Committed to You

Chapter 2 Georgia On My Mind

"Well, Mom, what did she say?"

Elise's eyes shifted between Sloan and Jet.  She lowered her voice and said, "Renatta doesn't want all of Alpharetta in her business, like they were in what happened between you and Jet.  She said that she's happier than she's ever been and will not jinx it."

Jet raised his eyebrow.  He didn't say anything but did glance over to Sloan who had turned red as a summer rose. Alpharetta wasn't a small country town, but it was a small city with a pipeline that connected many homes in the community to gossip.  The Jensen family and the Trent family had places in the middle of the hubbub. 

The Trents' family store was very popular, and Mr. Jensen's postal route put him in connection with everybody.  Elise was very active in the community when the kids were growing up and had been an active volunteer for civic and church functions for years.  It wasn't unusual to find something written up about the Trents or the Jensens in the local newspaper.  That was how life worked in Alpharetta.  Elise rolled her thumbs together, wishing she'd never brought up Renatta. 

Her husband came up from the basement, only to be shocked and happy to see Sloan.  He was dismayed to see one of the twins.  Dillon greeted Sloan with enthusiasm extending his arms to embrace her, then rolled his eyes, staring at the one he perceived to be Justin.  Certainly Jet would never set his foot on Jensen property.  "Hello, Justin. I wasn't expecting to see a Trent."

Elise tapped him on the shoulder.  "It's not Justin."

Her father grunted heavily.  "Jet?" 

All of a sudden everything seemed quite awkward and tension was as thick as red Georgia clay.  Her father's mouth dropped open.  Dillon's face hardened; he was very upset.  Elise patted him on the shoulder, hoping to calm him down.  Dillon looked between the two of them, eyes narrowed, waiting for some reasonable explanation as to how Jet could possibly be standing in the same space with anyone from the Jensen family.

"It's okay, Dad.  It's been seven years."

Jet had a woeful look on his face.  Being with Sloan at this moment was hard.  He'd give anything to clean up the mess he'd made.  Though he'd sought to be forgiven, she'd shut him out.  Seven years might stand between them, but in reality time hadn't lapsed because they'd never brought closure to the matter. 

The moment he'd laid eyes on Sloan, there was pain that made him raw and love that made him weak.  He didn't know what to expect when he saw her, but the jolt that he experienced was far beyond anything he would have imagined.  Now he was in their doorway not only with Sloan but with her angry father. 

Dillon and Jet had a good relationship until the breakup.  The situation caused him to be loathed.  Could Jet blame him?  No.  Things would have been a lot easier if he weren't there. His mind searched, trying to think of something to say to lift the Titanic that seemed to have entered the room.  "Dillon, I am ... "

Dillon cut him off "It was Dillon. Now it's Mr. Jensen."

Elise reached out her hand.  She held Jet's hand in one and Dillon's hand in the other.  "Come now, our children are home.  We will not continue this.  The fact that they are here together is a pure miracle.  Jet, you will call him Dillon as always.  Dillon, you will be grateful that Sloan is standing in our home.  Do you realize what a blessing this is?"

Dillon sliced Jet with an icy glare.  He mumbled something under his breath, removing his hand from Elise's.  "Only for Sloan's sake will I tolerate him being here."

"For Sloan's sake is a good place to start, honey.  Goodness, sweetheart, you must be hungry from the flight.  Come in the kitchen, and let me fix you and Jet some dinner."  Elise ambled off to prepare the food.