Love Required (18 page)

She giggled. “A sign, huh?”

He shrugged, his smile smug. “Oh yeah. And I never ignore the signs.” Kissing her one more time, he helped her down. With his hands on her waist, he steadied her before letting go and turning to Lexi. In an attempt to calm herself, she took a deep breath and fanned her face, watching as Jason scooped Lexi up from her playpen. As he held Lexi high above his head, talking to her, it was hard to miss the distinct bulge in his pants. Tori turned to grab the cupcakes and her bag; she needed a distraction not more of an invitation.

Gathering what she needed, she said, “Ready to go.” And then they were on their way.

JASON pulled up to the light at the bottom of the exit ramp. Looking down at their joined hands, he smiled before lifting them to his lips. Kissing the back of hers, he set them back down and found Tori’s gaze. She had a dreamy smile and seemed completely relaxed. He put that smile on her face, and a sense of satisfaction stole over him at the knowledge.

“Thank you for my cupcake,” he said with a smile.

Tori huffed a laugh and squeezed his hand. “You should know from now on, whenever I make you cupcakes, it’s for totally selfish reasons.”

He barked out a laugh as he started the car forward again. “Oh really? Well, you should know that I would be fine with just the frosting … and your warm skin, of course.”

Tori closed her eyes on a sigh before rolling her head to look out the front window. “Okay, big guy, time to change the subject. We’re going to your brother’s place?”

“Probably a good idea,” he agreed, knowing that it would be highly inappropriate to walk in and greet his family with a hard on. “Yeah, we’re going to Jake and Gillian’s place. But everyone will be there. Did you want another run-down on the family tree?”

She let out a laugh. “No, I think I can handle the basics. I know Jake and Gillian from dealing with them for their wedding. I remember Ryan and Dylan, but there are other siblings I haven’t met, some half and some whole,” she added with humor. “Then there’s Allie, who I’m not sure her relation to you?”

“Allie is technically not related to me. She’s Logan’s sister and has been best friends with Gillian and Jake since high school,” Jason offered, trying not to overwhelm her.

“I don’t remember meeting Logan. Who’s he?”

“Logan is my business partner, best friend, and Gillian’s ex-husband,” he said then looked to see if she was following him. “So he wasn’t at the wedding.”

“No, I bet he wasn’t.”

“I’m sure he’ll be there today; though; he lives next door, and he still can’t tell Gillian no. So if she wants him to come hang out with everyone, he will.”

“Seriously?” Tori asked, surprised.

“We’re all a pretty tight-knit group, even after Gillian and Logan split. I’m sure it seems a little odd, but it works.” He shrugged as he turned down the street toward the house. “After everything that happened, Logan is paying some heavy dues right now. But that’s a long story I can tell you another time ‘cause we’re here.”

She looked a little nervous all of a sudden as she glanced out the window. “Did they know we were coming with you? Are you sure they won’t mind? I can always call Tessa to pick us up if I need to.”

“Hey.” He turned in his seat, taking her hand in both of his. “You’re doing that rambling thing again. There is nothing for you to be nervous about. I promise.” He kissed the back of her hand again and waited for her to relax. Wanting to reassure her more, he added, “Besides, last night, Gillian told Allie not to scare you off because you were a cow and she wanted to keep you.”

Jason nodded with a smile, believing he had just given her what she needed to be more comfortable. But it seemed to have the opposite effect. Her eyes widened and her nostrils flared. “Excuse me?” She took a deep, slow breath, before asking, “Did you just say she called me a
cow
?”

Shit!
“Um, yeah, but Gillian said it was a good thing. She says she really likes you.” Trying to think of what more to say to convince her, he added, “When she found out you and I were going on a date she scolded me and said that I better treat you right. She defended your honor by accusing me of giving you a wrong phone number, and that was why you had to call Jake for it. Please, give them a chance. I promise they are really good people.”

She gave him a reluctant look as she considered it. A scowl was lodged on her face and when she took another deep breath, he held his own, waiting for her answer. A few moments later, she asked, “Did you know you ramble, too … when you’re worried you did something wrong?”

He let out his breath and smiled. “I’m figuring that out, but it only seems to be when I’m worried about upsetting
you
.”

