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Miranda found Jase sitting on the edge of the bed in her childhood bedroom. His head bowed, wrists resting on his well-formed thighs, hands dangling down between them. The late afternoon sun streamed through the window setting the golden hair on his forearms glistening. Her breath caught in her throat. His stunning male beauty continued to catch her off guard.

“What is it Jase?”

He glanced up at her, pain flitting across his face before his expression went blank. Ice formed in Miranda’s veins. He had been acting stiff, stilted, ever since he stepped into the living room. Oh, he was polite enough, but something was very wrong.

“Please Jase, just talk to me. Tell me what is going on,” Miranda pleaded.

At 27 years of age, she had wondered if she would ever meet, THE ONE, and then she had met Jason at a party her friend threw. She had fallen for his lean golden beauty and his quiet strength of purpose. It had taken him months of dating before he had finally agreed to meet her folks. So, why now? Why was he sitting up here looking like his favorite dog died? He seemed to get along with her parents. She had not noticed anything that might have upset him. What was going on?

“Miranda, I’m just not sure if I’m ready for this meeting of the family. Maybe I should leave now.”

Pain lanced through her as he made this pronouncement. Miranda wanted to kick, scream, yell, and tear some hair out— preferably his. Instead, she cradled his head against her abdomen, ignoring the champagne bubbles threatening to race through her veins, and held him close. Touching him was bittersweet, especially as she felt him withdrawing.

“I was married before,” he spoke so softly Miranda wasn’t sure she heard him.

“You were what?” The edge of panic and desperation threatened to claw its way out of her throat on Miranda’s exclamation.

“Isn’t that something rather important, important enough to have maybe shared this with me earlier in our relationship?” Miranda was not able to keep the knife-edge of fear from her tone.

Jase lifted haunted golden eyes up to look into Miranda’s pain-filled slate gray eyes. Time suspended as they stared at each other. An eternity later Miranda’s eyes drifted shut, one lonely tear tracking down her face.

 

Jason wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. It was his turn to cradle her against his rock hard chest. Love for this wee sprite filled him as he nestled her closer. Maybe if he could get close enough this pain that burned deep in his belly would go away.

As Jason cradled Miranda, he recalled meeting her at a New Year’s Eve Party six months following his divorce. She flitted around like a small fey creature from first one group then over to that lonely person, back and forth until she had chatted with everyone. She was a small dark woman with laughing eyes and a dimple that twinkled whenever she smiled. She did not appear to be with any one individual. When midnight struck, it seemed destined that they would find each other. One long startling kiss later, they walked out hand in hand.

It took him months to get his head and heart moving along in the same general direction, but he had come to the realization that it was finally time to move on. Miranda filled his life with goodness, laughter, and sunshine. Moving towards that sunshine made more sense to Jason than anything else had in a very long time. He was the one that had suggested that all-important, first meeting of the parents.

“I’ve put you through hell, haven’t I?” he whispered in her ear.

“I just don’t understand how you kept a prior marriage hidden from me. And why now? Why have you chosen this occasion to tell me you have been married before?”

“How many of your siblings will I be meeting tonight?”

“Why on earth is that important,” Miranda said with unusual force, “and what does this have to do with your being married before?”

“I just need to know.” He shivered as if a ghost had walked across his grave.

“And I really could use some answers right about now.” Miranda looked stricken, but as Jason watched her, she tossed her head and continued, “Frankie is in Iraq and Justin is on his honeymoon—so they won’t be here…Oh my God, Justin’s bride!” She shuddered.

“That’s when everything changed. You saw the picture of Justin and his bride up on the wall of rogues…You’re afraid my family is going to pressure you into marrying me! Please tell me you’re afraid.”

“Miranda, I am not afraid of making a commitment to you. Okay, maybe I’m a little afraid…well…maybe a lot afraid. No,” he shook his head, “I am not afraid of committing to you, it’s just…”

 

Rapidly blinking back tears that threatened to spill down her lovely face, Miranda stroked the side of Jase’s face, cradling it in her small hand. How could one man have come to mean so much to her? Her family had spent years teasing her about being, “Miss Independence.”

When she first started dating Jason her family started a betting pool on how long it would be before she tossed him out of her life. Despite the fact that they were approaching their second anniversary of their first meeting, no one really believed that she would ever find a man she would be willing to share her life with and now it felt as if it was all falling apart.

 

“Jase, what are you trying to tell me? Why does that photo upset you?” Miranda pulled slightly away from Jason.

“What is the name of your brother’s bride?”

Miranda tamped down the fear again. She was determined to remain calm. “Carrie Ann Southerland, unless she changes it to Grant…Oh…Southerland…Jason, Jason Southerland… Is she somehow related to you?”

 

The End

Katie, my heart goes out to you with the loss of your pug. Our pets become a big part of our lives and the loss can be painful.

I have spoken to several people about getting involved in the challenge and one of them as talked to another person, so...we'll see, eh?

Pedi nurse, mom of three--exhausted

Very cool--congrats Lauren!

Katie--if you are still looking for someone to look over your scene you can email it to me (addy under my name).

Nini: there is a thread or at least a vehicle for creating a thread througout the stories--the box, right?

BTW, don't you want to be my friend? Go check your friend/buddy list, please.

How exciting to see you have won an award!

Years ago (when my babies were small) I was working on an inner city volunteer program to pair volunteers with teen moms--it was in hopes that we could help them learn parenting skills. One of the other volunteers was the mom of 21 children, 9 twin births and 3 single births--she was this totally amazing woman and she was ultra organized!