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"What for?" Rose asked, resting a hand on Jesse’s arot this "She challenges hi relationships go, we couldn’t be happier Jesse’s with a girl like Rowen"

I doubted Moasted if she woke up the next day to find zoht with this?"

"Yes," Rose replied "These two have sootso her lips when she rechecked our connected hands

"Where’s your plus one?" Rose asked, shifting the conversation

"He’s still in the car on a business call," Mo her eyes "Can you believe that e checked in at the rental center, they didn’t have a luxury option? The best they had was asince I was in college" Mom stepped inside and closed the door Apparently "plus one" would be a while "I don’t kno you do it out here in the sticks, Rose I don’t think I could make it a day"

"I don’t either," I muttered as we filed into the kitchen

"I heard that, Rowen," she said over her shoulder "Try to do soht"

So ed She hadn’t Our relationship hadn’t either

"Out of respect for you, I’ to try really hard to respect yourstuff like that, I’ to stay quiet"

"Jesse--"

"No," he interrupted, "I don’t care about her I care about you Because she’s your mom, I will try to tolerate her, but I won’t let her say those things to a person I love"

His words, his touch, his presenceall of it helped relax ht here," he answered, squeezing ht here"

A bittrickled into , Rose," Mom announced as we entered the kitchen

"Thank you Rowen spenton it," Rose replied

Mom chuckled and patted Rose’s back on her way to the table "Getting in the way doesn’t count"

Jesse was just opening hisready to clah the back door

"Washed up, cleaned up, and here ahis hat on one of the pegs "No barn detention for me"

"Well if that isn’t the bastard who moved my best friend out to the middle of nowhere"

Neil smiled his own version of her fake one "So happy you were able to join us out here in thehim a Watch it, buddy face

"After all you and Rose have done for Rowen this summer? Of course I had to pay you all a visit," Mo into a chair "Rose swears up and doen’s been a huge help around here, so I had to co the table, like he was putting it off for as long as he could "I’m sorry to say it, but most of my hands don’t work as hard as Rowen does We’ve been lucky to have her"

The three girls sat on the opposite end of the table from my mom Lily and Hyacinth just tried not to , blunt woman, but Clementine stared at her like Mom was a train wreck she couldn’t look away from

Jesse led me to the seat next to Lily and he took the one across froave Jesse a once over that er

My eyes shifted toout of ot the whipped cream"

I had just pulled the bowl of whipped creae when I heard heavy footsteps lu into the kitchen Nice of the boy-toy to lanced at Mom’s plus one, I froze When his eyes slid my way and his mouth turned up into a faers

Glass and whipped creah to break my frozen stare Only when Jesse rushed over and blockedat ain Rose tossed Jesse a handful of paper towels

"I’e at my feet

"Don’t worry about it," Rose said "Ho you right noen"

I kneeled down beside Jesse He was busy collecting the glass shards

"What’s the matter?" he whispered, concerned