by Ali Parker
"Think fast," Lisa called from behind him.
Jake turned and lifted his hands. He caught the ball and winked at her as she laughed.
"Wow. You're fast." She smirked. "Be careful. I don't want you limping for the wrong reasons."
"I'm a junior high coach. I'm used to putting jokers in their place without actually hurting them." Jake turned as the room exploded with warnings and worries. No one was going to hurt Marc. He was soon to be family.
***
"All right. The tree is stable." Marc moved back, his hands lifted in the air as everyone else lounged on the couches around him.
"It's leaning a little to the left," Drake mumbled.
Sicily popped him on the chest as she snuggled beside him. "You're going to be leaning a little to the left if you don't watch it."
"The girls are getting sweet on Marc." Jake ran his hand down the side of Kari's arm as she curled up around him. "We're just jealous, hm?"
"Absolutely you guys are." Marc turned and smiled. "And you should be. I'm the baby around here."
"Oh brother." Kari moved to the edge of the couch and stood. "I have some of the decorations in the car. I'll grab them and we'll get the tree decorated."
"Who's staying here at the house? We haven't finalized anything other than you and Jake leaving tomorrow for New York and then Texas in a few days." Lisa stood up and walked toward the tree, yanking on it to get it to stand up straight.
Jake glanced over at Sicily and Drake as they turned their attention to each other. It was Drake who answered for them. "I think we're going to New York for Christmas Day so Sis can cook for her family, but that's it. Not sure I'll be seeing my family."
"What? Why not?" Kari paused by the front door and turned to pin Drake with an inquisitive stare.
"Because we're taking turns." Sicily's voice was soft and non-combative. Kari's hadn't been so kind.
"And you guys?" Jake asked Lisa as he got up to walk out to the car with Kari. Something was bugging her. He wanted to know what.
"We're probably going to New York for the rest of the week. Marc wants to see his mom, and my parents are going to want to see me." She shrugged and reached down to pick up her drink. "I'd rather drown in a pool of my own spit than see my mother, but-"
"But... it's Christmas." Marc walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her from the side before kissing the top of her head. "We're not staying long, but we want to see everyone." He turned his attention to Kari. "We'll probably be with Momma on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning."
"Good. You need to see if she wants to come back here for New Year’s." Jake gave Marc a knowing look as he reached Kari and turned back toward the living room. Kari's mother would want to be there when Jake proposed. It was a surprise, and he would mention it to Ms. Martin, but he was hoping for a little bit of help from Marc.
"I like the idea of that." Kari nodded before reaching for the door and walking out in the snow storm. She glanced back as Jake followed her out. "It's freezing. How did you guys play football out here? It's not Texas weather."
He smirked and jogged down the steps, trying not to bust his ass. "No, it's not Texas, but it was fun. We got to roll around in the snow like kids."
She reached for him and wrapped her arm around the back of his waist as they walked to the car. "Are you sure you want me to go to Texas with you? I can just go with Marc and Lisa to Momma's, you know."
He stopped, dragging her to a halt with him. "Are you kidding me? I'm not spending Christmas without you."
She turned to face him and stepped closer, stealing his breath with nothing more than her presence. "We're not married, baby. It's okay if we spend Christmas apart."
"Wait. Do you not want to go with me?" He reached out and ran his hands over her narrow shoulders. "Are you thinking you'll miss your mom?"
"No. I just don't want to impose." She snuggled closer. "Let's talk about this tonight. It's freezing out here."
"Let's not talk about it at all." He snorted and moved toward the car after grabbing her hand. "We're not spending Christmas apart. I don't care if it was just the two of us here. You're the only person in the world I refuse to not see on Christmas."
"Oh yeah?" Her tone was cheeky.
"You need a spanking. Obviously it's been too long." He reached the car as his cock twitched in his jeans. Kari was anything but a bad girl, but there was a side of her that he'd yet to explore. They'd been too caught up in love to let lust drag them into depravity.
