Thank you for the reviews! Glad there are other people out there who wished Jopril was real lol
Enjoy!
Jackson and Alex followed their girlfriends out of a movie theater after spending two hours fulfilling their request of sitting through another Nicholas Sparks installment as part of their double date. For the men, that was two hours they secretly wished they could have back. Their other halves seemed to have enjoyed the movie based on the discussion April and Jo were having, but unfortunately, they felt the opposite.
"What are they so giddy about?" Alex nosily said as he listened to the two women enthusiastically talk about the movie a couple of feet ahead of them. He stuffed his hands inside of the pockets of his jeans and shook his head. "The dude freaking died after he professed his love for the woman. I mean, what kind of crap gets you excited about that?"
"You actually watched it?" Jackson scoffed with a smirk. "I fell asleep. Sounds like I missed nothing significant."
"Lucky bastard. Every time I started dozing off, Jo would smack me. April is so into this junk that she turned Jo into a fan too," the other man complained. His roommate was a major sucker for tearjerker films, especially the ones adapted from Nicholas Sparks novels. In his mind, they were all the same tragic love story and only elicited one reaction out of him – boredom. "Even the trailers were more interesting."
Jackson quickly shrugged and smiled. "If it makes April happy, then I'm happy." But the movie he had zero interest in gave him the opportunity to sneak in a nap. His latest shift at the hospital had worn him out anyway. "Besides, I don't think she noticed I was asleep."
Alex slightly furrowed his brow. As ridiculous as it sounded, he was actually jealous that Jackson slept through the entire movie. "Next double date, I'm calling the shots," he declared. "No sappy drama. April was almost sobbing. It was embarrassing."
"Give her a break. She wears her heart on her sleeve. I like that about her," the pretty boy insisted.
"Yeah, whatever," Alex chuckled, rolling his eyes. He watched Jo and April walk ahead of them, their elbows linked as they matched each other's pace. "It's almost as if they were on a date together. Hmm, it's kind of hot."
Jackson eyed him suspiciously. "Don't tell me you're having some lesbian fantasy about them now. If you are, stop it," he scolded his stepbrother. He assumed Alex would be the type to daydream about threesomes with specific women, even if they were taken. "Jo would probably kill you, you know."
"April basically said that whenever I used to imagine her naked," he nonchalantly replied. "Or she slaps the back of my head. No big deal. She's never serious about it. Just thought I was a pig for doing that."
"Well, you have a girlfriend now, so fantasize about her," Jackson advised, almost sounding defensive. The idea of any other man seeing April the way he saw her actually bothered him. He didn't want Alex doing it either, even if he was simply joking about it. "You don't hear me talking about imagining Jo naked."
"Not that it matters, but she doesn't even find you hot," Alex pointed out with a laugh. "She said you're too pretty for her taste."
Jackson rolled his eyes. "I've heard that before. Fine with me." It hardly upset him that Jo had never found him attractive. He didn't come into residency hoping every woman in the hospital would line up for him. The fact that his friend never felt that way about him made him feel better because a lot of women he had come across in the past only wanted to talk to him due to his appearance. "One less set of eyes on me."
"You ever try to flirt with her before you knew that?"
"No. She made it perfectly clear that any attempt would result in her laughing in my face, so I knew not to go there."
"But you thought she was hot," Alex insinuated.
"Who cares? I have a girlfriend, who also happens to be your best friend and roommate," Jackson dismissively answered. He smiled as he stared at April from behind. She was in the middle of explaining to Jo her favorite scene from the movie. "How did I get so lucky with her? She's sweet, she's funny, she doesn't care that I fell asleep during that lame movie…"
"Only 'cause she didn't notice," Alex muttered. "Trust me. She'll notice next time. You're not off the hook."
Jackson ignored his comments and continued to ramble. "But she gets me, you know? Lexie and I, we had a connection, but April just understands me easily. And if she doesn't, she tries to. We talk about stuff. I used to keep most things bottled up inside because I never really had anybody to talk to about my feelings. Sometimes Lexie wanted to talk, but it felt more out of obligation. I don't feel that way with April. She genuinely wants to know what's wrong."
