[Modern Family] Ch: 48 [The Big Chat with Claire] (Patreon)

By the time everyone sat down at the outdoor table, Jay had already cooked a lot of food. There were steaks, burgers, sausages, and grilled vegetables piled high on platters. Claire and Sonia brought out salads, bread, and other dishes from the kitchen.

Gloria walked out from the kitchen, holding a glass jar filled with a thick red sauce.

"Before anyone starts eating, you have to try this," Gloria announced, placing the jar next to the steaks. "It's my grandmother's recipe, and I promise you've never tasted anything like it."

Jason immediately reached for the jar and spooned a bit of the sauce onto his steak. He took a bite, chewed thoughtfully, and then nodded with genuine appreciation. "Wow, that's actually incredible. It has a nice smoky flavor, a little sweetness, and then the heat kicks in. You seriously need to give me a jar, Gloria."

Gloria smiled at the compliment. "See, Jay? Someone actually likes real Colombian hot sauce!"

Jay took another bite of his steak and pointed his fork at her. "It's a good sauce, Gloria. But the last time you gave me something 'authentic' from your village, my tongue went numb, and I couldn't taste my scotch for three days."

Jason just laughed, took another spicy bite, and reached for his beer.

Soon, the conversation at the table was lively. Phil told Luke a funny story about getting locked in a client's garage. Manny discussed whether Jay's grilling could be called art. Sonia kept encouraging Gloria to try the food she made.

Claire joined the conversation but kept glancing at the other end of the table.

Jason sat between Haley and Alex, occasionally leaning toward whichever sister was speaking. Haley was telling him about a terrible shopping trip, while Alex kept interrupting to correct details that Haley seemed to skip.

Under any normal circumstances, this dynamic would have ended in bloodshed. But instead, Jason leaned in and whispered something Claire couldn't hear over the noise. Both girls suddenly burst into genuine laughter.

Claire stopped, her fork halfway to her mouth. She watched in shock as Alex casually reached across the table and took a french fry from Haley's plate... And Haley didn't even seem to mind.

'Who are these people, and what have they done to my daughters?' Claire thought to herself.

...

Jason went to the bathroom after finishing his beer.

Claire watched him leave through the patio doors. She had spent most of dinner trying to figure out how to talk to him without upsetting her daughters or starting a fight.

She hadn't come up with a good plan.

She looked at Haley and Alex, who were looking at Haley's phone and talking about something. They both seemed happy, which made Claire feel even more frustrated.

Claire sighed, got up from her chair, and went inside.

A few minutes later, Jason came out of the bathroom. As he was about to go back outside, he saw Claire standing by the living room sofa. He thought, "Oh boy. Here comes the difficult conversation."

"Hi, Mrs. Dunphy," Jason said with a smile.

"Jason, do you have a moment?" Claire asked, crossing her arms.

"Sure. What's up?" he replied.

Claire paused, thinking about what to say.

"Well, first, I wanted to say it's been nice having you here today," she started, smiling politely. "And I can see why the girls like you. You're nice, you seem responsible, and you managed to get Haley and Alex through dinner without fighting."

Jason laughed. "Yeah, they've actually been getting along pretty well lately."

"I noticed," Claire said, nodding towards the backyard. "Which is a little scary, because those two used to fight about who got to sit in the front seat."

Jason smiled but didn't say anything.

Claire sighed softly and continued. "Look, Jason, I'll be honest. I'm still finding it hard to understand this whole situation."

Jason's smile faded a bit. "You mean me dating Haley and Alex?"

"Yes. You dating both of them," Claire said, stressing the last part. "This is something I never thought I'd have to deal with as a mom. I've worried about a lot of things, but this never crossed my mind."

Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I get that."

"Do you?" Claire asked, raising her eyebrows. "Because from my perspective, it looks like everyone's having a great time. Haley's happy, Alex is happy, and you're sitting between them like it's totally normal."