When she sighed and her shoulders dropped, he knew he’d won. “Fine. I’ll give them a chance, but now I’m apprehensive. If I’m not comfortable, Lexi, me, and the cupcakes are outta there.”

Relief swam through him. He would have Gillian make it right because he wanted her there with him—and he wanted her comfortable. Getting out of the car, he leaned into the back to get Lexi. She was still smiling and happy, just like when he’d put her in the car. He realized he hadn’t heard her cry yet and couldn’t help but smile back at her. Holding her against him, he met Tori at the front of the car, and they walked to the door. Wanting to calm her more, he kissed her forehead. “It’ll be fine, I promise.”

TORI followed Jason through the open door and was immediately met with the sounds and smells one would acquaint with
home
. It pacified some of the tension still gripping her shoulders. Women could be catty and scornful creatures, and just knowing they referred to her in such a manner had her on guard. When Jason placed his hand on the small of her back, she realized she had stopped walking. She was taking in the homey feel, and her heart ached just a little with it.
Mom
…

He directed her toward the back of the house, where all the noise seemed to be coming from. When they walked into the kitchen, the conversation stopped and everyone turned to them.
Nothing like having all eyes on you
, she thought as she fought the urge to cower under the attention. Then everyone seemed to burst out at the same time. Gillian moved toward her, hugging her around the cupcakes, like they were the best of friends. “I’m so glad you could come today, Tori. Welcome.”

At least she sounded genuine. Tori smiled in response. “Thank you for having us. I made some cupcakes for everyone.” Holding the tray forward, Gillian’s response was cut off when Allie jumped forward and swiftly took possession of it.

“I have a new best friend, and her name is Tori because she brought us cupcakes,” Allie said in a sing-song voice. Tori couldn’t help but laugh and look up at Jason as he did the same.

“See, I told you they liked you.”

Gillian overheard him and moved in closer to them. “And why would she think we didn’t, Jason?”

Tori wanted to laugh at how Jason seemed a little worried to explain. When he told Gillian what he’d said, she understood. Because a second after, his body jerked to the side as he yelled out in pain. Tori looked over and saw him rubbing his side, as Allie promptly removed Lexi from his arms. Tori was thinking she should intervene but stopped when Allie scolded him, “No baby for you! You can’t go speaking our language to others when you don’t even know it yourself.”

“Seriously, Jason, it’s a wonder she even came in here today. Now go away so we can explain it to her before she jumps ship and runs the other direction,” Gillian chided. Tori watched him smile indulgently before kissing Gillian’s cheek and whispering something in her ear. Then Gillian smiled back at him and said, “I got this, now go.”

Jason leaned down, pressed his lips against Tori’s for a moment before saying, “You’re in good hands, but come find me if you need me.”

She watched as he strode out of the room with a few other men, and she wanted to follow. Not because she was worried about being with the women, but because she preferred to be in his good hands. Smiling to herself, she turned her attention to Gillian and Allie who both wore huge grins. When she was about to ask them why they were looking at her like that, Allie nudged Gillian’s hip and said, “Oh yeah,
Jason’s woman
for sure.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

TORI failed at disregarding Allie’s comment. A sense of longing set up camp in her chest at the idea of being considered Jason’s woman. Oh yeah, she wanted that … a lot. Allie’s voice caught her attention. Looking over, she saw Lexi’s little hand was weaved tightly into Allie’s hair. Letting out a little laugh, she moved to help her disengage it. “Sorry about that. She seems to have a thing for long hair.”

Allie smiled at Lexi. “Girl after my own heart. You can play with my hair anytime.” She said the last part in baby talk, producing a giggle from Lexi.

As she was watching Allie talk to her daughter, Gillian said, “Okay, so I feel the need to explain myself to you.” Giving Gillian her full attention, she raised her eyebrow in question and waited.

“So, when Allie or I referred to you as a ‘cow,’ it was in no way an insult. In fact it was a compliment,” Gillian said, pausing to examine the cupcakes. “Oh my God, Allie. They’re red velvet cupcakes.”

Allie leaned in to see. “Nice. Good thing I already claimed her as my new best friend; those look orgasmic.” The three of them let out a laugh before Gillian continued. 