Alex softly sighed as he tried his hardest not to roll his eyes all the way towards the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah." He was already hearing the dramatic piano score playing in his imagination. "You sound like phase one of a freaking Nicholas Sparks story. Knock it off, dude. You're becoming too damn sappy. The more you talk about April this way, the higher the chance she ends up with some incurable disease or gets run over by a bus while crossing the street in slow motion or whatever."
"From the sounds of it, you seem to know more about this genre than you're letting on," the other man teased.
"I live with the genre, in case you haven't noticed," he quipped.
Both men's attention switched to April when she softly squealed and pointed at the frozen yogurt shop beside them. "Froyo, guys!" she chirped before walking inside with Jo.
Alex mockingly shook his fists in front of his chest and imitated April's high-pitched voice. "Oh, froyo!" he playfully said, then he furrowed his brow. "Only she would want frozen yogurt during winter."
Jackson laughed, lightly slapping Alex's chest as they followed their girlfriends inside. Jo was seated at an open table after she opted out of frozen yogurt. This gave her boyfriend the opportunity to join her.
"Finally, some time away from Avery," he grumbled, sitting down beside Jo. "He was gushing so hard over April that I thought I was gonna blow chunks all over his shoes."
Jo smirked as she jokingly shoved his shoulder. "Don't be so mean. You've never raved to anybody about me?"
"Not in the way he does," Alex acknowledged. "Maybe it's because Valentine's Day is coming up, and he's slowly unleashing his cheesiness. I swear, it's like his eyelashes were fluttering earlier. Every sentence coming out of his mouth made him sound like a walking Hallmark card."
"See, if you were single, I would accuse you of being jealous of his happiness. And speaking of Valentine's Day, any plans in mind?" she inquisitively asked.
Alex pursed his lips as his eyes wandered away from her. "Uh, do you want to do something?"
Jo let out a laugh. "The fact that you have to ask me means you weren't going to plan anything." She grabbed a hold of his hand. "Seriously, nothing?"
When he returned his glance back to her, she was smiling widely back at him. He also noticed her grip on his hand was tightening by the second. "I'll… think of something," he insisted, sporting a forced grin. "You can let go now."
She released his hand, then she watched Jackson and April from her seat. Her friend's arm was wrapped around the redhead's waist while she served herself frozen yogurt in a cup. "They're adorable. I can't wait for her dad to arrive. I would love to see Jackson shake in his boots a bit."
"I kind of wish I could be a fly on the wall when those three have dinner. Knowing Joe, he'll interrogate Avery the entire night just to mess with him," Alex said in amusement. "But he might not even be half-joking about it this time. Matthew made Joe even more protective of her."
"I don't blame him," Jo replied. "I'm sure Jackson will be fine, though. By the end of the night, April's dad will give him permission to call him by his first name."
"Or he'll join Seattle's missing persons list if it's disastrous," Alex quipped.
Alex parked his car across the street from Jo's apartment complex. While Jackson and April waited in the backseat, Alex escorted Jo to her apartment to conclude their double date. They stopped on the porch and stood in front of the door.
"Well, I'm positive Avery and Kepner are soiling my backseat right now," he bitterly said, slipping his hands into his jacket pockets. "Remind me to steam clean the cushions this weekend."
Jo sifted through her purse for her keys. "Is there anything about them that you don't complain about?" she irritably asked. "You're annoyed when they're being adorable, when they're making out, when they're not even talking. Let them be happy!"
"What? I let them be happy," he argued. "Their sappy crap just grosses me out a bit. You know that."
"Yes, I'm aware that you're not the type who will prance through a field of daffodils with me. Actually, neither am I, but you get my point. Just let it go. They're happy, and we're happy. We should be focusing on the fact that we're all in happy relationships." Jo tugged on the lapels of Alex's jacket and kissed his lips. "You're cuter when you're not uptight."
Alex rolled his eyes. "I am not up-"
Jo kissed her boyfriend one more time to prevent him from arguing with her. "Cuter when you're not uptight," she repeated before unlocking the front door. "See you tomorrow."
