Pranked

  “I disagree, pie is food of the gods,” I joked, trying to bring out a genuine smile. He snorted at me and shook his head, his normal mask slipping back into place. I could still see that something was under his skin, but it didn’t feel directed at me. That didn’t mean I didn’t want to wrap him up in a fuzzy blanket, give him cocoa, and take all of his pain away.

  I stopped my fork halfway to my mouth, gaping as he shoveled his food in like a starving man. He noticed me looking and blushed a violent red, his head bowing and shoulders hunching.

  “Hey, it’s okay, I was just thinking I needed to feed you more often,” I said lightly, hating that he was so jumpy after last night.

  “It’s a bad habit. I, uh, picked it up in the system. I was in foster care for a long time and spent too many nights hungry,” he admitted in a low voice.

  He glanced up at me and searched my face. Whatever he found there must have been right because he slowly unfurled to continue explaining. “Not all of them cared if the older kids stole my food. I learned to be quick about eating and did it for so many years I don’t realize when I accidentally do it.” My heart broke for him, hating he had that kind of life growing up. I didn’t even bother to think about if he wanted me to touch him, instead, I scooted my chair back and pulled him into my lap.

  “Don’t hide yourself from me, I want you, quirky habits at all. I have some of my own, you know. I’m a notorious sleep talker,” I offered with a shrug, tightening my arms around him. He offered a light chuckle at my admission.

  “Listen, I know you don’t want sympathy. But let me hold you for a second.” My voice was firm and I felt him nod against my chest as he settled against me letting me hold him for a few minutes.

  “Let’s go eat in the living room with another movie?” he finally asked, pulling away so he could look me in the eyes.

  “Sounds perfect,” I said, grabbing our plates as he led the way to the couch. We both settled in and I handed him his plate before putting on a movie I knew he’d had to have seen a ton of times, but never got tired of.

  “I’m sorry that I was such a downer,” he finally said, putting his empty plate on the coffee table and leaning back with a groan.

  “Don’t apologize. I wanted to get to know you, that meant good and what you call bad. I wasn’t joking about the sleeptalking either, get ready for that.” With his answering grin the tension dissipated, both of us settling together on the couch. It was the closest I’d ever felt with someone and I wasn’t sorry about a single moment.

  Ezra

  The last customers from the bakery were trickling out for the day and I could finally let out a sigh of relief. I loved my bakery and all the eccentric people in this town, but I needed some down time. Even after making up with Jasper a few days ago I still felt off. I tried to shake it off and go about doing my everyday things, but there seemed to be a disconnect that I just couldn’t bridge.

  After talking with Leo yesterday I finally called the therapist he kept mentioning, Dr. Cox, to set up an appointment. Leo’s impish grin when he told me the name was ridiculous and just like him. Some days I really wondered about Leo, but his immaturity today pushed away the fog for a little bit. And it was all thanks to Leo that the prank about to happen would go off without a hitch. Jasper keeps teasing that he won the prank war; well, just to clear up his confusion we set up a little surprise for him.

  Not able to suppress my chuckle as I finished wiping down the counter I grinned in anticipation and decided that a front row seat was most definitely called for. I walked into the kitchen as I untied my apron and quickly grabbed my coat and hat before waltzing outside into the cold afternoon to settle at a table by the bakery entrance. Within a few minutes Leo was settling onto the seat to my left while Jax came to sit on my right. I looked at Jax whose tentative smile widened into a grin as I smiled back.

  “So you’re really doing this?” Jax questioned us.

  “Of course we are,” Leo and I answered simultaneously.

  Jax just shook his head as he settled back. “You both are crazy.”

  “Well, you aren’t wrong about that,” Leo quipped back and I let out a laugh as they started to banter back and forth. I briefly wondered if they had a thing going on, but seeing them together more made me realize they have more of a brother vibe going on than a romantic one. Which is just as well because as sweet at Jax is, I don’t think he could handle Leo as more than a friend.

  “All right any minute now.”

