The plan was simple.

Jason and Damon were to have a private chat, just between the two of them. No one else was allowed, and both agreed to keep it that way. Walking towards the two-story house, Jason gripped his girlfriend’s hand. Earlier, he claimed he wasn’t nervous, but truthfully, it felt like walking into a boxing ring for a fight. He’d always feel a tightness in his stomach before a match, and this was the same feeling. He tried to think of it as an interview, but Damon's overly hostile nature made it impossible.

“You’re gonna do great, baby,” Jillian reassured him with a soft smile, standing by his side and giving his hand a reassuring squeeze as she pressed her body into his arm. Jason looked down at her for a moment before leaning in for a kiss, which she eagerly reciprocated, wrapping her arms around his neck to prolong the moment. He gladly fell into the deepened kiss, and she responded with a soft moan as he moved his own arms to wrap around her and hold her close. Their embrace intensified as he lifted her slightly, his hands finding purchase by grasping her plump butt. Lost in the heat of the moment, their kisses grew louder and more fervent as their lips smacked together.

Even after a day filled with sex and passion, it seemed like it hadn’t diminished much as the night fell. Really, the tension of the meeting only made them want it more. The couple’s spontaneous make-out session was interrupted by a throat clearing. They quickly turned to see a doorbell camera lit up, capturing their moment. Jason’s eyes widened with a hint of fear.

“You’re lucky my husband never bothers to check the cameras,” Ginny teased over the intercom.

“S-sorry, Mrs. Lins,” he stammered, setting Jillian down, much to her annoyance.

“Mom! Don’t be such a pervert,” Jillian added with a grumble, crossing her arms as they finally entered.

Walking inside, it was surprisingly quiet since everyone had been instructed to stay in their rooms for the next hour or so. Ginny, June, and Jillian were in charge of keeping the smaller kids entertained. Jillian pulled him down to give Jason a quick kiss on the cheek.

“You’ve got this, stud,” she said with a wink, offering him more encouragement before making her way to the kids’ room. Jason had to resist the urge to playfully smack her butt as she walked away—it had become a bit of a habit at this point. Taking a deep breath, he stood just outside the entranceway to the kitchen, preparing himself for the task ahead.

When he finally walked in he quickly saw Damon reading a paper, waiting at the head of the table. He was still in his work clothes that were covered in bits of grime and what seemed like concrete dust lingered on his plaid shirt.

“Good evening, Mr. Lins. Good to see you again,” Jason said as he confidently approached the man and offered his hand for a shake. Damon glanced up at Jason’s face, then at the offered hand, with the same stern expression that hardly ever changed when Jason was around.

Damon stared at the hand for a long moment, but Jason kept it extended without retracting. After another second of nothing, Damon finally folded the paper he was reading and placed it neatly on the kitchen table. Then, standing, he reached over and grabbed Jason’s hand with a grip like a vice, shaking it firmly. They held the handshake for a long while as they competed in a silent test of strength before finally letting go.

“Take a seat,” Damon said in his gruff tone, sitting back down as himself. Jason nodded and sat nearby, keeping his back straight, and his hands clasped together on the table.

Damon couldn’t help but let out a huff as he eyed the young man who was trying to win over his daughter. It seemed like Jillian and Jason were already more than simply interested in each other. Even though she seemed happier than ever before, Damon couldn’t shake off his concerns. He was her father, and he was determined to stop anyone he didn’t approve of from taking her away again.

Ever since he found out about the past and how his daughter had gotten basically kidnapped, he’d been feeling like a failure of a father. He couldn’t protect his eldest daughter from being used before, and it was like a searing brand on his heart that marked him unfit as a parent. Just the thought of that Luis guy made him sick to his stomach. He really wished he could just have a chance to talk to him. All he would need would be a couple of minutes to make him see the light.

The current issue wasn’t Luis though. It was this new Jason character. He was the blast from the past, the old flame who Damon suspected was probably defiling his precious little girl! Even though she was in her late twenties, she’d always be his little girl. Just looking at the man sitting across from him made Damon furious, but he promised himself to give the guy a mostly fair chance. Yet, all he’d done so far was glare at him for what felt like ages. Jason just sat there calmly, not saying a word, waiting for a question or something, which annoyed Damon even more. Was he too scared to speak up, or what?

“How old are you?” Damon asked.

Jason replied promptly, “I’m twenty-six, sir.” He spoke clearly and confidently.

“Twenty-six? When I was your age, I was working fourteen-hour shifts, married, and already had my first child, Jillian.”

It almost sounded like bragging, but Jason sensed the unspoken question behind it. “What about you? Why don’t you have these things? Why aren’t you more put together?”

Quickly catching on to the older man’s style, Jason knew he’d need to read between the lines during this conversation.