As she opened the door, Cat appeared in the doorway wearing her pajamas. "Alex!" she enthusiastically greeted him. "That boy I told you about, he said he'd be my date at my school's Valentine's Day dance! Well, we're just meeting up there, but he's still my date!"
"Nice job," Alex congratulated Cat with a light fist bump. "Told you he'd go with you if you asked him."
Jo waved her arms and appeared confused. "Hold on, wait a second. You have a date? I know nothing about this aside from the fact that you planned on going to this school dance." She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Which boy is it?"
Cat avoided eye contact with her mother. "Steven."
"Steven, Steven…" she murmured to herself. "His mother is a dentist, yeah?"
"Yes."
"Okay, fine. That's cool with me," Jo answered calmly. However, she was quite baffled that Cat had sought advice from Alex about a boy instead of her. There had been a few other occasions in which Alex had picked up her daughter from school, but she hardly knew what they discussed when she wasn't around. "Anyway, you should be in bed. It's past ten on a school night. Your homework is finished?"
Cat nodded. "All done. I just heard you and Alex outside, so I wanted to tell him the good news myself." She waved as she left the couple alone. "Goodnight!"
Jo softly sighed. "She went to you for dating advice? I don't even want her to date yet!"
"It was just for a school dance," Alex chuckled. "That's not dating. Whatever. She asked me out of the blue, so I gave her an answer. I thought she would've told you or something."
"She didn't. Anyway, goodnight, Alex," Jo muttered before entering her apartment.
Alex furrowed his brow when his girlfriend rushed inside and closed the door. He shrugged off her attitude on his way back to his car. He was relieved to find Jackson and April behaving themselves – by his terms, they weren't all over each other in the backseat. Instead, they were having a silly thumb war. His roommate's shrill squeaks could be heard from outside of the car.
"Thank God," he groaned to himself after climbing into the driver's seat. "No sucking face back there."
"We're saving that for the bedroom," Jackson cheekily replied, eliciting a scowl from Alex. "Yeah, I'm staying at your place tonight."
"Wonderful," Alex sarcastically responded as he began driving to his and April's apartment. He briefly took a glimpse of the couple through the rearview mirror. "I hope you can keep your paws off each other for at least an hour when Big Joe comes to town. The sight of any dude groping his daughter will light a fire under him."
April reached forward to smack her roommate's shoulder. "Stop trying to scare him. My dad's a sweet man," she retorted. "And obviously, we won't be acting like that in front of my dad. We have manners that you have yet to develop."
"So you two are seriously celebrating Valentine's Day with your dad?"
"He's arriving that day, and he wanted to have dinner with Jackson and I. I couldn't exactly tell him no," she defensively replied.
"Sure, you could. You could've told him, 'Hey, pops. Do you mind if we have dinner together the next day? 'Cause I want to ride my boyfriend all the way to the Grand Canyon for Valentine's Day'," Alex bluntly suggested.
April pursed her lips, shaking her head. "Must you always be so crass?"
Alex nodded. "Actually, yeah. That's part of my charm," he quipped.
Jackson wrapped his arm over April's shoulder, pulling her against his side. "Hey, it's fine with me. Meeting her father is important to her, so I have no problem with it happening on Valentine's Day," he insisted. "Is he a big steak guy? Because I know a really good place we can take him. Easy points, right?"
"If you want to give him a heart attack," Alex muttered.
"My dad stopped eating red meat several years ago after he was treated for arterial thrombosis," April answered with a grimace, then she forced herself to laugh. "Big Joe isn't the athletic buff he used to be in college. But he loves pasta. Anything Italian will do just fine."
"Anything else I should know, so I don't accidentally make a fool of myself in front of your father?" Jackson sheepishly asked. He hadn't even met Joe Kepner yet, but he felt as if he already had one strike against him.
April gently pressed her nose against his cheek and smiled. "Be yourself and don't try to impress him with things you wouldn't talk to me about. Oh, and don't brag about the New England Patriots. He's a diehard Cleveland Browns fan," she advised.
"The Browns? You gotta have a strong heart to be a Browns fan," he lightheartedly said.
"Well, it wasn't just the red meat that almost killed him," Alex noted with a smirk. "Don't add yourself to that lethal list."
