The One I'm With (A Sweet Somethings Novel Book 3)

by J. Lynn Rowan

  Sadie’s chatter breaks the spell, at least for the females of the family. Suddenly I’m surrounded by Mattingly women, young and old, who waste no time shepherding me toward the hallway and what I assume will be a more informal gathering space. Sadie and Camille dovetail off each other’s comments about the weather, the beach, possible excursions, and questions about me and my life that they immediately table with a lighthearted, “Oh, we can talk about all that later.” The girls join us, Katrina latching onto her grandmother’s hand and Rose slipping effortlessly under Sadie’s arm.

  Just before we turn a corner, I look behind me at the men we’ve left behind. Thomas looks amused, while Nelson’s expression is a mix of irritation, resignation, and indulgent affection.

  Josh, on the other hand, is busy making absurd faces at his nephew that are drawing peals of giggles from the toddler. With a reprimanding glare, Nelson hands the squirming tike over to Josh, who lifts the boy overhead, blows a raspberry into his tummy, and tips him upside down. The kid squeals louder, and Josh straightens, cradling his nephew face down in one arm, like a football, and winks at me.

  My heart does a double thump.

  Girlfriend.

  I know Josh has to do a fair amount of pretending over the next couple days, probably reigning in a lot of what makes him fun to be around. But I hope what he’s doing isn’t all just for show.

  Chapter 12

  Nothing But the Truth

  Dinner isn’t as stilted and tense as I’d anticipated it to be. Sadie and Camille keep the conversation revolving around me instead of Josh. They repeat some of the questions they’d asked earlier about my business and that of my girlfriends’, what Asheville is like, and what I like to do for fun. Nelson and Thomas remain silent observers through all of it, and Josh keeps up a quiet side discussion with his nieces about their summer camps and the start of the school year.

  “How did you meet Joshua?” Thomas asks during a lull.

  Forks freeze over plates as all adult eyes turn to me. I swiftly glance in Josh’s direction, hoping to see some hint of amusement on his face as he recalls the story to himself. Instead, his lips are drawn into a tight line, jaw clenched. Despite his tan, which deepened during our time in St. Lucia, he looks pale.

  The reason for this flashes like a neon warning sign in my brain. If I tell his family that he hit on me at a bar, it will just confirm their worst assumptions about him. Not to mention the less than stellar light it’ll cast me in.

  But if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s gloss over uncomfortable truths without actually lying. I cover my hesitation with a sip of water before giving the abridged, family-friendly version. “I guess he’d only been in Asheville a week or so. Maybe less. It was right in the middle of May. My friends and I were out and about, and Josh and I sort of saw each other across a crowded room.”

  Rose sighs and props her chin in her hand. “How romantic.”

  Nelson bends a reprimanding glance at her. “Rose, elbows off the table.”

  The roll of the teen’s eyes as she complies almost makes me snort with laughter. Subduing a grin, I turn back to Thomas. “We ran into each other a few days later when I was leaving a client meeting. That’s when we got to talking, and he asked me out.”

  “The rest is history,” Josh concludes for me, sending a knee-weakening smile my way.

  Good thing I’m sitting down.

  “You know,” Camille says, touching her husband’s hand. “I remember when you and I met. Do you remember? It was when you first came to London . . .”

  While his mother waxes nostalgic, I hold Josh’s gaze for a long moment. A strange expression crosses his face, something like surprise and gratitude all rolled into one. It isn’t until he mouths a silent thank you that I realize how much it meant to him, for me to share that version of our meeting.

  After the meal, Nelson sends his daughters upstairs to finish their homework, and Sadie and Camille take me on the promised tour of the house. Each room is as comfortable and well-appointed as the next. Though none of the furnishings are ostentatious, everything is of the highest quality.

  “Did you do all the décor yourself?” I ask Camille.

  She nods. “Some of the furnishings have been around since Thomas’s parents lived here, but I’ve added my own touches over the years.”

  “You have a wonderful eye for detail. It must run in the family.”

  “How so?” she asks.

  “I’ve noticed that same appreciation for the little things in Josh. Sometimes it’s more telling to do something small that makes a big impact, than to pull out all the stops.” The trip to St. Lucia didn’t quite fall into that category. But we did the things anyone might do on vacation. And of course, I have to keep in mind his dedication to doing right by me. I smile at Camille. “He’s not perfect, but he treats me well. You’ve raised quite a gentleman.”

  Sadie winks at me, indicating that I’ve just said the perfect thing to win Camille over.

  As the grand tour concludes, Camille excuses herself to check on her grandchildren. Sadie links her arm with mine and leads me back to the main floor.

  “You’re right about Josh,” she says. “He hasn’t always acted like it, but he’s a good guy.”

  She falls silent, certainly thinking about Josh’s antics before, during, and after her wedding. Yet she doesn’t seem upset about the way he tried to hit on her best friend.

  I walk with her onto the back terrace, which overlooks a sprawling patio, garden, and lap pool. At the far end of the patio, three male figures lounge around a table; the rumble of their conversation reaching us. From the relaxed way they all sit, the topic doesn’t appear to be causing any unpleasantness.

