My head whipped back to Jack, but he was focused on his friend. I also noticed a few other people from the tables around us sending me disapproving looks. I couldn’t understand why, so I ignored them. “What? What is it?”
“He winked at us,” Maddy said, still grinning. “He is so big.”
“Is he your boyfriend?” Sierra asked, now sitting sideways on her chair.
“He is my…husband.” I touched her nose with my finger.
Her grin got bigger.
“I don’t have a boyfriend,” Maddy chimed in. “I’m too young.”
“Believe me, you’re not missing out on anything.”
“Boys can be stupid sometimes,” Sierra added, nodding.
“Yeah, so stupid, and jerks, too,” I admitted. It was something they’d learn soon enough.
When they started to giggle again, I started laughing with them, not caring that more heads had turned our way this time.
“You tell your husband he is stupid, too?” Maddy whisper-yelled.
“I told him he was a jerk tonight, right before we walked in here.”
Both their eyes got huge. “You didn’t!”
“I did.” I shrugged. “He was being a jerk so I told him to stop it.”
“But he is so much bigger than you.”
“He is pretty big, isn’t he? Well, it doesn’t matter. Just because he is big doesn’t mean he gets to be a jerk.”
Sierra nodded enthusiastically. “He is kinda cute, though.”
“Yeah, cute,” Maddy mumbled.
As I was about to say something, I felt a hand clasp my wrist and pull me up not so gently. Surprised, I gasped and almost lost my balance.
“You’re embarrassing us,” Bryan hissed, leaning in close and pulling me toward him at the same time.
I tried to jerk my hand away, but his hold on me was tight and was starting to become painful. My brows drew together as I met his eyes. “What are you doing?” I whispered in confusion when I could find my voice again. Before I got an answer, I felt a broad chest pressing against my back, and just like that, Jack’s hand was on Bryan’s wrist. I didn’t know how much pressure he was applying, but Bryan let go of me immediately.
Acting like nothing was wrong, my cousin looked around and smiled. “Try to control your wife, Hawthorne.” Then, pushing one hand into the pocket of his pants, he strolled away from us.
Confused, hurt and more than a little surprised, I just massaged my wrist.
That broad, warm chest that was plastered behind me moved slightly so he could lean down and whisper into my ear. “What did he say?” he growled, and that gravelly voice did things to me—lots of things.
I let go of my wrist and involuntarily pressed myself back, absorbing more of his heat so I could whisper back. “Nothing.”
“Rose—” he started in a low voice, his palm pressing against my stomach, keeping me in place.
Keeping me with him.
“It’s okay,” I interrupted, looking over my shoulder and into his eyes. His jaw clenched, but he didn’t say anything else.
I remembered where we were—or more importantly, who I had been talking to just a few seconds earlier—so I turned back to the girls, who were staring up at us in confusion.
“I’m sorry about that,” I apologized, shifting in place and facing them again. Jack stayed glued to my back, moving his body with me. It probably should’ve bothered me, his closeness, but I would’ve been lying to myself if I’d said it did. His hand curled around my waist and gave it a squeeze.
“Uh…” It was so hard not to fidget under his touch. “Girls, I’d like you to meet my husband, Jack. Jack, these are my new friends, Maddy and Sierra.”
They both waved up at him, and I peered back to see him nodding at them with a serious expression on his face.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you girls,” he said, so smoothly my heart went crazy in my chest. Those pesky little butterflies were back in my stomach, too.
The girls were grinning again, so all was well.
“Did Rose really call you a jerk tonight?” Sierra enquired boldly, staring up at him.
I put my hand over Jack’s, which was still on my waist, and looked back at him, too. He sighed and managed to change his expression to a really guilty one. I couldn’t hold back my smile.
“I’m afraid she did.”
“You didn’t get angry?” Maddy quipped with big eyes.
“She was telling the truth. I was being a jerk, so I couldn’t get angry at her.”
“Rose said boys are stupid and jerks,” Sierra put in.
I feigned a shocked expression. “You’re telling on me to