Page 177 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
Jamison came bouncing in, her high ponytail swishing side to side. She’d already changed into her light pink satin pajamas with black piping—a Christmas gift from the year before. According to Simone, she wore the matching set all the time. Ben had picked it out himself, thinking the bubblegum pink color would suit her style. He’d bought Evie a light blue set and Annabeth one in purple because those three always did everything together.
“Why are you not in your pajamas?” Jamison whipped open the fridge and began piling up all the food Consuela had left. “Let’s go, people. Edward awaits.”
Ben arched an eyebrow. “Who is Edward?”
“My future husband,” Jamison said seriously. “He’s so—oh my God—perfect.”
Samuel snorted, and Ben gave him a light punch to the arm. “Edward is perfect, huh? We’ll see about that.”
Thirty minutes later, they were all piled on the couch as Jamison danced along to the opening credits. Her hands and arms flowed above her head in a move that oddly reminded Ben of her mother.
Thinking of Laura Jean had that familiar ache thumping around in his chest. She didn’t appear to him much anymore. Those initial, quick glimpses in his dreams transformed into daytime chats and then full waking conversations through the years. She would walk with him through life during the day, and then they would stay up all night talking about the past and how much they loved each other. Yet, when the visions began to taper off into nothing, part of him was relieved, but the other part, the part that learned long ago to accept the magic of Laura Jean, was terrified that one day, his brain would erase her forever.
“When I marry my Edward, I want this song played as I walk down the aisle,” Jamison said, pausing her swaying to stick a finger in Samuel’s face. “Promise me.”
Eyes wide and beer halfway to his mouth, Samuel nodded. “Promise.”
“Jamison, if you bring home a sparkly vampire, we’re going to kick his ass,” Selah said with his eyes glued to the movie. “Just saying.”
Ben propped his arm on the back of the couch and settled in to watch. “Simone will take him down long before you do.”
“But you’ll protect him.” Jamison cuddled against his side. “Won’t you, Daddy?”
“Of course, princess.”
They focused on the movie, and surprisingly, Ben wasn’t bored. If anything, he was annoyed.
“What the hell is wrong with him?” Ben asked as Edward squirmed dramatically in biology class. “That guy’s a dick. I’m not protecting him.”
“Edward is mysterious and dreamy,” Selah scoffed. “How could you call him a dick?”
“Because he’s a dick.”
Jamison said nothing, utterly transfixed by the emo ginger vampire. No one spoke for the remainder of the movie, and by the time the credits rolled, all the snacks were gone.
“New Moon is next!” Jamison jumped up and crawled over to swap the DVDs. “This one is so depressing. I love it.”
Sitting on the floor for the entire movie, Samuel rolled to his feet. “I’m changing my clothes and putting another twelve-pack in the fridge.”
“I told you to put on your pajamas already,” Jamison said as she waited for the DVD tray to pop out. “You don’t have to be cool all the time. We’re your family. It’s okay to act normal.”
“That boy ain’t never been normal,” Selah mumbled and got punched in the arm as Samuel passed him on the way to the out. “He’s abusive, yes. But never normal.”
Samuel returned wearing sweatpants and a plain white T-shirt. He handed out another round of cold beers and a Dr. Pepper for Jamison. “Is this normal enough for you, brat?”
The second movie started, and everyone watched as Edward broke Bella’s heart. “Dang, check out my boy Jacob.” Selah pointed at the TV. “He’s looking as good as me with my shirt off.”
“I’m sorry, but who in this room actually has a six-pack?” Samuel raised his hand. “That’s right. Me. Not you.”
Ben chuckled to himself. Both his sons had the biggest egos, and deservedly so. While he only passed along his height and maybe a few other fragments of his DNA, the remainder of their genetics—the pretty parts, if you asked Simone—were all their mothers’ doing. Selah’s smile and kind eyes belonged to Simone. The slope of Samuel’s nose and the way his brows knitted together when he was thinking was all Miranda.
Females flocked to them everywhere they went, and while Selah handled women with ease, Samuel kept them at arm’s length. Ben thought it was because, at the heart of it, Samuel remained that awkward boy who never had friends growing up. The one who would much rather sit quietly and fish with Abe, surf alone on a clear morning, or even argue with Evie over a chess game.
Selah lifted his shirt to roll his stomach in Samuel’s face. “I’m working on it.”
Jamison shushed her brothers. “We're getting to the part where we find out Jacob is a werewolf. Be quiet!”
And God help him, but Ben knew Jamison would give him the most trouble. Headstrong, fearless, and developing a level of sarcasm even he had trouble keeping up with, Ben knew his daughter’s upcoming teenage years would turn him into an old man.
