She jumped like she’d been stuck in a trance. She blinked two times. “No, not really. I’m freaking out, but yeah, let’s go.”
She got out of the car without further comment and strode toward the house with quick steps. He caught up with her at the door. “Let’s go over the plan one more time,” she said without looking at him.
“We are dating,” he said by rote. “Fake dating will never enter the conversation. You came into the shop before you went on the show. There were sparks, but you’d committed to the show and didn’t think it could be real, so you went, but because I’m the best thing ever, you couldn’t stop thinking about me while you were on the show, and we reconnected when you came back. We dated in secret until after the finale when we could go public.”
“Perfect.” She raised her hand to knock but stopped before her fist made contact with the wood. “Still freaking out, by the way.”
“I know, but I’m here.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him, then nodded. Without further ado, she knocked, and a few seconds later, a woman who looked like an older, more conservative version of Jada answered. Her mother, clearly. Her dark brown hair, lightly streaked with gray, was pulled back into a neat bun. She wore black slacks and a blue lightweight sweater. Nothing obviously fancy, but Donovan recognized quality clothing when he saw it. Her dark eyes, so like her daughter’s, were assessing and missed nothing. “Jada, so happy you could make it. Please come in.”
Donovan placed a hand at the small of Jada’s back and followed her inside. Shit. She was trembling. His hand tightened at her waist. He wished he could draw her into a hug and tell her everything was going to be okay. But her mom was in earshot, and Jada had expressly forbidden any public displays of affection. Her parents were not fans. Still, he couldn’t resist a quick squeeze of her waist.
Jada leaned back against him slightly. “Mom, this is Donovan Dell.”
He held out his right hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Townsend-Matthews.”
She shook his hand in a simple, businesslike gesture and inclined her head in his direction. “Points to you for using my title, but please call me Nina. My husband and other daughter are waiting in the living room.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jada raise her wrist to glance at her watch. He squeezed her waist again. They weren’t late. She could relax on that front. But on other fronts? Well, the jury was still out.
He’d done a bit of research before coming here tonight. Her parents were both doctors and scientists, as was Jada’s sister. Those credentials could intimidate the most secure of individuals.
The home was spacious and well-appointed without being ostentatious. These were people who had money but wouldn’t dream of blinging out their home. The house was decorated with expensive, yet understated items, as though professionals had been called in for the job without much input from the home’s residents. Wood floors, tasteful splashes of blues and greens mixed in with the neutral palette of grays and white. The warmth he so closely associated with Jada was missing.
They passed a spiral staircase and entered the living room located toward the back of the house. A man and woman stood from the sectional sofa dominating the space. Jada’s father and sister, clearly. Like her mother, Jada’s dad was dressed simply in a well-tailored blue button-down shirt and slacks. He had close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair and a medium build. Jada’s sister eyed him with curiosity. Unsurprisingly, she and Jada bore a striking resemblance to each other, though she had a few inches on Jada.
“Jada, I’m glad you could join us this evening,” her dad said. “Why don’t you introduce us to your young man?”
Jada gripped Donovan’s hand. “Donovan, this is my father, Walter. Dad, meet Donovan Dell, and as I’m sure you know, he plays for the Knights.”
Her father’s eyebrows drew together. “Of course I know. You think I’m going to let someone date my daughter without finding out everything there is to know about him, especially when we didn’t know he existed three days ago?”
Donovan took it as the threat it was obviously meant to be. And the fact that her father cared little about his wife’s family business.
Jada sighed, a vee of stress appearing between her eyes. “Donovan, this is my sister, Patrice.”
Donovan nodded at them. “It’s nice to meet you both. Thank you for inviting me.”
“This should be fun,” Patrice said, eyeing him with speculation. “I can’t wait until Grams gets here.”