Loving the White Liar (16 page)

“Jayden,” I gasped as he pushed his fingers inside me, sliding them along my ridge. “I’m going to make you come all night so you don’t forget again.”

“Hilary!” I heard Gerri’s voice full of emotion as she walked in the front door. “Hil, you home?” Jayden groaned as I answered her before she burst through my bedroom door. “I’m in my bathroom Gerri and I’m not alone!”

I heard her hesitate just outside my door. “Okay, I really need to talk to you.” Her voice cracked again and my heart physically flinched. She needed me.

“I’ll be right there, hang on.”

Jayden stood, grabbing a towel and drying himself briefly before reaching for me. He shut my bathroom door and took his time drying me before slipping the negligee down on me and then wrapping me in the robe, leaving it untied.

“This feels amazing, thank you,” I said before kissing him. “I’m sorry, but this doesn’t sound good. I may have a situation to deal with.”

He feathered kisses down my chin to my neck, his hands roaming the negligee and pulling it up over my ass as he bent down and placed kisses sporadically over my stomach, stopping just above my sex with a tongue filled kiss.

“Fuck, I need you so much,” he said, licking my folds briefly before trailing his kiss back up to my mouth. I stood paralyzed and more turned on than imaginable as he finally closed the robe, tying it tight.

“I’ll head home. I have to walk Trip, anyway.” He slid his tongue along my bottom lip and I opened for him, kissing him feverishly. When he pulled away and clicked on the light, it was like reality set in, bursting our bubble. I sighed and thanked him.

“Go, I’ll blow all these out,” he urged, referring to the candles before he looked back at me with longing. “I love you.”

“I’ll text you,” I said, opening the door. He gripped my wrist, stopping me.

“Don’t you dare use that vibrator.” I lifted a brow. “I mean it, woman.” He scowled and I leaned up and kissed his divot.

As suspected, Gerri was a hysterical mess. Mike had broken it off with her, stating they were just too different. She found out through a friend at the bar he was getting back with his ex.

“I was so stupid to start it in the first place.”

“Why? You saw a guy you wanted to get to know and you went all out for it. Nothing wrong with that.”

She nodded, her face a snotty mess as I pulled her to me. “I’ve got you, girl.” She cried into my brand new robe and when she pulled away she remarked on it.

“That’s so soft. Is it new?”

“Yeah, my asshole bought it for me.”

“I heard that,” Jayden called from the hallway.

“Sorry, babe,” I said, winking at Gerri. Not wanting to miss Jayden leaving, I stood, opening her door and half closing it behind me as Jayden was turning to close my front door. From the breezeway he caught me peeking and jutted out his pouty bottom lip in protest of our ruined evening. I smiled at him, and thinking fast, pulled open my robe and flashed my negligee as he stood stunned. As did my neighbor behind him who was just reaching his front door across the hall.

“God dayum. Howdy, neighbor!”

Well, shit.

Jayden’s face turned dark in a split second as I sucked the air through my teeth. Jayden turned around to glare at Donald, the fifty-year-old drunken cowboy who had just seen the perfect damp outline of my private parts and he cowered in his apartment. He looked back at me and I shrugged my shoulders. Jayden slowly shook his head in disappointment before closing the door.

Well, he had already broken my ass today, what more could he do?

I went back to tend to Gerri.

“This day has been a disaster for both of us. Let me change into some comfy jammies and we can do our thing.” She nodded enthusiastically, but cried as I made us mushroom risotto, and continued to cry through half of the tiramisu before passing out at midnight. I checked my phone for texts and saw Jayden had sent one.

Jayden: I’m so going to mark your ass for that.

I ignored his comment about my grand flash because I was still wrapped up in Gerri’s pain.

Me: God, that was horrible. Please don’t break my heart. I never want to go through that again.

Jayden: That sucks. I like Gerri. That guy’s an asshole.

Me: I think she knew they weren’t good together. It’s late, babe. I have work. Are you going back tomorrow?

Jayden: Yeah I am. And though you are really good at changing the subject I AM going to redden your ass for that stunt.

Me: Have to catch me first
.


Jayden: Goodnight. I love you.

Me: You better. You are the reason for the literal pain in my ass right now.

“You good?” I looked up to see Jayden hovering as I shucked corn at his mother’s picnic table in her back yard.

“Yes, is there something I can help you with, warden?”

“Ward—Hey, not cool. I’m not checking up on you.” Even as he said it, he was watching me do my chore carefully.

“Is it hard for you to watch?” I asked, curious.