  I focused on the bar entrance at Leo’s prediction, when suddenly the doors flew open revealing a highly irritated Jasper King. Instantly focused on the three of us watching him he stalked over and I could see the flush on his face that had nothing to do with the cold weather, and the promise of retribution in his eyes was glorious.

  “You. All three of you, huh?”

  I looked up at him with wide innocent eyes which only made his flush deepen. “What are you talking about? We were all just hanging out talking when you barged out here like a man on a mission.”

  Jasper lifted his hand to point a finger at me. “Those puppy dog eyes won’t work, I know this was all you. All three of you apparently. And Jaxtyn… betrayal? After all I’ve done for you?”

  Jax couldn’t contain his laugh at that and his giggles set off Leo’s. I grinned at their ridiculousness but kept my gaze on Jasper’s as he sighed.

  “I thought you said the prank war was over? A truce.”

  My lips curved into a smirk and I lifted an eyebrow at his question. “I thought you said you won the war? Do you concede now?”

  “Oh, oh. So that’s how it’s going to be then? Sweetheart, you have no idea what you’ve got coming.”

  His promise for retribution was sealed with a kiss that I met with equal fervor letting my hands thread through his hair and grip his shoulders.

  Two throats clearing beside me had me jerking back. Shit, Jax and Leo. But it was a passing thought as I took in the heat filling Jasper’s eyes.

  Leaning back from me Jasper gestured to the bar. “You might as well take a good look at your hard work one last time before you all help me get this place in order. We open in two hours.”

  Leo jumped up at the offer and grabbed Jax’s hand to pull him inside to see the glory of what was done. Leo and I had taken turns throughout the day to go put this together, since Pops’ store was closed, Jax had merely lent the keys to us after we promised that no damage would come to the bar.

  “You must be so proud of yourselves,” Jasper murmured into my hair as he pulled me out of my chair to settle me against him. I smiled as I wrapped an arm around his waist and tugged him back towards the bar.

  “I knew you could appreciate a war winning prank.”

  As we stepped into the bar, Jasper moved to pull me against the front of him and I tried to swallow my reflexive moan at the feel of his hard cock against my ass. He leaned forward to brush his lips against my exposed neck and whispered, “Oh I can appreciate a good prank, but war winning? I don’t think so.”

  Suppressing my shiver I tried to turn my focus from my boyfriend at my back to the glory that was in front of us. Every bit of the bar was covered in jolly red and green wrapping paper. The tables, chairs, pool tables, glasses, and even the bar was wrapped to infuse the place with holiday cheer. Jax seemed to be just as awed by our amazingness given he was standing beside Leo with his mouth almost on the ground taking it all in.

  “You guys did all of this, today?”

  Leo shrugged. “In between customers. Ezra is a pro gift wrapper and I’m very determined to see this prank war through.”

  I couldn’t hold back my laugh at that, which had Jax turning to look at me like I was crazy.

  “You should see behind the bar, Jax,” Jasper deadpanned and Jax’s look of horror was hilarious as he quickly rounded the corner and took in the real work of the day. Every tap, bottle, and glass had been meticulously wrapped and placed back in the appropriate spot. It was some of my best work i
f I do say so myself.

  “All right you guys, time to get to work. People won’t be showing up for another two hours so we need to get this place back in business.” Jasper gently pushed me toward a nearby table and the motion reminded me enough of the other day on the pool table that I glanced towards it.

  I jerked my gaze away quickly, though I saw Jasper smirking at me. Guess I wasn’t fast enough. As I reached out to take apart the first piece the front doors banged open and none other than Corny and Sheriff King walked into the bar. They both were deep in conversation but stopped after taking a few steps inside. Each man looked around then taking in the handful of us standing there.

  “Jasper, my boy. This is one way to decorate for the holidays. You know that lights on the outside would have been enough?”

  Somewhere behind me Leo made a choking sound and Jax shushed him. I watched as Jasper’s dad slowly surveyed the place and walked past where Jasper and I stood to the bar. He leaned over to take in the wrapping detail. With a laugh, he leaned back and turned toward Leo and Jax who were watching him closely.

