Griffin and Ethan exchanged glances. Both of them felt a little cheated that Phoenix had made such a huge step, leaving them out of what he was doing. They both felt a bit badly about merely moving in with the women instead of making the grand commitment Phoenix had.
Griffin took Jess’s hand under the table and whispered, “You’re not upset that we’re not married, are you?”
“God, no!” Jess blurted out, gaining everyone’s attention.
“Care to elaborate, Jess?” Kel asked then took a bite of the roast. “Mmm, great roast, Mom.”
“Thank you, dear,” Mrs. Flannigan said. “So, what was that about, Jess?”
“Um, uh,” her cheeks grew red as she mumbled.
Griffin saved her as he took the attention away from her. “I asked her if she was upset about us not getting married. Because we could.”
“Us too!” Ethan quickly added. “I’d marry Kel in a heartbeat. I would!”
Mrs. Flannigan put down her fork as Kel watched her mother with increasing worry. “Ethan, Griffin, I want you both to know that I am trusting you to make good decisions where my daughters are concerned. That said, I don’t think it’s wise to rush into something as important as a marriage just because someone else did it. I hope all goes well for Phoenix and Cait, I really and truly do. But I think each of you will know when the right time for you to make things permanent occurs. Don’t rush or hold back. That’s my advice.”
“And sage advice it is,” Ethan agreed then took Kel’s face between his palms. “But I want everyone at this table to know that I love this woman with all my heart.”
Kel blushed and smiled, shyly she said, “Oh, Ethan, stop.”
“Never,” Ethen said with a laugh. “I’ll never stop proclaiming my love for you.”
His words had everyone laughing, and the mood had changed drastically from when they first let out the big news. It seemed they could expect quick heat from Mrs. Flannigan, but she was fairly quick to cool too. Things would work out, all of them had faith in that.