Page 16 of Then Came Love
His mother leaned forward like she was sharing a secret. “Once he got it in his head that mice could sew, he decided to make a princess dress for Jilly and convinced Nicky and Beau to catch field mice so they could help him make it.”
Jordan giggled. “You weren’t the brightest tool in the shed back then, were you?”
“Hey.” Jax bumped her with his shoulder.
“I think he was pretty darn smart to convince a six- and seven-year-old to do the dirty work for him,” his father said.
“Good point. I take it back. That was very clever of you,” Jordan agreed.
“Backpedaler,” Jax teased under his breath.
“Did they catch any mice?” Jordan’s smile reached her eyes, and Jax was glad to see her tension dissipate now that they’d steered the conversation safely away from her family.
“They did,” his mother said. “Clint taught them to make mousetraps out of cardboard boxes, sticks, and string, and they caught four mice. Jax immediately began planning a gown for Jilly. Meanwhile, the mice got busy, and a month later we had twenty-eight mice.”
“No way,” Jordan exclaimed.
“Yes, ma’am,” his mother said. “And Graham felt bad for them, so our precocious three-year-old set the mice free inside the house.”
“Oh my gosh.”Jordan laughed.
“Two exterminator treatments and three hundred and fifty dollars later, we were finally rodent free.” His father shook his head. “All because Jax wanted to make Jilly a dress.”
“At least he meant well,” Jordan offered.
“Want me to reimburse you, old man?” Jax pretended to reach for his wallet.
“Son, dollars can’t take away my gray.”
His mother looked at Jordan and said, “Our Jaxon has a big heart, and when he sets his mind on something, he doesn’t let it go until he’s accomplished it. Once he realized we were telling him the truth about mice, he was pretty upset. In his four-year-old mind, only mice could sew dresses. I don’t know why I didn’t think of doing this before the mice fiasco, but I took him into town to meet a seamstress, and bless her heart, she worked with him for a month, and together they made Jilly a dress. In fact, I have a picture of their first fashion show. Excuse me for a moment.” His mother hurried into the living room to retrieve the picture.
Jordan said, “That’s the cutest story I’ve ever heard.”
He wished her parents were still alive so he could hear their stories about when she was younger, too.
His mother returned with the framed photograph of Jax and Jillian holding hands, caught midstride on the makeshift catwalk their father had built. They were wearing dark sunglasses, and Jax’s hair was parted on the side and slicked back. He wore a black blazer with a red handkerchief in the pocket, a white dress shirt, black skinny dress pants, and white high-tops. Jillian was wearing a denim jacket over the black dress he’d made for her. It had a sequined bodice and a black underskirt covered by several layers of tulle. Her hair was long and windswept over one shoulder. A red handbag hung from her wrist, and she wore white sneakers.
“This is priceless,” Jordan exclaimed. “Is Jilly wearing lipstick?”
“No, honey,” his mother said. “Her lips were cherry red from a lollipop, which I told her was nature’s lipstick.”
“You’re brilliant.” Jordan studied the picture, grinning from ear to ear. “I can’t get over this. Look at you two working the runway. Where did you get a runway?”
“Our dad made it.”
She looked at his parents. “You’re amazing parents, the way you support your kids’ dreams.”
“I don’t know about amazing, but we do our best,” his mother said.
Jordan covered her heart with her hand. “This is so special. I would love to look at more pictures after dinner and hear more stories about Jax and the others.”
“Yes, let’s do it!” his mother exclaimed.
Jax glanced at his father and said, “I have a feeling it’s going to be a very long night.”
NEARLY TWO HOURS and too many embarrassing stories later, after loads of laughter and good-natured ribbing, they were finishing dessert. Jax watched Jordan eat the last bite of her pie and sit back with her hand on her belly, wearing a contented expression. Damn, she was beautiful.
“That was the most delicious home-cooked meal I’ve had in a long time,” Jordan said. “And the pie was absolutely scrumptious. If I keep eating like this, I won’t fit into a wedding gown.”
“Where are my manners?” his mother exclaimed. “We were having such a good time, I forgot to ask about your wedding. Tell us everything. When is your big day? Where are you getting married?”
“The wedding is the last weekend in August, but we haven’t chosen a venue yet. My fiancé lives in Manhattan, and it’s hard for him to get away. He’s coming to town next weekend, and I’m hoping to get all our big decisions made in one fell swoop. I’ve booked all day Saturday with visits to venues, meeting with the florist, and our cake tasting.”
“That’s a busy day. Are you working with a wedding planner, or is your aunt helping you?”
“I’m planning the wedding myself. My aunt is a painter, and she has a number of big commissions right now. I didn’t want to put her through the stress of planning a wedding, especially since she’s done so much for me already.”
“That’s thoughtful of you,” his mother said. “I’d be happy to help in any way I can. My family has owned Hilltop Vineyards forever, and I planned their events for years.”
“And let’s not forget the dozens of parties and events you planned for our kids,” his father added.
“It must have been crazy busy but fun raising so many kids,” Jordan said.
