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Jillian
Nine Years Earlier
“Dean Carlisle.”
As soon as the superintendent called out his name, Jillian leapt to her feet, screaming and cheering, clapping until her palms stung. She was certain he couldn’t hear her with his parents, brothers, and sister-in-law all just as loud, but she loved being able to show how proud she was of him.
After the ceremony closed, she ducked and pushed her way through the crowd until she located Dean and promptly launched herself into his arms.
“Sparky, I amsoproud of you!” She squeezed his neck tight and gave a small squeal in his ear.
He held onto her tightly for a moment before setting her onto her feet. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t top of the class likesomepeople, Miss Valedictorian.”
Jillian rolled her eyes. “It’s a pointless title that means absolutely nothing.”
“Hey, Deano.” Some guy with sandy blond hair walked up to them, clasped one of Dean’s hands in his and patted Dean on the back with the other one. “We survived.” His gaze landed on Jillian and they lit up with appreciation. “This your girlfriend?”
She opened her mouth to correct the other man, but Dean draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side before she could speak.
“Yeah, it is. And we have plans so I have to go, but I’ll catch you around, Tyler.” With that Dean steered her away from the crowd toward where his parents and siblings stood.
Jillian stood back for a moment as they all hugged and congratulated him. Dean’s immediate declaration that she was his girlfriend was confusing and unsettling.
And reignited the want deep inside that she was desperately trying to ignore.
He broke away from his family and grabbed her hand. “We’re going to meet them at the restaurant.”
She looked over at him out of the corner of her eye as they wove through throngs of people to find their way to the parking lot and, eventually, located his car. She kept her mouth shut until they were both inside and buckled and stuck in a line of traffic.
“So want to clue me in on what that was all about?”
Dean drew his brows together and frowned at her. “What was what about?”
Jillian offered a strangled laugh. “The whole “yeah, this is my girlfriend” bit? I mean, I’m not saying I’m not flattered, Sparky, but that’s usually something you ask the girl about first rather than just deciding on your own.”
He rolled his eyes. “Look, I like Tyler, but he’s a jerk. He’s seen us at the dance, so it was a reasonable point to make.” He rested his wrist on the steering wheel and looked over at her. “He’d hound me for your number and quite possibly follow us to dinner.”
A brief moment of hope flared in her chest. If Dean was that concerned then maybe…
“Only you and I know how ridiculous that is. Everyone else could easily picture us madly in love.” He maneuvered the car through the vehicles parked on either side creating a small ally to exit.
The flame flickered and died. The lead weight of reality sunk to the pit of her stomach. Her smile, thankfully, slipped easily into place. “Right? You and I would be likeWar of the Roses, only worse.”
He shot her a lopsided grin before shifting gears and gunning the engine as he finally broke free of the barely moving line of vehicles and found a stretch of wide, open road. “More likeMr. and Mrs. Smith.”
Jillian nudged his bicep with her elbow. “Are you secretly an assassin trying to kill me?”
Dean let out a short bark of laughter. “Nah, but the chemistry on that one was hot as hell.” He puffed out his chest. “And you gotta admit with a fine specimen such as myself it would be damn near impossible for you to keep your hands off me if we were living together.”
“Oh, yes.” She clasped both hands together over her heart and gave a deep sigh. “It’s a struggle I face all the time. I barely restrain myself from jumping your bones on a daily basis.”
He clucked his tongue. “Now, now, Ms. Monroe, whatever would the Ice Queen and her merry band of loyal yes women say if they heard you talking that way?”
Jillian groaned and sank deeper into the seat closing her eyes. “I wish I had the guts to find out.”
Dean reached over and grabbed one of her hands, lacing his fingers through hers and pulling it so they rested on the center console. “Look on the bright side, in three months you’ll be two hundred and eleven miles away from the Glass Castle and the Ice Queen’s rule.”