"I like spankings." She shrugged, looking too cute as he turned and lifted his eyebrow. Her innocence was precious, but something shimmered just underneath it.
Something he wanted to explore - thoroughly.
Chapter 4
Kari
"I love how beautiful everything is when it's covered in snow." Kari snuggled up in her seat and kept her eyes on the road passing them by outside of her window.
"It reminds me of the holidays." Jake reached out and rubbed his hand down her arm. "I'm so excited for you to meet my folks. My brothers, not so much, but my mom and dad are really good people. They have a relationship like I hope we have."
"How so?" She turned her face toward him, letting herself dive into the dreaminess of their relationship. His dark hair was a little wet from his shower, and he was freshly shaved. She'd never seen a more handsome man in her life, and having him belong to her was a bit overwhelming at times.
He smiled over at her and the world seemed right. "They just love each other. A lot. They were junior high sweethearts and it's funny, after all these years, they're still as giggly and playful as they were back then."
"How do you know how they were back then?" Kari smiled and lifted his hand to her mouth as she laid a few kisses along his fingers.
"I've heard the stories and seen the pictures." He licked at his lips and seemed to be trying hard to keep his eyes on the road. "Be careful with those lips of yours. You're liable to wake someone up."
She laughed and reached over to brush her fingers down his thigh. "I like the idea of waking you up."
"Good." He pulled his hand from hers and shifted in his seat. "Keep it up, and I'll pull over and make you put him back to bed too."
"Make me? I like it." She reached farther and scratched her nails down his budding erection. "My mother's heater doesn't work really well, so you're going to have to stay really close throughout the night."
"Not a problem." He glanced over, his face a slight shade of pink and the vein on the side of his sexy neck pulsing fast. "You gonna let me make love to you in your childhood bed?"
She pulled her hand back and laughed. "You've been hanging out with Lisa and Marc too long."
"No. I'm just completely in love with you." He reached back out for her hand. "We need to talk about moving in together. You promised me we would figure it out around Christmas. It's here."
"Tell me about your brothers." She intertwined her fingers with his and rested against her seat, ignoring the conversation. It was a difficult one. They were staying together all the time as it were, but leaving the comfort of her friends and taking the next steps with Jake were terrifying. Why, she had no clue. He'd been everything anyone could possibly want over the last eight months, but it felt rushed.
Was it?
He laughed and shook his head. "All right. But we're not done with this conversation. I'm ready for the next steps, Kari."
"I know, baby. We'll move in together after Christmas. We can talk about it more in Texas."
"All right." He turned back to the road. "I have three brothers. My older brother, Kade, is in the military. He's overseas like I told you, so you won't get to meet him this Christmas, but maybe in the spring. I need to go back for my grandfather's hundredth birthday, so I'm sure my brother will be back for that."
"That and not Christmas?" Seemed weird.
"Yeah." Jake released her hand and reached up to turn the heat down a little. "He and my grandfather are close. All of us are close."
> "And you haven't been home for the last four years outside of going for the funeral this spring?" She didn't want to bring up the fact that it was Jake's ex-girlfriend’s mother's funeral. It was a subject she didn't really want to dive into. The idea of Jake dating anyone left her ill.
"No." He took a deep breath. "I didn't want to run into Bethany. It was too much to consider, honestly."
"You loved her a lot." Kari cringed internally. It was going to be brought up. It was inevitable. The beautiful blond who'd taken up most of Jake's past would always be part of the conversation.
"I did, but I wasn't in love with her anymore. Her cheating on me tore me in half, but I think I clung to the idea of love far more than clinging to Bethany." He shrugged. "I stayed away from home because the idea of going back hurt like a bitch."
"I'm glad we're going back." She pulled her knees up in the seat with her and wrapped her arms around them. "Tell me about your other brothers."
He relaxed, his shoulders sagging a little. The conversation seemed to be as tense for him as it was for her.
