Sorry about the wait, but the fourth chapter is finally to my liking. Let me know what you think! Enjoy.
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"Yea, Mom. I'm really going to marry Jake McKean. Kinda crazy, huh?"
Grabbing her daughter's hand, Donna half led, half dragged her to the kitchen table. "Now dish, Daisy. Tell me how it happened, where and everything. What did he say? How did he ask?" she demanded in a rush.
"Uhhh…" Unsure that the truth was the best answer in this situation, Daisy began slowly, "Well… In the traditional way, Mom. Jake asked me, and I accepted." Vagueness would be her friend.
Making a disgusted sound, Donna turned the full power of her all-seeing-eyes on her daughter, "Uh huh, well how did it happen, Daisy? Did he get down on one knee? Give you flowers?" On a dreamy sigh Donna theatrically brought her hands to her chest, "Profess his undying love and devotion?"
A stifled snort of laughter could be heard behind the women and Daisy smiled as her mother playfully scowled at her husband, who had a hand over his face.
With a twinkle in her eye, Mrs. Jones frowned at her husband of thirty-three years, "Oh, is there something you wanted to add, Donald?"
Pulling himself together, Mr. Jones turned and looked at his wife with mock seriousness, "Nothing, Donna dear, just had some coffee go down the wrong pipe."
Snorting in disbelief, Donna turned her back on her husband and resumed her interrogation. "So, Daisy, I'm waiting."
"Well…" Daisy began, anxious and trying to think up something that would appease her mother quickly.
Only to be fortunately interrupted by her usually interruptive older brother, Matt, "Mom, I'm starvin'." Grinning, Matt came in stretching his arms above his head, seemingly almost reaching the ceiling while one hand came down to scratch his impressive chest lazily and lay on his flat stomach. "Whatcha cookin', good lookin'," he inquired with a playful wink.
Sighing in exasperation, Donna tried to not be distracted by her son and despite the flash of amusement at his question, she sternly answered, "Nothing for boys who come in demanding things in the middle of an important conversation." Turning to look at him, she gave him a disapproving glare only to start chuckling at his innocent expression.
Daisy smiled as she watched her brother smoothly charm their mother with the ease from years of practice. Within two minutes, Matt had a bag of potato chips open, persuaded his mother to make steak instead of chicken and had convinced her to bake a couple dozen batches of chocolate chip cookies. Sitting at the table, across from his sister, Matt raised a chip to a mouth curved with satisfaction.
While struggling to reach the bag of flour in the top, left cupboard, Mrs. Jones spoke with her back to the kitchen occupants. "Now, Matty, before you so rudely interrupted…"
Standing up unhurriedly, Matt effortlessly plucked the bag from its perch, two feet above Mrs. Jones' head, saving her five minutes of work. Smiling at her oldest, interruptions forgiven for his help, she continued excitedly, "Your sister was just about to tell us the details of her
engagement
."
Eyes bulging, Matt started to choke on the chips he had just stuffed into his mouth. Donald came over and gave his son a few thumps on his back. Once the threat of suffocation was out of the picture, Matt turned a grateful gaze to his fathers' humor-filled one.
Groaning in frustration, Donna went over to make sure her first-born would live to see another day, and then she'd get the details of the damn engagement!
Matt dramatically waved his mother off, gasping that he would be "okay in a bit," and was "fine as long as he got some rest."
Clucking and fussing over him like any mother would when her child has a near-death experience; Daisy just rolled her eyes at the scene and smirked.
Finally when all was clear of danger, Daisy held up the bag of chips and asked innocently with a bat or two of an eyelash, "Want another, big brother?"
"No, thank-you, Daisy," he gritted out with a good-natured, squinty glare, "I'd much rather hear about your
engagement
."
Wincing at "E" word, Daisy started to babble something incoherent when there was a knock at the door.
Heaving a sigh of utter and complete despair, Donna threw her hands up, along with a handful of flour, as her laughing husband went to answer the back door with a bounce in his step.
Smiling genuinely at the man darkening his doorstep, Donald threw an arm around the young man's shoulder and welcomed him in, "Come on in, Derrick. We're all settled in the kitchen."
Before Derrick could step into the room, Matt was up and slapping him on the back, "Way to go, Derr. I can't believe you roped her in so quickly." A manly thump later he warned, "You take good care of her now, too. She is my baby sister after all. You'll have me and her other two brothers to contend with if we hear she's unhappy."
Puzzled, Derrick looked at Matt as though he was one cookie shy of a dozen. "What are you talking about, Matt? Who did I "rope" in?"
Stepping back, Matt wore a mirror expression of confusion, "You mean, you didn't propose to my sister?"
Everyone turned towards Daisy, "Umm, me and Jake are engaged."
Shocked and hurt swirled together in Derrick's eyes. "Oh yea, Dais? When was this?"
In an apologetic manner, Daisy relayed some details: it had happened a little earlier in the day, when she went to visit Jake. That it was unexpected and she hadn't meant for him to find out like this.
