I don't own anything but the plot. Get ready to meet the parents! Please let me know what you think - hearing from you gives me inspiration to write :)
To those who reviewed Chapter 1 - thank you! Your amazing comments made me so happy. I don't have time to respond individually, but rest assured that I read all of the reviews and each and every one is appreciated. I'm glad you all like the story.
A few weeks later, I found myself sitting at JFK Airport with Jace on one side and a sleeping Izzy on the other. Simon, Alec, and Magnus were sitting across from us, playing on their phones. I searched my entire bag and finally pulled out a stack of index cards, handing them to Jace.
"What's this?" he asked as he took the cards.
"It's everything you need to know about me and our relationship. Luckily, my parents didn't even know the name of Mr. Boyfriend, so you won't have to make up very much. You just have to know me and our 'relationship'… so study," I replied. He nodded and began looking over the cards. I had to admit, he wasn't doing a half bad job already. He'd been on time, packed everything I told him to pack and hadn't made one crude joke to me yet. He'd also agreed to all my (many) rules for the weekend. Maybe we could actually pull this off.
I snuck a discrete look at Jace as he reviewed the cards. He was wearing dark wash jeans that hugged him in all the right places, a white polo shirt, a brown Columbia University hoodie, and brown Sperrys. It was a perfect, casual outfit that matched mine. I chose dark skinny jeans, a white, see through top with a cute cream tank underneath, a brown sweater, and brown wedge booties. It was funny that we kind of coordinated unintentionally. But it added to the "coupleness" so I didn't complain. Izzy rolled her eyes when she saw us, of course. But it's not like we purposefully coordinated. That counts for something, right?
The plane ride was uneventful, but I awoke to find my head rested on Jace's shoulder. His head was leaned on top of mine. God, we looked like a fucking couple. That was not part of the plan. When we arrived at Palm Beach International Airport, most of us bypassed baggage claim and went out front to wait for the limo my parents were sending. Magnus made a quick detour to the baggage area, though, because even though it was just a weekend it was Magnus… he packed enough for a week, plus a carry on makeup bag. As the limo pulled up, Jace took the handle of my suitcase. "I've got it, love," he drawled. I may or may not have shivered (definitely did) a bit at that, but I willingly let him grab my bag for me – something I normally don't do. I found that I was breaking several rules with Jace already. Not good. I'd told him he needed to start right away because my parents' staff is very observant and he thankfully had listened so he didn't know that I was breaking my rules. Thank goodness. He handed the bags to our driver before following the rest of the group into the limo.
Half an hour later, we arrived at my childhood home. It is a sprawling, 10,000 square foot home on several acres of land. It was everything I'd spent the last six years running from. I knew that I'd picked the right person when I looked to my right and saw Magnus and Simon looking a bit shell shocked while Jace was the epitome of calm and collected. This stuff didn't surprise him. Hell, I bet his childhood home was even bigger. We all piled out of the limo and saw my parents and the Lightwoods sitting on the patio, probably awaiting our arrival. Izzy squealed a bit before running towards her parents, dragging Simon by the hand. Alec and Magnus followed. I took a deep breath and reached for Jace's hand.
"You ready?" I asked him. He nodded, smiling and squeezing my hand. We made our way to my parents.
Looking as posh and perfect as usual, Valentine and Jocelyn Morgenstern were everything I didn't want to be. Valentine with his white hair and tan skin, was dressed in khaki pants and a cable knit sweater with his signature loafers. And Jocelyn was wearing a classic Kate Spade dress that was clearly designed for her and had her red hair wrapped in an intricate bun on her head. Uggghhhh, my parents and their prep-tastic fashion sense. They are social leaders, business mavericks, and total slaves to wealth and privilege.
Don't get me wrong, I love them a lot. They gave me everything I could ever ask for and always loved me. They provided for me and allowed me the opportunity to follow my dreams. I know how lucky I am. But they were also stifling and traditional, which is so not my thing. And they have very specific ideas of how I should and should not live my life. Hence the fact that I am paying someone to be my boyfriend for the weekend.
