"All the colors of my youth; the red, the green, the hope, the truth, are beatin' me black and blue 'cause you're in every scene..."


“We’re beginning our descent into Victoria, British Columbia. We’d like to thank you for flying Air Canada, and we hope you fly with us again soon.” The pilot clicked off his intercom, and the cabin became quiet once again.

Out the window, the Pacific Ocean was still present, but just a bit further up the green landscape of Vancouver Island came into view. Within a half hour, the plane had landed and Cassidy was hoisting her luggage off of the carousel, cursing at herself for packing so much.

The people around her moved hurriedly, obviously knowing there they were off to. However, Cassidy meandered through the wide hallways of the international airport, reading the signs and hoping that one of the many turns she was taking would lead her outside.

When she eventually did get outside, she let out a quiet groan, as Canada obviously didn’t get the memo that it was summer. With the temperature in the mid-sixties, a quick shiver ran through her as she searched frantically for Jamie. The thought of Jamie being concealed behind a hat and a coat collar was frightening because the sheer amount of people at the airport would make him nearly impossible to find. But with a quick turn of her head, Cassidy found him; hands shoved in his pockets, without a coat, and a forward facing baseball cap.

She tugged on her suitcase, pulling it with her as she ran. Only when she was a few feet from him, did she ditch the handle and leap into his now open arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist as Jamie circled his arms around her back to hold her still. Cassidy tilted her head to the side, making sure the bill of his cap wouldn’t poke her eye out, before kissing him quickly as though she couldn’t get enough.

“This has been the longest three weeks of my life,” Jamie murmured, kissing her lips once again before setting her down until she could stand in front of him.

Cassidy looked up at him, blushing wildly as he reached forward to grab her suitcase and carried and lifted it into the trunk of his car before opening the passenger side door for her. Once inside the confines of the SUV, she leaned over the center console and kissed Jamie again, this time biting on his bottom lip. She smirked and sat back in the seat, pulling the seatbelt across her body as Jamie began to drive.

“How were finals?” He leaned forward in his seat, checking the side mirror before switching lanes.

“I’m just hoping for a passing grade,”

Jamie glanced at her quickly and reached his hand over and set it in her lap, “I’m sure you did great.”

She wrapped her hand around his, intertwining their fingers gently. “I’m happy it’s over so I could be here with you… So do I get to see another Jamie Benn household?”

“You do,” he smiled and glanced at her quickly, “however, you won’t be able to see it for very long tonight; my parents have arranged a dinner.

Cassidy leaned her head back on the headrest, sighing. “At least your brother and sister will be there,”

“Actually…” He squeezed her fingers softly, “Jordie’s in Kelowna and Jen’s in Toronto, I think. It’ll just be you, me, and my parents.”

“You know Jame, sometimes I really hate you.”

Jamie chuckled and brought her hand up to his mouth, kissing it gently as he exited the freeway. Immediately the coastal town of Victoria captured Cassidy’s heart. Families walked the streets hand in hand, and children ran through the parks; it was more beautiful than she could’ve ever imagined. Just the sight of the town felt like home. Safe.

Pulling into a driveway, Cassidy sat forward in her seat, looking through the windshield to gaze upon the modest lake house. Had the house not been set in a secluded neighborhood, Cassidy would’ve actually believed she was beside a lake, with Jamie’s house being the only one around for miles. Once parked, she stepped out of the car and looked up at the home in front of her, staring at it in awe.

“And this is another bachelor pad?” She could hardly believe the building in front of her was owned by a twenty-four year old man. It looked as though it was owned by a middle-aged couple with young children.

Jamie shook his head as he look at his keys, isolating the one for the front door. “Dallas is the bachelor pad. Victoria’s always been home, so I don’t really bring girls back here.”

They approached the front door together, and Jamie slid the key into the lock, turning his wrist until the latch clicked. “Then what am I doing here?” Cassidy asked, looking up at Jamie as he pushed open the wood, front door.

Inside, Cassidy could immediately see the difference between this house and the Dallas house. Without the high ceilings and crazy expensive amenities, it seemed like a home Cassidy had grown up in. The furniture was nice, yet modest, and it still shocked her that a family wasn’t living there.