Jason quickly explained about his job and hobbies and how he oversaw a whole team at work and typically worked most weekends. He also mentioned his amateur boxer career to stay fit and protect himself and those he cares about. Mainly adding the last part to sweeten it up a little. Then, ending with, “I have always been quite busy and never really met someone I wanted to date until now, so I haven’t gotten the chance to start a family of my own… yet.”

Damon seemed intrigued by this, his brow raising for a moment.

“No past girlfriends? I find that hard to believe. A guy like you surely has plenty of prospects lined up,” Damon continued, still glaring hard at Jason, who shook his head.

“No, sir. In all honesty, until recently, I never had any kind of romantic interest in women... Not that I was interested in men either, mind you,” Jason explained. Damon grinned slightly at this.

“Not even in your younger years?” he asked, his tone carrying a more sinister edge. Jason was wary but answered nevertheless.

“No, sir. None that I can recall.”

Damon’s eyes flashed like he had just caught Jason in a trap.

“Oh? Well, my daughter mentioned you both attended the same high school. Care to elaborate on that?” Damon’s tone carried a hint of triumph. Jason’s eyes widened in surprise. Had Jillian explained their shared history to her parents? He paused, momentarily stunned. Damon’s smirk seemed to suggest he had just sealed his fate. Unexpectedly, Jason lowered his head and released a sigh.

“Yes, sir... we did attend school together. But I’ve since moved past any grievances and forgiven her.”

Damon’s smile faded, and he sat there blinking a few times, a little stunned.

“Grievances?”

Damon was a bit confused by this twist. Why would Jason need to forgive his daughter for what went on in high school? He had figured Jason was just another boyfriend who didn’t measure up to Jillian’s standards and got dumped like the rest of the pathetic idiots she dated. If Jason was seriously about to say he forgave his daughter for breaking up with him, Damon was about to get very angry.

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“Yeah, even though she made my high school years pretty miserable, I wouldn’t be who I am today without her. And I forgave her a few days ago for it,” Jason explained. Damon frowned deeply at the young man.

“Did she now? And how long were you and Jill dating that she made your high school life so bad?” He wondered just how overdramatic the boy was if a single relationship had ruined all those years. Someone so fragile could never handle his headstrong daughter, no matter how long ago it was.

“Dating?… Umm, sir, we never dated in high school. She used to bully me...” Jason felt a knot forming in his stomach, feeling that something wasn’t right.

“Bully you?!” Damon growled out. “So, you’re trying to say that my daughter bullied you into a relationship, and now you’re trying to get her back after all these years? And you had her apologize for it?” Damon’s rather outlandish accusation caught Jason off guard.

Jason quickly shook his head. “No, sir, I’m telling you we never dated. We weren’t even friends back then. She was just a regular bully, you know? She teased and insulted me about my looks and weight. I was pretty overweight back then. She… didn’t tell you?” The knot in his stomach tightened even more.

“Boy, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Damon said, looking rather confused and even more angry now.

“Shit,” Jason whispered to himself. He had just accidentally exposed Jillian’s past to her father.

“Um, could we just forget about what I said earlier?” Jason suggested, feeling a dry lump in his throat.

“No, we can’t,” Damon retorted firmly. “You’re now accusing my daughter, who was under five feet tall in high school, of being a bully. She has suffered enough at the hands of some random bastard. So I don’t take kindly to people like you spreading rumors about her!”

He slammed his fist on the table with a loud thud.

“Look, I’m not trying to spread any rumors. I honestly thought Jill had already told you about it. And I’ve already forgiven her for it, I just-,” Jason tried to explain, but another slam on the table interrupted him.

“I don’t care if you’ve forgiven her for something you’ve imagined. Get the fuck out of my house right now, and don’t you ever come near my daughter again!” Damon yelled, rising from his seat.

Jason looked up at the man who was now yelling at him. He didn’t appreciate being called a liar, and even more so, hearing someone say he couldn’t see his woman. Jason stood up, a tiny bit taller than Damon, but Damon didn’t back down even a little.

“Respectfully, sir, I’m going to have to politely decline,” Jason said, trying to keep his cool. But Damon didn’t seem to calm down at all. His face twisted in rage now.

“What the fuck did you just say to me?”

He heard Jason perfectly well, but he was daring the young man to say it again. The two men stared each other down, tension crackling between them.

“I’m saying I refuse to give up on Jillian so easily, no matter what you say or think. You are her father, and I will respect you in that way. But I love her, and neither you nor anyone else will change that.”

The words just seemed to flow out of his mouth as he spoke calmly. His determined gaze locked with Damon's twitching eyes.

“You…” His response devolved into a growl as they held each other’s gaze until they were interrupted by a different voice.

“Daddy, wait!” Jillian dashed into the kitchen, followed by Ginny and June. She positioned herself between Jason and her father, even though they could easily see over her head.

“Dad... It’s true,” she finally admitted, drawing her father’s attention away from Jason. Damon stared at her, trying to process the words.

