"Good evening", Jesse said with a grin, presenting Beca with a bunch of flowers.
She grinned shyly at him, accepting the flowers and stepping back to let him inside. "You look nice".
"Thanks, you too. You look super nice". Jesse suddenly found himself lost for words, as he took in the woman in front of him.
"Hi Jesse!" Courtney said brightly, poking her head into the hallway, a yellow rim of cheese sauce around her mouth.
Jesse smiled at her. "Hey kiddo!"
"Guess what? Mummy let us eat in front of the TV!" she hugged him quickly before darting back into the lounge room, where her sisters were sprawled.
"Hey Jesse!" Stacie almost purred. "Aw, Bec, you got flowers?"
"Yeah, want to take them and put them in a vase for me?"
"No". Stacie leaned against the wall, eyeing Jesse up and down.
"Don't even think about it", Beca warned, taking the flowers into the kitchen.
"So, Jesse, who's looking after your kids?" Stacie wanted to know. "Is it your hot friend Donald?"
"Um…"
"Stacie", Beca said sweetly. "Please go and keep your nieces company, something might happen in your absence".
"We're fine, Mummy", Natalie sang cheerfully.
"Go, Natalie must need you". And Beca forced the taller brunette into the lounge room.
Stacie, laughing, just waved. "Have fun! But not too much fun- or too much fun! You know, whatever works". She winked and Beca groaned.
"Please ignore her, I believe she's drunk".
"I believe you're always telling me that your friends are alcoholics", Jesse said with a wink and Beca almost laughed.
"Let's go. Bye girls! Be good for Aunt Stacie. Actually go to bed!"
"Bye Mummy!" the three of them chorused through cheesy mouthfuls of macaroni.
"So, where are we going?" Beca wanted to know.
"It's a surprise".
"Are you going to take me and kill me?"
"Darn it, you foiled my plan". He laughed, tapping the steering wheel to the beat of the music.
"Well darn", she played along. "I suppose Charlie and I will have to initiate out next outing".
"Charlie? Who's Charlie?" he said suspiciously. "Your boyfriend?"
"That would be him". When she saw Jesse's look of suspicion, she started to laugh. "He's my car. Charlie and I have been through a lot. Almost ten years together, you know?"
"Oh, just like Ed and me".
"Ed? You named your car Ed? Are you serious?"
"What, so you can name your car Charlie but I can't call my car Ed?"
"I think so", she said seriously, and he chuckled.
"You look really beautiful tonight, Beca", Jesse said with a smile.
"Thanks weirdo".
The cheesy grin that he gave her, hearing the nickname that she had given him, marked the moment that Beca Mitchell fell in love with Jesse Swanson.
"Hey Aunt Stacie?" Courtney murmured, as the brunette lifted her into her arms.
"Yeah punchkin?" she said quietly, rubbing her back.
"Jesse's my favourite guy", she said sleepily.
"I know, he's pretty cool, isn't he?"
"Mmm". Courtney wrapped her arms around Stacie's neck, resting her head on her shoulder. "Love you Aunt Stacie".
"Love you too kiddo".
There was a slight chill in the air, but neither of them cared.
After dinner (and dessert- Beca was certain she had gained a few pounds with the extraordinary amount of food she had consumed that night), Jesse had driven the two of them to the park. Not the park they had taken their kids to, but another park.
(Luke had never done things like that. When they were dating, they had gone to movies, despite her complaining, or out to clubs. And at the end of the night, they would almost always end up his bed. Jesse was so different.)
(Katherine hated the park. He had tried to convince her to come with him, to have fun and embrace her inner child, but she had flatly refused.)
"Hop on", Jesse told her, motioning to the swings.
"What?"
"Come on!"
It was that smile, as the moonlight caught her eyes and her face broke into an ear to ear grin, that Jesse Swanson was absolutely sure that he fell in love with Beca Mitchell.
"Thank you for a wonderful night", Beca said, almost shyly, as Jesse opened the car door for her.
Taking her hand, he helped her out. "You are more than welcome".
Tilting her head up to him, he captured her lips in his and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Sparks were flying.
(Jesse hadn't ever felt like that.)
Beca deepened the kiss and Jesse wrapped his arms around her tighter (hoping that her neighbours didn't see).
"Oh my God!" Stacie swung open the front door and the two broke apart like teenagers caught in the act.
"Good night, Stacie", Jesse chuckled (taking in a lungful of oxygen), and Beca's face flushed scarlet.
"That was the hottest kiss I have ever seen!" she ushered Beca inside, waving goodbye to Jesse. "You looked like you were about to have sex in the driveway! Oh my God, you did, you had sex in the driveway. Are you getting married?"
"Jesus Christ, back the truck up!" Beca held up her hands. "I swear to God, you're worse than Chloe".
"Come inside, I want to hear all about it!" and Stacie, waving enthusiastically to Jesse, tugged Beca inside.
"Hey man, how was-" Benji stopped in his tracks as Jesse barged past him.
"I'm in love with Beca", Jesse blurted out.
"Okay, wow", Benji said. "I did not expect that to be the first topic of conversation, but yeah, I can go with that. Okay. What brought this to your attention?"
"she's- she's just perfect", Jesse said after a moment of stuttering. "She's so perfectly unique and she's so unlike Katherine and just being with her… it feels right, Benji".
"So, I'm not so good with the romantic stuff, that's more your scene, but if you love her than man, go for it. I've seen the way she looks at you", Benji said with a shrug. "I bet she loves you back".
"But she's so withdrawn", Jesse fretted, beginning to pace. "I'm worried that if I tell her how I feel I'll scare her off and then I'll never get a chance!"
"First of all, you got to go out with her, didn't you? Pretty sure she's already given you a chance. What's the worst that can happen?"
"Well, let's see, I don't know, she freaks out, shuts me out and we'll never speak again?" Jesse almost snapped. "The girls' dad hurt her so badly…"
"You're not their father", Benji said helpfully. "Hey, want to hear something that'll make you really happy?"
"Sure", Jesse said, falling onto the lounge with a sigh.
"Brody referred to Beca as his new mummy in his sleep addled state".
Jesse grinned fondly at the innocence of his youngest child. "That's my boy".
"Hey, want a drink?" Beca pulled a bottle of Boone's Farm from the fridge and Stacie grinned.
"I'm not going to object", Stacie said, plopping back down on the lounge.
Beca brought her a glass, setting the bottle down on the table. Taking a long sip, she settled back against the cushions. "So, how were-"
"The girls were fine. I want to know about the date!" and Stacie bounced slightly, looking so much like Natalie that Beca almost laughed. But she quickly sobered up, looking at Stacie with a worried expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" Stacie said in alarm.
"I think I love Jesse".
"That's great!" Stacie almost laughed.
"What? Stacie, I think I'm having a crisis and you're telling me that it's great?"
"Well, he is Courtney's favourite guy in the world…" her voice trailed off when she saw the distress on her friend's face. "Aw, Beca! What are you so scared of? He's not Luke, Bec. Luke was a douche and Jesse's the sweetest guy in the world- and you're lucky you snapped him up before someone else did!"
Beca put her head in her shoulder and Stacie patted her gently.
"But seriously", Stacie said as an afterthought. "You're lucky".