“I’m not that bad,” he defended, picking up a piece of corn I had already worked and pulling a stray piece of hair off. I raised a brow as he put it back down quickly.

“I’ll go get you some tea.” I laughed as he walked off, admiring his perfect ass. His plain white-tee clung to him in all the right places, accentuating the vivid colors on his arm. I looked around the back yard of his mother’s single family home and imagined a young Jayden hanging from the tree limbs.

“How are you doing?” I looked up as Jayden’s mother, Mallory, joined me.

“Good, about done.” I had been surprised when I first met her. Jayden didn’t resemble her at all. She was short in stature with pale blonde hair and dark brown eyes. Jayden definitely must’ve taken after his absent father. I found it sad that she probably had a daily reminder staring back at her of the man who’d left her.

“So you two seem pretty serious,” she commented, giving me a wink. “I don’t expect you to want to talk about it with his mother, but I’m hoping for something small. That boy has only brought home one girl and that was in the seventh grade.”

I gave her a wink back. “I’m flattered. Thank you for telling me that. He’s so beautiful. I’m surprised you didn’t have to beat them off with a stick.”

She gave me an alarmed look. “I did. Oh, God, how I did. He just never returned their affection.”

“Well, when you give me that kind of dirt, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” She gave me Jayden’s smile and I was thankful he at least had that from her.

“How did you two meet?”

“At our apartment pool. He fell asleep on our first date.” We both laughed and she shook her head.

“He’s always been a handful and then some,” she said absently. “He’s smitten with you and there’s no question about it.”

Jayden came out with who I assumed was his Uncle Stephen, my ice tea in his hand.

“Hey, there,” Stephen addressed his sister with a squeeze on her shoulder before turning his attention to me. “You must be Hilary. My boy won’t shut up about you at work, but I can see why.” I stood, wiping the hair from the corn off my shorts before shaking his hand. “Nothing like the love of a red headed woman, huh, Jay?” he said, giving me a flirtatious wink.

“I’m afraid I’m more ice than fire,” I admitted.

“That’s even better. You have enough to deal with right here.” Jayden gave him a sideways glance before handing me my tea.

“Thanks, babe.” I took a sip as Mallory excused herself.

“Inviting people over to eat and then spending the day cooking is the dumbest damn way to try to get to know someone. I’ve got an oven to attend to, but I’ll be back and I want that dirt,” she said, making her way up the porch.

Jayden raised his eyes at me and I shrugged. Stephen turned to Jayden, who was looking at me with a warning, and chuckled. “Give your mother a break, boy. If you had brought home one out of every hundred you’d dated, she wouldn’t be harassing this one here.”

“Hundreds?” I asked without thinking.

Jayden swallowed and walked toward the house. “Mom’s calling.”

“I didn’t hear her,” Stephen laughed as Jayden hauled ass inside the house, but not before calling out to me. “Don’t listen to him, baby. He assumes every man under the age of thirty is Hugh Hefner.”

“Is that why you are running away?” I called after him, but got no answer.

“He fancies you,” Stephen said, shaking his head in amusement. I took in Uncle Stephen as he made himself comfortable on the bench across from me. He was very tall and super slender. It was clear he and Jayden’s mother were related. Stephen’s features were simply...larger: large nose, large eyes, large lips. He had the features of a giant, and a full but nicely trimmed beard that was totally unfitting for summer.

“I fancy him, as well,” I shot back. It seemed Jayden had either had a talk with his family on what to say to me first, or they were really shocked at his affection for me. Either way, I was happy.

“Whatever you’re doing, it’s working. I’ve never seen that boy so determined.” I shook my head in a bashful ‘no,’ denying credit with a mouthful of tea.

“I think it has more to do with him wanting to partner up with you,” I said excitedly.

“Partner up?” He gave me an ‘are you serious’ look. “With Jayden? That’s a laugh.” I froze. I’d started the conversation and clearly it wasn’t my place to mention it. I backtracked quickly.

“Sorry, I must have misunderstood.”

Stephen looked at me suspiciously. “No, I know full well what you are talking about. The fact is the boy’s almost bankrupted me twice in worker’s comp claims.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t follow.” Uncomfortable wasn’t a strong enough word to explain what I was feeling. Our conversation had gone from pleasant to really bad in a matter of seconds. I saw contempt in his eyes when he spoke next.

“That boy has cost me more than he’s made me with his careless mistakes. As much as he’s hurt himself in that last few years, it’s a wonder my doors are still open.”

