Picture Perfect by Ella Fox Page B

morning sitting next to Tessa at dinner. I’d never brought anyone to something with my family and friends before and it felt monumental. Hell it didn’t just feel that way; it was that way.
    My Gram was quite enamored of her, I could tell. Janice also had an ear-to-ear smile, and I knew that was because she liked Tessa, Ian and Devon. Janice and Steve have always been great about Cole’s sexuality, but it has bothered her that Cole has never had a real relationship with either sex. I think it was fairly obvious to everyone in the family that he was about to try to embark on a relationship with both, and that made us all happy.
    Gram and Pop stole the spotlight at the table, as usual. The two of them were absolutely hilarious, and being with them was always made me happy. I missed my family terribly when I was on the road, and I was glad that this coming tour would be the last time I’d be away for an extended period of time.
    Leaning forward, Pop addressed Tessa. “How long are you in town?”
    Even though I already knew her answer, I hated it.
    “I’m here for two more days. I’ll be back a month after that, which is one week before the tour kicks off here.”
    Fuck that was terrible. I couldn’t imagine not seeing her for a month. We were just at the start of whatever we were going to be, and I wanted… no, I needed her to be there. I’d never needed a woman before. It should have scared the shit out of me, but honestly, I loved it.
    Pop jumped in right at that moment with and shared some details about his courtship with my Gram.
    “Sylvia and I grew up in Boston. I was a steamfitter and my job took me all over the place. I met her just nine days before I was due to leave for a two month job in Arizona.” Grabbing my Gram’s hand, Pop smiled and kissed her cheek before turning back to Tess.
    “I hated the idea of the distance because I knew, literally the moment I laid eyes on her, that Sylvia was it for me. I was afraid that she’d find someone else while I was gone, but it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. We talked on the phone once a week and wrote letters every day. That time apart let us get to know each other differently than we would have had we been living near each other. It was beautiful. By the time I came home, I knew Sylvia better than anyone in the world, and she knew me the same way. When I was leaving for those two months, I thought we’d never get through it. Fifty-three years later, I see the error of my thinking. We were twenty-year-old kids who didn’t know a damn thing about being in a relationship. That time apart helped us. Six months later we were married, and the rest is history. I love this woman more than life itself, and those three months helped me realize that. I’m one lucky son-of-a-gun.”
    Staring at my Pop I couldn’t help but smile. My dad was right. I had learned at the knee of the master. Pop definitely knew about romance and keeping a relationship alive. My grandparents were in there seventies, but were still frisky. Like, seriously frisky. They cuddled, held hands, kissed in public and had no qualms telling my dad and I not to come over if they were planning to “make whoopee.” No joke.
    Gram basically glowed while Pop spoke. “You really are a silver tongued devil Mason Rand.”
    Oh crap. They were going to get frisky right at the table. While the rest of us were used to it Tessa, Ian and Devon weren’t. I hoped they weren’t going to have an issue with it. Mary used to tell me that my grandparents were disgusting old perverts. It was just another thing that she and I disagreed about. I thought my grandparents were awesome, and I found tremendous satisfaction in how in love they still were.
    Instead of looking disgusted, Tessa was teary eyed. Turning to me, she smiled. “That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
    Reaching under the table she grabbed her little camera from her purse. In seconds she was snapping pictures