CHAPTER 51

THE GATHERING BEFORE THE PARTY

Dianna started to get more nervous the closer they got to the inn. Because she would have to introduce Jason to her dad, and that wasn't an easy task for her. The last time she introduced a boyfriend to him, properly, was when she was in college. And her dad kept teasing her and joking about the guy for so long after that, even though he was a really nice guy, that Dianna decided to just stop introducing them, at all. She told a few things about them, and she went out on dates with them, and hung out some place else, and that was it.

And it was actually easy for her, because after college she spent a lot of time in the U.S., and then she started to live there full time. And the fact that she never dated anyone serious, or that had "marriage potential", as her mom used to call it, also made her decision a lot easier. But it also meant that her dad would pressure her and Jason, now, a million times more. She was really glad that she didn't tell her dad about Jason until then, because if he found out that they broke up and then got back together, her dad would start one of his teases that would last through the entire weekend.

"What will your dad think about the fact that I have kids?" Jason suddenly asked Dianna, and he was trying to sound cool, but she noticed he was a bit anxious, too.

Dianna chuckled, and answered, sincere, "He'll like that. He'll probably adopt them as if they were his own grandkids".

Jason looked at her, intrigued, and she explained. "He's really close to my stepmom's kids and grandkids. Especially the grandkids. Like I said, he treats them as if he was their grandpa. He says that it might be the only chance he'll have of being a grandfather, since apparently Daniel and I are useless in that department".

Jason chuckled, and glanced at her, thinking about how much her dad must annoy her about marriage and kids. "Daniel's not married?"

"No" she glanced at him, "and I think he just broke up with his girlfriend. She didn't show up yesterday for dinner. So he'll be extra flirtatious with the ladies tonight, I assure you that".

Dianna stopped talking, because they arrived at the stable and she needed to focus to come down of the horse, but Jason quickly got down and helped her, so she wouldn't have to force her hand, and she elegantly stepped down to the floor. He helped Emma later on, and Mikey just clumsily stepped down, almost falling. But he didn't care, he was hungry.

"Do they speak english?" Emma asked, curious, and Dianna nodded.

"Yep. My dad lived with my mom in the U.S. for a few years, right after he married her. And some of my family still lives there, we visited them on vacation, so Daniel and I just learned during those times, mostly. And in high school. My mom taught us too, but we spoke spanish between us. Tatiana speaks english too, she just forgets a few words sometimes" she explained.

"Please, behave" Jason pleaded, trying to not sound like his kids were terrible, because he knew he couldn't complain. They were adorable. But they could always surprise him.

Dianna walked in the front of the big and loud group, that was making their way together to the inn. They could smell the barbecue from the distance, and Sonny was impatient to get there and learn some of their tricks.

"Hey guys" Dianna turned to the large group, "so, this is my dad. The birthday guy", and she pointed at her dad, who already had a can of beer in his hand and a towel on his shoulder. He waved at them, joyful, and the group all joyfully greeted him back, thanking for the invite, until suddenly Naima realized and asked, shocked, "Are you really 75?", and then there were a lot of gasps and yells of 'oh, true, no way' and pleads, especially from the women, to tell them the secret to that youthfulness, and he just shrugged and answered 'genetics' and raised his can of beer and pointed at the barbecue.

Sonny walked to Mr. Veiler to talk to him, and said, "Well, I don't know about my genes, but I'll try to follow the other two recommendations, just in case" and he laughed. He immediately was a friend of Mr. Veiler.

"Dad" Dianna touched her father's arm, so he'd stop talking to Sonny for a second, "this is Jason. My boyfriend" she said, smiling, feeling incredibly awkward about it, and Jason quickly took Mr. Veiler's hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you, sir" Jason said, a bit serious at first, but then Dianna saw that her dad kept staring up at Jason, a lot taller than him, and he seemed a bit scared and suspicious, because Jason had his bad boy face on. So Dianna smiled at Jason, giving him a hint, and he opened a wide charming smile to Mr. Veiler and to Tatiana, next to him, and Dianna saw that she almost took a napkin to use as a fan.

