Of course, I know this. But it still sort of hurts, to hear him say it. Ridiculous, considering we’ve been seeing each other for all of a month, and I’m definitely not expecting wedding bells and engagement rings already. I’m still a teenager for the love of God.
The tension is palpable between them—between all of us—and I smile politely, my brain searching to come up with something neutral to say. “How long are you here for?” I ask, wincing at the lameness of my question.
“We’re only here for dinner. We’ll drive back down to Los Angeles tonight. Our plane leaves first thing in the morning,” Mrs. Prescott explains, her gaze flicking to mine before she resumes her stare down of Shep.
His dad says nothing, just stands next to us and checks his phone. Something I wish I was doing. Anything to not have to deal with whatever’s happening between Shep and his mom.
“So Shepard. When did we last see you, hmm?” It feels like his mom is trying to bait him. Or irritate him. And by the annoyance I see flickering in his gaze, it’s working. “You didn’t come home for Thanksgiving or Christmas.”
“Because you weren’t home,” he adds.
She waves a hand. “You didn’t come home last summer either.”
“Again, because you were on vacation.”
She rolls her eyes. “You never, ever make an effort to see us anymore, Shepard. Are you coming home this summer? You never really did answer that question and I’ve been hounding you for months.”
He sends me a look, one full of nervous apprehension and I wish I knew what he was thinking. He seems worried about…me? But why?
Pressing his lips together, he turns to face his mother once more. “I don’t think so, Mother. I’m going to stick around here again for the summer. Play on the soccer league and hopefully hang out with…Jade.”
Wait a minute. What?
I didn’t mean to spring it on her like that. Hell, I haven’t even asked Jade if she wanted to stay with me for the summer and that’s been my plan all week. But like a gutless wonder I kept losing my nerve every time I opened my mouth. I just…I couldn’t ask her. Too afraid she might say no.
And fuck, that would hurt more than I care to admit.
Jade’s looking at me right now like I’ve lost my mind and I part my lips, ready to say something, anything to take away that shocked look on her face.
“Prescott, party of four!” screams the hostess, and I’m saved from having to say anything at all.
“Let’s go grab our table,” Dad says as he strides toward the hostess who’s waiting for us, clutching four giant menus in her hand. “I’m starving.”
I follow after him and Mom, taking Jade’s hand. She’s still looking at me, I can feel her gaze on my face but I refuse to look in her direction. I’m trying to come up with the proper way to ask her to stay with me for the summer.
Though I sort of blew that plan all to hell.
“What do you mean exactly, by spending the summer with me?” she finally asks.
My stomach sinks, and my appetite disappears. I didn’t want to have this conversation now. “We’ll talk about it later,” I whisper, squeezing her hand.
She pulls her hand out of my grasp and the sudden distance between us feels as large as the Pacific.
Damn it, I should’ve done this sooner. I’d planned to. I wanted to ask her while we were in bed, just drifting off to sleep, when she’s usually draped over me and I have my arm around her shoulders, drawing circles on her skin with my fingers. It’s that time between wakefulness and sleep, when we’re both mellow after multiple orgasms.
I could’ve been all romantic and shit, explaining to her how I couldn’t stand the thought of spending the entire summer away from her and I know it’s last minute, but hey instead of going home, you should stay with me, Jade. The house is huge and Tristan won’t be around, so that would give us plenty of privacy. I could even give you your own room if you want. We could have fun, just me and you. Lots and lots of fun.
But instead, I hit her with it in front of my freaking parents. So stupid.
We’re seated at a table with a gorgeous ocean view and I think of my favorite restaurant, the little shack near the beach. The place I took Jade on our first date. The food is way better and cheaper and the atmosphere can’t be beat. This place is pretentious as hell. I feel underdressed for not wearing a tie and I can’t remember the last time I wore one.
One of the many perks of not living at home anymore, I guess.
