Bella says.