“But he loves—”

Stephen cut me off with his hand. “Oh, he’s amazing at what he does. And don’t get me wrong, I love that boy like my own. But he hurts himself far too often to take the lead.”

“I shouldn’t have mentioned this. It’s my mistake.” Praying he would get the hint, I stood to grab the corn to take it into his mother.

“I don’t know how he expects me to take him seriously when as hard as he works, everything’s obliterated with his fuck ups.”

“Please don’t speak ill of Jayden in front of me,” I said sharply. “He very much loves his job and has nothing but respect for you. I spoke out of turn, I apologize, but I won’t stand here and listen to you tell me what he can’t do.” I grabbed the corn off the table and walked toward the door as Jayden popped his head out. His mother passed him, grabbing the tray from me from the porch stairs. Jayden pulled me up to meet him on the top step. I felt the unease of my confrontation with his uncle disappear when he cupped my face right in front of his mother and addressed his uncle.

“Unc, have you ever seen a woman so beautiful in your entire life? Because I haven’t.” He searched my eyes and found what he was looking for before leaning in and placing the softest kiss on my lips.

“I believe you have found the one for you, son,” he answered. I didn’t care if the compliment was genuine or not. All I cared about were the blue eyes of the man who held my heart. Jayden pulled me into a hug and over his shoulder I saw his mother dab her eyes before walking back into the house.

After a southern feast of grilled chicken and corn (grilled corn being my new obsession), homemade mac-n-cheese, and potato salad, the guys sat in Mallory’s living room while we sat at the kitchen table swapping recipes for dirt.

“Here’s the mac-n-cheese,” she said, handing me the card straight from her recipe box. I took it with greedy hands as she browsed through, pulling out cards. Her house was small but warm and inviting. Her decorations were outdated, but it did nothing to take away its sweet appeal. It was well lived in and it gave away a lot. I could picture where they put their annual Christmas tree. I could also see the wear and tear on the staircase from years of Jayden treading up and down. I saw a host of Jayden’s mannerisms in his mother as she spoke. It tickled me to no end that she was just as blunt as he was. Absorbing all of this around me, I had to ask her to repeat her question.

“Sorry,” I apologized as I looked at the wall of photos behind her kitchen table. Jayden’s first birthday, Jayden’s first baseball trophy, Jayden’s prom. It was all there, his whole life displayed on a wall.

“I asked if you have family here in South Carolina.”

Wrinkling my nose, I answered, “Too much family, if you ask me. I have three sisters and a brother. I thank the Lord every day we are spread so far apart. We get together once or twice a month for brunch.”

“Big family, that’s refreshing.” I stopped my survey of the wall to look at her.

“It’s great, really. I love them. We are dysfunctionally functional. My father was the sanest of us, but passed last fall. I hate that my mother’s alone.”

“I’m sorry about your father,” she remarked sincerely, finding a new recipe and handing it to me.

“So am I,” I said mournfully. Pushing back the tug in my chest, I spoke up. “I better start writing these down,” I piped, grabbing the stack that was building.

She grabbed my hand and I froze. “No, baby, see I have most of them here,” she said, pointing to her temple, “but it’ll give me a good excuse to call you.”

“Ah,” I said with a chuckle. “Well, honestly, you can do that whenever you want to, but I’ll be taking these for good measure.” We gave each other a knowing grin.

“Jay-bird, darlin’, I really like this one. Don’t piss her off,” Mallory said as we kept our grins.

“Yeah, don’t piss me off,” I agreed as she let go of my hand.

“He can be intense, hard to handle, but he’s worth it, Hilary.”

“I know,” I whispered, suddenly feeling like talking about him was wrong.

“If you need to talk, you can call me.”

I remained silent. I didn’t want to damn myself, but at the same time I had so many questions. She seemed to take my silence with a grain of salt as she went on.

“He was almost eight years old before I realized he was having a hard time. I was always working. Always...working.” I could see the deep sorrow etched in her face and it seemed I saw her age right across the table. “I couldn’t handle him when he was younger. The school counselor blamed his issues on me. They threatened to take him. I was so worried about how to keep him clothed and fed and so exhausted by the time I got to him I didn’t realize ...” she looked down and then straight into my eyes. “What’s done is done. God knows I’ve paid the price for my stupidity and my baby had to, as well. Now that he’s off his meds, I worry.”

She looked at him on the couch as he laughed with his Uncle. “But I can’t do it forever. He’s done so well, and you ...” she paused with a smile, “God, I’ve never seen him like that with anyone.”