  The quiet between me and Sadie screams for conversation of our own. I fumble for a topic. “Rose and Katrina are sweet girls.”

  Sadie nods. “They are. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for them to share their father with me. Especially Rose. She was twelve when we got married.”

  “And now she’s a teenager.”

  “We get along,” she says with a grin.

  “No frequent bouts of you’re not my real mom and the slamming of doors in your face?”

  At this, she tips her head back and laughs. “No, luckily. At least not so far. But we’ve still got four more years before she goes to college, so I guess there’s always a risk of falling victim to Stepmom Syndrome.”

  I share her laughter, then we fall silent again.

  Sadie’s voice, quiet and gentle, breaks the silence. “Josh has never brought anyone home to meet his parents.”

  My gaze snaps to her. “Seriously?”

  She nods, not taking her eyes off the trio of men in the distance. “When Nelson first introduced me to his family, he was quick to list off his brother’s deficiencies, in business and life. It was a long list. I think Nelson wanted to defend Josh, but it had been too many years of the same old thing. I could tell he was saddened by the way his brother acted back then. And . . . I felt bad for Josh. He’d never been in love.” Her gaze turns wistful as she looks at me. “But finally, after all these years of him perfecting the role of rich playboy, he meets you.”

  “Josh isn’t in love with me.”

  I don’t think he is, anyway.

  Sadie gives me a knowing smile. “You sure about that?”

  Girlfriend.

  No, I’m not sure. Not after learning I’m the first girl he’s brought home since . . . well, ever.

  At that moment, Nelson catches sight of us, stands and waves. Sadie waves back, takes my hand, and leads me down to the end of the patio. I look for some telltale clue in Josh’s gaze as we join the men, something that will tell me what all this really means to him.

  I read affection in his eyes. Contentment. A little burn of desire, which he i
s seriously holding in check for the benefit of his family.

  He’s tried over the last couple days to be open and honest with me. I haven’t been willing to return the favor. Not really.

  It might be time for another game of Truth or Dare.

  The so-called suite of rooms Josh claims as his own is actually an entire upstairs wing on the opposite side of the house from his parents. He shows me an office, followed by a room with a huge entertainment system and theater-style seating and kitchenette that he calls, with a Neanderthal-like grunt, The Man Cave. Then he leads me to a spacious sitting room that connects to a bedroom with an en suite bath.

  My skin warms deliciously when I notice that both our suitcases are waiting on the bench at the foot of the bed.

  Josh leans over and kisses the side of my neck. “I have to check my email, see how things are going in Asheville. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable.”

  He disappears into the hallway, heading for his office. I watch him go, then decide to shower and get ready for bed. I assume there’s a guest room somewhere in this wing where he plans to bunk tonight. If he wasn’t willing to sleep in the same room in St. Lucia, the odds of it happening in his parents’ house are even lower.

  “This is stupid, Marissa,” I grumble to myself as I change into a cotton sleepshirt and shorts. “It’s been four months. It’s not casual anymore. He called you his girlfriend to his family. You are in a relationship with Josh Mattingly, whether you like it or not.”

  Except this relationship is destined to end. It might not crash and burn like my last one, but the result is the same.

  Me, alone.

  I’ve held back with Josh as much as he’s held back with me. But he deserves to know why. So when he comes back, I’m waiting in the sitting room, perched on one end of the sofa.

  He freezes in the doorway, one eyebrow arched in curiosity. “What’s up, Red?”

  I pat the cushion beside me. “Let’s play Truth or Dare.”

  Now both brows lower. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes.” Except it’s going to be a game of Truth or Truth. “You go first.”

  Perplexed, Josh shuts the door and joins me. “Truth.”

  With a deep breath, I swivel so that my back is against the arm of the sofa, my legs tucked up pretzel-style. “Why am I the first girl you’ve brought home to meet your parents?”

  His sudden inhalation speaks to his surprise. “Who told you that?”

  “Sadie. Answer the question.”

  But he doesn’t answer right away. First, he shifts to face me, resting his arm across the back of the sofa so he can toy with my hair. “My brother was the perfect son. I was the surprise, and even before I was out of high school, it was pretty clear my parents had given up on me ever walking the straight and narrow. Nothing I did was illegal or beyond the pale. But I got in trouble often enough to make them doubt my ability to handle anything smacking of responsibility. The best thing for everyone was when I decided to go to college in California. At least that way, my mistakes and misadventures weren’t right in my parents’ faces.

  “I was in college when Nelson met his first wife,” he continues. “Julia was the nicest woman you could ever meet, and she was the best mother on the planet. Nelson adored her. And she was an absolute darling to me.” He glances away, smiling at something in his memory. “When I screwed up, she chalked it up to my youth and inexperience with life. She even excused my behavior when I started getting my name and picture mixed up in celebrity gossip. Julia made it possible for me to be a good uncle. At least when I was home, when she was watching, I could keep my act together.”

  “So what changed?” I prompt when he falls silent.

  “I was having fun. Too much fun. I enjoyed the thrill of the chase, and the mild level of fame I was gaining for myself—even after I knew, deep down, I was getting too old for all that bullshit.” Josh eases away from me and rests his hands in his lap. He stares at his palms, then closes his fists. “I was twenty-seven, away on some ridiculous trip with a model I’d met the week before, when Dad called. Julia had been killed in a car accident on her way to pick up Rose from school.”