"Mom, Daddy," I greeted them, letting go of Jace's hand to hug each of them. Then I retrieved his hand and wrapped my arm around his left arm. "This is Jonathan Herondale, my boyfriend."
"It's nice to meet you, ma'am, sir." He shook my father's hand and kissed my mother on the cheek, never letting go of my hand. "I can't thank you enough for inviting me to be a part of this." My mother blushed slightly as he pulled away. "And please, call me Jace," Jace added with a thousand watt smile. God, he was so perfect at this. Why did I ever doubt him?
"Of course, we are so glad you could make it... Herondale, you wouldn't be related to Imogen Herondale, would you?" my father asked. Crap, I hadn't even considered the fact that Jace could actually be related to someone my parents had known when they lived in New York.
"Yes, sir," Jace replied with a smile. "She's my grandmother."
My father's smile grew impossibly wider. "She was a great benefactor of the children's center I was chairman of the board of in New York. Wonderful lady, great family." We chatted for a few more minutes. I swear, my mom's heart was fluttering and my dad was thrilled with my boyfriend by the end of the conversation. Dad wandered away, back to the Lightwoods, who were deep in discussion with their own children. My mom quickly followed him. I sighed. My parents, the polite souls, don't really seem to care about goodbyes… they kind of just wander off.
"That went well," Jace said quietly, squeezing my hand again.
"Yeah, I guess," I said. No need to stroke his already impressive ego with how much my parents seemed impressed by him. I began to lead him towards the porch to see the rest of the family.
"Rissa!" I heard someone scream from behind me, making me smile brightly. Only one person in the world called me Rissa. I turned around, letting go of Jace's hand.
"Johnny!" I screamed back, opening my arms wide for my brother, who came barreling into them. I had really missed Jon. He looked older, but still had the same pale blond hair, almost white like our father, and green eyes that mirrored my own. We hugged for what felt like forever, smiling and laughing. When we finally separated, I looked back to Jace, who had a strange look in his eye. It was almost… longing. I don't know what that was about, honestly. Oh well.
"Jon, this is Jace, by boyfriend. Jace, this is my brother, Jon," I introduced the two blond men. Jon gave Jace a critical gaze, sizing him up. Ugh, boys.
Jace extended his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Jon. I've heard a lot about you." Jon hesitantly took Jace's hand, shaking it roughly.
"Really, because she never talks about you," Jon replied with a skeptical look in his eyes. Crap, he's being all observant and shit. This is bad. Jace stepped next to me and slipped his arm around my shoulder, tugging me close.
"Well, you know our Clary. She's a hard nut to crack. Took her three months to even introduce me as her boyfriend. If I didn't work with Alec, I probably never would have even met the crew. It took weeks of begging to be allowed to come this weekend. Congrats, by the way," Jace said coolly. Damn, he can keep his calm. Good to know. Jon looked at me, and I smiled. He smiled back before turning to Jace.
"True. Rissa here doesn't make it easy. But you're the first boyfriend I've met since high school, so expect a grilling later. For now, I'll just say thanks for the congrats man…" The tension seemed to break when Jon finally smiled at Jace. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and I felt Jace do the same.
"So, where's Cami?" I asked my brother, taking the attention away from my "relationship."
"She's back at the house. We have a bunch of stuff to do to prepare for the party tomorrow. I'm not even staying long; I just wanted to say hi to my baby sister and my friends. Cami says hi though and she can't wait to see you tomorrow." I smiled. I always liked Camille. She and Jon were such a great couple that they almost made me gag. Okay, so there were a few times in high school where they actually did make me gag. And maybe a time or two in college.
Jon and Camille live in a neighborhood about ten minutes drive from my parents. Jon works for my dad's company as a Vice President and Cami is a pediatrician. They like to live the life my parents, and Cami's parents, have always wanted carried on. They are my parents thirty years ago. And they love it. Whatever floats their boats, I guess. At least my parents have one kid who followed their path.
