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I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to figure out if we were doing one of the usual games that we played with each other.
“Then, introduce them to me. I want to meet them.”
This would easily send any normal boyfriend screaming and running in the other direction. If this relationship wasn’t meant to be, the best thing to do was to get the potential problem out of the way sooner rather than later.
He remained silent, and I could tell the man was caught. Sadly, this was the one time I didn’t want to beat John in one of our little banters or silly arguments with which we’d always been competitive.
“Do you honestly want to take more time off work so soon?” he questioned after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
“Why would this require taking more time off work? Why not just dinner?”
“Because when I introduce my family to the love of my life, I prefer to do it while visiting them instead of them flying here to meet you over dinner.”
“Dear God,” I answered. “John, this isn’t a game. I’m not a new toy of yours.”
That upset him, and rightfully so. It wasn’t fair, but everything was a game to him—a challenge, a chase. And I didn’t want to play games with the intense feelings plaguing me now.
“I never said you were,” he said, his voice low and steely. “In fact, I’m going to prove you’re not a game to me. I may make light of our relationship, Mick, but that’s just my personality. The truth is that I am very much in love with you, and I won’t let you walk away. If that means we’ll travel this year and spend the holidays together, meeting our respective families, to make us official, then that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
“Well, that’s a bit much,” I said.
He smirked, “So, you pick. Do you want to spend Thanksgiving with my family or perhaps Christmas? Either way works for me. I’m not a huge fan of the holidays anyway.”
“I would need to talk to my parents about—” I rubbed my forehead. “What the hell are we doing? Really?” I looked at him in confusion, “The holidays? Can we try to dial this back a little bit?”
“Hey, this was your idea,” he said, tilting his head as he studied me.
“Well, being introduced for the first time and spending the holidays…” I trailed off. I didn’t know what the fuck I wanted, obviously. I was just scared, plain and simple.
He shrugged, “The only way to make you believe that I’m in love with you and that I don’t care what anyone else thinks about that is to have you along for the holidays. I think it’s a fantastic idea.”
“I haven’t even told my parents we’re dating,” I stammered.
His eyebrows shot up in humor. “Oh, really?” he said with a grin. “So, wait. You were just scolding me for not telling my parents about you; did I get that right?”
“Funny,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“It’s hilarious,” he teased and then helped me stand so he could bring me into his arms. “Listen, this hesitation and resistance must finally be put to rest. So, let’s find a way to bring some joy into our lives this holiday season. Let’s use the holidays to break the news to our families.”
“John, all I have to do is make a phone call. I don’t need Thanksgiving dinner with you and my parents to announce you’re my boyfriend.”
He laughed and kissed my forehead. “I forgot, you come from a normal family,” he pulled back and brought his eyes to meet mine. “Thanksgiving it is, then. That way, half of my family will be drunk and fighting over other bullshit. I would love to bring you to New York to meet them if you’re up for it.”
What the hell did I just get myself into? I needed to stop being so goddamn fickle and let myself just enjoy this, but I also was desperate not to lose myself. I’d worked too hard to get where I was in life to let a man step on the scene and wash it all away.
I’d always been strong and independent but being with John made me feel like we were melting into each other, and that terrified me because I loved every second of it. I needed to keep my head about me without threatening to pull the plug every other minute, but how could I be confident and whole on my own when it was beginning to feel like I couldn’t live without him?
Chapter Twenty-Nine
John
I couldn’t fault Mickie for her sudden fear of this whirlwind relationship. Maybe it was because the chemistry in bed between us was off the charts, but as much as I’d like to think it was that, it wasn’t.
I knew what was happening with me and my strong feelings, and it was utterly unlike me to react to any woman like this. Mick consumed all my thoughts these days, and my feelings had grown so strong that it almost didn’t feel normal.
However, unlike Mickie, I wasn’t one to panic. I loved the things that made my adrenaline spike and gave me a thrill, and being with Mickie did just that. I loved how longing for this woman made me feel. To see her eyes sparkle every time she looked into mine gave me a feeling of anticipation for when I could get her alone and ignite the flames of passion, lust, and ecstasy. Instead of panicking, I was thriving and excited about all of this. I just had to keep her calm because it was easy to see that she was terrified of getting hurt.
Ring! Ring!
