Checkmate

38

   After a while of deliberating, the back pain of slouching over finally convinced me that it was time to go back in. My face felt tight from the dried tears, and I didn't even want to see what I looked like right now. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep the night away. I'd just begun twisting the handle when I heard Jarred's voice. Pausing, I didn't quite get what he was saying at first, but then recognized the language he was speaking.

"Sorry, Ma, but nou genlen pap ka vini non aswè a."

He was speaking Creole. I couldn't make sense of the words, but I assumed he was talking to his mother.

"Kim's not feeling too well. Don't worry, you'll get to meet her another time."

It was now my turn to feel guilty. We were supposed to dine with his mother tonight. Almost as quickly as the realization dawned on me, I started to read between the lines. This trip was more than us spending time together.

Now the timing of his proposal made sense.

   You don't bring any woman to meet the one that raised you. That's a show of commitment to even consider telling your mother about the woman in your life. Tonight, Jarred was ready to take a greater risk than the one he asked of me in return.

"I don't want us to hide anymore."

A chill rose goosebumps on my skin as I now replayed his words, seeing them in a new light.

I did make it seem as though I was hiding us.

I might not be ready to formally introduce him to Sam, but bringing him to the party so he could bond with Aliyah wouldn't be crossing the line. My refusal to entertain this idea made it seem as though I wanted to keep the rest of our lives separate while he was making plans to permanently involve me in his.

Jarred's head snapped toward me when I entered the room. Having already ended the call, he tossed his phone on the bed and stood up.

"Kim, I'm..."

"I'm sorry," I beat him to it and my heart tore a little seeing the way his brow furrowed in confusion.

I crossed my arms over my chest, my eyes wandering to the floor as I closed the space between us.

"I think I dropped the ball this time," I told him, finally looking into his eyes.

"I overheard your call.

Panic flashed in those chestnut orbs, and I couldn't help but smile, ill-timed as it may be.

"Is that why we're here? Did you bring me to Florida to meet your parents?"

Jarred lowered his head, mocking the childish pose with a fake sniffle.

I chuckled at his action and wrapped my arms around his neck, searching his eyes.

"I think I overreacted about the party. Once again you thought of everything to make me feel comfortable and I still found an issue with it."

"Nothing new there," he replied, snacking his arms around my waist.

I cocked my head in appalled curiosity.

"Then why did you react like that if you?"

His gaze was unfocused for a minute or two before he blinked back to the present.

"I think it just hit close to home."

I tightened my arms around him, urging him on.

"I'm an all-or-nothing kind of guy. Granted our situation leaves me somewhere between the two, but I still wanted to make it clear how serious I am about us. Tonight, I wanted to prove that you didn't need to make the first move. Meeting my parents isn't the same as meeting your son, but that's got to mean something, right?"