Three Strikes

Joe sat next to me and I apologised once again to the Jonas family. I had told them I was feeling better and Joe handed me a menu. I smiled and he nodded, asking for his parents' attentio. The table fell silent - even Frankie, who Joe had told me was now dubbed te 'Bonus Jonas' quietened down. "Well, I know you're all happy to have Rose back in our lives." Denise smiled and nodded, as did the rest of the family at Joe's heartfelt words. I smiled and looked away. "You know that Rose and I have been friends since we were little... and Mom, I know that you'd always wanted to send us off to some church to get married."

I looked up. Denise's mouth had dropped open as she listened to her son's words. Nick and Kevin looked mildly confused. Paul and Frank just sat and listened, a small smile playing on Mr. Jonas' face.

"Rose and I have been keeping touch for the past... well, a while." Joe told them. I didn't understand how he could lie so... easily. "And well, we've tried to keep this as secret and as quiet as we can. But there's only so much we can do. I know you're shocked that I've been able to keep this a secret. Trust me, I'm shocked too." Joe winked at me and grinned. I laughed and felt my cheeks grow warm. "I know we're young," Joe continued his speech. "But I... I wanted to make it official. I asked Rose to marry me."

I braced myself for the blow that was about to come.

But it never came.

Denise stood up, tears welling in her eyes. She looked so... so happy. Paul stood up as well, and walked around the table, clapping his son on the back before hugging me. "Welcome to the family, Miss Fletcher." He said, smiling widely. Denise was bawling her eyes out, unable to stop herself.

"I'm so proud to welcome you into the family," she fussed, pulling me into her arms and stroking my hair. "Joseph!" She scolded her son through her tears. "How could you keep this so quiet! You of all people! And Rose!"

I smiled and patted her shoulder awkwardly. That's when she caught sight of the ring. "Rose, honey, this ring is gorgeous!"

I nodded and agreed. "It is, isn't it?"

"Joey I never knew you had such good taste!" His mother gushed. Joe rolled his eyes, still engaged in a conversation with his Father and brothers. "Oh it's beautiful. I wasn't expecting this," admitted Denise. "Were you?"

"Oh trust me," I said with a wry smile. "I was just as surprised as you."

Denise noded and laughed, wiping her eyes. "Have you told your parents?"

I felt my stomach drop. "No, not yet. We uhm, didn't have much chance. With them living in Arizona now and everything being so... sudden."

"That's quite alright, Rose. I always knew you'd be family. Whether it be with Joe or, well, I had pictured you with Kevin," Denise told me. Kevin coughed awkwardly from the table and Joe frowned as his mother's words. "You're my daughter now, Rose. Oh but we've got so much to plan!" She gushed as we broke apart and she sat back down in her seat. Kevin looked over at me.

"Us? A couple?" He mouthed, very surprised.

I shrugged and turned back to his mother. "Well... I haven't had much time to think about it. What with work-"

"Joe tells me you're working in fashion, Rose." Paul said as he sipped his drink. "What's that like?"

"Busy," I said, noticing that all of the six Jonas' had their eyes on me. I shuffled in my seat, feeling like a prize on display. Joe clutched my hand and poured me some water. I thanked him quietly. "But I love it very much. It's what I always wanted to do."

"Yeah," said Nick darkly, but he smiled and I knew he was joking. "That's why you always stole my Action Man and made him wear dresses."

"I had to start somewhere, Nicky." I teased. It was so... refreshing, sitting with the people I hadn't seen in years. The boys hadn't changed. Frankie had, of course, gotten older. Joe was still the joking one and what seemed to be my knight in shining armour. Kevin was still the overly protective quirky brother and Nick... well, I hadn't known Nick so well back then. He'd always been Joe and Kevin's younger brother. But now that I looked at him, he'd matured and grown. He smiled at me and I knew he had no hard feelings towards me.

Paul interuppted the silence. "So that's where your ring went."

I felt the air around us tighen. Joe stared at his father. "Pardon?"

Paul smiled and gestured to Joe's hand. "Your purity ring. I'd wondered where it had been the past few days. But now I know. I mean it though, Joseph." Paul said, apparently seeing this as 'dinner talk', "Not until marriage."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I told Paul seriously, watching Joe squirm. Joe looked over at me, slightly confused before he smirked and rolled his eyes. We ordered dinner and sat through a very normal meal. Joe told his parents that we wanted to wait for the wedding and try and keep it as quiet as possible from the press. Kevin and I spoke for a while about normal, young adult things. We compared blackberry's; his being the latest model and mine being the previous. Nick asked me if I listened to his music, which I honestly denied. Frankie asked me if I'd seen the latest episode of Spongebob which I had to admit that I had in fact seen it - causing the entire Jonas clan to laugh.

After dinner we said our goodbyes and Joe announced that he was going to be spending the night at mine. I frowned - then realising it must be what was expected of us. Paul shot Joe a stern look and Joe nodded, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. Denise hugged me, announcing how glad she was that I'd her daughter in the near future.

"I think you were very good in there," whispered Joe in my ear. "4th grade performance and all." As the car pulled away, we waved and called our goodbyes and goodnights. Joe turned to me as we headed to his car. "So, were you being serious with the whole 'no sex' thing?" He smirked with his signature wink.

Rolling my eyes, I winded him in the stomach with my purse before taking his keys as he doubled over.

"Rose... that... was...very... cruel," got out Joe in short breaths as he held his stomach.

I whistled to myself as I climbed in the car, tempted to drive off without my idiot of a 'fiance'.