“You matter,” he shrugged his shoulders and stepped further into his home, instantly moving towards the thermostat and turned it on to a reasonable degree.

Despite it being summer, without being lived in for a few months, the house was chilly, but not left unclean. Obviously Jamie had invested in a housekeeper to not let the house go to shambles in his absence.

Cassidy smiled at Jamie and looked around at the open floor plan, being intrigued to find Jamie’s bedroom. Walking to one door and pushing it open, she found herself looking at a powder room, admiring the silver and white sink and toilet. After shutting the door, she glanced at Jamie, who was now aware of what she was trying to do. Cassidy giggled and walked to another door and pushed it open, being confronted by a storage closet.

Sighing, she shut the door. A whistle drew her out of her thoughts, and when she looked back at Jamie, he was pointing to another door, just down the hallway. Immediately, she ran for it, her boots clicking against the hardwood floor. When she opened the white door, she was amazed by how similar this bedroom was to the one in Dallas. It struck her that Jamie was an incredibly simple man. However there were differences.

Instead of a neutral beige color, the walls were painted a pale green. Across the room, a large bay window, with a window seat and open shutters overlooked the luscious, green backyard. With the natural light, the shadows in the room were softer, almost inviting. A flat screen TV was perched on the wall across from the bed, and two more doors offered access to the master bathroom and walk in closet.

“Are you sure we have to go to your parents’ tonight? I just want to lay here all night,” Cassidy asked, falling back against the bed. The white duvet braced her fall and bunched up around her.

Jamie walked up to the edge of the bed, standing in front of her with his hands pushed into his dark jeans. “You know how nervous I was to go to your dad’s house? Now it’s your turn to feel that way, and I’m not letting you skip out,” he winked playfully and pulled one hand out of his pocket to tug on Cassidy’s hand, getting her to sit up.

“I know I’ve told you this lately, but sometimes I really hate you,” she folded her arms across her chest and pouted as she tilted her head back to look up at Jamie.

He smiled and held either side of her face in his hands and kissed her lips slowly, “I love you too.” When he pulled away and looked at her, she was still pouting, but he patted her head and made his way towards the door. “Get freshened up. I’m bringing your bags in and then we’re leaving.”

“Bring in the blue one first! I want to change into one of my dresses,” she called after him, only knowing that he heard her by the wave of his hand.

Within a few minutes, he was back in the house, entering his bedroom again, carrying the blue suitcase by his side with a pink duffle bag flung over his other shoulder. His biceps were flexed and Cassidy couldn’t take her eyes off of him; her jaw practically hanging as he set them down beside the bed.

“Can you wear suspenders and pretend to be a burly moving guy…? Because I would totally hire you,”

Jamie smiled and leaned in, “that’s kinky.” He looked at her lips quickly and then kissed her again, biting on her lower lip before pulling away to retrieve the rest of her bags.

Cassidy unzipped the blue suitcase and skimmed through her clothes until she found the conservative, cream color dress she’d been looking for. Matched with a pair of brown cowboy boots, she’d look cute but not revealing enough to send the wrong message.

After changing and arranging her hair in a way that looked presentable, she found Jamie in the living room, standing in front of the TV as Sportsnet commentators took the time to talk about the local soccer team. Seeing her shadow, he looked up and smiled.

“I have to bring wine or flowers or something. I can’t go to your parents’ house empty handed.” Cassidy murmured frantically. Anxiety was setting in as she realized she didn’t have anything to offer Jamie’s parents once she entered their home.

Jamie turned the TV off and grabbed his keys and wallet from the coffee table, and ushered Cassidy outside, “we’ll go by the store and pick up some flowers.” He set his hand along her mid-back and rubbed it soothingly, “hey… they’re going to love you. You have nothing to worry about.”

---

The front door flew open and a woman stood behind it with a huge, bright smile on her face as though she’d been waiting for hours to open the front door. By the incredible similarities between this woman and Jen, Cassidy knew this was Jamie’s mother. Jamie released Cassidy’s hand and stepped forward, embracing his mom tightly and kissed her cheek. After backing away, his mother stepped to the side, allowing them to enter the house before she turned back to face the young couple.

Jamie placed his hand on the small of Cassidy’s back, “mum, this is my girlfriend, Cassidy Knox. Cass… my mum, Heather.”

