Page 70 of Sweet Wicked Vows
I’d never seen him smile like that.
He stopped at my side, an arm encasing my waist as he extended his other hand toward Harry. “I want to thank you for inviting me to your home for the holidays, sir. I truly appreciate your generosity.”
Who was this Jaxon, and what had he done with my husband?
Harry’s eyebrows flew upward. He slowly looked Jaxon up and down before he took his hand and pulled the French man into a rib-breaking hug. “We don’t shake hands around here, son.”
Stifling a giggle as Jaxon’s body seized in the other man’s embrace, I left them and walked to the house. Samantha, much like her husband, wrapped her arms around me and held me to her as if she never wanted to let go.
Between her and Poppy, they more than filled in the role of a mom for me.
“Don’t think I am not mad at you, young lady. You’re just as bad as Lola,” she said, squeezing me harder. “Would it kill you to pick up the phone once in a while?”
“I know, I’m sorry.” I inhaled her perfume, the familiar scent settling me. “Life just got a little hectic recently.”
She chuckled. “Hectic, huh? Is that what you kids are calling it these days? He’s a handsome one,” she whispered in my ear. “Where did you find him?”
My spine stiffened. “At a work function.” I stepped out of her embrace. “Is Lola here already?”
Samantha nodded with a grin. “Her and Violet are in the kitchen, attempting to bake something. I told them to wait until you arrived. Those poor girls couldn’t bake to save their lives.”
Every year, Lola and Violet attempted to bake dessert, and every year, they failed miserably. It never deterred them with Lola using it as an excuse to distract Violet from the fact her mother once again canceled Thanksgiving plans with her.
Jaxon and Harry grabbed the bags from the car and carried them into the house. Samantha took her chance to fawn over Jaxon the second he stepped across the front door, hugging him—despite his rigid stance.
His uncomfortableness wasn’t obvious, but I could read it like an open book.
The twitch of his jaw. The tightness in his shoulders. The way his thumb rubbed the side of his index finger.
Jaxon didn’t like too many sensations at one time. Instincts told me to step in as I slipped my hand into his, squeezing it gently as I interlocked our fingers.
His throat bobbed. “I was saying to your husband, thank you both again for inviting me to your home for the holidays. I know I am a stranger to you, but Evelyn speaks very highly of your entire family, and I hope that this is a chance for us to get to know each other.”
“You are a breath of fresh air,” Samantha proclaimed. “You’ve picked well, Evie.”
Heat crept up into my cheeks as Jaxon’s gaze found mine.
We stood chatting in the open foyer, noise coming from nearly every direction of the house as the Juniper siblings made themselves at home, until Harry eventually grew bored and insisted that they show us to our bedroom.
“This room gets the best light in the morning,” Harry said proudly. “Best room in the house. Sammy won’t let me turn it into my man cave, but I’m working on it.”
He opened the door and my heart sank.
Inside the room screamed home comfort. Wooden beams, thick tartan rugs on the floor, an open already crackling fireplace, and a large queen-sized bed.
One queen-sized bed.
One bed.
“Take your time and freshen up,” Samantha chirped. “You bothhave been traveling for some time. Plane air always leaves me feeling dirty and sluggish. Take a nap and join us whenever you are ready. Fresh towels are in the linen cupboard.”
Jaxon and I stood there. His eyes were burning a hole into the same damn bed. Tension lingered in the air, tightening with each inhale of breath.
“I’m going for a shower,” he announced. “We’ll figure out sleeping arrangements later.”
He didn’t look back as he walked to the attached bathroom and shut the door firmly behind him.
I sat on the edge of the bed.