“Go with your mom,” she coaxed. “I’ll go get us some coffee. What does your mom want?”

“Steeped tea, double cream no sugar,” he said this without having to think it over.

With a smile, she kissed his cheek, “take your time. I’ll be right here when you’re done.”

With that, Jaz was moving away. He watched for a moment before going inside. From the chair in the waiting room, his mom had been watching. A smile warmed her face.

“Are you two dating yet?”

“Mom,” he sighed.

“Don’t mom, me,” she gently laughed. “You two clearly love each other.”

“I’m like a brother to her,” he refuted uneasily.

Laughter, “you don’t kiss your brother like that.”

“We are not talking about this,” he moaned.

“We are until my name gets called,” she let him know. She had his arm in her hands as she leaned her head upon his shoulder. “What’s holding you back?”

“How do you know it’s me?”

“Because she wouldn’t come here just to be with you if she had any doubts.”

He stared at the horrible floor tiles, “it’s just that we’re family; Ty, Sam, Court, Tanner, Jaz, and me. I can’t screw this up.”

“You’re not your father,” she lifted her cheek off his shoulder to look at him.

He glanced sharply. Not once had he ever mentioned this fear to anyone. Not once!

She held his hand, “your father leaving hurt you boys. It left a hole there you probably felt you couldn’t get out of. Your brother found a way to climb out. But you dug your way over to me, to make sure I got out first. Since you were little, you’ve always watched out for everyone around you. Do you know, you’ve set the bar for me? When I beat this illness, I’m going to get back into the dating world. I won’t settle for anyone that doesn’t treat me as well as you do. And I’ll never let anyone treat me again like he did. You are not your father. Jaz would be very lucky to have you as a partner.”
#DefinitelynotDisappointed #SelinaElliot

Author’s Notes: There have been so many times that I’ve put family over my own happiness. Though I wonder at times what life might have turned out to be, I hold no regrets. And I know I wouldn’t alter those decisions. Well, except I may have tried harder to convince my family to move to Scotland or to an island somewhere. Pitcairn has always remained on my wish list!
Selina