Sitting at the local diner at the fair, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease wash over me. As we stared at our plates, the clinking of silverware against porcelain was the only sound that broke the silence. Liam had finished eating his food and had his left arm wrapped around Bertha, while Bertha's eyes were on Jack as she slowly slurped her drink.Liam was buried in his phone, and from the corner of my eye, I could see he was scrolling through Instagram with a mischievous grin on his face. I couldn't help but glance over at Jack, who sat across from me, his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. He hated his brother, and it was no secret.Liam, oblivious to Jack's glare, couldn't contain his laughter as he tapped his phone's screen. "Check this out, guys!" he exclaimed, pushing the phone toward the center of the table. It was a post. A photo of Jack and me kissing.My breath hitched as I looked at the background; it was from Frederick's sex house."Oh, brother..." Liam laughed as
We were seated on his bed, and I nervously picked at the skin on my thumbs. I was waiting for him to say something, but he only stared at his hands.There was no rush; I will wait.He sighed and ran his trembling hand through his tousled hair. His gaze slowly shifted from his hands to meet mine. "It was about six months ago." He paused for a moment, swallowing hard, his lips twitching as if he were trying to hold back a torrent of emotions."Just like Liam said, we did go to Paris. I didn't want to go, but Bertha insisted that it would be an opportunity to fix our relationship after..." He trailed off and turned his head to the ground.My hands twitched to touch him, but I stopped myself. "After she caught me cheating."He couldn't look at me. He was ashamed."I really wanted to fix things with her, and so we went to Fredrick's Cafe, and then she... she slept with my brother. Right in front of me," he said, his voice cracking, "and now I just found out that she slept with Fredrick too
Jack's POVShe was perfection, everything I wanted in a woman. I sighed blissfully as I ran the tips of my fingers across her soft cheek and pushed the strands of hair out of her face.I smiled to myself as she groaned and turned to the other side of the bed. A soft knock sounded on the door, and I turned my head towards it with a frown.I gently got out of the bed, making sure not to wake Amanda, and wrapped a towel around my waist. I unlocked the door and pulled it slightly open, facing Bertha.My face instantly hardened upon seeing her. Her eyes moved towards the bed, where Amanda was asleep, and I shifted, blocking her view of my woman."What do you want, Bertha?" I asked, annoyance lacing my voice as I looked at her."Can we talk?" she questioned, her voice soft, her eyes burrowing into mine.I gulped as I looked into her eyes and, with a sigh, I nodded and walked out of the room, following behind her.We were at the balcony, and I was only in a towel with the cold biting into my
Four days until Christmas. Four days before I leave here. I was seated outside, wearing a grey sweater and black sweatpants.I looked at the notification that popped up on the screen of my phone and tapped on it."Babe, when are you coming?"It was from Charlie."I'll be back on Christmas, hopefully," I replied, then turned my head towards the sound of approaching footsteps."Bitch! Hopefully? Annie misses you?""Are you busy, Amanda?" It was Charlotte's voice. I exited the messenger app and turned to her with a smile."No, no," I smiled, letting out a breath of cold air, and she smiled back, taking a seat next to me."Jack told me that you would be leaving on Christmas Day," she raised a brow at me and crossed her legs."Yes," I chuckled and looked down at my phone. "I have to go back to my family," I added, and she sighed."I wish you could stay for Christmas and New Year. It would mean a lot to me," she begged, and I shook my head slightly."I'm sorry, Charlotte. I have to get back
"Mom told me that your family would be coming here for Christmas?" Jack raised a brow as he asked."Yeah" I chuckled lowly and rubbed my hands together. We were both seated outside and the night was dark with the only sourced light being the bulb that hanged about us and the moon."Are you cold?" Jack asked and placed his hand on top of mine. My body instantly warmed up but I nodded anyway."Come," He said, tapping his thigh with his eyes piercing into mine. I could already feel the heat building up in my stomach as my clothed skin touched his lap. He took a blanket that was folded on the other chair and threw it over usHe relaxed back in the chair, his eyes gazing into mine and I swallowed and shut my eyes with a smile. "Why are you staring at me like that, Jack?" I asked, opened my eyes and looked at him."Like what?" He asked back with both eyebrow raised and I rolled my eyes to which he chuckled.His hand cupped my cheeks and he pulled my body to his, my head resting between he c
We were a panting mess. The cold was long forgotten as our bodies were covered with beams of sweat. "Fuck," Jack muttered, his hand pressing my hips closer to him.I wrapped my hand around his neck and slowly, my fingers moved up his jaw and I slipped my thumb finger into his mouth. His tongue wrapped around it, sucking on it as my walls creamed his cock.I brought my head to his and pulled my thumb out of his mouth and ran it across his lips. "Tell me, Jack. How did that feel?" His eyes and he brought his lips to mine. "God Amanda, you will be the death of me." He sighed, resting his head backwards and I chuckled."We should put on our clothes before someone else finds us." I groaned, getting up and feeling empty once more.Jack hummed, and pulled his trouser up while I went to pick up my discarded clothes. I shivered as the cold bite into my skin. Jack walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Let's go inside" He murmured and kissed the side of my cheek. "Okay," I l
