Even worse, was he only a prop, the way he was with Shelly? Only now, instead of a handsome face, she garnered admiration and accolades for taking on a burned and scarred firefighter. What a big heart she had.
She had enough beauty for the both of them. She also had a perfect family and one he’d always yearned to be a part of.
Her brother, Connor, was his best friend.
Her father, Pete, was his former fire chief and treated him like his own son.
Her mother, Kimberly, had been overprotective over him when Jenna first started dating him.
Her sister, Melisa, was his best friend while he worked as a school janitor.
Cait, Brian, and Dale always had a warm smile or hug for him and included him in all their family games and events.
Everyone except Jenna’s twin Grady, who was the stranger in the family, adored him.
Larry groaned as he dragged Harley away from a fence post. What if he was overlooking Jenna’s faults because he wanted so badly to be a Hart?
“Don’t look now, but it’s starting to rain.” A snarky male voice accosted him. “Why the long face?”
Speaking or thinking of the devil. Grady Hart swaggered up to Larry, wearing the smirk that never faded.
The dude tried to look like a modern James Dean, with his brown hair slicked straight back, wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and an open black leather motorcycle jacket. All that was missing was the cigarette—a nod to twenty-first century health standards.
“Hey,” was all Larry could think of to say, hoping the guy would pass him by.
“Guess you weren’t invited to Jenna’s bachelorette party.” Grady fell in step next to him. “What kind of trouble do you think the girls are getting into?”
“I’m sure it’ll be aired on TV this Saturday,” Larry said, for the first time dreading the usually fun get-togethers at the Hart household.
“The highlight of the evening.” Grady twisted his lips. “Say, do you ever get tired of hanging out with my family? All the small talk, the drama, the hysterics of three sisters and one sister-in-law, the meddling and speculating?”
“I’ve been hanging out with them before I started dating Jenna. She only came home a year ago.”
“Oh, that’s right. My parents kind of took you under their wing after you got out of the burn ward. Say, isn’t it gay how your mother decided to horn in on the wedding? I heard Cait wasn’t too happy to have to work with her.”
What was with the ‘say’ and the ‘gay’ slang? He was seriously out of touch. But then again, smoke jumpers were loners and didn’t put down roots. Usually, Grady worked the northern hemispheres from June to November, and the southern hemisphere from December to May.
Larry didn’t give Grady an answer. The guy seemed to want to make up for his year round solitude by talking everyone’s ears off.
“Cait’s a character,” Grady continued his monologue. “She acts all bossy and nosy, but she’s got a good heart. You know who the real boss is over there?”
Larry didn’t care whether Cait was the boss or not. He quickened his pace to get back to his apartment, but Harley lay down on the damp sidewalk and refused to move.
“Are you sick, boy?” Larry picked up the dog who weighed over sixty pounds.
“Just lazy, that dog,” Grady said, not that anyone asked his opinion. “As I was saying, the real boss of our family is Jenna. Ever since she opened her pretty green eyes in the bassinet next to me, she wrapped everyone around her finger. She never had to scream or shout or fight or connive. People did what she wanted.”
“If you’re trying to badmouth your sister, you came to the wrong place.”
“Actually, I saw you looking so sad and figured I’d give you some advice.” Grady had the gall to put his hand over Larry’s shoulder and pat him like they were pals. “Jenna and I are twins, and there’s no one who knows her better than me.”
“You’ve been apart since you turned eighteen. You have no idea what she’s like.”
“Ah, but I know how to get her goat.”
“I’m sure you get a lot of people’s goat.” Larry’s upper lip curled.
“The point is, I know how to get her to stop pushing. Because she’s one of those where you give her an inch and she’ll take a yard. As long as you let her, she’ll push, push, push, and push some more and hey, who can withstand her charm? Certainly not Mom and Dad, and certainly not a guy like you who’s slavishly in love with her. Heck, even Connor lets her get her way—most of the time.”
