Chapter Twenty Seven - Texas Bound

New Year's Eve.

"Jude, will you please tell me where we're going now?" I ask as I step out of the bedroom of the private jet.

His eyes darken in desire as they roam over my figure clad in a purple sequin dress. I've paired it with black heels and gold jewelry as well as curled my hair. He's being very secretive about where we're going and all I got out of him was to get ready for a New Year's Eve party two hours before we land. We've been flying for quite a while but I'm not allowed to look outside, ask anyone nor have the screens on to see the destination.

After checking my makeup and making sure I've got everything in my clutch I turn to him with a bemused look. He grins boyishly before standing when we've landed safely and grabs my hand. We make our way to the door of the plane and I thank the staff before following him outside. It's evening time and as I walk down to the tarmac I still don't recognize where we are until I spot a sign that says Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. My jaw drops and I turn to Judah with a shocked expression.

"We're in Texas and you're going to meet my family! Surprise!" He exclaims but I don't match his excitement.

"I'm breaking up with you. Have a nice life." I salute him before walking back into the plane. "Mister Pilot! Get this thing up in the air pronto! We're going back!"

"Dove! Come on...don't be like that! I'm sorry...I just wanted it to be a surprise!" He whines as he pulls me back while our luggage is being taken out and loaded into a car.

"It'd be a nice surprise if I had met them before Judah!" I huff as I pull away from his embrace. "They're going to hate me! Oh god, I should've fucking known you'd do this! Ugh!"

"They don't hate you Mace." He rolls his eyes as he leans against the car waiting for my panic session to be over. "You told me what to tell them and I did. They don't think of you differently."

"How the hell am I even going to introduce myself?!" I snap as I throw my arms up in exasperation. "Hi, I'm Marcella Quintana...yes the daughter of the fucking nutjob who wanted to kill your son. My dad is the reason why you couldn't see your son for months! It's so nice to meet you."

He chuckles at my sarcasm before pulling me into his arms. I sigh and rest my forehead against his as he massages the tension out of my shoulders. "They don't care my love. I promise you that. All they're going to see is the wonderful woman I've fallen head over heels for and they will love you without judgement."

I stare at him for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

"Good girl." He murmurs before placing a lingering kiss to my forehead. "Let's get in yeah?"

We buckle up in the car as Judah drives out of the airport grounds and towards the center of Dallas before I turn to him. "You promise I can run away if your family don't like me?"

"I promise." He leans over to kiss me sweetly. "But it won't happen."

"Wait...what about work? How long are we here for?"

"We're here for a month and are going back after Noah's birthday on third February. I contacted Griffin and booked days off for you. We're both going to be working for two weeks before we're officially on holiday." He explains and I nod in understanding.

Judah tells me his home is roughly forty minutes away from the center of Dallas. He plays my favorite music which helps me to calm down a little as we jam out in the car. When we finally get into the heart of Dallas I watch him with a soft smile as he lights up with joy. He takes a little detour and drives around to show me all the places he used to hang out at when he was younger along with his school.

And then he all but speeds like a maniac to get home.

"Judah! Slow down! They're not going to kill you if we're a few minutes late!" I squeal as I smack into his arm when he goes around a bend.

"The guests arrive in twenty minutes and I want everyone to have enough time to meet you. In case you forgot I have a huge family dove." He grunts as he switches gears.

"Guests?"

His face looks like a deer caught in headlights as he glances at me. "Uh...yeah...it's a party being thrown by the Jacksons for family and friends. Did I – I didn't tell you that?"

"I'm going to kill you." I face palm as my heart starts to pound in nervousness. "So, I have to meet your family and then literally everyone else you know all in one day?!"

"I'm so sorry! I'll make it up to you I swear!" He replies guiltily and I sigh heavily in response.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick."

"Don't you dare ruin this precious baby! I will leave you stranded!" He frowns as he pets the steering wheel of the sports car he's rented.

I give him an 'are you serious?' look to which he just smiles sheepishly in response to. I take deep breaths to calm myself as we roll up to a huge house and Judah scans his fingerprint for the gates to be opened. My jaw drops in awe at the glimpse of land stretching for miles with woods bordering it. It's set up with tables, a dance floor, lights and party decorations ready to go for the evening ahead.

