Resilient Love (Navy Love Series Book 3) (20 page)

“So, I have a confession.” J.C.’s serious tone instantly sends my defenses up. “I haven’t exactly told my parents about us yet.”

“What do you mean?”

He runs a hand through his hair. “I mean they don’t know that I’m bringing my wife with me to visit. I haven’t told them we’re married, they’re under the impression I’m bringing my friend, Jo, with me.”

My breath leaves me in a heave.

“Seriously, J.C.?”

I feel like an anxiety attack is coming on. My first reaction is to yell at J.C. and then to freak out. Thankfully, talking to the Chaplain has given me different ways of handling my stress.

Climbing off the bed, I walk to the dresser and grab a fresh pair of boy short panties and one of my wife beater style tank tops, then walk to the bathroom and close and lock the door behind me.

As I’m undressing, a knock comes on the door. “You okay, Darlin’?”

“Yes.”

I know it’s childish, but I honestly feel like giving him the silent treatment for a little bit.

“I’m sorry, Jo. I should have told them, but I think they’ll handle the news better if we’re there in person and not through a phone call.”

I don’t respond to him, just turn on the water and adjust the temperature and stream before climbing into a steaming hot shower, trying like hell to wash away the stress that J.C. just accidentally placed on my shoulders.

Fifteen minutes later, I reluctantly turn off the spray and climb out. J.C. is lying in our bed, playing on his phone. When I walk in, he immediately puts it down and pulls me into his arms.

“I’m sorry, Jo.”

“It’s okay. Just makes this trip even more nerve wracking for me.”

He nods his head, understanding where I’m coming from.

“We’ve only been married a short time. I already feel like everything has been so crazy for us, and now that things are finally settling down and we’ve found our groove again, we have to go to Georgia and spring all of this on your unsuspecting parents.”

“You’ve never met them. You need to trust me when I say to give them a chance.”

I’ll take his advice. I don’t know these people and there’s no point in going into the situation with a negative outlook before I know what to expect.

We lay in silence until J.C. grabs the remote to turn the TV on when I realize I’m still overly worried about Marshall.

“Hey, have you talked to Marsh? I’m worried about him after last night.”

“Will you give the guy some space? He’s probably pissed off and embarrassed after last night. You know he’ll will come to you when he’s ready to talk about it.”

“I hope you’re right.”

He kisses my forehead.

“I know I am.”

J.C.

Try as I might, I can’t shake the uneasy feeling of how this meeting will go down.

I’m sure it will only take a few minutes for my mom to come around to the idea of Jo and I. My father on the other hand, might take a bit more convincing.

Whatever the case, I don’t want to let on to Jo that their initial reaction to our marriage may not be as welcoming as her family’s was. The last thing she needs now is disapproval or resentment from my parents.

Since mine and Maggie’s pregnancy fiasco back in high school, and then my quick departure to boot camp, I’ve distanced myself from my parents and my hometown.

Our morning has been hectic; we left Norfolk early and flew straight into Jacksonville, Florida where we picked up our rental car and drove the hour trip up to the small suburb of Brunswick, Georgia.

Pulling into the driveway of my childhood home, my eyes rake over the old place; not much has changed. The sage green house with white trim looks as though it’s had a fresh coat of paint applied to it, but the colors are still the same as when I was a child. It’s the same with the wrap around porch; I can tell the white banisters have been newly painted.

The grass is recently mowed; I’m sure my dad still does it every Saturday; just like he always has. The hedges are trimmed and all of the flowerbeds have fresh mulch and have been groomed.

I’ve told everyone that I used to work for a landscaping company but no one knows my father owns that company. I was set to inherit Collin’s Landscaping & Supply, but I chose to run away from everything after the betrayal by Maggie.

My dad showed a lot of disappointment in me when he found out I had not only had premarital sex, but also got a girl ‘from the wrong side of the tracks’ pregnant. Mom was obviously upset but she’s always been one to see the good in everything, even if she didn’t agree with the terms or conditions. But Dad...well... nothing I ever did was good enough in his eyes.

I got a scholarship for football, he bitched about having to find someone to replace me in the company. I decided to stay home and work for him to take care of my unborn child, he was pissed off that I wasn’t putting my college education as a top priority. When Maggie had the abortion and I was upset by her choice, he acted as though she’d done me a favor.

My leaving for the military was a whole other debacle with him. He wasn’t happy and has made it clear every time I’ve come home to visit. I’m sure now that I’m separating from the Navy, I’ll catch another huge surge of his disappointment.

His attitude towards any, and every, decision I’ve made is part of the reason my anxiety spikes when I come home. I love my dad, I really do. I want nothing more than for him to be proud of me; sadly, I don’t know that I’ll ever hear him tell me that.

“Well, are we going to get out?” Jo asks, pulling me out of my depressing thoughts.

“Uh, yeah, sorry.”

I climb out of the Nissan Altima and walk around to open the door, letting Jo out to join me. I take her hand and lead the way to the front door after grabbing our two small duffel bags from the back seat. Before I can lift my hand to knock, the front door opens and my mom greets me with a warm smile and one of her famous bear hugs.

“Hey baby. How’ve you been?”

“Hey, Mama.” I pull back and wrap my arm around Jo’s waist, pulling her closer to me and drawing the attention of my mom. “This is Jo.”

Mom’s eyes light up at the familiar name. “Oh my goodness! It’s so good to finally meet ya, honey!” She pulls Jo in for one of her hugs, gushing over her the entire time. She tugs her in the house with me trailing behind, laughing at how quick my mom latched onto a woman I’ve brought home. Too bad she doesn’t know all of the details of Jo’s introduction.

I’m long forgotten by Mama and I use the opportunity to take our bags to my old bedroom. The old room is still littered with my high school memorabilia; my queen size bed even has the maroon and navy striped bedding on it still. I slowly make my way around the space, taking in all the memories as they assault my mind.