Cassidy outstretched her arms, offering up the bouquet of tulips she had purchased from a small storefront somewhere in town, “thank you for having me over Mrs. Benn. It’s nice to finally meet you,” her accent had made its debut and she turned red as she sounded more country than she had intended.

Jamie’s mom took the flowers and smiled, immediately going in for a hug, squeezing Cassidy gently. “You’re just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!”

She backed up and looked up at Jamie, smiling relieved as he gripped onto her hand as they followed his mother into the living room, where the TV served as ambient noise in the background. That was when Jamie’s dad approached them, hugged his son, and grinned at Cassidy.

“Cass, this is my dad, Randy.”

Cassidy smiled, unable to say anything before Jamie’s dad began to speak.

“Jamie tells me you know your way around a shotgun,”

She looked up at Jamie, unsure of how to respond. But when she saw him nodding slightly, she looked back at his father. “Yes sir; my dad taught me. I suppose Jamie didn’t tell you that I was a bit better than him at skeet shooting?”

Randy smiled and threw his head back in laughter, hitting Jamie in the arm playfully, “no he didn’t, but I believe it!”

“C’mon dad,” Jamie smiled, feigning offense at his father’s comment.

Cassidy tucked into Jamie’s side, feeling comfort as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head quickly. Almost silently, Heather disappeared into what Cassidy assumed was the kitchen. With a quick pat on Jamie’s chest, she excused herself from the two men and entered the spacious room, spotting Heather as she began assembling a salad.

“Can I help with anything, Mrs. Benn?” Cassidy asked as she stepped towards the counter.

Heather’s head shot up, and she smiled widely again, “oh no, I’m fine. Honey, you can call me Heather,”

“Yes Mrs. Benn,”

Heather looked at her again, and Cassidy felt her cheeks grow hotter as she stood across the island counter, as the salad was being prepared.

“So Jamie went to Tennessee to meet your family. What’d your mum and dad think about him?” Heather asked innocently. She hadn’t meant any harm, and Cassidy should’ve known Jamie would keep that personal information a secret.

Cassidy took a deep breath in and pressed her fingertips into the cool, granite countertop. “Actually my mom passed away when I was young, so it was just my dad.”

“Oh, I’m… I’m sorry,”

She nodded and looked back into the room where Jamie was still talking to his dad about how the end of playoffs had occurred. The LA Kings had won the Stanley cup for the second time in three years.

“It’s alright,” Cassidy mentioned. “Anyway, my dad really liked Jamie; admired him as a man and felt that he was respectful. I mean, you raised an amazing person, so I’m not sure there was too much for my dad to dislike. Jen and Jordie too; all of your children are amazing, and have been so kind to me.”

Heather smiled and pushed the salad bow away from her as she finished dropping in the carrots, “well thank you, that means a lot to me.” She turned and opened up a cabinet to pull out a stack of dinner plates, “Jamie may seem like a gem now, but trust me, he wasn’t easy to raise. Lord be with you if you ever have a son like Jamie. He gave me a hell of a time,”

Cassidy giggled and turned her head back towards the threshold as she heard footsteps behind her. Jamie was walking in with his hands shoved into his pockets like he had just heard a secret he shouldn’t have.

“Everything she’s saying is a lie. I was a perfect son,” he walked up to his mom and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, squeezing her tightly. She looked as small as Cassidy did when Jamie held onto her.

Once he let her go, he pulled open the refrigerator door and pulled out a bottle of beer, handing it to Cassidy and then pulled out another one for himself. Her eyes flicked to Heather, wondering if it would make a bad impression if she actually took the beer. Despite her instincts telling her to leave the beer, Jamie twisted the cap off and handed it back to her.

Cassidy glanced at him, and he looked at her confused as he slowly took a sip from his bottle. Before she could take a sip, Randy joined them in the kitchen, standing beside his wife, as she was finishing off the preparation for the dinner.

“So how long have you and Jamie been together?” He asked, picking a stray carrot off of the cutting board and popping it into his mouth.

“Early March. He made it official right before we went to Nashville to see my dad.” Midsentence, Jamie tugged on her hand and lead her to the dining room where the table was set for four and ready to inhabit.

