Page 21 of Most Likely to Deny Love (Yearbook #2)
MIA
J ack’s car purred along the road, the silence between us stretching like taffy.
I’d run through at least thirty conversation starters in my head, but each one felt more awkward than the last. How was I supposed to act natural with a man who’d kissed me senseless just days earlier?
A man who was now pretending to be my boyfriend but was also very much my boss?
My phone buzzed in my lap, and I nearly leapt out of my skin. Emily’s name flashed on the screen, and I opened her text, grateful for the distraction.
So Mom was grilling me for details about your new man. I told her he’s not much to look at, but he makes you happy. You’re welcome!
“Fuck,” I muttered.
Jack glanced at me. “Problem?”
I sighed, letting my head fall back against the seat. “Emily’s mom was asking about you, and Emily told her you’re ‘not much to look at, but you make me happy.’”
His eyebrows shot up, and when I risked a peek at his face, I saw the corner of his mouth quirk upward. “And that’s a problem because...?”
“Because you’re very much something to look at and it’s made things weird. Or something. I don’t know.” I twisted my fingers in my lap, suddenly self-conscious. “I’m just overthinking everything.”
Jack reached over and squeezed my hand briefly before returning his to the steering wheel.
“Try to relax,” he said softly. “This is going to be fine.”
His voice held a quiet confidence I sure wished I could trust.
We pulled up in front of my aunt and uncle’s sprawling ranch-style house. Cars lined the driveway and spilled onto the street. My stomach twisted as I spotted my mother’s car near the entrance. This was a terrible fucking idea.
The moment Jack opened my door and I stepped out, I blurted the thought that was uppermost in my mind. “This was a mistake. I can’t do this. I should never?—”
Jack took both my hands in his. “Look at me.”
I forced my gaze up to his.
“I said I’ve got you and I meant it. Just breathe, Mia.”
I dragged in a couple of deep breaths, my eyes locked on his. The hazel depths were calm, reassuring, an anchor in the storm of my anxiety. It was like some sort of magic trick, how he could soothe me by just looking at me and telling me to breathe.
“You ready?” he asked when my breathing had steadied.
I glanced toward the house, catching movement at the picture window that faced the street. “Too bad if I’m not, because that’s Aunt Jackie peeking through the window. There’s no backing out now.”
Jack took my hand in his, entwining our fingers with such ease it felt like we’d been doing this for years.
The front door swung open before we reached it, and Aunt Jackie burst out with a wide smile.
“Mia, sweetie!” She wrapped me in a tight hug, then her eyes darted to Jack, widening appreciably.
“And this must be Jack! My goodness, Emily said you weren’t much to look at.
I think someone needs her eyes checked!”
Jack chuckled, extending his hand. “It’s great to meet you, Mrs...”
“Oh, just Jackie, please.” She shook his hand. “come on in, you two. Everyone’s out back.”
She ushered us through the house to the sliding glass door that revealed a sprawling backyard filled with pretty much my entire family. The smoky scent of barbecue hung in the air.
“Everyone!” Jackie’s voice rang out across the yard. “Look who’s here! Mia and her new man, Jack!”
All eyes turned toward us, and I witnessed the exact moment my mother, aunt Monica, and Megan registered Jack’s appearance.
Their expressions morphed from polite interest to slack-jawed disbelief in perfect unison.
My mother’s wine glass froze halfway to her lips.
Megan’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and Aunt Monica actually put a hand to her chest, as if steadying herself.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Emily, sitting at a table with some of our cousins, caught my eye and winked dramatically.
Whatever angst or weirdness might come out of fake dating Jack Sullivan, this moment, right here, made it one hundred percent worth it.
I didn’t even try to hide my smile as I glanced up at Jack. “Let me introduce you.”
“Sure.”
After quick introductions to Uncle Jeremy at the grill and a few friendly relatives, we approached the table where my mom sat with her cohort.
“Mom, you remember I mentioned I was bringing someone? This is Jack Sullivan. Jack, this is my mother, Helen.”
