I choked on the sip of orange juice I had just taken, not believing that they actually thought about Justin in that way. My cheeks blazed as Sarah and Molly both stared at me looking like they were day dreaming about my boyfriend. Sure, Justin’s brothers were attractive in more of an adult, mature way, but these girls definitely saw Justin as serious eye candy.
“Girls, leave her alone and quit fantasizing over my baby. I really don’t want to hear about that. He talks about himself enough as it is,” she added, giving me a knowing smile that she was definitely clued in about how cocky her son tended to be. “But he did quit that bad smoking habit he picked up since you two started dating. I think you should be giving yourself more credit.”
It was true, Justin had never said anything to me about smoking, and I had never mentioned that I really didn’t like it much. So I didn’t see how I had factored in on his quitting, but if Leann thought I was, I guess that was one point for me.
We spent the rest of the afternoon preparing a large Christmas lunch together. Justin kept popping in to sneak kisses while I was helping out but would quickly leave once his mom caught him stealing food. Gifts were exchanged right before lunch, and I was surprised to see a large stack at my feet by the time we were done opening them.
“Here, I saved this one for last.” Leann handed me a square package, wrapped expertly with a large white bow. I looked at Justin who had a wide smile on his face as he watched me open it, and I pulled out a scrapbook that was filled with pictures of Justin and me together. “Where did these all come from?” I asked as I flipped through page after page, the last containing pictures from our one night stay at the beach. I smiled when I saw a picture of me staring out at the ocean that I didn’t even know had been taken.
“Justin’s never told you how much he loves his photography?” Leann asked, a puzzled expression on her face as she looked at her youngest son, who shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not that great, mom, Della’s just a good subject. Perfect actually.”
I think all of the women in the room let out a collective sigh at the same time, while the guys groaned. “Definitely pussy whipped,” Jeremy muttered before standing up. “Let’s get some food, I’m fuckin’ starved.”
“Watch your mouth, young man,” Dan scolded. “You might be grown, but I can still take you over my knee.”
“Funny dad. Pretty sure you never punished us, if I remember right,” Justin piped in as we all headed in the dining room.
The rest of the night was spent just catching up and reliving memories of past holidays. It was funny to hear about Justin as a younger kid, especially when he started to turn into a trouble maker. Leann amazed me by being able to talk about it with a smile on her face, shaking her head while Jeremy told the story about the time that Justin stole his dad’s police cruiser. How that could ever be funny, I would never know. I was just glad he hadn’t gotten in a ton of trouble.
I shook my head fiercely when Leann offered me a glass of eggnog that she passed around to everyone, but by the third round, everyone was encouraging me to drink some. “Don’t worry,” Sarah whispered into my ear in a giggly voice telling me that she was already buzzed. “You two are staying out back in the guest house, so it’ll be all right if you get a little crazy.”
“Um, thanks,” I said as I took a small sip, the rum instantly hitting me. I was pretty sure that was all that was in there. This family was definitely open about pretty much everything. If I even mentioned the word sex in front of my family, my mom would have pissed her pants.
By the time everyone started heading off to bed, Justin and I were both so far gone, I seriously considered sleeping on the couch, but Justin had different plans. “C’mon,” he mumbled as he staggered towards the back patio door, tugging on my hand. “Time for you and me to have a little bit of fun.”
Chapter 21
My eyes popped open when I heard my phone ring for the third time in a row, and I tried to get out of bed, but Justin groaned, pulling me back against his warm body that was all too inviting. I wished I could stay right here, but I knew exactly who was calling my phone. Or at least I had two guesses.
Winter break had gone by all too quick between splitting our time between both of our families and some alone time at Justin’s house. New Year’s Eve had been just the two of us, and Justin had actually suggested it. I didn’t know how interesting things could get with champagne and strawberries until Justin showed me. That memory would be etched in my mind for a very long time.
“You’re going to have let go of me sooner or later,” I said as he tucked his arm around my waist to hold me in place. I wiggled my ass against him, and he muttered something as he pushed against me. I jumped up quickly while I had him distracted.