Jake leaned back in his seat and feigned being relieved as he wiped his hand across his forehead. “Phew. Now what do you want to eat?”
“Mexican?” I looked at him with big pleading eyes.
“Well how can I say no to that? Alright, Blondie, let’s go get you some chips and salsa.”
***
After dinner, Jake laced his fingers through mine as we walked out into the parking lot. His strong grip on my hand and the way that he led me to his truck had my insides knotting up in anticipation. Rather than opening the passenger side door, he gently, but deliberately, backed me up against the side, pinning me in by placing one hand on either side of me as he dropped his head to meet my lips with a soft kiss. “Tell me, Blondie. Now that we’ve eaten, is the offer of ‘anything I want’ still on the table?”
The husky tone of his voice made it hard not to claim his lips with mine and take what we both so clearly wanted. He ran his lips across my jaw before letting his lips linger on my neck, causing me to momentarily forget that we were in the middle of a parking lot. Trying to focus on the rise and fall of my chest as I took in slow, deep breaths, I gave my best attempt to regain control of myself before neither of us cared about our current location. Right as I tried to speak, Jake firmly gripped the nape of my neck. “Jake,” I whimpered, loosing control of my voice at his touch.
At the sound of my voice, Jake snaked an arm behind my waist, pulling me flush against him as he buried his head in my neck. “God, Emma,” he growled. Pulling back just enough to rest his forehead on mine, he leaned us back against the side of his truck. “My parents are going to be gone all night at their friend’s Christmas party,” he breathed. “Come back to the house with me?” I could hear the question though it sounded more like a demand, causing my stomach to do a little flip.
The urgency in Jake’s voice would have had me agreeing to just about anything he said. Yet, I couldn’t stop the “what ifs” from playing in the back of mind. “Jake, if your parents got home early…”
“You don’t have to worry about that. They usually don’t make it home after this party until the next morning. It’s one of my dad’s college buddies that throws it, and every year they seem to get a little more out of control,” he chuckled. “The kids are always invited too. I usually stop by for the food and to say hi to everyone, but this year I had better plans,” he said with a sexy smirk. “Besides, you know they wouldn’t care if you were still there when they got home. Hell, my mom would probably offer to cook you breakfast.”
I knew Jake’s parents wouldn’t care. The first time I ever went to Jake’s house, his mom had set us down and told us to always use protection before going on about her new red lipstick and how this particular shade looked good on everyone. Like it was the most normal conversation in the world. I had been mortified, my eyes going wide and my cheeks turning a deep shade of pink. Mrs. Reynolds had thought I was worried about the lipstick not really being universally complexion friendly. She took one look at my face and then took my hand to reassure me.
“Emma, honey, trust me. It really does look fabulous on everyone, especially with those big blue eyes of yours. You’d be fightin’ my son off with a stick. Men never understand the sacredness of a freshly applied coat of lip color.”
Jake about fell out of his chair he was laughing so hard before adding, “Momma, I don’t think Emma is concerned about the lipstick not matching her complexion.”
Mrs. Reynolds looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. “See what I’m talking about. Men never understand the importance of a good lip color.”
I was a mixture of in shock and humor about the entire conversation. The only thing I could think to say in return, with a shrug of my shoulders, was, “Men.”
Mrs. Reynolds had clapped her hands together in delight, causing her bracelets to clang together, before pushing her chair back from the table. “Alright, I’ll leave y’all to it. I know you two don’t want to entertain an old lady the entire evening. Emma dear, it was a pleasure visiting with you. Jake will have to get you to come around more often. I miss having the company of another female around this house all the time.” She had given us each a hug before leaving to go find Jake’s father.
Pushing the memory aside, I took my bottom lip between my teeth as I ran my hands up Jake’s chest. “Alright, let’s go.”
***
We pulled into the Reynolds’ driveway, and Jake let out a frustrated sigh when we saw a silver Mercedes parked out front.