"We're not late," Jackson assured April as he followed her out of the airport's parking garage. They had hit unexpected traffic on their way to picking up her father, who had flown in from Cleveland. His flight had landed about twenty minutes before they arrived, so she hoped he wasn't standing around waiting for them. He found himself feeling a bit winded after trying to keep up with his girlfriend's fast strides. "He's still probably waiting for his luggage."
April retrieved her cell phone from her purse and immediately dialed Joe's number. Her emotions were a mix of excitement and anxiety. She had missed her father and was looking forward to spending time with him, but she also dreaded that he would bring up the past, especially since she hadn't told her parents about Matthew's surprise visit. She also feared he would become overprotective as if she were the 6-year old girl who held his hand every time they crossed street.
And it was Valentine's Day. She didn't want it to be memorable for the wrong reasons.
"Hey, Daddy! Where are you? We just got here," she greeted Joe, catching her breath after she finally stopped pacing. "Oh, okay. We'll meet you there then."
Jackson smiled after April hung up her cell phone. "Still at baggage claim?"
"There was a slight delay with the crew, so he's still waiting," April confirmed, grabbing a hold of Jackson's hand. "C'mon, let's go meet up with him!"
They made the short trek to the baggage claim area where various passengers awaited the arrival of their luggage at numerous carousels. It only took about five seconds for April to spot her father. It was difficult to miss a man who stood at 6'6" in the crowd. She instantly released Jackson from her grip and nearly sprinted towards Joe with a bright grin on her face, calling out for him.
Jackson followed at a normal pace, smiling as he watched Joe engulf April with his large arms and lift her up from the floor. While he was aware that the two of them were very close, seeing them interact for the first time was concrete proof that his girlfriend was a daddy's girl. And Joe had given his daughter a bouquet of roses, which reminded the pretty boy that he had forgotten to do that for Valentine's Day, causing him to slightly grimace.
As he approached the reunited family members, he realized just how tall and large Joe Kepner truly was. It seemed as if the older man grew taller and taller with each step forward. Alex hadn't been joking when he first described him. His broad shoulders made April's head appear almost tiny. Jackson was positive his hands could choke a horse within ten seconds.
The nickname "Big Joe" was no joke either.
Joe sported a dark brown beard that matched a neatly trimmed haircut on his head. He wore a thick winter jacket over his blue flannel shirt, along with dark blue jeans and large brown boots. To Jackson, he almost resembled a lumberjack more than a farmer, which actually intimidated him, but he wasn't going to admit that out loud.
April waited until Jackson met up with them to introduce him to her father. "Daddy, this is Jackson Avery. He's the man I've been dating," she cheerfully said. "And Jackson, this is the Joe Kepner."
"It's nice to meet you," Jackson politely answered, offering his hand. He and Joe shook hands, and he easily noticed the strong, perhaps too strong of a grip from the older man. "I've… I've heard a lot of great things about you from your daughter."
"Likewise, son. April had been raving about you nonstop on the phone," Joe acknowledged, using his free hand to rest it against his daughter's back. "Said you made her feel welcome in Seattle since her first day at work."
He proudly smiled as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "Well, I'm very happy she came here."
"Has your suitcase passed by yet?" April asked, eying the luggage carousel.
"Not yet. Oh, wait. There it is," Joe pointed out as a large, red suitcase with an Ohio State tag attached to it was heading towards their direction.
"Don't worry about it. I can get it for you," Jackson offered. Instead of waiting for the suitcase to travel closer to them, he walked towards it and grabbed the handle. Thinking it would be an easy lift, he was surprised when it was heavier than he initially thought. He needed both hands to pick it up from the carousel as he mumbled to himself, "What does he have in here? A set of weights?"
April smiled at her boyfriend when he returned. "Thank you for doing that. I think that's the only one he brought, so we can drive him to his hotel now."
Jackson also insisted on dragging the suitcase for Joe on their way out of the airport. He was a few steps behind him and April, who were already playing catch up with what was happening in Moline and the family. He quietly listened as Joe gave her a quick rundown about her mother and sisters. All three of her sisters lived on the east coast, the farthest one in Pennsylvania.
