“No, first you have to guess what! Guess what I bought for your welcome-home gift?” she giggled into the phone. “And let me just say, it starts with crotchless.”

“Oh, shit,” Jordan said, quickly picking the phone up and taking it off speaker.

“That’s right,” she cooed into the phone, as Jordan looked up to see a shocked expression on Tully’s face and Bowie glaring at him.

Fuck.

“Baby, I had you on speakerphone,” he said, covering his face. It was probably not a good idea to laugh, but he couldn’t help it, and soon she laughed along with him.

“Oh, crap, did the guys hear me? At least they know you’ve got it good, huh?”

Tully’s eyes widened, and Jordan realized that she could still hear Aynslee. When she yelled, “Aynslee Kathleen Shaw!” Aynslee’s laughter stopped.

“Please tell me that wasn’t my mother.”

“It was.”

“Why are you with my parents when I am talking about crotchless panties?”

“I was trying to tell you where I was, but you busted that out before I could!”

“Oh, my God, did my dad hear me?”

Jordan glanced over to see Bowie standing tall, with his arms crossed over his chest, looking very scary and Irish.

“Yes, he did.”

“Well, shit.”

“Yup, I’m pretty sure I might not make it out of here alive.”

Aynslee laughed, causing Jordan to smile. God, he missed her.

“No, he’s a big teddy bear. Put me on speakerphone again.”

Jordan did as she asked and put the phone on the bar as she said, “Hi, Mom and Dad!”

“Hello, darling,” Tully said with a small smile playing on her lips.

“Aynslee Kathleen,” Bowie said, his eyes still glued to Jordan.

He was pretty sure he was going to die today.

“Dad, stop. I have sex. I’m thirty-one, what do you expect?”

But Bowie didn’t budge until Tully slapped his chest.

“Stop, you’re scaring him,” she said in a mock whisper before turning back to the phone. “He seems nice.”

“He is. Jordan is wonderful, Mom. I’m glad you’re meeting.”

Jordan smiled as he said, “I wish you were here.”

“Me too, but I’m buying crotchless panties, so I’ll let you guys be,” she said teasingly.

Jordan cringed at her words, but he also became hard as a rock. He was glad he was sitting behind the bar, because this woman drove him mad. “And, Daddy, please don’t kill him. I like him a whole lot.”

“I’ll try,” Bowie answered, receiving another smack from Tully.

“He’ll be good, and you be good too. For Christ’s sake, crotchless, Aynslee!” Tully exclaimed. She then reached over to take Jordan’s hand. “We’ll take care of him, feed him good, and he’ll meet the rest of the family.”

“Oh, for the love of God, please don’t do that to him.”

Bowie let out a big laugh as he said, “But he won’t be family until that happens. He’ll be fine, we promise.”

Something moved in Jordan’s chest. It felt good to know they already considered him family.

“Oh, God, Jordan, I hope you still like me after you meet those crazy folks.”

“I’m sure I will.”

“So you think. Call me later?”

“Absolutely.”

As he talked more with her parents, Jordan learned that even though Aynslee looked like her dad, she was more like her mother. Tully was loud, funny, and made Jordan laugh just as hard as Aynslee did. He loved her instantly, and when he met the whole Shaw clan, he felt right at home. They were loud and very loving—though he wasn’t too sure about Flynn and Brady. He ate amazing food, played with all the kids, got interrogated by Aynslee’s sisters, and even met the bat-shit-crazy Aunt Fern. Everything Aynslee had said about her klepto aunt was true—she tried to steal his wallet and phone off the counter, but Tully stopped her and told Jordan to put his things in his pocket.

He was having a great time, and when he got a call from Coach Bacter, things became a thousand times better.

“Yes, I’m ready. Thank you,” Jordan said, before turning off his phone.

“Everything okay, honey?”

Jordan smiled over at Tully as he nodded. “Great, I just have to call your daughter,” he said, dialing her number. He usually would have called his dad first, but he couldn’t wait to tell Aynslee his news.

“Hello,” she said quickly. “Are you calling to break up with me?”

“Hell no, your family is awesome. I’ve got something great to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I’m playing tomorrow,” he said, the biggest grin imaginable on his face.

“Oh, my God! Seriously? I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks, I’m so excited.”

“I bet. That’s awesome, baby. You’re gonna kick ass.”

“Damn right. Can you get a flight here?”

“Shit, I don’t know. I’ll try, but I have a meeting with some teachers for a new plan we are working on.”

Jordan’s smile fell. “No, I completely understand. It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. I’m sorry. I suck. Let me see what I can do.”

“No, you don’t,” he said with a heavy heart. “Corny as it may sound, you’ll be in my heart.”