:: Emma's POV ::

"Nana!" Noah ran into the arms of my mother, Lynn as we walked through the front door of my childhood home.

"Noah!" She pulled her into him, "I swear you're bigger every time I see you!"

I smiled as she doted over Noah, pulling her into him and smothering him with more kisses than anyone could really handle. He giggled as he squirmed to free himself from her grasp.

"Where's Papa?" Noah was my dad's best buddy and he lived for the moments he got to spend with him.

"He's out in the yard."

"I'm gonna go see." Noah quickly ran off to go find my dad.

"I'm so happy you guys made it!"

My mother was beaming as she walked us into the kitchen. She was throwing a birthday barbeque for my dad and was insistent on getting as much family together as she could. That was always her goal.

"Of course mom, you know I wouldn't miss it." I embraced her, kissing her cheek as I pulled away.

"And you brought a guest." She looked up at JJ and I knew she was more than thrilled.

It had been ages since I had brought a guy around my family, well, for starters I needed to actually have a guy in my life to bring around my family. Even so, I was so particular over whom I introduced them to. My family is filled with so much love and they embrace anyone that walks through the front door, I never wanted them to get attached to someone I knew it would never last with. Having Noah made it so much easier to be so cautious. He was my world and I would do anything to protect him from any instability or unneeded heart break.

"Mom, this is JJ..." I proudly made the introduction, "JJ this is my mom, Lynn."

"So nice to meet you." JJ hugged her and she was over the moon.

"Oh, the football player. It's so nice to meet you! I have heard so much about you."

I laughed, God love my mother but she knew nothing about football. Football seemed to be the thing I shared most with my dad and my brothers. They always found it funny that 6 days out of the week I was as girly as they came, and 1 day out of every week I was one of the guys. I always told them that I just was just well rounded.

"Only good things I hope." He teased and mom laughed.

"Just a few." She winked.

JJ laughed and I felt the corners of my mouth pull up into a smile as I wrapped my arm around his waist. He seemed like he would fit right in and I was happy about that.

"I'm just finishing some things up in the kitchen. Why don't you take JJ out back and introduce him." My mom pulled miscellaneous items from the fridge and placed them on the counter, "I know they'd love to meet him."

I took JJ's hand in mine as I led him across the kitchen to the patio doors. The backyard was scattered with my closest family. In one corner my younger sister, Rachel, sat talking with my two sister in laws, Holly and Jillian and in the other corner, my older brothers, Mark and Ben stood talking with my dad, Mike. Noah had joined my nieces and nephews as they ran around the yard; he loved spending time with his cousins.

My dad set down his beer as he made his way over to us, everyone else following his lead. He was already smiling from ear to ear and I knew he was happier than a kid in a candy shop when he spotted JJ. My father was the number one reason we were all such diehard Texans fan. It was a birth right, not a choice in our house.

"JJ Watt, it's an honor." My father held his hand out to shake his hand and JJ gladly accepted.

"Thank you. I really appreciate you having me Mr. Cahill."

"Call me Mike."

I proceeded to introduce him to the rest of my eagerly awaiting family. They had more interest in the fact that I had actually brought a guy to a family function and not so much who the guy was. That's what I loved about my family, they could make anyone feel comfortable and welcomed.

Even so, JJ was a trooper; I was shocked he had even agreed to come to my family barbeque. I knew how overwhelming it could be to have to meet family as it was, but meeting them all at once was even more overwhelming. My mother had asked me to invite him, when I extended the invitation, I never expected him to say yes, but he did; without any hesitation.

JJ joined the guys in conversation as I sat with the girls. I couldn't help but to keep sneaking a glimpse of him as he laughed and talked with the most important men in my life, it meant so much to me. I was so happy that he was so comfortable around them; I knew he would be but actually seeing it was just so reassuring.

"He's in love with you."

I had nearly spit out my wine as those words slipped off my mother's tongue with ease. I looked at her as if she were nuts, she had to be nuts, right? JJ was not in love with me.

"Mom, he's not in love with me. We haven't even been seeing each other very long." I set my wine glass on the table in front of me.

"I don't care." She shook her head, "I see the way he looks at you Emma. That boy is in love."

I looked at my sisters to back me up on this, "Please tell her she's over reacting."

I waited for one of them to jump in and save me. Instead, Rachel just lifted her wine glass to her lips, Jillian looked away from me as she pretended to cover her face from my view and Holly laughed. Traitors, no one was going to save me from my mom's delusions.

"Em, obviously I can't speak for him and how he feels, I really don't even know much about him personally at this point but..." Jillian paused briefly, "I will say that from my perspective, I do see the way he looks at you and I have to agree with mom..."

"More importantly, I see the way you look at him." Rachel spoke up, a goofy smirk plastered on her face.

Holly nodded as she looked from Rachel to me, "Exactly what I was going to say."

