Getting Played - Emma Chase Page 0,77
a second?”
He pauses the television. “Sure. What’s up?”
I look at my son, and I give it to him straight—like the adult he almost is.
“I love Dean, Jaybird. I’m in love with him.”
Jason glances down at his hands and for the first time in his life, I can’t tell what he’s thinking. I’m not sure if he even knows. The anger that was so prominent all those weeks ago has faded. And now what seems to remain is a cool, cautious, distrust.
I cover Jason’s hand with mine, and his eyes rise back to my face.
“There’s so much about Dean to love. He’s smart and funny and talented—and he’s good, and real, and he cares about us, Jay. You have to see that—he’s doing everything he can to show us, to take care of us . . . all of us. And I think you love him too, and that’s why it hurt so much when it seemed like he’d cheated. But I don’t think he did. I believe him, Jay—I believe that it happened like he said it did. And I think if you take a step back and let go of some of that hurt and really look at everything, you’ll believe it too.”
I squeeze his hand. “I’m not going to tell you what to do. You have every right to feel what you feel and think what you think. But I don’t want you to go through life afraid to trust yourself or someone else. Afraid to take a chance. I don’t want you to talk yourself out of taking the risk of letting yourself love someone, and of letting them love you.” My voice goes soft and a little choked. “Because love, Jay, real love—the kind of love that slams into you and holds on even when you don’t expect it—it’s so worth it. It’s worth everything.”
Before he can say anything, the front doorbell rings. Jason goes to answer the door and a few moments later comes back with the last person I thought I’d ever see—it’s Kelly Simmons.
Surprise, surprise.
I’d looked up her picture on the school website, but she’s even prettier in person—perfect shape, flawless skin.
“Hi.” She tucks a blond hair behind her ear and clears her throat. “I’ll make this quick. I don’t do nice. It’s not who I am. When I was younger, nice never got me anywhere, and now my students don’t need nice. They need someone who’s going to push them and fight for them, so that’s what I do.”
Her eyes move between me and Jason and her voice is firm and distinct as she says, “Nothing happened between me and Dean, you need to know that. I kissed him when he wasn’t expecting it . . . and then he turned me down flat. I’m not telling you this to be nice, I’m telling you because it’s true.”
Kelly folds her arms. “He’s a good friend and a good guy. Every woman in this town has suspected for a long time that if Dean Walker ever really fell for someone, he would be so much better than good—he’d be incredible at it. And he’s fallen for you—for both of you. If you can’t see that, you’re idiots. And you don’t deserve him.”
She takes a deep breath, blowing it out as she shrugs. “That’s it—that’s all I came to say. I’m out.”
And with that, Kelly Simmons turns around and walks out the door.
~ ~ ~
It’s almost ten when Dean gets back from Grams’s. He stopped over to have dinner with her, do some maintenance around the house, make sure she can read all the bills clear enough to pay them.
“How was your night?” he asks, walking into the bathroom to brush his teeth, wearing navy boxer briefs that make my mouth water, because he looks so hot, and big and already semi-hard—and tonight’s the night I do something about it.
When he emerges a minute later, I rise up on my knees and move toward the edge of the bed. I feel ungainly and awkward but the heat that spikes in Dean’s eyes and the hunger that tightens his jaw makes me think I must look pretty damn seductive.
I can feel how much he wants me. I always could. And just like every time before—Dean wants me a hell of a lot.
I rest my arms on his shoulders and look into his ocean-blue eyes.
“Kelly Simmons stopped by the house today. She told me and Jason that she kissed you and you turned her down.” I