  “I take it you two were in on this with Ezra over there?”

  Leo smiled and answered, while Jax seemed to not be able to move. “Yes, sir.”

  Mr. King looked back at me and gave me a wide grin that made his blue eyes dance. “You’ll do, kid. Now the important question, did you put everything back where you found it?”

  I nodded at him and he turned his attention to Jasper. “Then I’ll have my usual. Oh and Ezra, don’t worry about taking this all apart. I know everyone will want to see it.” The humor in his voice had me laughing and Jasper groaned.

  “I can’t have it like this when people show up.”

  “What are you talking about, Son? People will love it. Besides, if you didn’t want people to see then you should have made Corny leave.”

  At that I turned quickly to find Corny taking a slow video of the place while laughing to himself, “Oh I’m posting this on the book of face or whatever you kids call it. The town will love this!”

  We all were laughing as Jasper raised his hands in defeat and walked to the bar flap. Lifting the wood he ripped the paper carefully, only tearing what was necessary to get to the back before grabbing a Santa and reindeer wrapped bottle and a snowflake wrapped glass to place before his dad.

  “You even wrapped the glasses?”

  Leo nodded in answer. “Ezra didn’t want to leave anything half done.”

  Softly padding my way over, I hopped up on the stool beside the sheriff and tried not to shift too much under his bright stare. I didn’t really know Sheriff King that well, but I didn’t remember him being this lively in my previous meetings with him. I looked over to study him just like he was studying me and wondered what he saw. He had thick black hair and a full beard that had the beginnings of silver along the edges. Bright blue eyes that had plenty of laugh lines framing them and he filled out the uniform just as well as any young cop I’d seen.

  Oh my god, am I really lusting after my boyfriend’s dad right now? Can he tell? Can Jasper? Just kill me now.

  Jerking my gaze away from him I found Jasper watching me with an amused look, and he opened his mouth to say something before his dad cut him off.

  “Jasper, why don’t you pour your boyfriend here a glass and go make yourself useful somewhere else?” My mouth opened to protest, but Jasper’s gleeful grin stopped me in my tracks. He unwrapped another glass, pouring the same thing his dad had and slid it over before leaning over and kissing me on my forehead.

  “Have a nice chat, Sweetheart,” he said sweetly, walking away to argue with Corny about sharing all of this chaos as I watched him slowly saunter away leaving me to this little fatherly chat. I knew damn well he’d be getting back at me, but I was more than ready. I trusted him to not take it too far and after another a cursory glance around, I could definitely agree we deserved it.

  Sheriff King cleared his throat, bringing my attention back to him. My cheeks flared when I realized I’d been staring after Jasper like a lovesick puppy. “So, you and my son are dating now?”

  “Yes, sir,” I said, taking a swig of what was apparently bourbon and choking out a gasp, which had Jasper and Leo cackling on the other side of the bar. I flipped them off as I gasped for air. Jax ran behind the bar and expertly uncovered a cup and poured me a soda from the tap. I took it gratefully, wiping tears from my eyes and chugging it in greedy gulps. “Fuck, this is why I drink wine.”

  Sheriff King was chuckling next to me, the low rumble bringing me out of my whining. “Not a heavy drinker I take it?”

  “Nope, I’m a wine with dinner or while relaxing kind of guy,” I admitted with a shrug. “Give me a cheesy movie and some wine and I’m golden.” I realized what I said a bit too late, not meaning to hit too close to home. Jasper had told me plenty about his mom. When I glanced over, only a small flash of emotion was in his eyes before he moved on and smiled over at me.

  “I think you’re exactly what that boy needs. He can be a hard worker if he wants to, but he doesn’t catch many breaks and has a hard time finding things he’s passionate about. He struggled before settling back here. He loves this bar, but I don’t think it’s everything he wanted, but I think you are,” Jasper’s dad said frankly, taking a sip of his drink like a fucking champ.

  “I don’t know about that,” I said quietly, the asshole comment from the other morning still fresh in my mind. Not to mention I came with my own truckload of baggage from my past.