"Right, so my other two brothers are younger than me. Landon is an investment broker in Oregon and Clint, my baby brother, is still in college, and makes Drake look like a chump." He chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Drake looking like a chump sounded way out of place. He was the scariest, strongest-looking guy Kari had ever run into. Where there was a soft side of him that he shared with the group, she knew there was more to him. She was grateful that Jake brought him up. It was a good time to poke a little.
Jake glanced over at her and smirked. "Clint is a bodybuilder, a gym rat. He's put more hours into his body than he has into all of his other ventures put together."
"Oh. Interesting." She smiled.
"Hands off. He's a looker. Much better looking than me, but he's a blondie."
"Blondie?" Kari chuckled. "I'm not at all interested in anyone but you, but for the record, a blondie is the last thing on my old list of things I enjoyed in, on, or about a man."
"He dyes it. He's got dark hair like me. He's a fucking goober, but I love him." The warmth on Jake's face and in his voice was contagious.
"You guys are pretty close?"
"We used to be. He looks a lot like Marc. He's got that party boy persona, but you can tell he's very dedicated to his health. It's a little obnoxious, but I love the guy. The best part is that he's brilliant."
"How so?" Her interest was beyond piqued. She couldn't help but wonder if Clint was as in awe of Jake as Jake was of him. It was cute. Endearing.
"What do you mean?" He reached up and brushed his fingers by his lips as he kept his eyes on the road.
"How is he brilliant?"
Jake's brow pulled closer. "He's just brilliant. Like his IQ is off the charts. He's got a 4.0 at Texas A&M in College Station. He's this meathead-looking guy with the intelligence of a mad scientist."
"Oh." Kari laughed, finally getting Jake's point. His little brother really was a genius. "Is he married?"
"Clint? No way. He's going to marry himself." Jake glanced her way. "Which exit do I need to take, baby? I haven't been to your mom’s, remember?"
"Oh yeah." She sat up and brushed her hands down her legs as she tried to get her bearings. "Two more exits up the road. We're almost there."
"I'm excited." He shifted in his seat, causing the scent of his cologne to waft her way.
She breathed in deeply and let out a soft moan. "You smell so good. I just want to snuggle up next to you."
"Good. I plan on doing a whole lot more than snuggling." He ran his hand down his chest as his expression hardened a little. "So your mom... she's um... she's nice, right?"
Kari laughed. "Are you afraid of meeting my mom?"
"Not afraid. I just want to make a good impression, baby. You're going to be my wife one day. I want her to like me."
"She's going to love you, Jake. You have nothing to worry about." Kari pointed to the exit. "Right there."
"Tell me a little more about her. You know, so I don't do something stupid." He pulled the car off the freeway and pursed his lips.
"She's very religious, loving and strong. My father left years ago after she found him cheating on her. They were married twenty years."
Jake's expression was filled with sadness as he pulled into the driveway Kari pointed to. "Why do we all have to have that in common?"
"I don't know, but she's a good woman and she deserves someone to love her. That's my Christmas wish this year."
"Christmas wish?" He turned off the car and turned to face her, reaching out and touching the side of her face.
"Yeah. You guys don't do Christmas wishes?"
"No, but I'd like to start." He leaned forward and pulled her closer. "I have a few things I want this Christmas."
"Tell me one of them." She smiled and brushed her nose by his, getting lost in his warm brown eyes.
"For you to love my family as much as I know they're going to love you."
She smiled. "Ditto."
Chapter 5
Jake
Jake moved up behind Kari after getting their bags from the trunk. Something was nagging at him as they walked up the overgrown brush towards Ms. Martin's house. The house was old and far too rundown for someone to enjoy living in it.
"Kari." He reached up and gripped her shoulder, stopping her.
"Yeah?" She glanced back, a smile on her beautiful face. "What's wrong?" She turned to face him.
"What does your mom do for a living?" He moved his attention down from the house to rest on his girl. The list of projects on fixing the place up were already running through his mind.