I pick up the menu and scan it, as does everyone else at the table. It’s an uneasy quiet and I peek over the top of the menu to see everyone’s head bent, hiding behind the giant pages of their menu. I’m tempted to laugh.
But I don’t.
Instead, I try to figure out what the hell I want to eat and pray for the server to come soon so I can order a fucking drink. It’s about the only thing that’s going to get me through tonight, I swear.
Within minutes the server is at our table, ready to take our drink order. Mom orders a bottle of wine—surprise—and dad and I both order a beer.
“Do you want something, Jade?” Mother asks, flashing her that barracuda smile. The one that says she’d love nothing more but to tear my new girlfriend—yeah fine I’m claiming it—to shreds.
“I’ll just have a glass of water, thank you.” Jade smiles up at the server.
“You don’t want any wine?” Mother continues.
Jade shakes her head. “I’m not of legal age to drink yet, I’m afraid.”
The server makes his escape and my mom turns on Jade like she smells blood in the water. “Exactly how old are you?”
“Nineteen. I’m just finishing my freshman year,” Jade admits, then sinks her teeth into her lower lip. She looks…petrified.
Fuck. I just want to wrap her up in my arms and protect her from the barrage of questions Mother is going to throw at her. Poor Jade. Poor me.
Poor all of us.
“Only nineteen?” Mother’s lip curls as she swivels her head to aim her gaze right at me. “Awfully young, don’t you think, Shepard? This can’t be a serious thing. She’s a baby.”
“We’re only two years apart,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Two years can be an awfully long time, especially now, at such a crucial point in your lives.” Mother returns her gaze to Jade, the smile on her face more like a baring of teeth. “I’m sure you’re enjoying yourself with my son. You’ve probably never been with a boy like him before. Shepard is loads of fun. Very charming. And he has a ton of money. But you know this sort of thing won’t last.”
Jade’s jaw drops open. Her lips move as if she’s trying to say something but no sound comes out. I think my mother’s words just stole her ability to speak.
Me? I’m stunned. I can’t even fucking move. Why the hell is she being so awful?
Oh, I know. Because she’s my mom. And she’s always been awful. I haven’t been around her for a long time so I sort of forgot.
“This is really none of your business,” I start but Mother cuts me off with a look.
“This is very much my business, considering you are my only son and heir to an absolute fortune. She may look sweet and demure in her cheap little white dress but I’ve seen girls like her before. She’s only with you because of your money.” Mother leans across the table, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper. “She’s harboring all the signs of a gold digger.”
My blood is fucking boiling. So no girl would really want to be with me, it’s only because of my money? No wonder I said almost that exact same thing earlier to Jade. I’ve been hearing it my entire life. “What did you just say?”
Mother rolls her eyes. “A gold digger. I’ve already told you numerous times, you need to be like your father. When we started dating, I knew how much he was worth, but I also knew how much I was worth. It was a match. A perfect match.” She sends the still silent Jade a withering stare. “This girl is obviously not a good financial match. Very middle class. Possibly e
ven lower middle class.”
Her insulting words make me flinch and they’re not even directed at me. I’m tempted to tell Mother to shut the fuck up but I hold it in. No need to make a scene at the restaurant. I don’t want to embarrass Jade.
“I could care less about any of that shit,” I tell her, my voice raising. “And Jade doesn’t care either. That you have the nerve to call you and dad a perfect match is fucking laughable. You two despise each other.”
“Watch your language,” Dad threatens, surprising me that he even has something to say. He usually prefers to loom in the background, only interacting when good shit is going down.
And this is definitely not good shit.
“I’m not going to sit here and let you insult my girlfriend,” I continue. “You either apologize to her or we’re out of here.”
Mother lifts her chin and looks down her nose. That expression used to scare the shit out of me when I was a kid but not anymore. She’s all bark and no bite. She always has been. It’s why I’ve gotten away with pretty much everything my entire life.
“Apologize to your mother for using such foul language,” Dad says but I ignore him.