“He even took Harley as the station dog when he was against it,” Larry said, remembering how hard Jenna had pushed to give the basset hound puppy to Connor when he was still mourning the death of the previous station dog.
“Exactly, and I heard she got Connor to allow the firefighters to join the bachelor’s auction last year.”
“She wasn’t able to get them to strip. Connor put his foot down.”
“That’s what you have to do to.” Grady stopped walking and stomped his foot, startling Harley who jerked in Larry’s arms and growled. “Put your foot down. Tell Jenna she has to stop, or else.”
“Or else what? I really don’t have much leverage. Connor’s leverage was the firefighters Jenna wanted badly, so she compromised.”
“You don’t think you have leverage?” Grady slapped Larry’s back so hard it made him feel like he was going to transform into an ogre and beat the crap out of him. “You have you, big guy. You. You are the leverage. You best stand up to her now before you’re married, or she’ll ride you off to the sunset forever.”
“Wow, you’re not being loyal.” Larry tensed his muscles and shrugged Grady’s hand off him.
“Oh, but I am.” Grady stood back, crossing his arms. “I love my sister, and I want her to be happy. And I know her. She needs a wall to push against, but if the wall crumbles, she doesn’t feel secure. She needs to know there’s someone strong and unmovable who’ll always stand by her. That’s what she needs. I’m hoping it’s you.”
“I know it’s me.” This time, Larry growled and turned back the way he came, shaking Grady loose.
Chapter Fifteen
Saturday nights at the Hart homestead used to mean family time, game nights, and yes, the usual gossip and catfights, but ever since the She Wouldn’t Dare reality show started airing, it had become a warzone.
“Shut it off,” Jenna shouted, grabbing the remote from her brother, Dale. “I don’t want to watch it.”
“But we boys haven’t seen it,” Dale retorted. He jumped to the TV and pushed the power button manually.
Jenna switched it off again. “Larry’s ex is on the show, and I don’t want to relive it.”
“His ex?” Grady lit up from the corner of the room where he was reading a well-thumbed paperback. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding him the past few days?”
“It wasn’t my fault. I had no idea she was going to show up.” Jenna defended herself. “And I’m not avoiding Larry. I had lunch with him just yesterday.”
“Then why isn’t he here?” Cait wandered into the living room from the kitchen and set a large bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. “Is he off today?”
“He is,” Connor said. “But he’s been strangely quiet all week. Hasn’t said anything to me all week.”
“Not talking to you, either?” Brian, Cait’s husband, looked around the room. “Dad, have you spoken to him?”
“Can’t say that I have.” Their father put his newspaper down and waved Jenna to the couch next to him. “Come sit here with me and tell me what’s going on.”
“Uh oh,” Cait observed. “Looks like Jenna’s in the hot seat.”
“I did nothing wrong.” Jenna stood her ground. “I called Larry and he agreed to go for it. He said Shelly doesn’t affect him one bit, and that he’s happy for me to win the Tesla.”
“That’s because he’s completely under your thumb,” Grady said. “I spoke to him and he seemed sad.”
Grady would exagg
erate everything due to his own issues. He could care less about Larry, unlike the rest of her family who were all looking at her as if she’d done something dastardly to hurt him.
“You guys are making too big a deal out of this.” Jenna whipped her head from one family member to the other. “Larry told me Shelly is nothing. He even laughed when I showed him the dress design I’m making for her.”
“If it’s not a big deal, why can’t we watch the episode?” Dale took the TV remote from Jenna and switched it on.
“I’m not watching it again,” Cait said, hooking Jenna by the arm. “Let’s go to the kitchen to strategize for the next show.”
Melisa and their mother were in the middle of putting several enchilada casseroles into the oven, while Nadine chopped and sliced vegetables for a salad.
“I wonder if we should whip up some margaritas for everyone,” Mom said with a pointed look at Cait.
Jenna rolled her eyes and shot Cait and Melisa a sympathetic look. Their mother meant well, and she was overly caring and concerned, but sometimes, she just didn’t understand why her daughters would want a little privacy.
