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A darkness crosses his feature as his eyes bore into mine, full of serious energy. “Money is not the end all and be all. It doesn’t buy happiness, or love.” His eyes are downcast and my heart aches for him. I know in that moment that Liam hasn’t had the upbringing I had, one full of love and laughter.
“But it does buy a Camaro, and we can both agree that that’s a plus.” He laughs as the tension dissipates.
“You like my car?” he asks, surprised. I smile, stepping forward as I lightly brush my fingers over the hood of the car.
“It’s sexy as hell, and I’ve always wanted to sit in one.”
He’s silent as his eyes search mine, for what, I have no idea. But before I think much of it he gives me that megawatt smile, “What about drive it?” A burst of laughter leaves my body as I roll my eyes at the idea of owning a car this sexy.
“I wouldn’t be able to afford the entrance fee into the building they sell them in, let alone drive one.” The self-deprecating tone goes right over his head as his eyes light up and his lips twitch in a smirk.
“Maybe one day I’ll let you have a go at riding the beast.” I look over at him and see the hunger there. For a minute I don’t know if the ride pertains to the car or him.
Who am I kidding, I could love both.
“Shall we?” I motion to the house and as we walk, his fingers lightly brush against mine, sending a shiver through me.
“So what should I know…before you throw me to the wolves?” he says as my pinky wraps itself around his as we continue to walk. He doesn’t pull it away and a small smirk crosses my lips.
“Well my ex’s name is Derek. We broke up six months ago. We were together a year and I thought we were meant to be…”
“But?” he interrupts, stopping us just shy of the front gate.
“But when I told him I wanted to get married and have a family, he said he wasn’t ready. What I didn’t know was that he just wasn’t ready for that with me.”
“He’s an idiot. He clearly doesn’t know what he’s missing.” I give him a small smile as his fingers fully entwine with mine. I look down and have a realization that I don’t know which fingers are his and which are mine. I like it.
Calm down, girl.
What have I gotten myself into?
The party is in full effect when we arrive and JJ’s fingers tighten against mine as she looks around. I take a moment to take in the feel of her hand in mine, and damn, do I love it. I have never had this kind of visceral reaction to a woman before in my life. I’ve had my fair share of women in my thirty-two years, but none of them mean a thing to me right now. All I see is JJ. She wasn’t what I was expecting when I rolled down my window. I know she’s looking for her ex, and I vow that I will do everything I can to make this easy for her.
There are red and white lights everywhere, garland twisting up the staircase, and if my eyes don’t deceive me, there are a total of four Christmas trees that I can see. One in the entryway, one in the kitchen, another in the hall and one at the top landing of the staircase. There’s some godawful oldies holiday music playing and I pray we can show our faces and leave as soon as possible.
All of a sudden, JJ tenses beside me and her eyes track a man making his way to us. His blond hair curls at the ends and the sweater vest he’s wearing proudly looks like his grandmother made it for him ten years ago. He has a quizzical look on his face as his gaze meets mine, almost as if he’s not sure what to make of me. “That him?” I lean down and whisper in her ear. She nods, saying nothing. Her anxiety cascades over her body and I know I need to calm her somehow. “Listen,” I whisper once more. “I promise I will make sure he feels like a complete ass for letting you go.”
Our eyes lock and it’s like I forgot how beautiful her eyes were, because those emerald gems sear my soul. “And how will you do that?” she teases. I wink, loving the look she gets in her eyes.
“You’ll just have to wait and see. Just don’t kill me for what I plan to do…” I laugh at my own lame comment, but I love the brilliant smile that crosses her face. I don’t even know what I plan to do, I just know that around her I tend to go overboard.
“Josephine?” her ex says as he approaches. JJ cringes at the name and I take note never to call her that. Obviously, he never figured that out.
“Derek, nice to see you again.” There’s a smile on her lips, but I know it’s forced. I don’t blame her. He’s not what I was expecting. His surfer attitude flows off him in waves and I wonder for a second what she saw in him. My eyes cast down, watching as she takes him in, and a sense of relief flows through me when I notice her hard eyes and a clenched jaw.
“I didn’t know you were bringing someone…” His voice trails, as he looks me up and down. My hand tightens against her hip as I give Derek my biggest smile.
“It’s fairly new,” I say, feeling JJ laugh against me. His eyes flicker to her face and a look of surprise crosses her face and I wonder what that’s about. I don’t have a chance to ask because JJ cuts in.
“Derek, this is Liam. My boyfriend.” She says it so casually and I’m surprised at how amazing that word makes me feel. I’ve never been the commitment type, but the idea of being attached to JJ sounds extremely appealing.
“Boyfriend? Already?” Derek mutters, but we both hear it and I don’t like the tension that creeps into JJ’s shoulders.
“This coming from a guy who’s engaged already…where is your fiancée anyway?” The words are clipped as they leave my mouth, but there’s a flicker of a smirk on JJ’s face, so I know I didn’t cross a line.
“If you must know, she’s not feeling well…morning sickness.” JJ looks like someone smacked her across the face, and it takes me a few seconds for his comment to sink in. Damn. Pregnant? This bastard doesn’t waste any time, doeshe?
“She’s pregnant?” JJ whispers, and beside me her body starts to shake. I need to get her out of this conversation…and fast.
