Title: These (Not) Truths: Jeff
Summary: "And the prince loved the princess?" Jeff wondered.
Jeff sat alone, listening to his wife tell Melly about the good prince and his beautiful princess.
"What then?" asked Melly.
Ashley frowned. "Well, he took her out of the castle and away from the scary dragon and they lived happily ever after."
Melly's voice was long-suffering. "I know that. What did they do?"
"Well – uh – they got married," invented Ashley.
"Will I get married?"
"When you're older…and after your prince meets us." Her voice sounded mock stern. "Your prince has to meet us first."
Jeff swallowed hard.
"Promise to be nice."
"If he's nice, I'll be nice."
"You'll love him, dad. He's like a giant prince charming."
"He's still dating my daughter."
"Did the prince do that?"
There was a creaking as Ashley lay on the bed with Melly. "Yes, and he was really scared."
"Da-a-ad, he got a haircut and new clothes and everything. Please be nice."
"Why?"
"Because mommy's and daddy's are scarier than fire-breathing dragons," Ashley quipped.
Jeff laughed softly.
Jeff met them at the door with narrowed eyes. "You're Sam?"
Jessica looked to her mom for help.
The boy appeared as though he was about to hyperventilate. He took a deep breath. "It's nice to meet you, sir." He put a hand out and, reluctantly, Jeff took it.
Ashley continued, "But the mommy and daddy liked him and they told the princess that they liked him and she was really happy."
"He's not bad," Jeff bit out.
Ashley and Jessica exchanged their typical 'girls only' look. Jessica sidled up to him. "Thank you, dad." She gave him a hug. She then turned to her mother and said, in an exaggerated whisper, "Give it three days and he'll love him."
Jeff scowled. "Don't push it."
"So, the mommy and daddy loved him?" asked Melly.
Jeff walked in the kitchen to see him beating at cake mix while Melly tried to tie her doll's apron around his waist. Ashley and Jessica sat at the table with cans of coke and one of Jess' textbooks.
"They've got you baking?" said Jeff.
Jess interrupted as Sam looked up. "Don't break his concentration. He makes yummy cake." She grinned at Melly. "You want chocolate cake."
"Yeah!" said Melly. Her careful knot fell from around Sam's waist and the apron landed on the floor.
"Just don't burn my kitchen down," Ashley joked.
Sam responded seriously, "Yes, ma'am."
"And the princess loved him?"
"Sam is my Latin tutor," Jessica explained. She then planted a kiss on Sam's lips, right in front of them all. Jeff cringed. Jessica didn't look away from her boyfriend. "You got to watch out for those smart ones."
"I'd like to think I'm good-looking, too," Sam teased.
Jessica hmm'd. "Well, I guess, on some scale, you could qualify as -."
"Really hot!" interrupted Dinah, Jessica's fifteen-year-old cousin. They stared at her. She shrugged.
Jessica nodded. "Yeah, that."
"And the prince loved the princess?"
"How serious are the two of you?" Jeff asked.
Sam immediately answered, "Very serious." He blushed. "Well – on my side – I'm very serious. I think Jess is." He suddenly looked unsure. "I hope so, anyway."
Jeff sighed because, if he knew Jessica, she was damn serious.
"And the prince loved the princess?"
"The prince loved her very much," said Ashley.
"There have been some weird things happening since you came around."
Sam looked Jeff in the eye. "I would never hurt Jess."
And the prince loved the princess?
That was the question, wasn't it?
How was it? Review.