“Not so much the model part. Although I could have done without the guys at school digging up those nude shoots she did. Never needed to see that much of her.”
“That would be weird.”
“Lots ofyo mommajokes. Even though she’s not my mom.”
“Is she nice to you at least? You never talk about her.”
“She tolerates me.” I sighed. “She’s kind of indifferent. She doesn’t outwardly hate me or anything, but she’s not exactly happy I exist. My existence ruins her image of being the perfect mom and wife and having the perfect family.”
“What about your brother and sister?”
“I don’t know them. I mean, Everleigh is only three, and Brycen just turned two, so they’re still babies. But I haven’t really spent any time with them. Dad started cutting back my visitation when he met Jenna, and it pretty much stopped when she got pregnant. I guess his old life and his new life couldn’t coexist anymore.”
“That sucks.”
“It does. And it’s really weird that she’s only five years older than me. The guys at school thought it was the greatest thing. Having a young, hot stepmom. But it’s really not. She was our age when I first met her. Younger, actually. She couldn’t even drink when she started banging my dad.”
“That’s just gross. How old is your dad now?”
“He’s turning fifty this year.”
“Can you imagine being fifty and having toddlers? Remember what a terror Riley was?”
“God, the terrible twos were nothing compared to when she was three.”
“Thank fuck we were away at school most of her toddler time.”
“I guess having kids so late isn’t a big deal when your wife is half your age, and you have tons of money to spend on nannies and private schools. Helps take the pressure off when other people are raising your kids.”
“Let’s not talk about this anymore.” Jules pressed his lips against my neck and nibbled at the sensitive skin. “I don’t want sad Ash to come out. Not after the night we’ve had.”
“Want to skip the movie and go to my room?” I tilted my head to give him better access.
Goddamn, that felt good.
“Yeah?” He perked up.
“Yeah. It’s late, and I’m not in the mood to concentrate on anything other than you.”
I yanked him toward me, spilling him across my lap.
He laughed and wrapped his arms around my neck. “I like the way you think.”
I kissed him, just a soft brushing of lips, then hugged him tight, breathing him in.
He clung to me just as tight.
“I… I love you.”
The words didn’t so much spill out of me as they tumbled, broken and disjointed.
Jules slowly pulled back until he was looking into my eyes. “Ash?”
“I love you, Jules.” I swallowed hard.
It was true, but saying the words was terrifying. I knew he liked me, but I had no idea if he felt the same.
But with everything that had gone down with our parents, with the shit we were going to face when we went back to school and eventually started living openly, I needed him to know this was real. That he was it for me and I was all in.