Before that, I was two seconds away from throttling him with a festive napkin holder, but now I’m distracted by his perfect forearms.
And that’s how I got myself into this situation in the first place.
Lusting over Jackson Pearce and his stupid, muscled, veiny, sexy-as-hell arms.
Damn arm porn.
“Yes, well, we of course have been putting our differences aside for the sake of planning the party,” I say.
“Very good, very good. Well, I’ll get out of your hair and allow you to continue the amazing work you’re doing here. I’m looking forward to the big event.”
Smiling, I nod and narrow my gaze at Jackson, who is trying his damnedest not to laugh.
He shakes the mayor’s hand again, and then together, we watch him walk back out of the door, leaving us alone.
“I’m going to kill you!” I screech, rushing over to slap his arm, but he catches my hand in his and pulls me to him, sealing his lips over mine.
“I’ve been dying to kiss you since the moment he walked in that damn door, Snowflake. Hush,” he whispers against my lips, nibbling on my lip before teasing the seam of them with his tongue. “You make me fucking crazy, you know that?”
“The feeling is mutual. God, I can’t believe you said that to him. What if he suspects something is going on with us?” This time, I do playfully hit his chest, and he only grins harder.
His shoulder dips in a shrug. “He doesn’t have a clue. He’s just happy that the two of us haven’t killed each other and he doesn’t have to lock us back up in jail to give us a stern talking-to.”
True.
But still…
“We already have almost every single eye in the town on us, Jackson. We have to be careful that this doesn’t blow up in our faces and cause a huge stink before we can pull this party off.”
“I know,” he sighs heavily, pressing his lips to mine again. “How’s your to-do list looking? Got everything checked off for the day?”
The way he says it, in a way that’s not poking fun at my list like he used to, makes the flurries in my stomach flip. He understands now that being organized to have everything go as planned is part of who I am.
“Yes. The cake will be delivered the night before, and we’re going to store it in the fridge at Mimi’s bakery. She said with it being so close to Christmas, she has the room with all of her orders already being delivered. The band will be here an hour before to set up, and as requested, classics only. But I did ask for a set list just to go over and make sure it’s all approved.” I step back and walk over to my to-do list and pick it and my pen up, my eyes scanning the neat black ink on the notebook paper.
“Of course you did, Snowflake. What about the caterers?”
I look for the section on catering and tap it with the end of my pen. “All squared away. I gave them our selections off their premade menu, and they’ll be here early to set up as well.”
“Well, it looks like all we’ve really got left is to make sure the decorations are exactly the way you like them… and to make sure our families survive the night without a Christmas brawl.” He laughs, dragging a hand through his hair.
He’s joking, but… it’s not out of the realm of possibilities. Not that a Worthington would ever, but I don’t put it past my father to have a few choice words after a few drinks.
I just need this to go off without a hitch, for it to be done so I don’t have to stress about it any longer, so I can spend the rest of the holidays doing all of the things that I love when it comes to Christmas. Knitting Christmas socks, spending nights by the fire with a mug of hot chocolate, and especially going to the tree lighting in Town Square.
“I can practically see the wheels turning in here,” Jackson says, tapping my temple lightly. “You okay?”
I nod. “Yes. Just… ready for it to be over, as sad as that sounds.”
“It’s a lot of pressure, but remember… it’s what I’m here for, Snowflake. If you need to offload something onto me, do it, and don’t think twice about it. We’re both responsible for this, so you don’t have to do all the work.”
“Thank you.” Rising onto my toes, I press a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth and slide my hands from his chest up to grasp behind his neck.
“I’m not sure if this is the right time to ask, but I’d like for you to spend the night with me at my place tomorrow night. And, uh, my family has dinner every other week, and I wanted you to go with me.”
“Yeah, right.” I laugh incredulously. “You’re hilarious.”
“I’m serious, Emma. I want to bring you with me. Look, we both know our families have… their issues, but I want you to meet them knowing what you know now. I’ve already talked to my mom, and she’s excited to meet you.”
This is a big step. Actually, not even a step at all—this is walking right off the side of a cliff.
It’s practically walking into a room full of people who already think you’re terrible. Who think your whole family is terrible… and have for years.
There’s no way this will go well.
“Please, Snowflake? I want you to get to know them, and them to know you the way that I have. I promise you my family would never be rude to you or disrespect you in any way. I would never allow that. It would mean a lot to me if you came. We’re going to do our annual gingerbread house competition, and I need all the help I can get. I’ll even let you be in charge of decorations. I know that gets you hot,” he teases with a wink.
Tossing my head back, I laugh, cursing away my watery eyes. I can’t resist him when he’s being flirty… and truthfully, I am kind of curious to see a different side to his family, like I have with him. “Fine. But I still think it’s going to be an absolute disaster.”
“Never. You’ll see. Meet me at my house at five? I promise at any time if you feel uncomfortable or want to leave, then we’ll leave, no questions asked… I’ll even let you drive us in your fancy car.”
“Okay, I’ll come. But… what should I even wear?”
Jackson laughs. “Definitely the ugly sweater I defiled you in, Snowflake.”
15
jackson
Christmas Spirit-ish
Unsurprisingly, Emma’s early.
I hear her car pull down the drive at ten till five, and of course, both Marley and Mo lose it the second I open the front door, booking it down the steps to her car before she can even kill the engine. Clearly, I’m not the only one who loves having Emma around. Those two are as taken with her as I am, and it’s just another thing I love about her.
She’s only met them a few times, but even when they jump up on her in excitement, she treats them lovingly, like they’re family, not like the wild nuisances most people see them as. A man can tell a lot about a woman by the way she treats his dogs.
Leaning against the porch rail, I watch as she immediately drops her bag and squats so she can give them both head scratches. She doesn’t even flinch as they undoubtedly leave her covered in puppy slobber and fur.
This girl is working her way into my heart, and I’m not sure that I want to stop her.