"Are we going to see Alex Karev today?" Joe inquired. "I know he's been good to you, but it continues to perplex me that you would share an apartment with a man who isn't your spouse. There aren't any female coworkers you can live with?"
"Daddy…" April softly groaned. "We've talked about this before. My living situation with Alex isn't awkward. He cleans up – sometimes. He has a girlfriend, so you have nothing to worry about. We aren't that type of friends. And you probably won't see him until tomorrow because he has plans tonight."
Joe slowly nodded. "Alright, then. I just have a small present for him from your mother. He asked for some taffy, so she made him a batch."
"When did he- nevermind. Forgot he has your number in case of emergencies," she muttered, rolling her eyes. Of course her roommate would snake his way into getting some of her mother's homemade taffy without her knowing.
"How about you, Jackson?" Joe asked, glancing over his shoulder at him. "You live with someone of the opposite sex?"
Jackson cleared his throat. "No, sir. My roommate is a guy. I've known him since intern year," he nervously replied. He hoped he wouldn't be questioned about how often he spent the night in April's bedroom and vice versa. If Joe had issues with Alex being her roommate, he probably wouldn't warm up to the idea of how many times she had sex with her boyfriend. "His name is George. He's a good friend of April's too."
"Would you be distracted by a female roommate?"
"Uh, I'm not sure. Depends on who my roommate is," he reluctantly answered. "I mean, a female roommate could be distracting for different reasons. It- it may not have anything to do with her appearance. I… I personally wouldn't go out and buy tampons for her."
Joe chuckled and pointed over his shoulder. "This one has a sense of humor, I see." He looked back at Jackson. "The last man April was with had very little of that. Such a buzzkill that one, and he was the most disrespectful person."
"Daddy, please," April intervened, biting on her bottom lip. "Can we not talk about him today, or at all?"
"Sorry, firebug," Joe apologized and planted a kiss on the top of April's head. "That's the last time you'll hear me speak of Matthew Taylor."
Jackson couldn't help but smirk a bit. Since Joe seemed to despise Matthew as much as he did, he thought maybe they would get along just fine. Based on their brief exchanges so far, none of his answers resulted in a negative response, so the path to Joe's approval appeared to be a smooth one for now.
When Jo wanted Alex to make plans for Valentine's Day she hadn't expected him to step out of his comfort zone and go all out for their date. So when he arrived at her apartment to pick her up she was surprised to see him standing outside in a suit. And she felt even more embarrassed that she had only been dressed in a blouse and jeans. Fortunately, there was enough time for her to change into her favorite dress and redo her hair before they left for the restaurant.
"Gosh, I can't believe you brought me here," Jo stated in amazement as she scanned the menu in front of her. Alex had taken her to one of the higher priced restaurants, which mostly consisted of seafood. He claimed their swordfish was one of the best and that he wanted to give it a try. Plus, he wanted to prove that he can be more than a decent date. "Everything sounds so good. I can't decide what to order."
"Order anything you want. Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it," Alex encouraged her. "Don't hold back."
"Are you sure? Because I feel guilty about all of this. I honestly wasn't expecting you to get so dressed up for tonight, and I can't believe I answered the door wearing jeans!"
Alex reached across the table for one of her hands and smiled. "Seriously, don't worry about it. You deserve this." He opened his jacket and pulled out a long, black box from the inside pocket. "And this too."
Jo's mouth slightly dropped after he set the box in front of her. "Alex, you really didn't have to," she bashfully replied, picking up the box. "I hope you didn't spend a fortune on this. I'd feel way too guilty about accepting it."
"It's Valentine's Day. You gotta go big or go home, right?" he jokingly said with a shrug. "I've never done anything like this for anybody before, so trust me, I'm also nervous about your reaction. I just hope you like it."
She opened the box, which contained a necklace with her birthstone, a ruby, attached to it. "Wow. Alex, this is so beautiful! Thank you, it's perfect."
Alex simply smiled because it was one of the rare times when he didn't want to act smug about a nice gesture. He was actually trying to be humble about it, but he wasn't sure how to do that either. He was mainly relieved that his girlfriend loved his gift. "You need help putting it on?"