Randy sat at the head of the table, with Heather to his left, Cassidy to his right, and Jamie just beside her. They held hands as Jamie pulled out the dining room chair for her, earning smiles from his parents. And once everyone was seated and had served themselves salad, the questions continued.

Not that they were hard questions, or intimidating like the ones at the press conference had been. But just because they were coming from Jamie’s parents, they felt like the most difficult questions in the world.

“And only after three months, you already love Jamie?” Heather asked. She didn’t say it maliciously, or even condescendingly, but rather just simply out of curiosity.

“Yeah, I do.” She said, looking down as Jamie’s hand as it smothered hers on top of the table. “I think we both live accelerated lifestyles, and some pretty bad things have happened to me in the past three months, and he has been a rock when I needed him most.”

Jamie brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. Cassidy felt her cheeks become hot as she looked at him. And when her attention was back on his mother, she could see that she was grinning.

“Jamie’s only brought home one other girl, so you must be pretty special,” Randy smiled, finishing off his salad.

Cassidy looked back at Jamie, wanting to see his expression as his father brought up an ex-girlfriend. Despite the love between them, they still hadn’t had the exes talk; except there wasn’t much Cassidy could tell him about.

“I told you, she can use a shotgun,” he chuckled and pushed his salad bowl away from him.

Although he was clearly trying to diffuse the situation, Cassidy was still put off by the topic. Obviously the other girl Jamie had brought home was special to him too, or he would’ve never had her meet his parents. And his decision to ignore talking about it, was that much more frightening.

---

“Jamie, we’ll set Cassidy up in your room and you can stay in Jordie’s.” Heather said as she walked up the stairs and entered the door immediately to the left.

That was presumably Jamie’s old room and she was making sure everything was in order before Cassidy entered it. From downstairs, Jamie sighed and Cassidy looked up at him as she sat next to him on the couch. His muscular arm was placed around her body, with his hand perched on her hip while they spoke quietly to Randy.

Seeing his son’s reaction, Randy clicked the TV off, “you know the rules, son.”

Jamie flicked his eyes to his father and cocked his head to the side, “I know, but I’m twenty-four,”

“And tonight you’re in our house, and we have rules you have to obey; I don’t care if you’re forty-four.” Randy stood up and walked over to the couch, reaching out for Cassidy’s hand. When he held it in his, he squeezed it gently, “I’m happy we got to meet you.”

Randy smiled and nodded his head at his son before he left the room and disappeared into the master bedroom. Soon after, Cassidy looked up and watched as Heather descended the stairs, saying goodnight before she too vanished into the master bedroom.

Cassidy reached up and set her hand against Jamie’s cheek gently, “my dad would have requested the same thing.” She leaned up and kissed his lips slowly before sinking back into his side, nuzzling her head against his chest.

Jamie groaned, and with one arm behind her back and the other beneath her knees, he hoisted Cassidy off the couch and kissed her quickly before he carried her upstairs. Because his mom had left his bedroom door slightly open, just the kick of his foot was enough to push it open. The room was much smaller than the rooms Jamie normally had, and although it had been redecorated since he had moved out, it was still clear it was a childhood bedroom.

He set her down on the bed, instantly crawling on top of her and bending his arms to get closer to her, kissing and sucking on her neck gently, with his hips rubbing her waist roughly. Cassidy giggled at his futile attempt at romance and pressed against his chest until he pushed up and looked down at her.

“I don’t want your parents to come in. They like me right now, let’s keep it that way.” Cassidy sat up on the bed, forcing Jamie to crawl next to her.

He picked up the sweatpants and t-shirt his mother had laid on the bed; both of which were Jenny’s and handed them to Cassidy. As she began to change, Jamie walked over to the dresser, pulling open the drawers until he found the one containing some of his sweatshirts.

“It might be too hot for this tonight, but you can wear it if you want.” He handed that to her as well and kissed her forehead, their hands lingering together.

“Trust me, without you next to me, this bed is going to feel ice cold.” She looked upwards, offering a small smile when she caught Jamie’s glance. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it quickly. “Goodnight Jame,”

Notes

This chapter is titled after "Give Me Back My Hometown" by Eric Church.

Because it's my birthday, here's my gift to you :)

Comment, Subscribe, & Vote