“I refuse to apologize for stating the truth.” Mother lowers her voice. “This girl isn’t the one for you, Shepard. Can’t you see that?”
I turn to look at Jade, how her skin is so pale her freckles stand out, her eyes full of a multitude of emotions, none of them good. She’s mad, upset, disappointed, nervous…yet all I can see is that she is definitely the girl for me.
“I can’t.” Reaching out, I take Jade’s hand that’s lying in a fist on the table and clasp it in mine firmly. She lifts her gaze to mine and I offer her a reassuring smile. “I’m wondering why you can’t see that she is the girl for me,” I say, my eyes never leaving Jade’s.
“You can’t be serious,” Mother starts but I ignore her.
“Let’s go baby,” I whisper to Jade and she leaps to her feet so fast I’m surprised she didn’t knock her chair backwards.
Mother sputters in protest. Dad is yelling my name. The server is approaching our table, carrying a tray laden with our drinks and Jade and I push past him, though I offer him up an apologetic smile.
No way am I staying through a torturous meal while my mom slings insults at Jade. No fucking way. I’m standing my ground. If I let her get away with this shit now, what will happen the next time I bring Jade around them? Mother will never let up.
And there will be a next time. I can guarantee it. I’ve been fighting it all week but tonight, right at this very moment, I know without a doubt that I’m falling. Falling in love with her.
So I’m taking care of what’s mine.
Jade.
I think I’m in a total state of shock.
I have no idea what happened back there at the restaurant but holy shit, it was weird. I felt like I was in a movie. One of those cheesy made for television movies that they show on Lifetime, with all the overblown drama and exaggerated bad guys—or mom, in this case. The way she looked at me, spoke to me, how she called me a freaking gold digger right there at the table, in front of Shep and his dad.
Unbelievable.
Shep defended me the entire time. He never caved. Not once. He was on my side and oh my God, it felt so good, knowing that he was defending me with an unwavering intensity I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed before.
It was awesome.
Though we haven’t spoken since we left the restaurant and that was five minutes ago. I think he’s still too mad. Not that I can blame him. I’m mortified over what happened too. His mom is a nightmare. He warned me but he didn’t offer up much detail as to how truly awful she was.
And she is definitely awful.
“Jade, I’m so fucking sorry,” Shep finally says and I chance a glance at him, the way his long fingers are curled around the steering wheel, his knuckles white. His expression is grim, his mouth drawn thin and his jaw looking like it’s going to crack, it’s so tight.
“It’s not your fault,” I start but he cuts me off.
“I should’ve never brought you there. I thought she’d be cool. I thought she’d accept you and see just how great you are. Instead, she was a total bitch.” He stops at a red light and turns to look at me, his eyes full of sorrow. “I’m sorry.”
I lean over the center console and reach out, placing my hand on his smooth cheek. “Hey. It’s not your fault,” I repeat.
He blows out a harsh breath and turns his head so he kisses the palm of my hand. “I hate what she said to you,” he murmurs against my skin.
A shiver moves through me. I hate it too, but what’s done is done. “I think she’s just trying to defend you. Protect you.”
“In the rudest way possible.” The light turns green and I drop my hand from his face so he can continue driving distraction free. “Don’t make excuses for her. She called you a gold digger, Jade.”
“We don’t need to relive it,” I say with a wince.
He sends me an apologetic look. “Sorry. You’re right. What the fuck is wrong with me? What the fuck is wrong with her? Jesus.” He punches the steering wheel and I place my hand on his thigh, surprised at how rigid the muscle is. He’s so tense he feels like he could shatter.
“Calm down. It’s over. We survived,” I reassure him as I run my hand up and down his thigh. “Let’s just go back to your place and relax. Order takeout.” Because yeah, I’m still hungry since we never ate dinner.
He frowns. “Damn it, I can’t. I have to go to the house and help Tristan and Gabe. The last night it’s open, remember?”
How could I forget? Great. Now I’ll have to spend tonight alone.
“You could go with me,” he continues and I shake my head.
