“So, what are you confessing to me?” He leans back against the counter, crossing his arms and legs, giving me his full attention.
I bite my lip to hold back my smirk, knowing he’ll think I’m ridiculous. “I may or may not have purposely left my hair messy at times so you would come braid it. I knew after I fell off my bike that one time, you would always braid it.” I chuckle, thinking about how clever I thought I was.
His eyes widen. “You did not.”
“I did.” I widen mine right back. “When did I ever walk around with anything out of place? You never picked up on it? I would mess it all up before I saw you.”
He shakes his head like he can’t believe it. “I’m not sure if I should be impressed or not.”
I nod my head enthusiastically. “Impressed, definitely impressed. Come on, I was a kid, thinking outside the box. It was genius. Brilliant, even.”
He rolls his eyes playfully. “Whatever you say.”
I reach out and wipe a bit of sauce on his gorgeous face. He grabs my wrist and pulls me forward so I lean against his chest. “Hi.” He smiles.
“Bonjour.” I wink.
He looks cute right now.
Not thatcuteis a word I would typically use for Jack—more like devastatingly gorgeous—but with his dirty face and dark, messed-up hair, not to mention his pink apron… he’s looking freaking adorable.
“We have time before the duck is ready. Tell me about the rest of your day,” he says, wrapping his arms around me tightly, keeping me close to his chest.
I sigh, thinking about my morning. My meeting with my client was unproductive and a waste of my time, which could have been spent in bed next to Jack, pretending I was asleep while he cuddled me.
Then there washer, Nicole. “I hate to admit anything Wills says or does is right, but after meeting with the wedding planner”—I narrow my eyes at the thought of her hands on Jack—“he was right to have someone keep an eye on her. Something about her screamsshadyto me.”
His brows furrow in concern. “Is this because you were jealous, or do you honestly think that?”
“I was not jealous,” I lie.
One side of his lip curves up in a cheeky smirk. “Oh really? So why did your lip just twitch?” He pokes at said lip. “Liar.” He laughs.
I hate that I have a tell.
“Whatever.” I ignore him. “I would never make something like that up. Even before the whole lobby incident, she gave me a bad vibe. I would have mentioned it to you, but it slipped my mind.”
His body goes rigid. “I want to come with you the next time you go. I will not have my baby sister’s wedding fucked up because of Nicole or anyone else. Period, end of story.”
“Shh.” I glance around to make sure no one is looking at us, squeezing his hand in a way to calm his impending freakout. “Your sister appreciates you in every way, but remember she has a new protector in her life, and as much as it pains you, you have to let the reins go and pass them on to Wills. If something’s going on, we should tell him.”
“Yeah, not happening,” he says in a dismissive tone while he pushes away from me to tend to his next task.
“Jack,” I warn. “It’s what you do when you walk her down the aisle. You pass the responsibility off to her husband.”
He stares at me, dumbfounded, as if he’s never heard such a thing in his life. “Well… she should have John or Mr. Taylor to do it then, because there is no way in hell I’m giving up the responsibility of my sister after all these years. It’s been only us all our lives until Wills came along. He’s gotten used to me thus far, and he’ll have to figure out how to deal with it forever.”
“I know, I was there. We were all taking care of one another,” I say as I take the duck out of the oven, then turn back toward Jack when he doesn’t answer. “Hey.” I lower my voice. “What’s going on?” I cup his cheek when I see his pain-stricken face.
“I’m so incredibly happy for both of them… and my nieces. Sades deserves this more than anyone in the world, especially after what they’ve been through.” He takes a deep breath. “I guess I just never thought about how that might impact my role in her life.”
I shake my head at my stupidity. “You’re right, don’t listen to me. You can both be there for her.”
“No, you’re right, B. I need to step back and let Wills be there for her. If they need me, they’ll ask,” he says, gulping down his emotions.
“Let’s get out of here, okay?” I turn off the oven and grab his hand. When he doesn’t resist, I realize how upset he is.
Wills has been in the picture for a while now, but I think with the permanent role of husband, it’s finally hitting Jackson that after years of being Sadie’s only protector, he’s not her number one guy anymore.
