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He holds the car door open for me and waits for me to get situated in my seat before closing it. Tucking my feet under me, I watch as he adjusts the heat for me and turns on the seat warmer.
"Thank you for tonight and driving me home," I say once we pull out of the driveway.
Lights from other cars and streetlamps help me see when he glances over at me. "Of course, Rylee. Thank you for coming over."
What an odd thing to thank me for.
"Why is that odd?"
Oops, I said that out loud.Yeah, the wine I had tonight, on top of being sleepy, is making me far more relaxed than I normally am.
I look away from him, not wanting to see the pity. "Oh, well, nobody has ever wanted me around."
He stays silent and damn him for learning from his mistakes. If he were to demand answers and start beating his chest like an alphahole, I wouldn't tell him jack shit. The comfortable, companionable silence of two people who spent the better half of six hours together playing games, laughing, talking, and getting to know each other on an easy level? That’s what makes me weak.
"My parents never really cared about me either way. I was never that kid who acted out to get attention." I sigh, feeling my chest loosen with each admission. "I aced as many assignments and classes as I could, just so I could tell my mom and dad about it."
Looking out the window, I wipe a few tears away with the blanket. A warm weight settles on my leg. Jackson's silent support urges me on. "I just wanted them to smile at me, you know? Like arealsmile. Their fake ones were only supposed to be meant for all the rich assholes they surrounded themselves with. I guess I just always assumed that at some point I would start seeing their love, and maybe they were just really busy."
"I got you," Jackson repeats the words he told me earlier while he held me. His fingers flex on my thigh, and I can't tell where the extra heat is coming from anymore.
No longer feeling like I want to avoid his face, I catalog his messy black hair and scruffy jaw. Even in pajamas, he looks regal and clean-cut. "It wasn't until they found out I started seeing one of the sons of their business buddies that I felt connected to my parents." I scoff, annoyed all over again. "Turns out they could have made really good business deals with them, but when I told them Mason knocked me up, we were both shunned like dirty fucking secrets."
"Both of you?" His voice is gravelly, suppressed anger scratching at his throat.
"Yeah. Mason was twenty-one at the time. So, could you imagine what would happen to both our family images if they found out he got a minor pregnant? I mean, hell, it would have been really bad, but all they did was shove me into the arms of a monster."
Just as the last word slips from my babbling mouth, we pull into my driveway, thankfully shutting me up before I get to the truly horrible parts of my life.
"Thank you for the ride, Jackson." I'm out of the car in a flash and shuffling my way towards my front door before he can even utter a word.
"Rylee, wait!"
Damn, maybe the sky will start dumping rain on us, like in the movies.
I turn to watch his wide body jog over to stand in front of me. Neither of us says a thing, but I see Jack warring with his protective instincts. Instead of commenting on my trauma dump, his wide hand grabs the back of my neck while the other grips my jaw. My face and head now under his command.
"Thank you, Rylee. For coming overandsharing some of the uncomfortable shit with me. I—" he stutters. "Just thank you." I want to ask what he was thinking about saying, but his lips claim mine when they split to speak.
Jackson’s tongue sweeps through my mouth in exploration twice before he nips at my bottom lip, making me clench my fists in the blanket. Pulling back, he gifts me with a feather-light kiss to my jaw and whispers in my ear, "Sleep well. And don't forget to be a good girl and text Marcus."
Just then, my front door opens wide, and out comes a skipping pixie with a shit-eating grin on her face that reminds me of her brothers. "I couldn't figure out how to flicker the lights."
Both Jackson and I laugh, his deep rumble overpowering mine, and I can't help but be excited to hear that sound again.
* * *
"Mommy, when can I see Lee and Jude?"
From her spot sitting on the floor with her giant sheet of paper and colors, she looks at me beneath her long lashes. I dry my hands on the dishrag and turn the faucet off, finally having scrubbed the pan of cheese.
"I don't know, baby." I knew she liked the guys, but maybe us leaving will be harder on her than I thought. She hasn't seen them since they brought us flowers and apologized for their behavior.
They were all busy with work this week, so I haven't seen them since last weekend for our video game night. Each of them has been messaging me, even calling me sometimes to "hear my voice" they say.
"Can I call Mister?" Her head tilts to the side at the same time mine does. The early Sunday light makes her hair look like a halo. I giggle and pull my phone out of my back pocket.
"Sure, here you go!" I click the icon to Facetime Leo and place it in her colorful fingers.
