Page 92 of Forever Fascinating

Are you kidding me?

A THOUSAND TIMES YES!

I could hyphenate it… but Jana Barlow has a distinctly nice ring to it.

… By the way – you could warn me, Vapor! I want you to know I had just taken a big swig of my coffee when I read your email. You know how I am in the mornings, and I literally inhaled it. My lungs were full of Folgers instant coffee crystals because I’m out of my Starbucks K-Cups.

I could’ve died, flyboy.

(I’m kidding – but it did hurt, and I was very surprised)

I sincerely love you and hope this email made you smile, because I’m grinning from ear to ear right now… and I am all YOURS.

You are super-stuck with me forever and a day now, Barlow!

Love you,

Jana

* * *

Clicking send,she called her parents. Hearing the phone ring a few times, she heard her dad pick up.

“Hey Daddy, do you have a few minutes?”

“Sure, baby. What’s going on?”

“Do you think I can come over, and bum a late lunch off you guys, so we can talk? Ireallyneed to talk…” Jana said, her voice cracking with emotion.

“Baby, are you okay?”

“I’m actually pretty stinkin’ fantastic and… ohhh Daddy…” her throat closed in that moment as she blinked back tears, wishing that Matthew was right here with her. She started fidgeting with the little ring, taking her own advice, and cleared her throat.

“Honey? Jana, you are scaring me. Lindsey, get the car keys…” he hollered over his shoulder.

“Daddy, I love him,” she began and heard her father chuckle in relief.

“I know, baby. I could see it on your face at the wedding, which is why I told you to go slow. We’ll see you in a bit, okay? I didn’t figure you were at a realtor’s conference were you, Stinker?”

“No,” she smiled, loving her father just that much more in that moment.

“Well, be prepared to stand in the corner for lying to me and your mother, young lady… and we’ll see you in a bit, baby.”

She loved how gruff and tough her father sounded, but there was that element of unconditional love behind it all. He was such a softie when it came to anyone in her family, and tried to hide it.

“Yes sir,” she replied. “I’ll happily stand in the corner.”

Two hours later, after calling Karen, she was pulling up to her parents’ house, ready to share with them.

Karen had been thrilled for her and promised to try to help talk Jace down off the ledge when Jana burst out crying, because she was afraid that he’d get angry at Matthew for them keeping this a secret from him.

It wasn’t so much a secret, but rather the two of them were scared to have anyone else involved in whatever was flourishing between them.

She didn’t want her brother in the middle, and he had his own life to begin with Karen – that she was going to be a distant part of. Karen was now her sister by marriage and would be mother to any nieces or nephews in the future… but their lives were on different paths.

Jace had his to live and Jana had hers – different paths, parallel to each other because of family ties.

Jana also wasn’t ready to tell anyone before because she wanted to be sure she wasn’t going to end up sobbing in some crushed-up ball of tissues and tears. She’d been so frightened that the mysterious Vapor would break her heart… not merge with it in a way she never anticipated, making her complete.

---