  His voice chokes away to nothing, and my own throat closes painfully. Unsure what else I can do, I scoot closer and lean against him in a lame attempt to give comfort. “I’m sorry, Josh.”

  He nods, then reaches over to rub my arm. “Usually, Katrina went with her to pick up Rose in the afternoons, but Julia had left her home with Mum because she was getting over a bad cold. Otherwise—”

  I cover his mouth with my hand, shushing him.

  He grows still, then pulls my hand away so he can speak. “It was hard enough losing the one person who defended me to the rest of my family. But worse was watching Nelson try to deal with the loss of his wife. He was a wreck, became a robot for years. The only joy he got out of life was from his girls. Until he met Sadie. But by that time, I’d decided it wasn’t worth letting anyone get that close to me, and everything had spiraled down.”

  “So, after the fiasco with the maid of honor at your brother’s wedding, you had an epiphany,” I offer.

  “I guess you could call it that.” He turns to me, forcing a smile despite the sadness in his eyes. “I was determined to make amends for all my past sins.”

  “I’m not just the first girl you’ve brought home to meet your family, am I?” I venture. “I’m the first girl you’ve dated at all since your brother’s wedding.”

  He nods in confirmation.

  Delight makes me squirm, despite the seriousness of the conversation. Josh can call me his girlfriend all he wants. But there’s something inherently special about being the only woman to have ever met the Mattinglys, and that speaks more to me about his feelings than any label.

  “My turn,” I say.

  “I gather I’m not supposed to issue a dare,” he replies.

  “Not really. Besides, there’s got to be something you’re dying to know about me.”

  For a moment, he studies me. Then he lifts my hand to his lips. “Tell me about your ex.”

  Having already made my decision to lay it all out on the table, I don’t hesitate for a second. “Jared Turner was my college sweetheart, we got engaged at the end of senior year. After we graduated, we moved to Asheville together. Bought a house, the whole nine yards. We put more time and money than we really could spare into renovating what I thought was going to become our home. He made big promises. And then broke them all.”

  To my surprise, my eyes start to burn. Angry at myself, I swipe at the tears. “I always wanted that big happy family in a loving, comfortable home. Like my parents have, like my sister has. But I bet on Jared the Asshat, and lost.”

  Josh draws me close. I collapse against his chest, and begin to sob. All the hurt, the bottled-up tears from the last three years come pouring out. I’m not sure how long I cry in his arms, but through it all, he just rubs my back and makes soft sounds of comfort until I calm down enough to speak coherently again. After I sit up, Josh stands and disappears into the bathroom, returning a moment later with a warm, wet washcloth. Mumbling my thanks, I bury my face in the cloth, breath deep, and wipe the evidence of my breakdown away.

  “I made some rules to keep from getting hurt again,” I continue when he rejoins me on the sofa. “Only casual kisses at the end of the night up through date number three. No sex until at least five dates. And no one ever sleeps over.”

  Josh stares at me. “Can I ask how many times someone’s made it to five dates?”

  I level a look at him that, if not for my semi-tearful state, would border on insulted. “Isn’t it funny how when guys go out with a lot of different women, they’re called players? But when women do it, we’re called a whole host of names that smack of double-edged judgment.”

  “That wasn’t w
here I was going with the question,” he insists.

  “Two in three years. Okay?” The fight goes out of me at his apologetic grimace. Bowing my head, I play with a loose string hanging from the washcloth. “I just didn’t want to let anyone get close enough to hurt me again. It worked.”

  Until you.

  As if he hears my thoughts, Josh puts his fingertips under my chin and tips my face up. “I don’t intend to hurt you.”

  “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

  His lips kick up at the corners. “Don’t go all philosophical on me, Red.”

  “It’s not habitual. Truth or dare?”

  He sits back. “Truth.”

  Swallowing, I push my fingers through my hair and sigh. “Would you like to meet my friends when we get back to Asheville?”

  “That’s not really a Truth or Dare kind of question.”

  “I think we stopped playing Truth or Dare a while ago.” I set the washcloth on the nearby coffee table, then face him. “I’m fully aware that you only have a few weeks left before you wrap up your business in Asheville. But when we get back, I want to introduce you to my friends. I would like us to hang out with them as a couple, because that’s what we are. Expiration date notwithstanding.”

  Josh tips his head to one side. “Why do we have to have an expiration date?”

  “I won’t delude myself into thinking we don’t.”

  “For someone who’s so attuned to tiny details, you haven’t been paying attention very well.” He inches closer to me, bringing us nearly nose to nose. One arm rests casually on the back of the sofa, but he brings the other hand to cradle my cheek.

  “Josh, I—”

  He silences me with a kiss so searing, it makes our first kiss from the night of the power outage feel like a peck on the cheek. Unable to resist, I slip my arms around his neck and pull him close, answering back as best I know how, despite the fact that my entire thought process has been wiped clean by the rapid rush of blood in my ears. Together we slide down, limbs tangling.