"What do you mean you can't make it!"My legs moved across the rugged floor as I paced back and forth. Fuck, how could this be happening now."I'm sorry Amanda. The roads are blocked as the police are trying to catch the criminals. I'm sure by tomorrow it would be open again."I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. "Okay, but please try and make it here tomorrow," I pleaded over the phone."Yes, yes. I promise you will see us tomorrow," Charlie promised and I released another sigh and moved the phone away from my ear.Jack walked out of the bathroom with a small towel on his head. "What's wrong?" He questioned, his hands opened to me and I melted in them."It's my family. They can't make it today." I muttered, tightened my hands around him."Why?" He asked and I raised my head to look at him. "Charlie said there are some criminals running around town and all the roads have been blocked," I sighed and moved away from him.He pulled me back into his arms and ran his hands through my
I opened the door, and there he was—Jack, looking at me as if I held the stars in my eyes. His hair neatly trimmed, the absence of his usual five o'clock shadow making his features even more striking."God, Amanda, you are beautiful," he breathed, pulling me close by the waist. His eyes, deep and full of emotion, met mine. There was a single rose in his hand, and he brought it between us. I took it from him and locked eyes with him."Thank you," I whispered, my face heating up at his intense gaze.When we got down from the stairs, there was no one in sight, and I breathed a sigh of relief.I shivered as the cold bit through my skin. Jack quickly pulled off his jacket and draped it around my shoulders."I really should have thought about the cold when I bought the dress," he said, rubbing his hand at the back of his neck. I took his cheek in my hand and ran my thumb across it."No, it's perfect. I love it, Jack, thank you," I said all in a breath, and his eyes softened. He took my hand
Amanda’s POV:Ethan.My gaze moved from each man as I wondered what the hell was going on. “Jack?” I called, and slowly, his eyes were now on me. I took steps away from the man—Ethan—and stood next to Jack.“Is something wrong?” I asked, placing my hand on his bicep. “Do you know him?”“We’ve had a brief encounter.” I turned to see Ethan walking towards us. He stretched his hand towards Jack. “It’s nice to see you again, Jack,” he added with a smile on his lips.Jack’s brows furrowed a little before he took Ethan’s hand. “What are you doing here?” Jack asked him suspiciously. “You never mentioned to me that you would be coming to my family’s party when we met,” he said, and Ethan chuckled.“Well, I didn’t know that you were Mrs. Hawke’s son. I got an invite to the New Year’s Eve party just this afternoon, and since I was going to be in town for a while, I decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea if I attended a party,” he said, and then his eyes turned to me. “And I guess it really wasn’t a
---**Amanda’s POV:**As soon as I got downstairs, I was surprised to see the mansion already filled with guests, even though it was still early. My eyes met Charlotte’s, and she waved me over.“Oh dear, you look wonderful!” she complimented me, and I smiled at her.“And so do you,” I replied, walking next to her.“I wasn’t expecting this many people,” I muttered, looking at the guests scattered in every corner of the rooms.“Oh, these aren’t all of the guests. I am still expecting a few more,” she whispered. I nodded, already distracted when I spotted Charlie going up the stairs with Liam.“Can you excuse me for a moment, Charlotte? I need to check on something,” I smiled at her. She waved her hand dismissively, and I clutched my purse tightly, following behind them. As soon as I reached the balcony and spotted them, I took a deep breath and cleared my throat.Charlie jumped back as soon as he saw me, while Liam only gave me a dismissive glance.“Charlie?” I called, taking a step clo
**Amanda’s POV**There was a party. Tonight. The only reasonable dress that I had was the one Jack got me for our date. All that was left were just jackets, trousers, and shirts. I took in a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair. Now this was something else that I had to worry about. There was a knock on the door, and I frowned and dropped the shirt that was in my hand on the bed.I walked to the door and pulled it open, and standing before me was Charlotte. I sucked in a breath, and a smile played on my lips. “Hi!” I chirped and stepped backward, letting Charlotte in the room.“Oh, Amanda! We live in the same house, but I hardly ever see you,” she said while I chuckled awkwardly.Her eyes moved to the pile of clothes that were on the bed and back to me. “Would you like to go shopping with me, Amanda?”*****I couldn’t say no. I mean, I tried, but Charlotte definitely didn’t let me. She said we needed some “we” time, so I agreed. We both walked around the mall as we looked fo
Jack's POVMy eyes couldn't move from the paper that was peeking out of Amanda's bag. My eyes moved to the door, then to the bag, and I quickly took it. I couldn't shake off the feeling of Amanda being with someone else. I turned the paper over and read what was written on it.My hands tightened, crumpling the paper as I read the words over and over again. I took in a deep breath, got up, put the paper in the back of my pocket, and walked out of the room. I paused as I watched Amanda walk into her sister's room, and with my brows furrowed, I walked down the stairs."Oh perfect!"I turned my head to see Mom waving at me. "Jack, come here," she said, walking towards the couch and sitting down with her legs crossed over the other.She brought out a list, filled with names, and I frowned. "I was thinking about having a party for New Year's Eve. You know, we could all count down as we go into a new year, and these are the names of people I'm inviting," she said in a breath, and I looked ov