"Jude!" I gasp once he opens my door and helps me out. "I didn't bring anything!"

"I got us covered don't worry. The gifts are from both of us." He smiles before pecking my cheek. "Ready to meet my family?"

I can only nod nervously in response. He intertwines our hands and we make our way to the front door. I can already hear the loud chattering of conversation from outside and it only makes me more anxious knowing that I must impress a lot of people today.

"You're going to be great and they love you already." Judah whispers to me as he gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. "I love you Mace. I'm sorry for putting you on the spot and I could've done this better but I got lost in all my excitement. I promise I'll make it up to you dove."

"It's okay...just don't leave me until I'm comfortable please." I beg and he chuckles softly before giving me one last kiss.

He opens the door and steps inside with me following behind. I take my hand out of his and gesture for him to greet his family properly before their attention will be taken by me and the guests. He smiles understandingly before running and throwing himself over the couch to land in between them with a loud hello. I watch as everyone screams and hollers excitedly as they all rush to hug him. Even the children are whining for his attention and I can already tell he's their favorite.

His gaze finds mine again and his smile is breath-taking as he walks up to me with adoration shining bright in his eyes. "Guys...meet my girlfriend Marcella Quintana."

"Marcie or Mar is fine too." I smile and wave at everyone.

Everyone rushes forward and my eyes widen but thankfully Judah tells them to calm down. I grin as they all grumble to him about wanting to meet me first. His parents walk towards me and I step forward to greet them.

"Hi mister and misses Jackson. It's nice to meet you. I'm Marcella." I hold out my hand but curse myself mentally for the way my voice trembles slightly.

"It's lovely to finally meet you darlin!" Judah's mom hugs me tightly which surprises me. "Judah told us what happened and I'm so glad you're okay."

"Great to meet you at last Marcella! And how is your brother doing?" Evan asks worriedly and Michelle nods eagerly as she turns to me.

"Yes, Jude told us he woke up. How's he feeling?"

"He's doing well thank you." I smile warmly when they sigh in relief. "He was discharged before Christmas eve but his muscles are taking their sweet time to loosen up so he's in and out of appointments to help with that."

"We got him some things to help with his recovery and a few gifts – no buts missy!" Michelle tuts when I open my mouth to protest. "You must bring him next time too. We'd love to meet him!"

"I will and thank you so much. That's very sweet!" I smile as they pull me forward to meet the rest of the family.

One by one I meet Judah's brothers, his sisters-in-laws and their children before getting to Noah who is the youngest sibling. I meet the newest addition to Theo and Charlotte's family too which is baby boy Kieran Jackson. The guests start arriving after a few minutes when Charlotte pulls me aside.

"Thank you for helping and protecting him. He got into that mess because of me and I didn't know what was happening until he came back. I'm glad he found someone like you." She smiles before giving me a tight hug.

"My father and his men are the only ones to blame so please don't feel guilty." I reassure her and she nods but I can tell she doesn't fully believe it. "It brought me and Judah together so I guess we should be thanking you."

She laughs when I wink at her before nodding in a mock snobby fashion. "Well, at least someone is grateful!"

"Girls!" Ella calls and points outside. "We're going to grab a table for ourselves after greeting the guests so we'll meet there okay?"

We both nod at her before Judah wraps an arm around my waist and kisses Charlie's cheek in greeting. "Charles, you look amazing as always! You'll let me babysit Kieran won't you?"

"Not unless Marcella is with you." She snorts before walking off to her husband.

I giggle at Judah's pout before kissing his cheek. He rolls his eyes playfully before guiding me out the door and into the crowd of guests. "Let me introduce you to some people before we can relax with my family."

I find myself getting comfortable the more I meet people and mingle. The party is in full swing and we dance a few times with the rest of the family before the girls wave me over. I let Judah know who's now catching up with his friends from school and he kisses my cheek before I leave. Elena scoots over and opens her arms for me to hug her which I happily do with a laugh. Almost everyone is here except Jude, his parents and the children.

"So, Judah told us you met at a charity ball?" Elena asks and I frown in confusion before realizing Judah probably didn't want to tell them where we really met without my permission.