  “I’m no expert. But I know my son. The way he looks at you isn’t anything to scoff at. It’s a new look on him,” he said, leveling a piercing stare at me. I nodded numbly, not sure how to process this. I struggled to think in the long term, but this whole thing felt like it was creeping toward serious and I couldn’t handle that right now.

  “I like him a lot too,” I admitted, saying the words out loud and solidifying the feeling, which didn’t help my panic, but I found myself unable to lie in the moment with Jasper close by. Fuck, maybe I really do need to see Dr. Cox sooner than I was thinking.

  “Every Sunday night we have family dinner. I’d like you to come this week if you can. Here’s the details,” the sheriff said, grabbing out a pen from his front pocket and snatching a strip of ripped off wrapping paper, writing his address and the time on it before handing it over. “I wouldn’t say no if you wanted to bring dessert, you’re a genius with those sweets I know I shouldn’t eat.” He ended the conversation with a teasing wink before walking away.

  I sat there for a minute, trying to come to terms with what just happened. He didn’t even realize what he’d given me. Not once had I been part of a family dinner like this. One where I wouldn’t be looked down on or an outcast, but as a new part of the family. Fuck… could I handle this? Why wouldn’t he just ask Jasper to take me? The last question didn’t hold any merit regardless, I couldn't exactly tell Sheriff King no.

  “Hey, Sweetheart. Did you have a nice heart to heart with my dad?” Jasper sounded amused before he took in my panicked face.

  “Uh, yeah. He invited me to dinner,” I admitted quietly, trying to rein in my brand of crazy.

  “What? Really?” he asked, completely shocked. “Dad doesn’t invite anyone to dinner. He didn't even invite Claire’s husband until they were married.”

  “Why would he invite me, then?”

  “He likes you,” he said, grinning brightly and pulling me in for a hard kiss. “That makes me so fuckin’ happy, Sweetheart.”

  “I’ve never been to a family dinner,” I admitted, realization dawning in his eyes. I felt vulnerable… unsure… and I didn’t like it. As if Jasper could sense my circling thoughts, he leaned on the bar with a big grin on his face.

  “Well my family isn't the most conventional, but we’re fun. I can’t wait for you to meet Lexie and Allie, they’re the best! My sister Claire has done a damn good job raising those girls,” he said, gushing about his family with the most adorable grin on his fa
ce. Just like that my fears moved to the wayside, his excitement fueling my curiosity. It was a side of Jasper I wanted to see.

  “What’s your dad’s favorite dessert? I’ve been tasked with bringing something,” I asked, trying to think of my best recipes, but dessert tastes ranged so much it was hard to pick for someone you didn’t know.

  “He told you to bring something?” he sounded appalled, making me laugh.

  “No, more like hinted,” I explained, making Jasper snort.

  “It’s because Claire tries to make him eat healthy. He can’t resist those chocolate chunk cookies, which will also make the girls your number one fan,” he said with a laugh. “I’d offer to help, but I can’t bake for shit.”

  “Well I can’t wait,” I admitted, realizing I meant every word even if it I was having heart palpitations when I thought about it too long. “I’m going to head out, I have to go get something to eat, I’m starving.”

  “If we had a kitchen here, I’d cook for you,” he said, sounding genuinely sad about it.

  “Speaking of, why aren’t you a pub instead of a bar? Your cooking is amazing. I’m sure people would love to have that here.”

  “When I opened it was just me, sometimes Talon when he took pity on me. I couldn’t manage the bar and cook. Maybe someday,” he said with a shrug, not looking convinced.

  “Well good thing you’re hiring more staff,” I said, refusing to let it drop. He seemed so sad when he talked about it, like it was completely unattainable. “Okay, so this is what we need to do.” I called Jax over before snatching the pen in his apron and ripped a chunk of wrapping paper off of the bar. “We need themed nights and at least one or two events a month to bring in a bigger crowd. You could even think about an outdoor beer garden for nicer weather, obviously not right now.”

  “Oh! You could have an ugly sweater party and do a holiday themed drink or shot special!” Jax said, hopping on the stool next to me.