Page 24 of Tell Me No
“Did you just laugh? Like… out loud?” Kelsea asks, her eyes wide and curious. I roll my eyes at them.
“Oh, fuck off. I laugh all the time,” I say.
“Uh, no. You scoff. Or growl. But never laugh,” Ember replies, a pleased grin plastered across her lips.
“Well, he’s got a lot to laugh about now, spending every day with this one,” Elijah says, putting his sister in a headlock and ruffling her hair.
“Elijah Jude, I swear to fucking god if you mess up my hair, I’m gonna make Ember a widow,” she says, swinging her arms towards him furiously. He manages to avoid her fists until she lands one directly in the middle of his gut and he huffs out a strained breath.
“Jesus, Bug. Don’t fucking kill me. I was just playing,” he coughs out.
“Well, go play with yourself,” she says, smoothing her hair back into place. I can tell she’s nervous just by the look on her face.
“You really have nothing to worry about, Ror. Break’s parents are cool,” Iris says, stuffing a roll from the basket into his mouth.
“Knock it off, dick. Those are for dinner,” I tell him, smacking his hand like a child. I had tonight’s dinner catered, even though Aurora complained for over an hour about how she should be cooking. I didn’t want her to have something else to stress about tonight, so I took care of it.
The security panel beeps, alerting us all that someone is coming down the driveway. I pull up the camera and see my dad’s familiar red 68’ Chevelle.
“Company behavior, children. Don’t say fuck around my mama or you know she’ll smack you,” I tell the guys. They’ve met my parents more than a few times, so they all know the drill. My dad is as brash and loud as they come, but even he controls his mouth around my mama.
“Yes, daddy,” Iris says, shooting me a wink and blowing a kiss. Aurora throws her head back laughing, and I tug her into my side, wrapping my arm tightly around her waist.
“Don’t even think about it, princess,” I tell her, kissing her temple. “Just relax, they’re gonna love you just as much as I do.” The words slip out of my mouth without a second thought. It’s not until I see Aurora staring up at me, eyes wide and jaw slack, that I realize I just said I love her.
“Did you just-” she starts, but the front door swings open and the whirlwind begins.
fourteen
My brain is rushingto process what Jason just said. I know he just said he loved me, even if it wasn’t a direct statement. Do I take it for the accidental slip that it was? Or do I continue to read too much into it and choose to believe he’s fallen just as hard as I have? This is not what I want to be thinking about just seconds before meeting his parents for the first time.
“Aurora? You okay?” Ember’s elbow lands in my ribs and I realize Jason has been talking to me.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Hi! It’s so nice to meet you!” I say much more enthusiastically than I should. I reach out my hand to shake his mother’s and she gives me a warm smile.
“Oh, put that away, honey. I’m a hugger,” she says, pulling me in and squeezing me tightly. I smile, loving the feeling of acceptance I’m already getting without even asking.
“It’s so great to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you guys,” I tell her.
“Oh, we’ve heard plenty about you, too! I’m Lainey and this is my husband, Sam.” she says, shooting Jason a sly grin.
“Mama, don’t start,” he says, pulling his dad in for a back-slapping hug.
“Oooooh, I wanna know what you’ve heard,” I tell her, bouncing up and down on my toes.
“I’m just so glad to meet the woman who has captured my baby’s heart,” she replies, and I melt a little inside. The fact that he’s been telling his mom about me at all is enough to make me fall in love with him all over again. But knowing that he’s been telling her about his feelings for me makes all of this feel so… permanent. Like he could really be the end of my story. It’s what I’ve dreamed of since the first time I saw him, but I’ve never actually admitted that out loud.
“I’m not a baby,” Jason grumbles beside me and I laugh. Lainey releases me, pulling Jason in for a huge hug. He’s got at least ten inches on her in height, but she still hugs him like he’s a little boy.
“You’re always gonna be my baby, Jason,” she says, kissing his cheek. I’ve seen so many sides of this man. Breaker, the mercenary. Jason, the hacker. Jay, the sweetest lover I’ve ever had. But this side of him is my favorite. Jason Negan is a mama’s boy and I fucking love that.
“Yeah, Jaysee Waysee. You’re always gonna be my baby, too,” Iris interrupts, wrapping his arm tightly around Jason’s neck. Jason lands a fist in his ribs and Iris laughs it off.
“Dalton, you leave him alone,” his mom scolds, and Iris straightens up immediately.
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry,” he says, pulling Lainey in for a big hug.
“How have you been, honey? How’s your sister doing?” Lainey asks him, and I realize his parents are much more involved in Jason’s life than I figured they would be. Knowing his line of work, I assumed he would keep them in the dark about his friends, but they know it all.