"Yes, please." Jo picked up her hair, while Alex stood up from his seat and walked around the table. He stood behind her as he placed the necklace on her. The color complemented her black dress. "Thank you. This is very sweet of you. You continue to surprise me with your kindness."
"Also, don't feel bad about not getting me anything. I wanted to make this day about you," he insisted.
"And you are so getting rewarded tonight," she implied, drawing a grin from her boyfriend. After they ordered their dinners, Alex's cell phone began ringing in his pocket. When he checked the caller ID she noticed a small frown on his face. "Who is it? Please don't tell me it's work."
"No. It's Cat," Alex murmured, which confused Jo even more. He decided to answer the call. "Hello? Hey, what's wrong? Dude, why are you crying? Uh, yeah. We can come get you. We'll be there in twenty minutes, okay?"
Jo's eyes widened after Alex hung up his cell phone. "What's the matter? Why is she crying? Is she okay?" she questioned in a panicked tone.
"She wouldn't tell me, but she's at the school."
"Okay, so let's haul ass and get over there. I want to know what's wrong with my kid," she replied as she hurriedly grabbed her purse and stood up. Jo raised her hand in front of her chest. "Wait. Why did she call you?"
Alex quietly shrugged before he waved over their waiter and told her that they were leaving for a family emergency. He and Jo rushed out of the restaurant, and he drove them to Cat's school. When they arrived they found her sitting outside of the school's gymnasium where the dance was being held. She was in tears as Jo ran towards her.
"Cat, I'm here. What happened?" Jo inquired, sitting down beside her daughter.
"Steven wanted to be someone else's date! He- he's dancing with stupid Bianca!" Cat sobbed on Jo's shoulder. "He told me she was prettier and- and I don't want to go back in there."
Jo frowned as she hugged Cat. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. That little bastard- I mean, boy is an immature punk. And he is very wrong about you. You're one of the prettiest girls in your class," she soothingly said.
"You're just saying that because you're my mom," she muttered.
"No, no. It's true, Cat. I think Steven needs to have his eyes checked." Jo desperately wanted to storm into that dance and give that boy a piece of her mind. She didn't care that the so-called emergency wasn't actually one because for a 12-year old girl, being "dumped" by a boy in public was the end of the world for her. "You'll be fine."
Alex slowly approached the twosome after giving them some space. "Everything alright?" he asked with concern. "Is there a boy inside that I gotta have a word or two with?"
Cat shook her head. "Can we just go home?"
Alex pursed his lips, then he softly smiled. "Actually, I have a better idea. C'mon, let's get in the car. It's pretty freaking cold out here," he suggested.
Jo helped Cat stand up before walking her towards Alex's car. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see," he vaguely answered.
"No way! You've met LeBron James multiple times?" Jackson asked in awe as he engaged in a discussion about sports with Joe over an Italian dinner in downtown Seattle. The two men began bonding instantly over athletics, and April couldn't be more thrilled about how well the conversation was going. "I can't even get a random encounter with a Seahawks player here!"
Joe chuckled before sipping some water. "But you told me you hate the Seahawks."
"I know, but not the whole team. I wouldn't mind bumping into Russell Wilson," he sheepishly admitted. "I've never been lucky enough to meet any sports stars when I lived in Boston either. I suppose I'm one of those unlucky fans."
"Tell me more about your family, Jackson. You said you grew up in Boston and never left until you started residency here. April mentioned that you come from a family of surgeons."
Jackson felt a knot in his stomach. He wished they could continue talking about sports because his family wasn't a topic that was as appealing, especially with the bizarre connection with Alex Karev. "Umm, well… that's true. My family mostly resides in Boston. They work at Mass Gen. My grandfather has an elite award named after him," he awkwardly answered. "I… don't enjoy talking about that part, though."
"Oh, so your family has a dynasty type of reputation?"
"Pretty much, yeah," he murmured, reaching for his glass of wine. "Most of my family are cardiothoracic surgeons, but my mother is a urologist. And… my father bailed on us when I was three years old. He, uh, ended up marrying another woman. I found that out in high school."
