Reining in the Bad Boy - Jacki James Page 0,9

this, we don't see anyone else. No matter how casual I make it sound, they know I wouldn't want that, and I won't spend the next couple months with them feeling sorry for me because you're messing around.”

“No messing around,” he said. “Got it.”

I raised an eyebrow at his easy acceptance because it seemed a little out of character for the Miller Monroe I'd heard about for the last year, but I went on. “Second, when we put an end to it, we present it as amicable, no bad guy, no hard feelings. I won't put them in the position to feel they have to take sides.”

“That's fair. I wouldn't want that either,” he agreed.

“And last but not least. You tell me the real reason you're doing this. I don't believe for a second it has anything to do with your family or the way they behave over the holidays. So if you want to do this, you have to tell me the real reason why.”

He stopped his fork halfway to his mouth and looked at me. “Why does it matter to you why I’m doing it?”

I rolled my eyes. “Miller, you have my answer. You can tell me why me going to your family's house for Christmas matters to you, or we can call this off.” I couldn't explain why his motivation mattered so much to me, but it did. It wasn't making sense to me for him to suddenly want someone to go with him to his family for the holidays. They lived right here in town. There was no way they hadn't heard the stories about what a player Miller was, so what was he trying to prove?

He let out a heavy sigh, and so softly I barely heard him said, “It's not about my family.”

“What?” I asked.

“It's not about my family, okay? I mean, everything I said about my family is true, and it will be nice to have someone there with me. They both exhaust me equally, but in different ways. But I've been putting up with them for years. That isn't anything new.”

“Okay, then why?”

“Look, you know I love Cap and Ripley. Hell, Ripley and I have been close as brothers since we were five. But they’re relentless. I know they don't mean any harm, but the constant teasing about me being alone gets old.”

“So you what? Want to settle down?”

“No,” he exclaimed. “I didn't say that. I just get tired of them acting like me doing so is the craziest thing they've ever heard. If I wanted a boyfriend, I could have one. And I would be a damn good boyfriend if I do say so myself. But I don't like the way they make it sound like that happening is as likely as snow in July.”

“Okay? You want to pretend to have a boyfriend just to prove you can have one.”

“You would've had to have been there. I’d just offered to go with you to your family's and went back into the house. And there the guys were all acting domestic making pumpkin butter, and Annie was there talking about how great it was Cap and Frankie were getting married. She said I needed someone, and the guys acted like it was a big joke. Called me a lone ranger and a lone wolf. My mouth kind of got ahead of my brain, and I told them I was seeing someone.”

I chuckled, imagining their reaction. “What did they say?”

“I don't know. I got the hell out of there, and I avoided them all day today.”

“Alright,” I said.

“Alright?”

“Alright, we'll do it. I've seen the way they tease you, and I agree they don't mean anything by it, but I'm from a small town, and I know what it's like when the way they see you isn't the way you want to be seen. So, I'm in. But like I said, I refuse to make it sound like the romance of the century.”

“That works for me. We should go on a date tomorrow night then.”

“I guess so,” I agreed. “What do you want to do? We can go to The Watering Hole.”

“No, that's…just no. If this were real, I would take you to the city. Out to dinner, and maybe a movie or something.”

“Really? Okay, the city it is then. Any idea where?”

“None, but I'll take care of that. Just dress to go somewhere nice, but not fancy. You'll get enough of fancy at my mom's for Christmas.”

On Friday, I was as nervous as