I looked over at JJ, my heart beating faster as I took in the view. All I could feel was butterflies, which seemed to be an ongoing feeling I had when it came to him. I had never experienced that with anyone else. It made me happy but at the same time, in a way it scared me. I guess it made me feel vulnerable. It made me feel like he actually had the power to hurt me, and that worried me.

"How is he with Noah?" Jillian broke me away from my thoughts.

"He's amazing; better than I could have ever dreamed of. I never would've met J if it weren't for Noah." I was pretty sure my face lit up but I was talking about 2 of my favorite boys, how could it not?

"That's great Em." Rachel was smiling a big cheeky smile, I knew she was happy for me, they all were.

The more and more I saw JJ interact with my family, the more and more I was beginning to think Rachel and Holly were right. Maybe I was falling for him, I still felt like I had much more to figure out but I knew there was no other man I wanted to give my heart to more than JJ. I felt safe with him.

....................................................

:: Emma's POV ::

I woke up to the feeling of JJ's warm lips pressed against my neck and the faint smell of his cologne filled my nostrils. His strong arms were wrapped around me, holding me close to him and I couldn't remember the last time I felt so content.

"I could get used to this." His voice sent chills down my spine as his lips moved slowly against my ear.

Truthfully, I could certainly get used to this too. I giggled as he kissed my neck making a pathway to my cheek; his day old stubble tickled against my skin. I rolled onto my back and found myself pinned between his arms, his eyes locking with mine. My fingertips softly grazed over his biceps, feeling every curved and bulge of his muscles. How was it that he still managed to take my breath away?

He placed a kiss on my shoulder then moved to my lips before he spoke, "Would you be my date for my foundation gala?"

My eyes studied his as my heart pounded inside of my chest. Of course I wanted to be his date but at the same time I was nervous. It would mean that I would have to be ready to really put myself in the public eye; I'd have to be ready to deal with press and media. I wasn't totally sure I was ready to be picked apart and criticized. I'm not a super model or a pop star or an actress, I'm a single mom who happens to own a boutique but whose life basically consists of PTA meetings, Capri Suns and orange slices.

"I'd love to..." I nodded, my eyes slowly pulling away from his.

I knew he could sense my insecurities as he placed his finger under my chin, drawing my eyes back to his. He placed the softest kiss on my lips momentarily making me forget any worries I had. He had the power to do that to me.

"What's wrong?" His voice was gentle and I watched as his eyes examined my face.

I was like an open book with him. He could read me so well no matter how hard I fought to hide it. I didn't know how he did it, but he did.

"I can't compete..." I moved my eyes to focus on something other than his eyes, I didn't want him to see through me, "I'm not a supermodel or a pop star or even an actress."

He laughed at me and my eyes immediately darted to his, my eyebrows furrowing, wondering how on earth that was so funny to him.

"You're too beautiful to be a supermodel, you seem like you'd be more of a country star and you're too pure to be an actress..." He punctuated each statement with a kiss and I couldn't help but to giggle, he was so sweet.

I pulled myself up in the bed and threw my long hair up into a loose ponytail before I threw the covers back and climbed out. My feet hit the cold area rug beside my bed as I quickly slipped on my slipper booties. Not that they were going to offer much relief to my bare legs that were exposed to the cool air, granted JJ's t-shirt that hung very loosely from my small frame covered the majority of them.

I headed into the bathroom a JJ began to follow my lead pulling himself out of the bed. I looked at myself in the mirror as I brushed my teeth, not really making sense of everything JJ was saying to me over the noise of the water running from the sink and the echoing of the brush strokes in my head.

I rinsed my toothbrush before dropping it back in the holder and wiping my mouth on the clean hand towel I had resting on the counter. JJ's voice was clearer as he came closer.

"I just want you to know that in my eyes, there's no competition Em. You win just by being you."

It was safe to say my heart melted as his arms wrapped around me, his chest pressed against my back as we looked at each other through the reflection in the mirror. Who knew he could be such a romantic? If you would've told me that before he even entered my life, I would've laughed at you. He always seemed so aggressive and tough on a football field, granted off the field he had a heart of gold, which was no surprise. I loved that about him.

"Momma!"

I heard Noah's little voice as my bedroom door opened and his little footsteps carried him in my direction. I stepped out of the bathroom leaving JJ to freshen up.

"Good morning handsome!" I smiled at him as I scooped him up to smother him with hugs and kisses the same way I did every morning.

His adorable little laugh filled the room. Before I knew it he would be grown up and too big for me to pick up, I had to treasure these moments while I still had them left. I playfully and carefully tossed him onto the bed as JJ emerged from the bathroom.

"JJ!" Noah quickly jumped up on the bed and leapt towards him.

JJ grunted through his laughter as he caught Noah. I could never get tired of seeing the two of them together and I would never stop being blown away by how incredible JJ really was with him. It meant so much to me, I couldn't even explain the happiness it brought me to see them together.