“I’m not the sweet little girl you think I am… I never was. I was a terrible person back then.”

She frowned, her courage quickly fading as she avoided eye contact. He frowned deeply at his daughter putting herself down.

“What do you mean? Are you saying what he said was true?”

Jillian sighed heavily, then nodded slowly. “Yes... I bullied Jason all through high school, pretty much.”

She paused, letting the beginning of her confession sink in.

“It all started with a stupid misunderstanding when we first met, and it just got worse and worse from there. I made his life hell until graduation… The person you thought I was back then...She never existed.”

She couldn’t bear to see how her family was reacting to her words, especially her little sister.

Damon felt a wave of conflicting emotions wash over him, not sure how to react to all of this. “That’s... not true, it can’t be. The school would have…” he murmured softly, but Jillian’s stern gaze met his.

“They wouldn’t, and they didn’t, But it is true, Dad. I used to be a terrible person... I guess I still am.” The redhead fidgeted, wrapping her arms around herself as her eyes dropped to the floor.

“Jason forgave me for everything I did to him, But...”

Damon suddenly raised a hand to stop his daughter as he realized something.

“Hold on, how did you know what we were talking about?”

Jillian’s face blushed a deep red, reaching over to move some items on the table, revealing a hidden phone. They had set June’s phone down on the table, connected in a call with Jillian’s, while they eavesdropped from the nursery. June’s phone was on speaker, but Jillian’s was muted. Jason’s face also flushed as he wondered if they heard the last thing he told Damon.

“Sorry, Dad, just please let me finish,” Jillian apologized, seeing her dad’s disapproval of them snooping on what was supposed to be a private conversation. Damon sighed but gestured for her to go on.

“As I was saying, I used to bully Jason back in high school, and he decided to forgive me even though he didn’t have to, and I definitely didn’t deserve it,” Jillian explained. His scowl deepened, but he remained silent. She moved closer to her father, reaching out and gently grasping his hands.

“Daddy, he accepted me for who I am, even when I couldn’t fully accept myself,” she said softly, taking a moment to look back at Jason with a warm smile.

“This past week has been so eye-opening. And even though it’s only been a short time since we’ve been together. I know in my heart...” She paused, taking a breath to summon her courage. Damon’s eyes widened as he recognized the telltale flush on her cheeks, a familiar expression that his wife showed him the first time she had said it.

“Please don’t say it,” he silently begged as Jillian turned her gaze back to him.

“That I...” There was another slight pause before she finally came out and said it. “That I love him, daddy.”

There was a stunned silence that filled the room as the confession hit everyone.

“You... love him?” Damon said, a bit dumbfounded. He had recognized the look, and his worst fears had come true.

Jillian nodded shyly, looking away again. She could hardly believe she had said it, but she felt it deep down. Despite all the hardships they went through, she had known from the first time she got lost in his embrace that she might very well end up falling in love with this man.

Jillian turned to face Jason again, feeling her cheeks still flushed. His stunned expression made her chuckle softly.

“You don’t have to respond right away if you’re not ready. I get it, take your time if you need. I just wanted to be upfront about how I feel.”

She flashed a cute smile at Jason, making him want to whisk her away right then and there. It seemed she hadn’t heard when he said it earlier as well. He shook off his surprise and finally found his voice.

“No!” he blurted out, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

“No?” she echoed, puzzled at the sudden outburst.

“I mean… well, I used to think I felt this way because I’d never had a girlfriend before, and I was just overreacting. I didn’t think I could say it to you just yet... but hearing you say it...” His words trailed off as he found himself lost in Jillian’s mesmerizing blue eyes.

“I want you to know that I love you as well, Jillian,” Jason confessed, closing the distance between them, both their hearts thumping hard in their chests.

“Oh, Jason…,” Jillian’s voice was quiet and had a slight quiver to it as their eyes remained locked, completely lost in each other’s gaze. Ginny moved up to her husband, who was still in shock as he watched the couple before him. How had their daughter fallen for someone right under their noses? Surely, Ginny would have told him if she’d noticed, right? Feeling Ginny’s arms wrap around his, he glanced over at her. She gave him a look that he was very familiar with.

“Let’s give them some space. Let me take care of you, hun,” she whispered, gently guiding him away. Damon glanced between his wife and the couple, who were now even closer.

“But I…They...” he began, but Ginny ignored him.

She held his arm and led him over to where June was. He sighed heavily, feeling like he had no other option but to go with her.

June watched the scene unfold for a bit, feeling a mix of happiness for the couple and a bit of unease upon learning about her big sister’s past as a bully. But at least it seemed she earned Jason’s forgiveness. Ginny noticed her youngest daughter’s unease and wrapped an arm around her as well.

“It’s going to be okay, Sweetie. I’m sure she’ll come talk to you later. For now, let’s give them some space,” Ginny reassured her gently, leading the two of them out of the kitchen so the new couple could have a moment alone.