Leave The City (Book 8 of Adopted by the Josephs)

72. Tyler

"Should I be worried?" Jenna asked me, as I told her we needed to talk. Dylan and his parents had just left, Brendon had gone to his studio, Sarah was doing some things in the house and Sam had gone to bed. It was time that I told Jenna what Dylan and I had discussed.

"No, not really, I don't think. I don't think you're going to be thrilled, but I could be wrong. Just remember, our daughter is an adult, and this is a discussion, not an argument," I said.

"That isn't making me feel any better," she said, crossing her arms and frowning at me.

"It's not bad, really. Just, let me tell you and then we can talk about it, okay?" I said. Jenna nodded, but still looked skeptical.

"So, I had a very interesting conversation with Dylan while we were waiting for you and while we were getting the car," I said.

"Once again I ask, anything I need to be concerned about?"

I thought about that. Maybe a little? I sighed.

"Maybe to an extent. But let me tell you everything first," I said. Jenna nodded and indicated I should go on.

"First and foremost, I hope you like Dylan as much as I do, because I think he is perfect for Samantha. He is so good to her, and he truly cares for her. You can tell none of it is an act. If it were an act for us, Sam would have called him out for behaving differently around us. She wasn't phased at all, and not once surprised by any affection or anything," I started.

"I agree. He really is wonderful. And he clearly loves Samantha very much. I don't think I've seen anyone look at someone like that since, okay, you and Brendon at me and Sarah," she smiled. I adore my wife, and she knows it.

"Right. So, Dylan told me he can't imagine his life without her. He wants to marry her," I said.

"That's cute. But they're 18. They have college still. Plenty of time for that," Jenna said. I nodded. She wasn't wrong.

"But," I said.

"What do you mean 'but'? There's no 'but'," Jenna said.

"There is. He wants to ask her after graduation in June," I said.

"Not a chance. Samantha is not getting married before she goes to college!" Jenna argued.

"I knew you'd say that. Because I said the same thing," I said.

"Good! I'm sorry if he's disappointed, but absolutely no way in the world is Samantha giving up the opportunities she was once told she would never achieve. That kid needs college. And absolutely no way will I allow her to even consider not going."

"Well, Dylan feels the same way, actually," I said.

"What do you mean?" Jenna asked.

"He's afraid to lose her while they're away at school, well, unless Sam goes to Ohio. He wants to propose after graduation, but when I said that there is no way Samantha isn't going to college, he agreed. I told him that we'd discuss it, you and I, and that I don't want to even hear the word 'wedding' until they have their undergrads. Dylan wants to go to grad school for marine biology, but as long as they both have their undergrads, I think if they still want to get married, they'll be old enough and ready to take on more adult responsibilities. Sam will still have the scholarship business to draw from, and unless she also wants to go to grad school, well, that's still four years away, anyway."

"You gave him your blessing, didn't you," Jenna scrutinized me. It wasn't a question.

"I gave him a tentative blessing because I could see he wasn't in any rush to marry Sam, knowing they're both still so young. Actually, he's the one who said he knows they're young, and he wouldn't dream of holding Sam back from college. I believe his exact words were that Sam is too smart not to go to college. I think what he's really worried about is Sam finding someone else if they wind up at different schools. And I'm going to make it clear to both of them that in the event either of them do find someone else, that's okay. I don't want either of them to get into something they really don't want. Which is why I think even if they do get engaged in June, there's still four years in which anything can happen. I'm certainly not going to encourage her to look for someone else, but I'm not going to discourage her either. I want both of them to realize that time can change how people feel, and that it's okay if after college they find they aren't suited to each other."