How the Hitman Stole Christmas - Sam Mariano Page 0,39
with him, I’ll get attached.
I can’t get attached. Not to him. Not to the intoxicating criminal I have no future with.
I may have a terrible habit of always falling for the guys who will never give me the life I dream about, I may have questionable choice in men, but that’s a bridge too far—even for me.
Chapter Thirteen
Jasper
She’s fucking amazing.
Out of all the girlfriends I could have stolen, I’m pretty sure I hijacked the very best.
I knew coming home would be stressful. I knew seeing my mom for the first time in God knows how many years might not be the most comfortable thing in the world. But I’m no stranger to stressful situations. I excel at handling them like a pro, so I wasn’t too worried about it.
It’s a different kind of discomfort when it’s family, though.
With work, it isn’t personal. It’s just business, nice and clean, no messy emotional attachments or fucked-up personal history. It’s not the same kind of stress.
Go fucking figure. I can calmly handle a high-stakes standoff where bloodshed is inevitable and some of that blood could even be mine… but going home for family Christmas, now that gets me riled up.
I didn’t account for Autumn wanting to be supportive, though.
I didn’t account for her gentle hand subtly rubbing my muscles to calm me down when my mom walked in and made me tense up.
It’s nice. She’s nice.
I’m already fonder of my captive girlfriend than I’ve been of any of the ones who chose to be with me, so maybe I’m onto something here.
Despite not being easily distracted, I have to admit the soothing attempt Autumn is making to relax me in the midst of my personal hell is working. I’m going through the motions of talking to Nora about work—hers, not mine—but more of my focus is on Autumn than anyone else in the room.
Until a dark-haired little girl in a green poofy dress suddenly comes up the stairs, walks over to us, and calls my sister, “Mama.”
My heart stops beating. Blood freezes in my veins. I’m not normally one to wear my feelings on my face, but I can’t suppress the sudden swell of shock as I turn my gaze on Tarek.
“Did that little girl that looks an awful lot like you just call my sister mom?”
Nora looks horrified, but she’s trying to tamp down the horror so as not to offend the little girl. Tarek finally stops smiling, stealing an uncertain glance at my sister while he bends to scoop up the child.
“I need to borrow my brother real quick,” Nora says, forcing a smile for Autumn and Tarek before grabbing my arm and dragging me away.
“What the fuck is going on?” I ask without preamble.
“Okay, I may have slightly… lied,” she says, failing to find any better way of putting it, “when I told you I needed you to meet Tarek to see if he was a good guy or not. I already know he’s a great guy, I just really wanted you to meet him, Jasper, and I was afraid you wouldn’t come if I said that. You needed a task, something to accomplish to drag you here, so I gave you one.”
“You have a kid and you didn’t tell me? A kid old enough to walk, to…” I gesture back at the little girl, at a complete loss. I don’t spend much time around kids, so I don’t know exactly how old this one is, but she’s damn sure too old for me to just be finding out about.
My baby sister had a baby and she didn’t even tell me?
Nora rushes to fill in the blanks. “She’s not mine, not technically.”
“She just called you ‘mama’,” I tell her, my eyes widening in disbelief. “If she’s not yours, why the hell is she calling you mama?”
Casting an anxious look back at Tarek and the little girl, she grabs my arm and drags me a little farther away. “Her name is Amira, she’s Tarek’s daughter. He’s a single dad, I met him a few years ago—” Seeing my alarm, she rushes to correct herself, “We haven’t been together that long, but we are now, and it’s… it’s serious, Jasper. Really serious. That’s why I wanted you to meet him. Family is important to Tarek, and it was really important to him that he got to meet you since he knows I look up to you so much.” She sighs and looks down, then brings her gaze back to mine. “Amira calls