“What did you do?” I gritted my teeth as I met Bertha at the hallway. She turned to me, eyes swollen and rushed to hug me. I stumbled back and frowned then pushed her away.I scoffed and shook my head. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” “It’s not what you think, Amanda! I swear. When I came back to the bar you were already gone!”I chuckled, my eyes glaring daggers into her head. “You drugged me.”“W-what? What are you talking about, Amanda,” She frowned moving forward while I took some steps back. “I should have known everything you were saying about leaving Jack for me was bull shit. You wanted me to cheat so he would leave me”Bertha stared at me for a few seconds before a low chuckle escaped her lips. She wiped the tears that had formed around her eyes. “Like I said, Amanda. I didn’t do shit.” She stepped forward and pointed her fingers at me.“Don’t blame me for what you did. You spent the night out with God knows who and you’re trying to pin it on me?” She scoffed and
I rested my back on the door and took a shaky breath. My eyes moved to the bathroom door, and the sound of running water could be heard. I trudged my way to it and pulled the door open.Jack's back was turned to me, and I waited a few heartbeats before moving closer to him.I got into the shower, my clothes getting soaked, but that was the least of my concern. I wrapped my arms around his torso and placed the side of my cheeks on his back.I sniffed, my lips smacking hard against each other, and my eyes pressed closed. "Why did you leave?" he asked, and I snapped my eyes open."I—I don't know... I guess I just needed a reason to be angry," I whispered, and he turned around. My hands left his body while his palm cupped my cheeks."I was scared, Amanda. I thought something happened to you," he whispered, placing his temple on mine. I closed my eyes as my lips shook.Something did happen. I just couldn't remember what.I wrapped my fingers around his neck and opened my eyes. "I know. I a
Sweaty bodies, cheap perfumes. Fuck, I missed this. I took a swig of my drink, gulping it down in one go, and my head instantly began to spin as my hips moved with the beats of the song.I laughed with Bertha as we held each other and danced. "My legs are killing me! Let's take a break!" she yelled over the loud music, and I nodded, stumbling our way to the bar."Who knew it'd be so fun with you when you aren't being such a bitch!" I giggled, and she laughed. "Yeah, well, you could also be a bitch at times," she shrugged, and we both laughed."Handsome!" Bertha called to the bartender, and he smiled at her. "Two more shots of vodka!"I placed my head on the table and groaned. "Fuck. I'm so drunk right now.""Let's have one last drink and go home," Bertha laughed, and I raised my head to her. "Fine!" I groaned, took the drink from her, and downed it."I'm going to head to the bathroom real quick, then we will be on our way!"I waved her off as she walked away and ran my hands through m
"Annie!" My little sister rushed into my arms, and I held her tight. "I miss you," we both said and laughed. When I looked up, Mom was standing behind Charlie with her eyes fixed on the mansion. I walked over to Charlie, who was grinning at me and wiggling his eyebrows.I laughed and hugged him tight. "I miss you so much, Charlie," he whispered in my ear. "Missed you too."Mom only spared me a glance and turned to Jack, who was watching us. She smiled brightly and stretched her hand to him."It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Reynolds." He smiled at her, and she waved her hand. "Oh no. Just call me Mary-Ellen.""Of course," he said with a grin that would melt any woman's heart. But definitely not hers."Please come in," he added, taking one of the bags from the truck and into the mansion. Charlotte's heels clicked as she walked to us. "Oh my," she smiled, walking faster."I am so glad you were able to make it!" She clapped her hands. She wrapped her arms around my mom, shocking her. "
I walked into the kitchen and instantly smelled the delicious Christmas food. Surprisingly, the room was busy with people preparing for the holiday. Bertha, of all people, stood near the counter, sipping on a glass of juice. As our eyes met, she put down her drink and began to walk towards me.I released a sigh as I already knew what was to come. My body tensed, and my eyes widened as her arms wrapped around me. "Merry Christmas, Amanda," she said, a grin on her face."Wh-?"I looked at her in confusion, my eyebrows furrowed as I wondered what she was trying to get at. Bertha never liked me, so why was she being nice to me now?"Would you look at that," Charlotte walked over to us with a smile. My face softened at how happy she looked. "My daughter-in-law is finally getting along." She placed her hand on her chest and looked at us happily.Before I could say anything, Bertha's phone rang, and she excused herself. I raised a brow as I watched her walk away, skeptical of what she was pl