"We met at a strip club the night before where I was on an assignment. The next day I was given another assignment to kill Judah at the charity ball." I explain and their eyes widen as Judah joins us.

"Shame you didn't finish the job." Noah mutters under his breath before crying out when Jude lunges at him.

"You said I was your favorite and now you want me gone?!" Judah exclaims and the rest of the brothers turn to Noah with frowns, grumbling about how he had said that to all of them.

Noah shoves Judah off him with a roll of his eyes before smirking at everyone. "You can't expect me to be the youngest and not trick you guys into getting what I want."

Everyone laughs at that before Ella cuts in with bright eyes. "Where did he take you on your first date?"

"Ugh! Kill me now." Judah groans as he pulls me up and takes my seat before making me sit on his lap due to limited space.

"Judah organized a breakfast date in our tent in the Russian woods somewhere. It was very sweet though with his stash of snacks that he stole from the safe house. He even melted chocolate to cover the strawberries." I chuckle as he smiles fondly at me and tucks my hair behind one ear.

"Aw, you're so cute Jude!" Charlotte coos as she reaches over to pinch his cheeks.

"Piss off! I am not." He gently swats her hand away with a low mutter.

"I think you're cute." I murmur and he grins goofily which makes everyone snicker.

"Whipped!" His brothers cough into their hands before bursting out laughing when he glares at them.

"As if you all aren't for your wives!" Judah retorts as he tightens his hold on me.

"I'm the only one not in the club!" Noah cheers before freezing when Theo shoots him a smug look.

"Really? You're not head over heels for Evie?"

Everyone teases him instantly and it only gets louder when he blushes. Noah shakes his head before dashing out of his chair. "See you guys later!"

"He's dating the girl and she's around here somewhere." Theo shrugs as he turns back to us while taking a sip of his beer.

"Okay, tell us more about your time on the run!" Zoe claps excitedly which makes Hunter stare at her with a tender smile.

Judah and I glance at each other before launching straight into the events that occurred over the past few months. His parents join in mid-way before Noah comes back with his girlfriend Evie. She's cute with blonde hair, big green eyes and pale skin. They're completely entranced until the end when everything becomes heavy. Judah lightens our moods though by pulling everyone to the dance floor again.

I chuckle when Jude's friends and cousins find all the Jackson brothers and drag them away to get more drinks. The girls and I dance together before we venture back to our table when the cake is being served. They make sure their children all get some before joining me again. From the corner of my eye, I see Noah walking Evie out and I assume her parents are here to pick her up since it's nearly midnight.

"How long are you in town for Marcella?" Elena asks as she hands me a plate of heaven that is chocolate cake.

"Me and Judah leave after Noah's birthday so a whole month. You guys?"

"Me and Rome live in Houston so we're up and down a lot." Elena explains before Charlotte speaks up. "Me and Theo live near here, about two neighborhoods away so a fifteen-minute drive."

"Me and Zoe are here for a week and then we'll be back for Noah's birthday." Ella explains with a sad pout. "I live in Toronto, Canada whereas she and Hunt live in New York."

"Aw, that's okay. We can exchange numbers and video call so you guys don't miss out!" I smile but Zoe holds up a finger as she takes out her phone.

"Even better! We've got two group chats. One for just us girls and another with all the family so I'll add you to both. What's your number?" She leans towards me and I take my phone out to exchange numbers with everyone and get added to the group chats.

"Since we all have a week with you two being in town we need to have a girl's night...and go to the club!" Elena states firmly and we all nod with wide smiles. "Amazing! I'll plan it!"

"I'll check over everything to make sure it's nothing crazy." Charlie laughs before groaning when her eyes fixate on something and widen. "Oh god, that's Jude's ex!"

I look in that direction to see a tall woman sitting down next to Judah with a flirty smile. Judah is obviously drunk as he smiles goofily at the server who hands him and the group plates of cake. She's dressed in a skin-tight gold dress with her hair and makeup done effortlessly. She looks like a model and for a fleeting moment I become jealous until I remember Judah is mine.

"You better get over there Mar." Charlie murmurs worriedly when the ex puts a hand on Judah's thigh as she laughs.

"He better throw her hand off – that's my boy!" Elena fist pumps the air just as the men join us along with their parents.