“Well, Jenna, what do you think?” Mother doubled-down, looking for an ally to force her two pregnant sisters into spilling their secrets. “How about a little champagne to celebrate your brand new Tesla?”
“Actually, I don’t think I should be drinking either.” Jenna tossed her blond hair over her shoulder and sauntered to the refrigerator. “Anyone for some sparkling water?”
“But, you had shots at your party a few days ago,” Mother blurted. “Has something changed since then?”
“Oh, I don’t know, should something have to change for me to not want to take a drink?” Jenna handed Cait and Melisa bottles of water.
“You girls really aren’t going to tell me?” Mom put her hands on her hips. “You want to make me worried sick that something might go wrong without knowing for sure that something could go wrong?”
Jenna patted Mother on the back. “You’ll be the first to know if there’s anything to tell.”
Outside of the kitchen, the living room exploded with hoots and exclamations.
“Cait refused a shot? Brian, is there something you’re not telling us?”
“Melisa too, but she’s usually not a drinker.”
“Oh, man, there’s a population explosion going on around here.”
The kitchen door opened and Dad popped his head in. “Cait, Melisa, is it true what Mom told me, that you two are expecting?”
“Jenna’s also expecting.” Mom threw her hands up. “And I’m the last to know.”
“I am not,” Jenna protested as her father looped his arm over her shoulder.
“But you just said you were.” Mom had a penchant for misunderstanding a situation and sticking to her guns.
“I said I wasn’t going to have champagne,” Jenna argued.
Another explosion of male voices whooped in the living room as Connor led everyone in singing, “For he’s a jolly good fellow.”
Lately, Grady had taken to mocking Larry as a jolly good fellow because he was supposedly under her thumb all the time.
“I have to head Larry off before he sees the TV.” Jenna rushed from the kitchen and bumped into Larry’s solid chest.
“Hey, what’s the panic?” Larry grasped Jenna’s wrist to steady her.
“She’s pregnant,” Mom said, following behind her. “I can’t say I’m not thrilled, although I’m sure Father Gonzales will be requiring you two to go to confession. But with three more little Harts in addition to Connor and Nadine’s, it’s going to be a Hart harvest this year.”
Larry’s eyebrows shot straight to the ceiling and his eyes took on that deer in the headlamp expression. “Jenna, is this another one of your reality show tricks?”
“Uh, no. Everyone, I’m not pregnant. Mom’s getting carried away because I turned down margaritas and champagne. Really, Mom, you’re as bad as Amy Suzuki, stirring up everyone, and you wonder why Cait and Melisa aren’t telling you their secrets?”
“You mean they told you and didn’t tell me?” Now Mom was upset. Her face turned bright red and her eyes bulged. “All I ever wanted was to take care of you girls and love you. I don’t know why everyone’s turning against me.”
“No one’s against you, Mom.” Cait wrapped her arms around their mother. “I just didn’t think it was time to say anything, especially since it’s so early. I didn’t want you to be disappointed in case anything bad happened.”
“But if something bad happened, I would want to know so I can comfort you.” Mother patted Cait’s back and cuddled her. “You’re so precious to me. Anything that happens to you, happens to me.”
“Not all of us want you hovering over us.” Melisa, who used to be a sweetie, shot daggers at her mother. “I’d like some privacy and it seems there’s absolutely no privacy around here with all the big mouths and snoopy noses that pass for a large, caring family.”
She bumped by Jenna and huffed out the door. Her husband, Rob, was at work, so Nadine ran after her.
“All of you are crazy,” Larry shouted, looking from Jenna to Cait to their father to Grady. “You’re throwing fits because your mother cares about you? You’re upset because someone wants to know how you feel? That someone wants to find out what you’re up to?”
“It could be too much,” Grady said. “Especially if you haven’t figured out how you feel about something.”