"She's a nurse, but my dad left her with a lot of debt. The place is in bad shape on the outside, but the inside is nice. I promise."
"We need to do something about this. I know New York is expensive, but we need to get her a new place or maybe just come up here for the week after New Year’s and do a major overhaul." He ran his hand down the side of her face. "I'll get everyone to help out. This isn't okay."
Her eyes filled with tears and she nodded, but didn't say anything. He wasn't sure if he'd upset her in a good way or bad way. Never could tell with women.
She walked to the door and lifted her hand to knock as it opened.
"Baby! There you are." An older version of Kari opened the door and pulled Kari into her arms as she laughed. "I'm so glad you're here. I know you guys are headed to Texas. I want to tell you that you didn't have to do this, but-"
"We wouldn't be anywhere else." Kari moved back and glanced down toward him. "Mom, this is Jake, my boyfriend."
"Hi, Ms. Martin." Jake extended his hand and moved up on the stairs.
She shook it and tugged him around Kari into the house before wrapping him in a tight hug. He laughed and returned the warmth, hugging the older woman tightly against his chest.
"It's so good to meet you." She glanced up, her eyes a little teary. "My little girl deserves a man like you from what she's told me. Thank you for helping her find love again."
"No need to thank me. She helped me defrost from the horrible relationships in my past too." He smiled as Kari moved around them and pulled her mom away from Jake.
"Come tell me everything. How are you? How is work? What have you been doing? Did you join that dating site I sent over to you?" Kari's voice was a little higher than usual. She was worried about her mom.
Jake picked up the bags and walked toward the back of the house. "I'm going to put these in one of the rooms. Which one is yours, Kari? I can take Marc's."
"We're adults. We're sleeping together," Kari called down the hall. "The pink one on the right."
"Okay," Jake mumbled, not sure his mom would be too excited about Kari and him sleeping in the same room. They were incredibly traditional. Funny enough, from the conversations that Jake had with both Marc and Kari, their mom seemed very conservative too. Maybe not?
He dropped the bags in the room and glanced around, taking in the p
inkness of the room. A laugh bubbled up inside of him and he walked toward her dresser, picking up a picture of her and Marc. He was in a basketball jersey, looking all of ten, and Kari was in a cheerleader outfit, most likely in high school.
"Nice," he mumbled and put the picture down.
"You checking me out?" Kari leaned against the doorframe, the smile on her pretty lips beyond inviting.
"I'm always checking you out, baby." He moved toward her and pulled her into his arms. "You sure your mom is okay with us sharing a room together? I don't mind sleeping in-"
"You're not sleeping in Marc's room," Kari's mom called from down the hallway. "God only knows what he's been up to in there. The boy is completely depraved."
Jake stiffened as Kari laughed. "She's got a point."
"Yes, she does." Kari lifted to her toes and kissed him. "Mom wants to go down to Fifth Avenue and look around. We can visit the tree too if you're up for it."
"I would love that. I've only been to New York a few times, and never during the holidays." He slid his hands down her sides to rest on her hips. Hopefully the night would end with them wrapped around each other and him whispering in her ear not to moan too loudly. He would hate to be embarrassed the next morning at breakfast.
"Then you're going to enjoy this." She kissed him once more before moving back and turning to walk down the hall.
"Marc and Lisa are supposed to be coming in for Christmas." Her mother grabbed her coat as Jake walked down the hall, breathing in the subtle hint of Kari's shampoo. They'd been together since the spring and he still couldn't come close to getting enough of her.
"Marc's in rare form. I'm going to warn you now." Kari opened the door and moved back as her mom walked through it. "He's probably going to rush through school to move out to Maine. You need to think about coming out that way too, Mom. We want you near us, and the city isn't a good place for a single woman."
"What if I'm not single when he graduates?" She glanced back and gave Kari a cheeky grin as they walked down the stairs behind her.