Jason thought for a moment before answering. "I wouldn't say it's completely normal. We know our relationship is unusual, and we've talked about it seriously."

Claire looked at him closely. "What kind of things have you talked about?"

"About boundaries, mostly. Being honest with each other, making sure nobody feels neglected, and talking about problems before they turn into something bigger," Jason explained. "We also agreed that if something bothers one of us, we'll discuss it instead of pretending everything's fine."

Claire nodded, but she still seemed worried. "That sounds good, and I'm glad you've thought about it," she said. "But relationships are hard enough with just two people. You have three, and two of them are sisters."

She looked toward the backyard for a moment. "What happens if one of them gets jealous?" she asked. "What if Haley thinks you're spending too much time with Alex, or Alex feels you're paying more attention to Haley? I raised them, Jason. They can turn a small thing into a huge fight."

Jason chuckled. "I can see where they get their competitive nature."

Claire gave him a serious look.

"Sorry," Jason said, smiling a little. "But we've talked about that too. I try to spend time with each of them alone, and we also do things together. I know there'll probably be disagreements eventually, but I don't think avoiding every possible argument is realistic."

"Well, at least you understand that," Claire admitted, relaxing a bit. "I've been married long enough to know that even people who love each other can annoy each other a lot."

Jason agreed.

Claire thought for a moment before asking another question. "What about the future? Have you thought about where this is all heading?"

Jason tilted his head. "Do you mean if I'm serious about them?"

"That's part of it," Claire said. "But I'm also thinking about five or ten years from now. What happens if one of them wants to settle down? What if they both want children? And what about marriage?"

Jason was quiet for a moment.

Claire saw his hesitation and spoke again. "Someday Haley might want to get married. Alex might want that too. And unless the law has changed a lot, you can't marry both of them."

Jason rubbed his cheek thoughtfully. "Well, people are already talking about legalizing gay marriage," he said carefully. "Maybe someday they'll talk about multiple marriages too. Society changes, and who knows what the laws will be like in twenty years?"

Claire stared at him for a few seconds. "Those are very different things," she said, sounding a little impressed by his comparison. "And I wouldn't suggest using that argument with my father."

Jason winced. "Yeah, that sounded better in my head."

Claire couldn't help but laugh a little.

"At least you know that," she said, shaking her head. "But really, Jason, you can't base your whole future on the idea that the government might change its mind."

"I know, and I'm not planning to," Jason said. "I just think we shouldn't give up on something that makes all three of us happy because we don't know what the world will be like in twenty years."

Claire thought about his answer.

It made sense, even though she had many concerns and the entire thing sounded absurd.

Jason spoke again after a moment.

"Look, Mrs. Dunphy, I know you're worried about whether I can give them a stable future. I own a house, a car, some rental properties, investments, and I have enough savings that money isn't a problem. I'm doing well financially and plan to keep improving."

He stopped when he saw Claire's face.

"Wow," Jason said, rubbing his forehead. "I'm explaining my finances to my girlfriends' mom like I'm asking for permission to marry both her daughters. This is really awkward."

Claire closed her lips, trying not to smile.

"I'm glad you're financially responsible," she said. "As a mother, that's good to hear. But having money doesn't mean you're ready for a serious relationship, and it doesn't mean no one will get hurt."

"I know," Jason agreed. "I wasn't saying money fixes everything. I just wanted you to know I'm serious about this. I'm not dating them because it's cool to have two girlfriends. I truly love them both and want us all to be happy."

Claire watched him closely.

"Okay, let me ask you something," she said, her voice more serious. "What if this doesn't work out?"

Jason looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if in six months, or a year, one of my daughters decides she doesn't want to do this anymore? What if one of them stops loving you? What happens to the other daughter?"

Jason didn't reply right away.

Claire continued, looking more worried. "That's what really scares me. Haley and Alex are sisters. They grew up together and love each other, even if they don't always show it. I don't want them to lose their relationship because things go wrong between the three of you."