"What's that girl doing here? I never liked her." Evan grumbles as he takes a seat with a huff.

"Forget the girl! What's Judah doing?! He's not stopping her!" Michelle exclaims in displeasure.

"Jude's hammered ma." Noah smirks mischievously as he walks up to us.

"Marcie! Do something!" Ella whispers before face palming herself. "Why am I whispering?!"

"Oh my god the personal bubble has been invaded people!" Zoe squeals as we watch Judah's ex get very close to whisper something in his ear. "Marcella! Go!"

"He'll be fine." I chuckle as I happily eat the cake while they stare at me incredulously.

I watch as Judah doesn't notice her advances until she leans forward for a kiss. Everyone around me inhales sharply but I know what's about to happen. He realizes what's going on just as her lips are away from his, panics and smashes his piece of chocolate cake across her face before running away. We hear him shout saying, "I have a girlfriend and she'll kick your ass into next week!"

I grab the back of his coat as he rushes past and gently yank him to me. He makes a loud noise of relief before hugging me tightly and peppering my face with kisses. I scrunch my nose as everyone laughs at us before pushing him off me lightly otherwise I know he'll keep going.

"Did you see that – the girl?! I wasn't flirting with her I swear! And she wanted to kiss me but I stopped it!" He rambles while I watch on in amusement. He looks around at everyone else before he gasps with wide eyes and stares at the girl trying to get cake off her eyes. "I wasted my chocolate cake on her! I didn't even get to have a bite!"

"You can share with me love. I got two." I slide my plate towards him and chuckle when he lights up.

"Wait...you knew he was going to do that?!" Charlie splutters out a laugh when I nod.

"Ever since we got together he has a habit of panicking around women flirting with him, especially whenever he's drunk." I explain and they all shake their heads in amusement.

"Ugh I'm in heaven!" Judah groans as he devours the slice. "Where the hell did you get this ma?"

"Actually, Zoe made it." Evan grins proudly at his daughter-in-law while he finishes his own.

"Zo, I'll give you a million dollars if you become my chef and just bake that every day." Judah states seriously.

"No way!" Hunter exclaims before giving his wife an incredulous look when she seems like she's considering it. "You can't be serious Red?!"

"Two million!"

"It's two million Hunt!" Zoe cries out dramatically which makes him smile playfully.

"Fine but I keep our children."

"Okay no, I won't be able to live without my babies!" She giggles as she cuddles up to her husband. "Sorry Judah."

"Ten million!" Judah slams his hands down as he leans over the table.

"And I think it's time for bed! Come on Jude." I chuckle as I pull him up.

"I'll show you to his room." Noah grins before draping Judah's other arm across his shoulder to help me.

"Thanks Noah." I grin before turning to the rest. "I'll see you guys tomorrow morning."

A series of goodbyes echo behind me and I wave at them as we walk towards the house. I take in everything as we make our way upstairs and Noah opens Judah's bedroom door. It's clean which I expected since Judah loves things to be tidy whereas I can go a few days with a mess. We set him down on the bed and he lays on his back with a satisfied sigh while I turn to Noah.

"Thanks for the help Noah, I've got him from here. Have a good night." I smile as he walks backwards to the door.

"No problem! I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow!" He grins and waves before shutting the door.

"Dove!" Judah whines as he searches on the bed for me. "Come here, I want to cuddle."

Judah also turns even more affectionate and loves cuddling when he's drunk. I chuckle and tell him I need to get him cleaned up first before pulling him up. We freshen up in the bathroom and change into our pajamas before I turn off the light and get into bed. He hums contently as he pulls me closer before kissing my cheek a few times.

"I love you so much my little dove." He murmurs as I kiss him. "I told you they'd love you."

"You did, didn't you?" I whisper and smile when a big yawn escapes him. "How about we go to sleep and you can continue gloating tomorrow."

"You know me so well I could cry." He mutters sleepily which makes me laugh softly.

"Love you Jude."

"I love you more Mace. Night." He mumbles before drifting off to sleep.

It doesn't take me long to follow him and I slip away easily, content after having a good day and excited for what's in store.

Update schedule is: once a week whenever I find time!

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