“Anyway, when we were younger we would call the all the pretty girls cows because we were jealous and wanted to be them. As we got older, it turned into our little way of acknowledging that we liked a person, that they were the whole package, someone we envied. So … when talking with Jason last night, we referred to you as a cow. I thought you were so sweet and wonderful helping with the food for the wedding, I felt we could definitely be friends. And when I found out that Jason had asked you out, I was so excited for both of you.”

Tori smiled. She felt a little bad that Gillian had to explain herself. In truth, Jason probably shouldn’t have said anything, but she was glad he did. She, too, thought these were people she wouldn’t mind being friends with. “Well, I guess that’s good to know. I had come up with my own choice words for you when I heard you called me that.”

“I bet you did,” Gillian said with humor as she turned to pull something out of the fridge. Placing a tray of veggies and dip on the table in front of Tori, she gestured for her to help herself.

Allie snorted. “I bet it started with a capital B and ended with an itch.” She smiled down at Lexi before she added, “And just so you know, I totally am one, but when calling me that you must put the
super
in front of it.”

As she relaxed and enjoyed the conversation, she realized she was pretty hungry. Grabbing a napkin, she picked up a few things and proceeded to nibble on them. Gillian groaned and gave Allie an exasperated look. “Please don’t start with the superhero names again.”

Tori giggled as she quickly finished chewing what was in her mouth. Grabbing a bottle of water from the table, she looked to Gillian. “Your son actually had a debate with me over superheroes. It was quite amusing.”

When Allie literally laughed out loud, Gillian sighed, her shoulders dropping in defeat. She wiped her hands on the dishtowel before throwing it in a laughing Allie’s face. She looked back over to her and asked, “Please tell me they didn’t call you Super Bitch. Because I will have to kick a certain someone’s ass for that.”

Tori had just taken a sip of her water, so coughing to clear her throat, she asked, “What? No!”

“Okay, good,” Gillian said. “Stop laughing Allie. You guys really need to pay attention when you bring up the superhero names in front of Dylan. Ryan doesn’t repeat things, but you know damn well Dylan does. I am not looking forward to the call from school about how he called some boy his “Little Bitch.”

Allie only laughed louder, and Tori couldn’t help but join in even though she wasn’t sure why. Gillian smiled but continued to shake her head at Allie. “Allie has taken a liking to designating superhero and sidekick names to herself and others. Her two favorite to use are for her, Super Bitch, and for Jake, Little Bitch. It’s all fun and laughable until the nine year old repeats it.”

Tori covered mouth, trying to stifle the laugh threatening to bubble over. She didn’t want to offend Gillian, but it was funny. Gillian rolled her eyes. “Go ahead, you can laugh, too.” So she did. She thought it was funny as hell and wanted even more to be a part of this group. Tessa was really her only friend, but right then she felt she was part of something more.

Allie’s laugh was interrupted when Jason stepped in the room and swept Lexi out of her arms. “Hey, no fair.”

Jason just held Lexi up high so Allie couldn’t reach her, and declared, “You didn’t call dibs, so I am. Standard shotgun rules apply, your words half-pint. She’s mine.” As the outsider again, she wasn’t sure what was going on, but it was fun to watch. When Jason brought Lexi down to his chest, he hugged her to him and kissed the top of her head. He turned his attention to Tori, completely ignoring Allie who continued to complain. When a cocky, one-sided smile spread across his face, she couldn’t help but answer with one of her own. He winked and then left the room with a firm grip on Lexi, Allie trailing behind him.

“Well, if I didn’t think you were
Jason’s woman
before, I sure as hell do now,” Gillian said with a smirk. Tori felt her cheeks redden in acknowledgment, even though she really wouldn’t mind being Jason’s woman. 

~*~*~*~

JASON went in search of Tori. He was happy she was comfortable around his friends and all, but he wanted to spend time with her, too. Feeling like he was one step away from pouting about it, he was ready to track her down and get out of there.

He found the women relaxing on the couch, giggling about something. But when they realized he had entered the room, they all stopped and seemed to be holding something in. Shaking his head as he recalled Gillian’s admission of talking about everything, he feared what they might have been discussing. Slightly comforted by the fact that nobody in that room could say anything of a sexual nature about him, he decided not to worry about anything else.