“He didn’t.” I brushed a few strands away from her forehead. “I did it when you were auditioning the final wife for me—Laura.I had a feeling she wouldn’t work out, and I hoped you would, so?—”
“Knowing how traditional your father is, I figured I’d ask and fly down and back to get an answer. If it worked out, great. If it didn’t, I could always say I never actually proposed, and no one would ever know the difference.”
“I don’t recall telling you much about my dad.”
“Well, you did,” he said. “And contrary to what you think, I listen to everything you say.”
“Oh.” She exhaled slowly as I pressed my cock against her pussy for the umpteenth time tonight. “Well, for what it’s worth, my dad seems super impressed with you.”
“Most people usually are.”
“I’m not.”
“Okay, then.” I pressed a kiss against her neck and pushed her down onto me all at once. “Let’s fix that then, shall we?”
16
JENNA
Christmas morning
Iwoke up alone in bed the next afternoon, sheets tangled and the room still faintly warm from what Nicholas and I had done in it. My body protested when I sat up, every movement a reminder I wasn’t ready to think about yet.
I checked the bathroom for him, already irritated by the empty space where he should’ve been.
Before I could call him, the sound of his laughter carried down the hallway—easy, unguarded—followed by voices that didn’t belong to us.
I took a quick shower and pulled on a sweater and leggings, forcing myself into something resembling composure before following the sound of him toward the living room.
Then I stalled in the doorway.
My aunts were setting the table with pies and casseroles. My cousins had pulled Nicholas into a game of Jenga amidst their opened presents. My father and stepmom watched it all like this was exactly how Christmas morning was supposed to look.
Nicholas laughed again, sleeves pushed up, already in the middle of it—already comfortable. Already fitting.
I poured myself a glass of wine and sank onto a loveseat, watching as everyone in the room fell a little more under his spell, minute by minute, like this wasn’t temporary at all.
I made it a few more minutes before the pressure in my chest became too much.
I set my glass down and slipped outside to the balcony.
The cold air hit hard, sharp against my skin. I leaned against the railing and focused on breathing, letting the laughter from inside follow me out—proof that whatever had started between Nicholas and me wasn’t staying contained.
This can’t be real.
“Um, Jenna?” Mom called from behind me. “Why are you out here?”
“Just wanted a break.”
“From your amazing family?” she joked.
“Yeah. No offense.”
“None taken.” She laughed and leaned against the railing. “I needed a break, too.”
“Why haven’t you told me to stop calling you ‘Mom’?”
She tilted her head to the side, confused.