"That's kind of a shame. You two keep contact with each other?" Joe inquisitively asked.
Jackson shook his head. "We don't contact each other at all."
"Are you close with your mother?"
"Not really. She's a bit crazy," he bluntly answered. "And I'm an only child. Well, no. I have a stepbrother and a half-sister. I've met both of them. I see one of them on a daily basis, to be honest."
Joe raised his eyebrow intriguingly. "Is that so? What a small world it is." He glanced over at April, who appeared fidgety. She was tapping her fingers against the table. "Do you know who he's talking about?"
April nodded after sipping her wine. "I do, actually." She softly laughed and grinned. "His stepbrother is Alex."
"Oh," he simply replied. "That's… that's one crazy coincidence, isn't it?"
"You're telling me," Jackson chuckled. "I'm still getting used to the whole thing."
"It started off hostile between Jackson and Alex, but they're getting along now. Everything has been going well since moving to Seattle, Daddy. Both you and Mom can stop worrying," April assured her father with a smile. "I'm very happy here."
Jackson wrapped his arm over April's shoulder. "I've been taking good care of her, sir."
"That's very nice to hear. Thank you," Joe graciously replied. April excused herself to use the women's restroom, which gave him the opportunity to question Jackson about a delicate topic. "Between you and me, young man, how much do you know about Matthew Taylor?"
The pretty boy was taken aback by the question. "Excuse me?"
"Listen, you seem to know a lot about my daughter, so you must know why she moved to Seattle. If you two are having an open and honest relationship, then she had to have told you about Matthew and what he did to her," Joe insinuated. "You seem like a man I can trust. I believe you when you said you take care of her."
"I do, yes," Jackson answered truthfully, though he refused to admit just how he learned of April's previous relationship. He wasn't prepared for the mess that he might create if he told Joe about Matthew's visit behind her back. "And you can definitely trust me. I would never treat April the way he did. I respect her too much to do that."
Joe nodded. "Thank you. April may be a bit naïve and I can't help but worry that she'll catch herself another man who's as disgraceful as Matthew. I never felt good vibes with that one from the moment I met him. But April wanted to get married, have children and the surgical career she's been dreaming of. She thought she found it all instantly with him." He let out a sigh. "I like you, Jackson, but if you decide that she's not the one for you, let her down as nicely as possible. For my sake, I don't want to see her go through that terrible depression again. My heart won't be able to handle it."
Jackson thought it would be a bad move to insist that he would forever be happy with April because neither of them knew if that would be the case. He hated making predictions and preferred to live in the present, but she seemed to have the opposite attitude. Her naivety and inexperience with relationships was noticeable when they initially became friends, so he understood Joe's worries.
He was definitely content with his current relationship, but he also knew based on his past that happiness wasn't guaranteed in the long run.
The sound of pins being knocking over by a bowling ball echoed in the building as Alex watched Cat roll an almost strike. It didn't matter to him that most of the people in the bowling alley were giving them strange looks due to their fancier attire. He had ditched the dress jacket and the tie, but Jo and Cat wearing bowling shoes with their dresses was a peculiar look for such a casual activity. Regardless, he thought it was the best idea to allow Cat to unleash her aggression without becoming physical, but also something fun the three of them could do together.
"Nice try, kid," Alex encouragingly said when she returned to their area. "You still have a shot at a spare. Just remember to picture the pins as that dork's head and your aim will be better."
"Thanks, Alex. This is actually making me feel better," Cat cheerfully replied, then she picked up her bowling ball when it returned. "Steven's going down."
Jo laughed after her daughter walked away for her second turn. "This totally beats out a 46-dollar swordfish. Look at how much she's smiling. Sometimes it takes forever to bring her out of a bad mood. It's like a miracle."
"She just needed to let off some steam. Glad it's working." Alex held up his hand when Cat scored a spare. She skipped towards him and received a high five. "See? Was I right, or was I right?"
Cat snickered and sat down beside Jo. "I hope you know I'm beating you right now."
"By one point. Don't get too arrogant yet," he replied with a smirk, then he stood up for his turn. "We're only on the third frame."