"Well, is that so? Boyfriend, huh?" Mr. Veiler finally reacted, widely smiling and tapping Jason's shoulder, with all his strength, but Jason barely noticed it. He was about to shake Tatiana's hand, and she quickly gave him a hug, saying they were all very informal there, which was true, but Dianna knew she also wanted to feel his shoulder and biceps. And she confirmed, because when they separated, Tatiana glanced at Dianna, raising her eyebrows, like saying 'well done, girl'. Dianna smiled, cocky.

"Yes, dad. I didn't tell you because he's very busy and I didn't know if he'd be able to come here" Dianna lied, but her father quickly believed, so she brought Emma and Mikey to introduce them, very aware that her dad would love them.

"These are Jason's kids. Emma and Mike" Dianna barely introduced them, and Mr. Veiler already was hugging them affectionately, shaking Mikey and stating he was a tall young man, and he'd be great at rugby.

"Jason is a military. He works in the Navy with me" Dianna continued to introduce him, and her dad finally stopped talking to the kids. Tatiana had her eyes respectfully on Jason that entire time.

Mr. Veiler opened a wide smile, and laughed, looking at them. "See? I was right then. Best place to find a man, the Armed Forces. Great, honored people" he said to Jason, approving him immediately and tapping his back even stronger than before, and again Jason didn't even seem to notice.

"Are you divorced, Jason?" Tatiana wisely asked, she was more aware of the dangers of dating military men.

"No" Jason shook his head, serious, "I'm a widow" he placed his hands on Emma and Mikey's shoulders, and they obediently made an instant sad face. Dianna smirked, she did that scene with her dad or brother, too, when the circumstances required it. Her mother would approve, and, apparently, Alana too. Dianna's mother would agree that, if someone had to suffer the loss of their mother, they might as well get some advantage back from the world. Which meant, the empathy from strangers.

"Oh" Tatiana and Mr. Veiler said in unison, looking at each other with a stern expression, and Jason now seemed to be completely approved by the Veilers.

"I know how it is" Mr. Veiler came closer to Jason, and placed a hand on his shoulder, and the other one on Mikey's shoulder, "it's hard for a man. We feel lost, right? Unprepared"

Jason stared at him, a bit surprised by his dramatic words, but that's only because he wasn't used to Uruguayans. But Jason nodded, that's how he felt, and Mr. Veiler took a step back and put his arm around Tatiana's shoulder. "But Tatiana was there for me, thank God, and I'm really thankful for her" he said, romantic, and Tatiana raised an eyebrow.

"Sure. That's good" Jason nodded, glancing at Dianna. "We just really want to thank you for the invitation, and I'm sorry, in advance, if the guys bother you or anything, I promise I'll try to keep them under control".

Mr. Veiler chuckled, looking around. "I think they'll do just fine. But it's good to know that they listen to you. I can see you're a leader, then".

"He is" Dianna cockily meddled, glancing at Jason, and he cutely smiled at her. And Dianna instantly gasped.

"Oh" Dianna suddenly said, "the rest of the guys want to introduce themselves" she turned, gesturing at them, who were nearby, kind of waiting, and Ray and Naima came closer, immediately followed by Brock, and Tatiana was already standing more erect, locking eyes on the tall mysterious American.

Dianna discreetly pulled Jason by the hand. "Come, let's gossip" she said, excited, when he frowned, and he walked with her to the side of the inn, dying to know what she thought about him meeting her dad.

Jason saw she was smiling, so he think he did good. "So? Do you think-"

Dianna pulled him closer from his t-shirt, interrupting his naive question, and he quickly understood what she wanted to do there, at that hidden spot. She wanted to make out with him, and he had no objections. So he made out with her. Definitely. And Dianna was thirsty again, because soon enough she was moving her hand inside his pants, but Jason had to stop her, and quickly. "Dianna, if you do that I won't be able to go back to the patio for a while".

