Page 35 of Reckless Love
“It's not even true,” she says, her hand going on her hip.
She looks hot as hell in her soft cream sweater andskintight black jeans. I want to bury my face in the whisper of cleavage I see and stay there all night.
“Did I hear right?” My mom squeals. “You told your parents you guys are dating?” She claps her hands together in excitement. “Where has this news been all my life?”
“Settle down, Mama.”
“No, no,” Elle says. “It's not true. We're not. And I should’ve just said that to my parents.” She plops down on my couch and puts her head in her hands. “I have totally screwed everything up, and next, Lisa will be calling to tell me I'm fired just because I don't want to deal with Bernard.”
My mom's nose scrunches up when she looks at me. She has never liked Bernard.
“Well, good riddance to Bernard,” Mama says. “I have been dying for the two of you to get together…for at least a lifetime. Why didn't you tell me last night?”
I guess she’s just choosing to ignore what Elle just said?
“We're not dating, Mom,” I say.
“Well, why not? Anyone can see that you should.”
Elle starts laughing through her hands. “Because we would be a disaster if we dated,” she says.
Levi runs over and puts an elf up to Elle’s face. She drops her hands and makes the elf do a little dance, while I stare at her, probably looking a little green. Levi laughs and runs to look for the other elf.
I need to know where she's going with this because I don't think we'd be a disaster at all. I think we've been fine-tuning this relationship for years and she's just taking forever to catch up to it.
“Define disaster,” I say.
“Well, you've never been in a relationship.” She looks at me like that's my answer.
“So I'm the disaster, is that what you're saying?” I say itin a teasing tone, but part of me wonders if she really believes that's true.
“No, I know you're not a disaster,” she says softly. “You're the best guy I know, but if we didn't work, it would be so messy.”
“The best relationships are,” my mom says.
My dad comes up behind her and pulls her back against his chest while he nuzzles her neck. “The best relationships are what?”
“Messy,” she reiterates, smiling up at him.
“Mm-hmm.” He kisses her while I pretend to gag.
I think Elle swoons a little bit as she stares at them. She clears her throat and when I take another look, I realize there are tears on her cheeks.
“Hey,” I say, walking over and sitting next to her on the couch. “What can I do? What would help you right now?”
“Can we just forget about everyone else and decorate for Christmas? I’ve missed you guys so much and I need us to just beus, Rhodes and Elle, best friends until the end of time, the way we’ve always been. I don’t want to think about the Mustangs or my parents or Bernard right now.”
I put my arm around her and tug her into my side. Her hand lands on my chest and slides up my neck as she leans into me and takes a shuddering breath.
“I’ve got you, Elle baby,” I tell her.
When she sniffles, I pull back enough to look at her and wipe her tears away. “You’re nicer than most jocks I’ve met,” she says, rolling her eyes when another tear drips down.
I repeat what I said to her the night we met, when she said the same thing. “I’m not that nice. It’s you bringing it out in me.”
She smiles and takes a deep breath, sitting up straight.Levi runs up with the next best thing to an elf, the Christmas giraffe that Elle gave him last year. When he sees her face, he freezes and leans into her.
“Elle cwy?” he asks.