Jack stepped forward, taking my mother’s limp hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
We made quick rounds through my stepfather Ted, Megan and her fiancé Charles, plus Aunt Monica and Uncle Anthony. Megan couldn’t stop staring, while Aunt Monica kept glancing between Jack and Emily with naked confusion.
I hesitated for a moment, knowing that the right thing to do would be to sit with them, but I just couldn’t do it.
“We’ll, um, we’ll just be over here.”
When we finally escaped to find seats, I felt like I’d run a marathon.
We claimed two seats at the end of the long table, next to Emily.
Jack pulled out my chair before taking his own, then casually draped his arm along the back of my seat.
His fingers casually played with the ends of my hair, the intimate gesture making my skin tingle.
Aunt Jackie settled across from us with undisguised curiosity. “So, tell us how you two lovebirds met.”
I felt a momentary flutter of panic. We’d rehearsed this, but saying it out loud in front of my entire family suddenly seemed terrifying. I glanced at Jack, who gave me a reassuring smile.
“We um, we met at work,” I began, taking a steadying breath. “Jack joined the company a few months ago as our new executive.”
Jack’s fingers continued to play with my hair as he picked up the story.
“I noticed Mia immediately.” His voice was warm with affection that sounded so genuine it made my heart skip.
“It was impossible not to. She’s brilliant at what she does.
She’s smart, creative and very driven. But what really caught my attention was her eyes. ”
“Go on,” Aunt Jackie breathed when Jack paused to look at me.
Holy fuck. He was laying it on so thick. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn he meant every word he said. My pulse hammered in my throat as I tried to keep my expression neutral.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught my mom, Megan, and Monica leaning forward slightly, hanging on Jack’s every word. Their expressions were a mixture of disbelief and fascination.
“Company policy discouraged interoffice relationships, so I did my best to keep things strictly professional for weeks.”
“Until I couldn’t anymore. We ended up working late one evening, and I finally invited her to dinner.”
“At Alfredo’s,” I supplied.
“I was nervous she’d say no,” Jack continued, and the vulnerability in his voice caught me off guard. This wasn’t part of our script. “But thankfully, she agreed.”
“And how long has this been going on?” my mother interjected, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“A few weeks,” Jack answered smoothly. “Not long enough for a formal announcement, but long enough to know...” He paused, looking directly at me with an expression so tender it made my chest ache. “Long enough to know that Mia is someone special. The kind of woman you don’t let slip away.”
Emily gasped and I felt heat rushing to my cheeks. Jack’s thumb traced a small circle at the nape of my neck, and I fought the urge to lean into his touch.
“What I admire most about Mia,” he continued, “is how she lights up a room just by walking into it. The first time I saw her laugh, really laugh, I couldn’t look away. She’s gorgeous, inside and out.”
“Aaaww.” Aunt Jackie had gone full romantic, it seemed.
His fingers trailed lightly along my shoulder, sending shivers down my spine. “Do you know how hard it is to focus on quarterly reports when the most beautiful woman in the room is sitting across from you?”
Emily cleared her throat, breaking the spell. “So basically, boss meets employee, boss falls for employee’s awesome brain, they eat pasta, and now they’re disgustingly cute together. Got it.”
Everyone laughed, releasing the tension, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between Jack and me. This no longer felt like just pretending.
Aunt Jackie smiled warmly at us. “Well, I think it’s wonderful. You make a lovely couple.”
I glanced around the table to see my mom and Aunt Monica exchanging meaningful looks, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and calculation.
Mom took a long sip of her wine, her eyes never leaving Jack’s face as if searching for the catch, the flaw, the reason a man like him would be interested in me.
Monica’s lips were pursed in that familiar way that meant she was already forming judgments she’d share later in hushed tones.
Jack’s arm tightened slightly around my shoulders, pulling me gently against him. He pressed a kiss to my temple that sent electricity racing down my spine.
For a moment, wrapped in Jack’s warmth with his words echoing in my ears, I almost believed them.