"Good" Dianna opened a wide smile, "are you in a room alone?"

Jason swallowed, seeing the hunger in Dianna's eyes, and he really wanted to satiate it, but he didn't know how. He shook his head, breathless. "No. Mikey's with me. He has a key, too".

Dianna pouted, looking to the side. "Well, I could ask you to touch me, but it would turn you on, too. So" she casually shrugged, ignoring his reaction, "come on, let's go back to the patio".

"Wow, hey, wow, wow" Jason took her wrist and pulled her back, hovering over her completely, almost squeezing her against the wall, "maybe we could meet at your bedroom right after lunch, huh?" he suggested, naughty.

But Dianna sighed, looking at his face and caressing his chest with her hands. She was glad she could finally move both hands again. "All bedrooms are next to each other there, and next to the backyard where a lot of people is installing lights and decor. So I wouldn't be able to do anything I'd like to, because I'd be afraid that they could listen" she explained, and Jason was already thinking about what the hell did she want to do to him.

"That's ok" Dianna concluded, with a shrug and a casual look. "It's good to build up some tension, right?", then she casually bit his earlobe while she casually rubbed her hand on his bulge, over his pants. And that, with the promise of what was coming, made Jason get a little too aroused, quickly. So he turned and watched while Dianna walked away, glancing back at him, and he had to stay there for a few moments before coming out to the patio again. He didn't want to shock his new in-laws just yet.

"Ah, come on man" Clay loudly said, mocking at Gustavo, "I can assure you that our team can definitely win over your team". Stella was loving that competitive side of Clay, sometimes she forgot he was like that. So she was taking great advantage of it, rubbing his biceps and encouraging him.

"What's that about teams that you're saying, Spenser?" Jason came closer to the fire pit, with a new can of beer in his hand. They were trying to keep a low profile in Uruguay, so they couldn't really tell anyone that they were Seals. They just told anyone they were soldiers that worked in the Navy. But Jason also was enjoying teasing Gustavo, because he and Dianna went to high school together and Jason noticed how the guy talked to his woman. Too charming. "Remember that anything about our team have to be approved by the leader, huh. Me" Jason cockily said, standing next to the fire pit.

"Well" Gustavo stood up, not even a bit intimidated by all those strong guys ganging up against him. He was loving the fuss. "What a coincidence, Jason. Turns out, I was the captain of my rugby team too. You know, the sport were guys don't need ten kilos of protection to catch a ball and tackle their opponent".

Clay stood up, indignant. "Yeah, but those ten kilos add up to the guy you need to tackle" he tried, but everyone noticed that it was a lame response to Gustavo's tease.

Jason stared at Clay, to make him shut up and sit down. And leave the trash-talk to the real men. The alphas.

"Dude. Come on" Jason mocked, opening his arms and standing closer to Gustavo. Gustavo was a couple of inches taller, but Jason was bigger. "We handle weapons the size of your leg, and our uniform and gear weights half of you. We tackle men, alone, that weights the same as us" Jason exaggerated about the two first things, but not about the last one, "and you're saying that we can't defeat a bunch of high school jocks?" The team guys nodded, almost applauding Jason's mockery.

"That is exactly what I'm saying, man" Gustavo clapped back, smiling and not hesitating for a second, and just for that, he gained their instant respect. "And I'm so sure of that, that I'd like to kick your asses tomorrow during some friendly game" he suggested, and Jason smirked, looking around at the guys, to see what their opinions were.

"We're leaving on Monday. We got plenty of time to kick their asses before packing" Sonny casually said, with a toothpick in his mouth, and the rest of the team agreed. Stella, Naima and Davis were really excited to see their men kick the asses of some Uruguayans in front of them, and Mikey couldn't wait to see his dad kick ass too. Emma was nowhere to be seen.