Jason looked at the patio doors for a second, then turned back to her. "I've thought about it," he said. "And I can't say I have a perfect plan. I can't promise everything will turn out just right, because no one can."

Claire nodded, wanting him to keep talking.

"But if something goes wrong, I won't make it a competition between them," Jason stated. "I won't ask one of them to choose between her sister and me. No matter what happens with us, they're still family, and I get that."

Claire was silent for a few seconds.

This was the first answer he'd given that actually made her feel a bit better.

"Good," she said finally. "Because you need to understand something, Jason. Haley and Alex might fight all the time, and sometimes they act like they can't stand each other, but they're still my daughters. Their relationship with each other is more important to me than whatever arrangement the three of you decide on."

"I understand, Mrs. Dunphy," Jason replied. "And honestly, I wouldn't want to come between them either."

Claire looked closely at his face, trying to see if he was just saying what she wanted to hear.

But he seemed sincere.

This was inconvenient because she had been ready to disagree with at least half of his answers.

After a moment, she sighed and uncrossed her arms.

"Look, I'll be very clear. I don't like this. I don't get it, and I'll probably worry about it a lot."

Jason gave her a small, understanding smile.

"But," Claire continued, holding up a finger before he could speak, "I can see that my daughters are happy. And from what I've seen today, you seem to care about them. So I'm willing to trust you for now."

Jason's face lit up.

"Thank you, Mrs. Dunphy. I really appreciate you giving me a chance."

"Well, don't thank me yet," Claire said. "Giving you a chance doesn't mean I'll stop watching. I'm their mother. Worrying about their lives is basically my full-time job."

Jason chuckled. "That's fair. And I really do want us to get along."

Claire smiled a little.

"I want that too," she admitted. "Though I think we'll both be happier if you don't try to explain the future of plural marriage to me again."

Jason laughed. "Yeah, I think I'll drop that topic for good."

"Good idea," Claire said, looking pleased.

She was about to go back outside when she thought of something else.

"Oh, and Jason? There's one more thing I want you to remember."

Something in her voice made Jason sit up straighter.

"What is it, Mrs. Dunphy?"

Claire gave a nice smile.

"If you ever hurt either of my daughters on purpose, I want you to remember one thing."

Jason waited.

"I know where you live."

He blinked and gave a nervous laugh. "My house is right across the street from Jay's, so hiding wouldn't work very well anyway. Also, from what I heard, he got a shotgun."

"That's right," Claire said, nodding with a pleased look. "I'm glad we understand each other."

Then, she turned and walked toward the patio.

Jason watched her go and let out a quiet breath. 'Okay, that wasn't as bad as it could have been. I thought she might punch me in the throat.'

He joined her outside a little later. Haley and Alex were still talking a lot at the table.

Claire sat back down and picked up her drink. She looked at Jason as he sat between her daughters again.

Haley quickly leaned over to show him something on her phone. Alex then said something that made all three of them laugh.

Claire watched them for a bit, then shook her head. She still didn't get how this was all supposed to work out. But at least she knew a little more about the young man. And if he ever gave her a reason to regret this talk, she would definitely remind him. 

...

[Claire's Commentary]

"I finally talked to the guy both my daughters are dating."

Claire stopped for a moment to think about what to say next.

"Jason seems like a good person. He's polite, good-looking, and has his finances in order, which is great. He also pays attention when I speak. So, that's a pretty good start."

Her face changed expression.

"But am I okay with this? Absolutely not. Will I worry about it? Likely. And will I watch that young man very carefully?"

Claire leaned forward slightly.

"He's dating both of my daughters. What do you think?"

She leaned back, smiling with satisfaction.

"And just so you know, I was very kind to him. I didn't threaten him, yell, or ask many of the questions I wanted to."

A brief silence followed before Claire reconsidered.

"Okay, technically, I did threaten him. But I smiled when I said it, so I think that counts as progress."

[Commentary End]

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AN: Hope it was alright. Hehe. Anyway, next one will wrap up the party.