Leaning his head back, he ran his hand down the front of his face. “Well. Looks like there will be a change of plans. There’s no way she’ll leave us alone if she’s still here. I completely forgot she was getting in today.”
“Who?”
“My sister, Quinn. She spent the first two weeks of her break with her boyfriend’s family in Dallas, but mom insisted she be here in time for Christmas.” Jake looked at me with an apologetic look on his face. “It’s about time you met her anyway.” His grimace turned into a smile as he reached over and took my hand. “Come on, Blondie. She’s going to love you.”
Hand in hand we walked through the gigantic front doors of the Reynolds’ house. “Quinn? You here?” Jake called out.
“Jake!” Quinn shouted from the other room before making a mad dash to get to her brother. Running up, she threw her arms around him. “Mom said you’d be out all night on a date. I didn’t think I’d get to see you until tomorrow.” Taking a step back, she turned to me with the same huge smile on her face. “And you must be Emma,” she said before hugging me the same way she had Jake. “It is so nice to finally get to formally meet you. The last time I saw you, you were rockin’ a cute bikini while a friend of yours invited Jake here to your birthday party. Although, I’m pretty sure she had no idea that I was his sister.”
“Yeah, that was my best friend Maya. And it’s nice to meet you as well,” I smiled. Quinn had the same friendly boldness as her mother. Judging by how excited she was to see the both of us, I had a feeling Jake was right when he said there was going to be a change of plans.
Noticing that she was wearing the same shade of lipstick her mother wears, I took a gamble that she was enthusiastic about her lip color as well. “I love that shade of red. It looks so pretty on you,” I offered. You would have thought it was the fourth of July by how her face lit up with my compliment.
She looked from me to Jake, wearing a smile that reached both her ears. “Mom was right. She is a doll!” Looking back at me she took my hand, “Emma, I can tell we are going to be fast friends. Now come with me to the kitchen and we will get a few glasses of eggnog. I want to hear all about the girl who stole my baby brother’s heart.”
I glanced over at Jake to see that his face was also lit up, and then followed his sister into the kitchen. We talked for about ten minutes before she set her empty glass down and stood up to get a refill.
“You know, Emma. We have a ranch house near Fredericksburg. When the weather gets nicer, we will have to make a weekend out of it. But I don’t do this cold weather and can only stay indoors for so long, so I typically avoid the ranch house during the winter months.”
“I would love to go back. Before it got too chilly, a group of us went for a long weekend. I love that part of Texas,” I lilted.
My words caused her to stop abruptly, and, if at all possible, the smile on her face grew even wider. “You know what, I completely forgot I have somewhere to be. Emma, we will have to get together again before I head back to school. We will grab lunch or something.” She quickly rinsed her glass and put it in the sink. “I apologize for running out like this. Jake, I’ll see you tomorrow and, Emma, I’ll call you about that lunch.” She gave us both a quick hug as she spoke, then grabbed her purse, and hurried out to her car.
I looked at Jake for answers as soon as the front door shut. Seeing the question on my face, he scooted his chair closer to mine and placed his hand on my knee. “I’m pretty sure my sister just realized how crazy I a
m about you.”
I was completely confused. “Why is that?”
His hand moved up my leg until he found my hand and then laced our fingers together. “Because I’ve never taken any of my girlfriends to the ranch house.”
“But you said you’ve taken girls before.”
“I’ve taken friends before, some that have been girls; but it has always been my place to get away with friends.”
“I’m sorry…I just. I’m not understanding why it is such a big deal.”
Jake chuckled to himself, “And maybe one day I’ll tell you. But for now, we have the entire house to ourselves for the rest of the night, and I can think of a much better way to spend our time.”
“Is that so?” I teased.
Jake leaned forward and covered my mouth with his. “Mmhmm.”
Happy to finally be all alone with Jake, I didn’t want to waste any more time sitting at this table and Jake was clearly thinking what I was thinking. So in the next moment, I was standing with my back to Jake. Crossing my arms over my body, I slowly lifted my shirt up and over my head and then tossed it at him. Looking over my shoulder, and as sultry as I could manage, I whispered, “Then what are you waiting for?”