Jo kissed the side of Cat's head and smiled. "You're doing great. I'm proud of you." She decided to change the subject on a slightly serious note. "So I've been wondering, why didn't you call me earlier? Why did you call Alex?"
"I didn't want you to be mad at me for ruining your date," Cat muttered. "And Alex has been cool with stuff I talk to him about lately, so I thought it would be okay to call him."
"You don't think you can talk to me about this stuff?"
"Well, when I brought up the dance and Steven I thought maybe you'd do the mom thing where you tell me all the things I shouldn't do with a boy. Like, don't have sex with him or something," she bashfully responded.
Jo guffawed. "Seriously? You're only 12! I know you're smarter than your age, and I also trust you more than you think," she reminded her. "But now that you've mentioned it, don't have sex until you're 30."
"Mom…" Cat softly groaned and laughed. "Anyway, I'm sorry I ruined your date."
"Don't apologize. You didn't ruin it at all," she assured her. Jo decided to show off the necklace Alex had given her and pointed it out for Cat. "But look at what Alex gave me for Valentine's Day. Isn't it neat?"
"That's our birthstone," she noted with a smile. "You're gonna marry him, aren't you?"
Jo nervously laughed as she watched Alex roll up his sleeves before his second turn. Even though marriage was a step she wasn't considering yet, she knew she was developing deeper feelings for him every day. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, young lady."
"Okay, but if you do plan on it, I would be really okay with you marrying Alex. He likes Hawaiian style pizza," Cat added and winked, eliciting another laugh from her mother.
Jackson followed April into her apartment after they dropped off Joe at his hotel. Dinner had ended on a bright note, despite the serious conversation the two men briefly had while April left the room. But Joe's words forced Jackson to think about his relationship with April more than he usually did. They were happy, but he felt something was missing and for the longest time, he wanted to pretend there wasn't that small void in their relationship. She likely hadn't noticed, but now it bothered him and he needed to tell her.
"So my dad loves you, just like I expected," April acknowledged as she hung her coat on a hook by the door. "He was also pleased with the restaurant you chose for tonight. You're such a great food scout."
He removed his jacket and hung it beside April's coat. "Meeting the big man is probably more stressful than the MCAT, but it's a relief to know that I impressed him. It was my sports knowledge, wasn't it? And I barely talked about the Patriots."
She giggled as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "You were so great with him. Hardly intimidated."
"Just those early moments when I met him. I thought he was going to crush my hand," Jackson amusingly replied. He received a soft kiss on the lips, but pulled away before she could deepen the kiss. "I want to talk to you about something first before we go to bed."
"Sure. What is it?"
"You're an amazing woman, and I don't think you even realize how strong you are. What you went through with Matthew and everything, I still can't imagine what that was like. And I know we can't predict the future, so I don't know what will happen between us a few months or a year from now," Jackson stated in a serious tone. "But one of the last things I want to do is make you unhappy because I'm not being completely honest."
April furrowed her brow as she softly laughed. "Okay, I'm a little scared of what you're about to tell me. I mean, are you breaking up with me or…"
"When the opportunity is right, I want you to come home with me to Boston – and meet my family. They have no idea that I have a girlfriend. I never wanted you to meet them because I was afraid they would tear you to shreds with their pompous way of thinking, but after meeting your dad, I don't want to hide you from my family anymore," he confessed. "I know you've met my mother already, but I want her to meet you as my girlfriend. My grandfather isn't entirely the devil, but he can be overwhelming. And I have cousins who can be extremely judgmental. Despite all of that, they deserve to meet you because I'm in love with a strong, beautiful woman and I want them to know that."
She grasped his cheeks and kissed him firmly on the lips. "Yes, I'll go home with you."
Jackson smiled as he intertwined his fingers with April's. "They'll probably grill us to death over there."
"We can handle it," she nonchalantly answered. "Mark Sloan's teaching technique has been prepping us for this."
"That's true," he chuckled, then he began guiding her towards her bedroom. "Successful Valentine's Day, don't you think? Who knew celebrating it with your dad would be enjoyable?"
April smirked as she pulled Jackson into her bedroom. "Yes, but thankfully, he's not here for the rest of our date."
Let me know what you think, please! :)