"Ok. Guys" Dianna intervened, nervously chuckling, but this time she was actually afraid for Bravo Team. "Rugby is hardcore, you guys can get seriously injured. I reeeally don't think-"

"Honey" Jason patiently interrupted Dianna, placing his arm around her waist, "there's no need to be scared for your high school buddies, alright? It's just a friendly game" he dangerously smiled at Gustavo, who was puffing his chest too and dangerously smiling back at Jason. "We won't hurt them" Jason lied.

Dianna sighed. "Well, can't you guys at least play American football then? Instead of rugby" Dianna tried, looking at Gustavo. Jason watched annoyed, he hated when Dianna called football 'American football'. And insisted on calling soccer 'football'.

Gustavo shrugged. "Sure. I don't mind. I'm sure my guys won't mind either. I don't think the Americans would be able to kick the ball forward anyways", he mocked.

"Well, and why would I do that? I played as a QB, not a kicker" Clay mocked, and Ray told him to keep quiet so he wouldn't shame himself.

"What is going on here?" Mr. Veiler came closer to the group. He was already being called as 'Freddy' by everyone, after they heard Gustavo call him that.

"Well, Freddy" Jason placed his other hand on his shoulder, while still keeping his right arm around Dianna's waist, "Gustavo is insisting on playing a friendly game of football with us tomorrow. And of course we accepted" he cockily said, waiting for the support of his new father-in-law.

"Uuh" Freddy said, surprising the team guys, and Jason turned to face him, hurt. "Sorry, guys, but some of them were, like, national champions in rugby. One of them was a world champion, even" he stated, and his support to Dianna's high school friends was a stab to Jason's ego.

"Yes, Freddy" Gustavo smiled at his old friend, "that's right. Julián is in town, and he'll be at your party tonight" he said, and turned to Jason, cockily smiling. "You'll get to meet him then".

"U-hum" Jason held his stare at Gustavo, sipping his beer. "We'll meet him, yes" he stated, annoyed and eager to fight for Freddy's support and esteem. He already won Tatiana's heart during the first five minutes, but Freddy was a little more fickle.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Dianna anxiously pulled Jason away from the group. "Seriously, Jason, I don't like that you keep challenging Gustavo. He's a good friend, and so are the guys that went to high school with me" she said, and Jason squirmed, and looked back at the fire pit. Gustavo was already laughing and talking to the guys, incredibly friendly. Jason looked back at Dianna, shrugging.

"See? We are being friendly. It's a normal trash-talk between guys, Dianna" he tried to calm her down, coming closer and leaning on the big old tree next to her. "It's an alpha thing" he cockily explained, smiling.

Dianna nodded, exhaling, looking at the guys all talking to each other and to Gustavo in a friendly manner. "You're right. Two alphas at the same place, huh?" she teased, and Jason chuckled.

"Yeah. It's all good. I kinda like him" Jason admitted, sincere.

"He's nice" Dianna came really close, touching Jason's body with hers. She exhaled. "Come to think about it, it'd be really nice to watch you play".

"U-hum. You'll be watching" he said, serious, with a husky voice.

"I will. Looking forward to it" she casually said, looking at his lips and eyes, and then leaning with her back on the tree. "You should disperse soon. Get some rest before the party".

Jason came closer to her, almost touching his nose on hers. "What will you be wearing?"

"Something pretty" she answered, "but I might feel a bit cold. I think I'll be drinking and dancing a lot, tonight" she alerted him, lazily grazing a finger from his chest to his stomach.

"Sure. There's that. Or maybe, I can help you fight the cold" he smiled, ready to kiss her, but she slightly pushed his chest back.

"You're thirsty" she teased, repeating the words he told her days before. "Are you always like this, Hayes?" she asked, truly curious. He thought for a couple of seconds, but she wasn't waiting for an answer, it was a rhetorical question. So she escaped to the side and walked back to the group, again glancing at Jason, and he watched her leave. Still thinking about her question.

Jason always was an eager man, but he was definitely very thirsty, lately. For months, now.

He wondered if that thirst would ever fade away. But he hoped not.

.