Jakes eyes went wide and glazed over with a hungry look. He scrambled out of his chair and threw me over his shoulder as he walked us toward his bedroom.
“Jake! My shirt!” I squealed.
“Later. I’ve been waiting all day for this, and I think I’ve been patient long enough.”
The urgency that had been in his voice earlier was back, and it sent a welcome chill throughout my entire body.
Chapter Fourteen
Christmas morning I woke up earlier than I had in years, without an alarm, which was a big deal considering I had been up late talking on the phone with Jake all night. I’m not sure what it was, but something had me up early and full of Christmas cheer. I climbed out of bed and quickly threw a hoodie over my PJs and ran into my sister’s room.
I crawled onto her bed and carefully stuck my legs in the covers. Cuddling up right next to her I gave her a light shake, “Merry Christmas, Kenz!”
She let out a groan as she rolled over to see who was shaking her. “Seriously? What time is it?”
“I don’t know. A little after eight, I think.”
“Then why in the world are you in my room? Has Maya invaded your body or something? You would be so pissed if I disturbed the princess’s sleep.”
I let out a small laugh. She was right. I’m never a fan of being woken up too early, and eight in the morning after being up late would have resulted in one very grumpy Emma. Yet, I just could not stop the merry mood I was feeling.
“Oh come on, Kenz. It’s Christmas! Remember when we were kids, and mom and dad would make us go back to sleep because we would get up at like six because we were so excited?” I put my chin on her shoulder, making a dreamy face about the good ole days.
“Yeah, but we were like both under the age of ten, and how are you so perky? I know for a fact you were still up when I got home last night.” She rolled over on her stomach, burying her head in her pillow.
Up when she got home. Wait. What? What was she doing sneaking in so late, and how had I not noticed? “Kenz?” I said slowly, walking my fingers up her back. “Care to share where you were last night that required you to sneak in?” I teased in a singsong voice.
Her body went stiff, and I knew she hadn’t meant to say that, which only made me want to know more. “Spill, sister!” I died laughing. “I can’t believe little Kenzie has started her teenage rebellion years!”
“Shut it,” she groaned. “There are no rebellion years. I just…just lost track of time.”
“OK, who is he?” I ran my fingers up her sides, hitting where she was most ticklish.
“He’s no one. I mean there’s no one,” she shrieked.
“Who’s he?” I countered in a dreamy tone, as I reached down and pinched her rear, causing her to flip over.
“Uggg. Logan. I was out with Logan. OK?”
She was trying too hard to convince me. I knew it wasn’t Logan, but I let it go. Kenzie never was good at keeping secrets from me, and I knew she would eventually spill.
Just then her phone beeped signaling she was getting a text message. Since I was sitting up, I was able to reach across her and snatch her phone before she had time to react. No name – just a number.
We need to talk.
Hold on, I recognize that number. I was rolling the last four digits in my mind, 7424, as Kenz reached over and snatched her phone out of my hands. Ryan. That’s Ryan’s number!
“Kenz, why is Ryan texting you? And how does he have your number?”
She clamped her eyes shut and puffed, laying her arm across her eyes. “Because I put my number in his phone last night.”
“I thought you were with Logan last night?” I pressed.
“What is this, twenty questions? Yes, I was with Logan last night. Yes, we ran into Ryan last night.”
“Did you see anyone else?” I was now really curious. I couldn’t even get my friends to hang out with me after the whole Gabe thing went down, and now Ryan was texting my sister? After apparently “running” into her last night. He better not be making his move because we aren’t on the best terms. Promise to Gabe, or no promise.
“No. He was with some people I didn’t know. I only spoke to him briefly, and he was asking about you. He wanted to know how you were doing after everything.”
