Home For The Holidays - Jordan Silver Page 0,72
and figured I could twat punt her into it no problem.
JARED
Talk about a fire-breathing dragon. She’d left me in here for hours while she played around in the kitchen with her mom. I didn’t mind, though, since I found her dad as entertaining as mine. What is it about men of a certain age and the shit they get into? I was listening attentively to another one of his fishing stories when Tessa found herself getting closer. I’ve been clocking her movements all day, and she kept inching closer and closer as the situation allowed.
I looked at Tom to see if he was seeing this, but he looked to be a million miles away. No doubt where his mind was. He’s been mooning over Deidre and his girls all day. It makes me wonder why he ever left if he feels that way about her. The guy is like his sister. She says everything out loud while he wears his thoughts on his face.
As Tessa got closer, I thought I was going to have to say something to her before long, but there was Sam, walking into the room with a look on her face that could only spell trouble. Oh boy! She took one look at Tessa, who was sitting on the same couch as I with one cushion between us and looking at me longingly.
I’m pretty sure my father-in-law noticed, but he wasn’t saying anything. Not after the raised brow look, he gave me, which I answered with a wink to let him know that I saw what he was seeing. He carried on with his storytelling, so I’m guessing he figured this was all part of the plan Samantha and I had. Not quite. We hadn’t discussed how to handle her trying to get close to me, something I had overlooked after the way things had ended between us. I thought for sure she’d steer clear.
Apparently, Tessa hadn’t seen Samantha come in, and her dad chose that moment to leave the room, leaving just Tessa and I alone there since Tom had left no doubt for another drink. “So, Jared, how have you been? You look amazing.” Her smile was nothing short of predatory; it made my skin crawl.
Before I could answer, my little hellion dropped down on the seat between us and turned a ferocious glare her way. “Slutty much. Isn’t wrecking one home enough for you, damn?”
“Must you always be such a bitch? And for your information, I didn’t wreck anything. Your saintly sister in law destroyed her marriage all by herself.”
“If that’s what you have to tell yourself to get through the night. Now scoot your ass somewhere else before I knock your lights out.”
“Are you that insecure? Just because he gave you a ring doesn’t mean he’s going to marry you-you know.”
“Yeah, you should know, since he left your ass hanging. Newsflash, I’m not you.”
I was thinking I should jump in and put a stop to this before it got out of hand but as long as she didn’t get handsy with my girl, I figured things were still under control. “It won’t last, you know. I know Jared, and you’re not even his type. At least I know he had feelings for me; he’s probably just using you to get back at me.” She actually said that shit like she believed it.
“You peaked in high school, didn’t you?” Samantha didn’t seem the least bit phased by Tessa’s assumption. One of the reasons I’m head over heels in love with her is because of that self-confidence she wears like a shield. There isn’t an ounce of doubt in her. Something a man in my position can’t help but admire.
“What does that even mean?” Tessa scooted back into her space, looking pissed at being thwarted. It boggles the mind that she would even try hitting on me right under her man’s nose, not to mention his family’s. I dodged the fuck out of that bullet.
“It means you’re a simple-minded twit whose high school mean girl popularity went to your head and was all you had to offer society. Now you’re a grown-ass woman who still acts like the dingbat you once were. Seriously what did you see in her?” She turned her ire my way.
I leaned in and sucked on her bottom lip. “Get her baby! I love my fierce, beautiful nerd.” She shivered at my whispered words and gave me that special look as if forgetting we had an audience. I ran my