"Believe me," he murmured, his concentration locked on the scarf, "I'm suffering the loss of your sundresses, too." He met my gaze with a small smile. "But your ass is on fire in those jeans. I can't figure out whether I should pinch it, spank it, or bite it." He glanced up and down the sidelines. "There's also a fourth option but I'd rather not mention it here."
I waved toward the high school's football field and the cheerleaders warming up within feet of us. "Good call, sheriff. Tuck that one away for later. We don't need to stir up any more attention than necessary."
He followed my gaze to the stadium stands where my family sat, decked out in the high school's colors. "Fuck that," he whispered, bending toward me. "Let them watch."
He tipped my chin up and brushed his lips over mine. There were no secrets about us being together but I wasn't entirely steady with the eyes of the entire town—and my family—on us. I wasn't so self-centered that I believed all these people cared about the minutiae of my life but I was standing on the sidelines before the homecoming game, wrapped up in this big grizzly bear of a man's arms, all while the back of his coat proudly announced his title.
When we parted, I ran my gloved finger over his bottom lip to tidy up the shiny lip gloss left there. "You're a bad influence, sheriff."
"I am." Jackson ran his palms down my shoulders and arms before gripping my hands. "Where's Brooke tonight?"
I shook my head at him, gave him anif you only knewface. "She doesn't attend football games. She has a complex relationship with our alma mater."
"Knowing Brooke, that is unsurprising." Jackson brushed some stray snowflakes from my shoulder. A squall was in tonight's forecast. "We don't have to stay for the whole game."
I snickered at that. "No, we need to stay for the entire thing. Every last minute," I insisted. "It's the homecoming game. You have to do the coin toss thing. I have to crown the homecoming court. We have to stay through the end and we probably have to go back to someone's house for a little post-game potluck, too."
"I don't want a potluck," he grumbled, seizing my waist in his hands. "I haven't seen you all week. I want to take you home."
It had been a busy week. Jackson was in Augusta for a three-day law enforcement meeting, I had two evening events at the shop, and Brooke and I met up for dinner and drinks last night. I worked hard at making time for my friend, even when it would've been easier to cancel on her and spend the evening snuggled up with my man.
But I was determined to avoid that. She was there for me before Jackson I wasn't leaving her on the back burner now that I was with Jackson. She was the sister I chose and I wasn't about to forget that she chose me, too.
"You're seeing me right now," I said.
"Yeah, Annie, I am," he said, his voice gravelly. "And I'm wondering whether I was wrong about your fuck-hot ankles now that I'm seeing you in jeans. Goddamn, girl. The things you do to me."
I started to explain my fascination with his official sheriff's uniform sweater but I spotted my mother and sisters headed straight toward us. I wasn't sure where they'd left my dad and brothers-in-law but those men seemed to follow the old adage of being seen but not heard. Sometimes they went above and beyond with silenceandabsence.
"Oh. This is special," I murmured, stepping out of Jackson's embrace. I didn't go far but I didn't want them to see me pawing at him. They'd file it under my repeated acts of desperation and never let me forget it.
While I hadn't shut my mom or sisters out after their visit to my store a couple months ago, I wasn't seeking them out either. I accepted that there was a world of difference between me and the rest of my family and I wasn't about to change any of that. It didn't matter whether that difference sprung from choosing this profession over theirs or the tremendous gap in our ages or even my failure to be born a boy. It didn't matter at all.
Jackson swung his arm over my shoulder, tugging me closer. "Don't say a word. I've got this," he said under his breath.
"Got what?" I whisper-shrieked.
He shook his head once and held out his free hand to my mother. "Mrs. Cortassi. It's a pleasure to see you this evening," he boomed.
She accepted his hand but couldn't tear her constipated stare away from his hold on my shoulder. "The pleasure is all mine." She glanced away from me and gestured to my sisters. "I don't believe you've met my daughters. Rosa, Lydia, and Antonella."
He nodded toward each of them. "I've met my favorite," Jackson said, pressing a kiss to my temple.
My mother blinked at us for a moment as she struggled to process the picture before her. For my part, I was struggling to hold back a giggle. "Oh, yes," she said, eyeing me. "Yes, you have met Annette."
"Not only have I met her but I've spent the summer falling in love with her," he said. "Long before she knew it, months ago, I was falling for her."
In place of my bones was jelly. Even after two solid months of Jackson telling me he loved me—andsaying it back—the accompanying rush of bone-melting heat hadn't faded.
"Oh my god," Nella muttered, curling her fist in front of her mouth.
My mother recovered, cooing, "Sheriff, you're such a sweetheart. We must have you over for Sunday supper. How about next weekend? Yes, next weekend. You're coming over. It's settled."
I wasn't sure whether my invitation was implied or they were hoping to get alone time with him.
Jackson glanced down at me, his hungry stare concentrated on my lips. "Does that work for us, beautiful?" he asked.
"It's fine," I said, my cheeks warming under his study. "I think. Probably."