“No.” Hell, no. I don’t like that place. Last time I went I got drunk and almost snorted a line of coke with the Em and Ems. That was so unlike me. First time I go, I get thrown into a bet and Shep wins me.
That you can’t protest.
Yeah, maybe I can.
Sort of.
Okay, fine not really.
“You can stay at my place,” he suggests and again, I shake my head. I don’t want to be the lonely so-called girlfriend waiting for her man to come home. How pathetic is that?
“Just take me back to my dorm,” I say, sounding like a sullen little girl. Feeling like a sullen little girl because this night didn’t go as expected at all.
I really thought his parents might like me. That we’d have a fabulous time over dinner getting to know each other with his mother revealing funny stories about Shep when he was a little boy. We’d all laugh and she’d tell her husband that I was the perfect girl for their boy and oh yeah, that so did not happen.
What seemed to really piss her off is when Shep dropped that bomb about us spending the summer together, which makes no sense because he still thinks I’m going home over the break. I never told him about Mom selling the house.
It’s like a totally weird coincidence.
“What did you mean earlier about the two of us spending the summer together?” I ask.
He’s quiet for a moment and I’m about to repeat myself when he says, “Oh. That.”
“Yeah. That,” I say wryly. “Why did you say it?”
“Well, I’m staying here again for the summer. The thought of going home—especially after what happened tonight—there’s just no way. And I know you planned on going back to your mom’s but I was going to ask if you wanted to…” His words trail off and I stare at him hard, willing him to finish the question.
“If I wanted to what?” I ask when he doesn’t say anything else.
He clears his throat. “I wanted to know if you’d like to uh, stay with me. For the summer. At my house.”
“Are you serious?” I squeak. No way can he be serious. We hardly know each other. I mean, okay yeah, we know each other, but it’s only been a month. It’s like he’s asking me to move in with him.
Which is insane. Insane.
I can’t move in with him.
Can I?
Somehow we arrived at my dorm hall. He pulls into a parking spot and cuts the engine, turning to look at me. “I’m dead serious. I’ve been trying to work up the nerve to ask you all week but it never seemed to be the right time.” He shakes his head, looking irritated with himself. “Scratch that. More like I couldn’t work up the fucking nerve to ask you because I was afraid you’d tell me no.”
Aw. That is like the cutest admission ever. “Why did you think I’d tell you no?”
“Because you love to tell me no, Jade. I think that’s one of the things I like best about you. You’re not afraid to tell me how you really feel. You don’t fall for my crap like every other female I’ve encountered on campus. You’ve challenged me from the first second we’ve met and while I love that about you, it can also…scare the hell out of me.”
I start to laugh. “Are you saying I scare you?”
He nods, a slow smile curling his perfect lips. “Yeah. More than anything, the way I feel about you scares the fuck out of me.”
My laughter dies. “What do you mean?”
He cups my face with one hand, his thumb smoothing across my cheek. “You know I’ve never done this sort of thing before. That first moment when I touched you…when I kissed you…slipped inside you, I knew.”
My heart threatens to pound right out of my chest and gallop away down the street. “You knew what?”
“Exactly what I told my mom—that you’re the girl for me. No one else, just you.” He leans in and kisses me, his damp mouth lingering on mine, his tongue sneaking in for a quick tease. “I’m falling in love with you, Jade.”
Oh God. Did he really just say that? Did he just use the word love? Yes, yes he did. “Shep,” I whisper against his lips but he cuts me off, deepening the kiss, making me moan as I reach for him. But he breaks away before it can get any more out of control and falls back heavily against his seat.
“I can’t fucking believe I have to go work tonight.” He runs a hand through his hair, messing it up in that way I prefer. He is so sexy I can hardly stand it. I hate that he has to go to work, too. “I want you in my bed waiting for me. Are you sure I can’t convince you to go pack a bag and I’ll drop you off at my place?”
Fair Game (The Rules #1) Page 29
