Book 2: What Happens Here - Chicago (What Happens Here Series)

Chapter 23 - Kim Daniels

Seeing the love that her son clearly had for Jasmine pleased Kim tremendously, and after the way that his last relationship had gone, Jasmine Ellis appeared to be just the breath of fresh air that Ethan needed in his life. As they'd eaten dinner, they'd gotten to know Jasmine better, and Kim could see why Ethan had fallen for the beautiful young woman from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Numerous times she had locked eyes with her husband, and after decades of being together, they'd developed and perfected an unspoken way of communicating that only they understood. As she glanced around the dinner table at where countless meals had been shared over the years, she couldn't help but smile at the attentive way Ethan cared for Jasmine, because it was much the same way that Patrick cared for her. Ethan had pulled out Jasmine's chair and had constantly checked in with her to ensure that she had everything that she needed. Her son was a good man, and when she saw the way that Jasmine's eyes reflected the love that she'd prayed for her son to find one day, her heart felt as if it were expanding in her chest.

Over the course of dinner, they'd learned a great deal about Miss Jasmine Ellis, and her family, and when she'd mentioned that her birthday had been the day before, they'd sang a "belated" birthday song to her, which Batman joined in on.

As they'd laughed and shared stories about the Daniels children, Kim truly enjoyed reliving those happy memories. She loved her family, and after meeting Jasmine Ellis, she had the feeling that the beautiful young woman would become the "newest addition" to their family that Caden had called her earlier. And after noticing the way that Ethan constantly watched Jasmine and catered to her, Kim had to admit to the fact that she was happy to see that her eldest child had opened his heart to love again. Ethan's last serious relationship had been with Christine Davenport, and after ending their relationship when her mother had attempted to strongarm him into a marriage that he had verbally expressed not wanting, numerous times, because he'd wanted to start his business before settling down, Kim had been happy when Ethan had severed ties with Christine. It had been a true blessing from God that she'd seen the newspaper article announcing her son's "engagement" to Christine Davenport all of those years ago, and to say that she'd been upset at seeing it had been an understatement.

Ethan had been away for the weekend with Daryl and his father, Daryl Sr., on a fishing trip when Kim had opened the morning newspaper and saw the announcement. She had been shocked because she'd known there was no way that Ethan would have made a decision of that magnitude without at least mentioning it to her and his father first. One thing that Kim and Patrick had prided themselves on was the close, and tight-knit bonds that they shared with their children. So, seeing an engagement announcement for her son had come as a surprise. She had called Ethan immediately to discuss it with him, and when he'd shared that not only had he not proposed to Christine, but he had no knowledge of the article, or the engagement party that the Davenport's had planned at their home in Scarsdale, New York, the rage that she'd felt moments before had paled in comparison to Ethan's.

One of the main things that had always bothered Kim about the Davenport's was that not only were they a very affluent family, with a great deal of wealth and influence, but they also appeared to be privileged and entitled, which was the complete opposite of the way that she and Patrick lived their lives, and how they'd raised their children. So, it baffled her as to how Ethan had even ended up dating someone like Christine Davenport.

While she'd been a fairly nice young woman, Kim knew that Christine was not the right woman for her son. The two were literally from two different worlds, and while she and Patrick had provided a very good life for their family, the Davenports were a great deal more flamboyant than what she and Patrick were used to. They'd raised their children under the ideology of everyone being equal because regardless of skin color, or what society perceived as "class status", at the end of the day, they were all human beings and should be treated as such. The Davenports, on the other hand, had quite a different belief.

As she sat listening to Jasmine speak about her family, and as she shared some of the stories of her childhood with them, Kim had no doubts that Ethan had finally found the woman that he was meant to be with, and the thought brought tears to her eyes that she quickly blinked away, but not before her very observant and extremely perceptive husband noticed. And in the unspoken way that they had, he asked her if she were okay, and she gave him a reassuring smile which he acknowledged and returned.

After they'd had their fill of pasta and garlic bread, to Caden's delight, Kim had brought out the homemade peach cobbler that she knew they all loved. And as she'd done before, Jasmine made to stand and assist her with clearing the table, but Kim held up a hand to stop her. A moment later, when her sons stood to clear the table without being asked, Kim noticed the look of surprise that crossed Jasmine's face, and Jasmine had smiled when Ethan had winked at her before saying, "Yeah...she raised us right." Although Jasmine had laughed at Ethan's comment, Kim could tell that she was impressed, and that made her wonder about the type of men that Jasmine had dated before meeting Ethan.

Kim's attention turned to her husband when he said, "Hey Caden, please grab the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer. I think we need some ice cream with this wonderful dessert." Smiling, Caden said, "You got it pops." Kim turned her attention back to Jasmine as she said, "Jasmine.... Ethan said that you're planning to stay in Chicago for a few weeks?" Nodding, Jasmine said, "Yes, I'm planning to stay for a few weeks so that Ethan and I can spend some time getting to know one another, and he can show me some more of those smooth dance moves that he showed me at the reception."

When Ethan brought the bowls and spoons to the table, he chuckled when Caden said, "Smooth dance moves? I'm a far better dancer than my big brother Jasmine." And to support his claim, he did a flawless salsa move that made Kim smile, and that caused Ethan to playfully hit him on the arm as he said, "Hey, stop trying to move in on my woman. It's bad enough that I have to compete with Batman." And as if to confirm Ethan's comment, Batman, who had been glued to Jasmine's side ever since she'd arrived, lifted his head from his place next to her chair and happily wagged his tail.

When Jasmine smiled down at Batman, and said, "But he's so adorable", everyone laughed when Ethan threw up his hands in mock defeat and said, "See...that's what I mean. How can I compete with that?"