Asking about me? “Oh.” Things must be bad between us if he resorted to checking up on me via McKenzie. I watched as she quickly texted something in reply and then turned off her phone.
Then it hit me. “Mom and dad let you go out on Christmas Eve?”
“They let you go out.”
“But I was with Jake, my boyfriend. His family does a big Christmas Eve thing. It’s not like I went and just hung out with friends.”
“Yes, and I was with Logan. My boyfriend. And I went to the church’s Christmas Eve caroling thing with him.”
“I’m sorry, Kenz. I didn’t mean to…look, I just don’t know how I got to a place where my closest friends check up on me through my little sister instead of just talking to me. Ya know?”
McKenzie sat up and took my hand. “Hey. It’s going to be OK,” she smiled, trying to reassure me. “Let’s not worry about any drama today, OK? Everything will work itself out. Now, where’s all that entirely too early Christmas spirit you had going on all of five minutes ago?”
She was right. Today was Christmas, and I didn’t need to let all my life drama effect Christmas morning with my family. I gave myself a mental pep talk and decided to deal with all the other stuff later. “You mean…this Christmas spirit?” I broke out into a Jingle Bells remix, which cued Kenzie to crack up and beg me to stop singing before picking her own Christmas song to start singing.
We must have been singing louder than we thought because eventually we noticed our parents creeping in the doorway holding out one of their phones. It must have dawned on us at about the same time that we were being recorded because almost simultaneously, we turned to face them, placing our hands around the other’s shoulders while swaying to the carols we were singing.
After our singing subsided, we spent the morning making cinnamon rolls and eating them while we opened our presents. I was on my third cup of coffee and who knows how many cinnamon rolls later when I finally checked my phone. I had a text from Maya saying, “Merry Christmas, Em!” and one from Jake wishing me a Merry Christmas and saying he couldn’t wait to see me today to give me my present. I quickly texted them both back and, apparently, was smiling as I sat my phone down. I looked up to see my mom dipping her cinnamon roll in her coffee as she watched me intently.
“Was that Jake you were texting, honey?”
“That obvious, huh?”
My mom laughed to herself, “Oh to be young again.” She smiled at me sweetly. “When is that boy coming over today?”
/> “I was actually just about to ask you about that.”
***
An hour and a half later we had the living room cleaned up, were dressed, and had just started making lunch when the doorbell rang.
“I got it!” I put down the mixer and mixing bowl and ran to the door. Jake was all dressed up in slacks and a red button down shirt. At the sight of him, I threw my arms around his neck while pressing my lips to his.
“Merry Christmas, Jake.”
Tightening his arms around my waist he pulled me back in, kissing me once more. “Merry Christmas to you too, Em,” he murmured against my lips. He didn’t loosen his grip on my waist as he leaned his head back and looked down his nose to meet my gaze. “Now, are you ready to open your present?”
“Yes. But you have to open yours first!” I reached down and took his hand, noticing for the first time the shoebox-size wrapped present in his other. “Come on. It’s under the tree.” My eyes slowly raised back up to meet Jake’s as I wondered what could possibly be in that box.
Jake chuckled. “I see you finally noticed your present. Here, why don’t you hold onto this so I can open mine,” he offered as we walked inside, taking the short cut toward the tree.
He was acting sort of strange, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. “O-kay?” Stopping to take the present, I immediately noticed how light it was. Oh my gosh. It’s empty. I looked up at Jake with a questioning glance, cueing him to let out that cute little chuckle he does. Then, without any sort of explanation, he walked right past me and up to the tree.
“I’m guessing this is mine?” He bent down and picked up the last remaining present under the tree. “You sure you still want me to go first?” He arched an eyebrow as he pretended to tug at the bow.
As curious as I currently was about the seemingly empty box that I held in my hand, I was also really excited for him to open his present. His mom had given me a heads-up about what to get him, and I’ve been excited ever since. “Yes! Then we will get to this mystery box.” I lifted the box up and down a few times while pretending to analyze its contents.
The Exception Page 17