"Anyhow, I'm gonna run and say hi to the Lightwoods, then I've gotta get home. See you tomorrow afternoon Rissa, Jace," Jon said before leaving. I watched him run over to greet Alec with a hug. I know they missed each other – they visit each other often, but I don't think it's the same as it was growing up next door to each other and being college roommates. When Alec came out of the closet when we were in high school, Jon and my parents let him stay with us for weeks while the Lightwood parents "adjusted" (they freaked the fuck out, let me tell you – thank god they got over that). The two boys were closer than brothers. Alec is going to be Jon's best man.
What felt like hours later, after mingling with family and friends, Jace and I were in the family room, skimming channels on the television. Izzy, Simon, Alec and Magnus were staying at the Lightwood home. Jon had gone home. It was just my parents and us now. I couldn't wait til my parents went to sleep so I could finally relax. This whole fake dating thing was way more exhausting than I expected.
"Clary, dear, your father and I are going to sleep… do you two need anything?" my mother asked, dragging my attention to the doorway. She and my father were standing there, clearly tired from all of the excitement.
"Um, did Dorthea take out bedding for the spare room?" I asked. Dorthea is our housekeeper. She's worked for my family since before I was born. And she makes damn good food. Thank god, or I would have starved growing up because my parents travelled so much.
"Oh, darling, we aren't naïve. Jace doesn't need to stay in the spare room. You will both stay in your room. We are hip parents, after all," my father said. I rolled my eyes, half horrified and half amused by his antics. He's one of those dads that desperately wants to be cool but fails constantly. It's pathetic, actually.
"Oh, I just assumed I guess. He really doesn't mind staying in the other room, if it will make you more comfortable," I said. Jace nodded in agreement.
"Not necessary, goodnight Clary, Jace. Use protection - I'm still too young to be a grandfather." My father kissed me on my blushing cheek before leading my mom up the stairs to their room. Well shit. I turned back to Jace, who seemed abnormally engrossed in an episode of Law and Order: SVU.
"I hope you don't mind sharing a room with me," I said to him. He smiled brightly at me.
"Not at all. In fact, I can't wait." I groaned, preparing for the worst as I clicked off the TV and led Jace upstairs to my room. Thank god I have a king sized bed… I was tempted to make Jace sleep on the floor, but then I figured he was doing me a favor and that would be rude. And there was no way in hell I was sleeping on the floor.
"So, this is Clary Morgenstern's childhood bedroom," Jace muttered to himself, looking around at my pale pink covered room. What can I say, at some point I was a girly girl. Izzy actually helped me paint the room when we were fourteen – she suggested the pink, I originally wanted neon green. I was going through a rebellious phase and wanted to freak my khaki and tan loving parents out. And it definitely worked, but they let me keep it. Izzy was sure that if I had chosen the green they would have officially disowned me.
I blushed slightly as Jace looked at my trophy and ribbon wall. In high school, I was a cheerleader and rode horses, both of which led to all kinds of awards. Looking back, I'm horrified that I was that girl, but back then I loved it. I distracted myself by going over to my suitcase and retrieving my pajamas. Making my way into my en suite bathroom, I started taking deep breaths. It would be okay. I mean, it was just Jace. We were friends. We could share a large bed. We could do this.
I opened the bathroom door, planning on making my way to the bed and slipping in, planning to avoid Jace completely. But as I looked out, I saw him in just a pair of loose basketball shorts and nothing else. I tried, I really did. But damn, the boy's chest was calling my name. I couldn't help the noise of appreciation that came out of my mouth. Jace's eyes shot up to me. To be fair, he looked just as wrecked seeing me in my tank top and short shorts as I felt looking at him.
I swallowed thickly and made my way to my side of the bed, ignoring his heated gaze. Plugging in my phone, I pulled the sheets back and crawled in, sighing at the familiar comfort my childhood bed brought. Jace was silent as he crawled into the bed next to me. We laid with our backs to each other, careful not to touch.
"Goodnight Clary," he whispered.
"Night, Jace." I drifted off into a dreamless slumber.