Jenna’s gaze froze on Grady. He’d just verbalized exactly what had been bothering her about their family. If everyone speculated and made theories about everyone else’s life, how was anyone to know exactly how they felt about anything? Everything was analyzed to death, and she didn’t know if anything she did was what she truly wanted to do—including the entire reality show.
The remodeling was for their parents.
The honeymoon trip was for Larry.
The pet rescue event was for Cait’s new friend.
The Tesla was for herself, true. Doing well with her business was for her, but also for her family. They’d all been so proud of her for opening her design studio and putting San Francisco on the fashion map.
Her family was thrilled she was marrying Larry because they’d already treated him as part of the family.
But what did Jenna Hart really want to do if she hadn’t had all these expectations heaped onto her?
Even Larry expected her to win the She Wouldn’t Dare reality show so badly that he was entirely okay with his mother and ex-fiancée being a part of her wedding—their wedding. He didn’t seem to care about anything other than getting the marriage certificate signed and sealed.
He wouldn’t even sleep with her, because he knew that would make her parents happy.
Why else was he putting up with the entire reality show, his ex-fiancée’s intrusion and his mother appearing in it, if it wasn’t for the ultimate prize of marrying into her family?
“Larry?” Jenna turned square to face her fiancé. “Let’s examine your feelings since you’re offering them up. Why are you putting up with everything I throw at you? Are you only marrying me so you can be a part of this family?”
Her words dropped a bomb, and no one moved until the smoke alarms screamed from the kitchen.
Chapter Sixteen
Jenna’s mother and sisters rushed to the kitchen, and every fireman in the house scrambled at the sound of the smoke alarm.
“Fire extinguisher,” Connor yelled, opening the broom closet.
Larry’s first instinct was to shield Jenna in case anything exploded.
“Fall back, fall back,” Grady said, laughing. He grabbed a hot mitt and opened the oven. “Just a case of burnt enchiladas. Looks like we’re going to have to order takeout.”
Their mother, Kimberly, opened the kitchen window, and the smoke alarms subsided.
Larry’s heart was still pounding on overdrive. It hadn’t even been a year ago when he’d rescued Jenna from a fire she’d accidentally
started by leaving an iron plugged in.
He wrapped his arms around Jenna, and she melted into his embrace. “Nothing matters to me but that you’re safe.”
“Shoo, shoo, out of the kitchen.” Kimberly waved a dishtowel. “Too many cooks spoil the broth. Where’s Nadine? We need her to whip up a stir-fry.”
“Let’s order hero sandwiches,” Pete, their father, said.
“Yeah, let’s all leave the kitchen,” Cait agreed. “No more cooking.”
Dale stuck his head into the kitchen and fanned himself. “You guys are going to miss Jenna’s bridesmaid collection. It’s coming up after the commercial.”
Larry was still reeling from Jenna’s accusation that he was only marrying her because of her family, but what could he say in front of everyone? That he didn’t like to be a part of them?
No matter what, their noise and togetherness filled an empty part of him, so he herded with the rest of the group into the living room with his arm still around his soon-to-be bride. She was probably having jitters about getting married and hadn’t meant what she’d said.
“This is going to be such great exposure for you,” he said, giving her a peck on the lips.
Truth, he was darn proud of her. Many people underestimated Jenna, believing she was just a pretty face, but Larry knew how hard she worked. She was driven to prove that her success came from ingenuity, creativity, and not from her good looks.
He, of course, didn’t have that to worry about.
Everyone squeezed together on every available space on the couches, so he naturally pulled Jenna onto his lap.
“I’m so nervous to see what the audience’s reaction will be.” Jenna shivered, her eyes intent on the screen.
“Why are they showing them on mannequins instead of having real life models?” Dale asked, holding the remote.
“I’m not the winner yet,” Jenna explained. “They’re also showing one of the other lady’s unframed canvases and for the writer, they’re reading a scene from a draft. They don’t want us to get too much promotional benefit from the show until we win.”
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