For the sake of getting Magnolia King off my back, I’m willing to act like Jase and I are in a relationship. As suspicion creepsinto every corner of Magnolia’s face, I know she’s determined to be there every step of the way to catch us in a lie. The worst part is, it looks like Indigo Harper will too.
Chapter Eighteen
Jase
It’s dark out by the time we leave my parents’ house and drive back down the long road leading home. I wanted to leave the moment Indigo showed up and ambushed an already dreadful occasion, but after Monroe's admission, she was determined to stay.
That was Monroe. Never backing down without a fight. She knew my mama had ulterior motives for inviting Indy to join us. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s the reason Indy’s back in Crossroads. I’m seeing my parents in a very different light, and I can't believe I was so blind to see what was right before my eyes all along.
Monroe wasn’t intimidated by the curveball they threw at her. We both knew Indy was still here, her car still in our driveway, but we never suspected she’d be joining us for Christmas dinner. I should have seen it coming after my father’s interest as to why she was here to begin with, but I guess that’s my biggest issue. Not expecting the unexpected with my parents.
I couldn’t stand to look my father in the eye as he pretended tonight was just another night. He didn’t seem to care that I was the only one of his children to attend his dinner from hell.
Cam, his wife Holly and Brynn are driving back to Crossroads tomorrow for the brunch Bailey invited everyone to at the Bishop Ranch, which now rightfully belongs to Monty Bishop. Now that she and Nash are together, she couldn’t let up the opportunity to host everyone for the occasion and felt the ranch was a better setting than Stingers.
I knew Bailey was definitely not showing up tonight, having taken our father’s infidelity and Mama’s absurdity in staying married to him for over three decades the hardest, other than Brynn, of course. Though, it was the betrayal and our father’s hand in separating her from Nash that stung the most despite them now being happily together.
I, for one, blame my father for the friendship I lost with Nash, though it’s also my fault for being blinded by the man I admired for so long.
It was no surprise Beau didn’t show up even though he was invited by my father himself. I haven't spoken to Beau or asked if he was planning to come, but something about his conversation with my father yesterday didn't give me the inkling he was interested in forming a relationship with him.
My father seemed rather amused as he watched everything play out before him tonight. My ex-girlfriend sat to my left while my current girlfriend and the future mother of my child sat to my right. In his mind, I was just like him.
But I was nothing like Bismarck King. I never would be.
Monroe and I drive in silence, my hands steady on the wheel as I stare out the window, replaying the dinner in my head until I can't stand it anymore. I don’t want to push, but I need answers. I need to apologize for the embarrassment I caused her.
“I’m sorry,” I say at the same time she speaks.
“I didn’t plan to say that,” she admits quietly.
“I know.”
“But I’m not sorry I did,” she continues, and my mouth curves, just slightly, from the light pink tint that creeps up her neck.
“Neither am I.” The hum of the engine fills the space between us as my girl gains the courage necessary to say what she really feels.
“I just couldn’t let her?—”
“I know,” I finish for her when I notice it’s taking everything in her to admit how she feels.
“Jase,” she says, turning to face me. “They don’t approve. That much was obvious. Everyone except maybe Nana Dorothy and I think she was just entertained by it all.”
She lets out a low laugh as I reach for her hand, and this time, I don't let her pull away from me. “They don’t have to,” I assure her, my voice low but certain. “They’ll play nice because of the baby. That’s all we can expect right now, but I don’t give a fuck what they want from me. Nothing they do or say is going to make me change my mind about us.”
As we pull into the driveway, I admire the way the moonlight gleams behind her, illuminating her like a beacon of light in the otherwise dark night. The beautiful sweater she wore with her blue jeans and cowboy boots fit her perfectly, but it’s the look of vulnerability she wears that has my heart skipping a beat.
I shut off the engine, but neither of us makes a move to get out. “So,” I say, keeping my gaze locked on her, but she interrupts me yet again.
“If we’re doing this, Jase. Pretending, which we are apparently. We need to be consistent. No slip-ups whatsoever that would make anyone suspicious. Not around your family or mine. Definitely not around Indigo Harper.”
The way she all but sneers her name feels too damn good. I’m not the kind of man who needs my ego stroked, but Monroe Bishop, jealous and claiming me as hers, is something I could get used to.
Her gaze meets mine in the dim light, and I give her a teasing smirk. “Pretending?”
“Yes,” she says firmly. “We make it believable for everyone else, for the baby’s sake. We can figure out the rest later.”
I study her for a long moment, wondering when things changed. Last night she was adamant that this was a terrible idea and she would not partake in it. Now she’s planning how we’re going to trick everyone into believing it.