Seeing the corkboard with random shit still hanging on it, my eyes immediately find the picture of Maggie and I from junior year. She wore a white sundress with her shoulder length hair down; I was in khaki shorts and a red polo shirt. I remember that day well. It was the end of summer, she and I had just started dating, and we went with a group of friends to Jekyll Island for the weekend. Of course my parents didn’t know we had females going with us, they believed it was a bunch of guys from the football team.

Being here stirs up all the old memories, unresolved feelings, and hurt that she inflicted on me. As hard as it is to be here and experience these emotions, it gives me an insight to how Jo felt and what she went through with her miscarriage. Carrying the weight and all of the guilt on her own.

My thoughts are interrupted by my father’s voice.

“‘Bout time you came home for a visit.”

“Hey, Dad.” I walk over and hold out my hand for a shake which he quickly takes.

“You look like you’re doing well. I really wouldn’t know since you haven’t been home in… how long?”

“Dad,” I say by way of warning. “Don’t start, please.”

He holds his hands up in a surrender gesture.

“Just making an observation. I also heard another voice downstairs with your mother. Jo seems nice.”

Concern courses through my veins at the thought of my father meeting Jo without me there. Dad is very dry and many consider him to be cold and callus. I know it isn’t true, he’s just a very private person and a no nonsense guy. Most people feel stripped bare after first meeting him.

“Dad, please, for the love of God, tell me you were nice to my wi—Jo.”

The urge to call her my wife is brutal; I want this secret exposed. And fast. But I know I have to be tactical in the way I reveal it.

His look of shock is replaced quickly when he condemns me for taking the Lord's name in vain.

I roll my eyes at the lecture I know is coming from my slip of the tongue.

“Jared,” he still refuses to call my J.C. like everyone else does, “I don't know what your lifestyle is like up in Virginia now, but when you come down here you respect my rules. And the first rule of this house is the same as it's always been; respect our Lord and Savior.”

“Yes, sir,” I say, my voice laced with hostility.

“Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir,” I say, the sarcasm apparent in my tone.

“Now, I hope you don’t think we’re allowing you to shack up here with one of your random women.” I look over and notice him standing in the doorway, eyes glued to the two duffel bags on my bed.

“She’s not a random woman, Dad.”

He waves his hand dismissively.

The need to spew out that Jo isn’t some random chic, but his daughter in-law, is unexplainable, but I resist the desire. As much as I want to unveil this secret, I know I must be tactful in my delivery. I could really shock him but then I also run the risk of hurting my mom’s feelings.

As if she can read my mind, I hear footsteps of what has to be my mom and Jo coming down the hallway.

“Hey J.C., your fath— Oh, I see you’ve already seen him,” she says as she steps into my room with Jo right behind her. I’m thankful for their interruption; the last thing I want to do is start this weekend off in an argument with my dad.

My father motions towards the duffel bags still sitting nicely on the bed, gaining my mom’s attention to them as well.

“J.C., honey, I hope you don’t think—look, Jo,” she turns to look at her, “you’re very sweet, but we don’t allow girls in our son’s room while he stays here. Whatever it is y’all are doing in Norfolk is your own business, but—”

I cut in, unable to stand here and allow Jo, or myself for that matter, hear a lecture like we’re children.

“No, Mom, she’s staying here.” I point to the floor, indicating my room, with both hands. “I’m grown and the two of y’all should be accepting of this.”

“Jo, you can sleep down the hall in the guestroom.” Mama directs her statement to Jo, just as Dad begins the argument with me.

“Accepting of what? You and a girl sleeping together before you’ve even considered marriage?” my dad cries out.

I can’t stop the chuckle that comes out. Everyone in the room looks at me with outraged demeanors.

“Oh, we’ve considered it.” I motion Jo over to me and wrap an arm around her waist. “I didn’t get to introduce you properly before. Mom, this is Joanna Collins, my wife.”

Both of my parents are stunned silent.

In this moment, I silently thank God she spent last week getting all of the paperwork completed for her name change. Calling her Joanna Collins for the first time ever, to my parents no less, is the best feeling in the world.

“Excuse me?” my dad finally asks.

“Yeah, we’ve been married for about six weeks now. Did it the week after I got home from deployment.”

“You’re joking, right?” This time it’s Mama who questions it.

I shake my head and smile down at Jo under my arm. I place a small kiss to her forehead.

“Nope, real deal, Mama,” I say, never taking my eyes off Jo.

In a flurry of movement, Jo is ripped from my arms and wrapped in another bear hug from Mama, while Dad stands in place with the same bewildered look.

Jo

Well, that was not how I expected J.C. to tell his parents. At all.

I’m not sure what I had in mind, but I know that was not it by a long shot. I definitely did not expect his mom, Lucy, to have her arms around me, crying tears of joy.

Anger, hostility, grudges...those were things I expected.

J.C.’s dad, Stephen, is still looking at J.C. as though he’s lost his mind.

Guess I can’t blame him there; how many sons come home and say, ’Oh by the way, I decided to marry a random girl you know nothing about!’

After what seems like an eternity, Lucy finally loosened her grip on me and Stephen comes over and shakes hands with J.C., congratulating us both.

Lucy decides a celebration dinner is a must.

While I’m excited that she is taking the news well, I’m not looking forward to the line of questioning I know is coming. Lately, it seems like there isn’t any subject that isn’t a sore one for me.
Do you want kids?
We know how that topic goes for me.
Tell me about you parents
. Cue the waterworks on that one.

An hour later, we are all dressed up nicely and waiting to be seated at Steakhouse 85. I’m glad I chose to bring a fancy sundress with me; this place reeks of elegance.