Chapter 20
TWENTY
Pineapple Predicament
Jack
“What the fuck, Timber?” Elle glared at me with a laser-beam stare. “This is my house, remember?”
“So?” I grumbled with a shrug. “Sue me.”
I went to walk past her, and Elle blocked my way. Quickly, I sidestepped, but again, she got in the way. She wouldn’t let me through until we dealt with the issue.
I preferred to avoid the obvious because I had fucked up when I claimed Elle as mine, making a grave error in judgment. The only requirement was for metal mouth to hand over the pizza and scram. I had enough to deal with.
Elle grabbed the pizza boxes, but I didn’t let go of them.
“You can’t go answering my door and—” I raised a hand to cut in.
“Claiming to be your husband? I know...” I ran a hand through my hair. “Christ. I screwed up.”
“What?” Elle stared at me in shock.
Holy fuck. Me with my big fucking mouth. Elle must’ve missed that part of the conversation with the pizza delivery boy. Shit. Damn cat was out of the bag now.
“Pizza’s here!” I hollered to create a diversion.
I startled Elle, causing her to jump. I released the pizza boxes, and Elle stared down at them. Wide-eyed with an agape mouth from the bombshell I had dropped.
I brushed past Elle in silence and ran a hand down my face.
Avoidance was key with her as I headed for the garage to retrieve the damn tree and somehow distract her from what I had set in motion.
A fucking conversation I didn’t want to have with the woman I was supposed to hate, but was getting way too close to.
I couldn’t turn back the clock to erase all the mistakes I had made.
The first one being taking care of her daughter, who bounced for joy in front of me as I hauled in the damn Christmas tree I had offered to cut down.
Christ. Why me?
Chip barked while I got the bottom of the evergreen into the stand, supporting it to stand up on its own.
Elle had joined in and fastened the bolts but didn’t speak a word.
Excellent. For once, she was speechless.
I only had to announce she was my wife to get some dang peace, but the silence wouldn’t last after her father found out what I had done.
Gabriel would kill me. We’d get into an argument, tension would take over, and he’d strangle me.
I wasn’t sure I’d fight back because I deserved whatever he did to me.
I had touched his only child. His darling daughter, who meant every fucking thing to him in this entire world.
He wanted the best for her, and I wasn’t it.
I was no good for Elle, and she deserved a man fit to care for her along with Faith.
“There.” I huffed while wiping my hands on my jeans. “The tree is standing, and I think it’s time for me and Chip to head out.”
“No, Mr. Timber. You promised to stay for dinner and decorate the Christmas tree.” Faith pouted.
Chip laid down beside her and whined at me. Fucker gave me the saddest eyes in the goddamn world, and I rolled my eyes up to the ceiling. Unbelievable. I took him in when he was a puppy, and he takes the kid’s side.
“Stay. Have pizza.” Elle grabbed my arm and handed me a paper plate with pizza on it as she leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Don’t you fucking break your promise, Jack.”
“Fine,” I grumbled and took the plate.
“It’s got pineapple on it.” Elle smiled up at me. “Your favorite.”
I squinted my eyes at her and watched her take a bite of her pizza slice. She licked her lips after the cheese fell into the corner of her pretty mouth. Christ, I wanted to kiss her lips and shut her damn smart mouth up, but I held back.
Elle didn’t know it yet, but she’d only made the fire blazing inside of me burn out of control. There was no more holding back once we were all alone, and I’d quiet her until she whimpered for me. Until she begged me for more.
Oh, sweet, fucking little Elle wanted to play. Princess wanted to mess with me and figured she’d be the champion. But I’d be the one in first place, while she was down on her knees, congratulating me with her lips wrapped around my di—
“Here, Mr. Timber...” Damn kid interrupted my obscene thoughts again. “I got you a slice of the meat pizza. Mommy must’ve forgotten you don’t like pineapples. I’ll take that one.”
I hesitated for a moment. Stared down at those yellow fruit pieces, which appeared far too juicy to be on a fucking pizza. I wanted to cave, but Elle tested me. She challenged me, and I wouldn’t let her win. I’d make the woman swoon and reign triumphant by making her fucking pussy drool.
“Nah, kiddo...” I took a huge bite of the dang slice with tons of pineapples on it, chewed and pointed at Chip. “Give that slice to Chip. He looks hungry.”
Chip sat up, ears raised, mouth salivating, and licked his jowls.
Faith giggled with a shrug. “Okay.”
Faith whistled at Chip, and he followed her lead to the kitchen, leaving Elle alone with me. She aimed her puzzled stare directly at me, as if she couldn’t figure me out. I had dropped the bait into a frozen lake, and she took it like a damn fish that had been starved all winter.
“I thought you hated pineapple pizza?” she asked me.
Elle walked over to a box filled to the brim with sparkling tree decorations, which made me want to throw up at how glittery and colorful everything was.
Christ.
I hated watching Elle pull out a ball ornament with freaking Santa Claus on it. Every time she brought the damn decoration a step closer, I took one back, but the dang woman circled me like a hawk locked in on its prey. She was eager for an answer, and I had to push down my distaste.
I picked a pineapple right off the cheese and watched her while I ate it.
“If you like pineapple pizza, then that’s what I like too,” I blurted out.
Immediately, Elle blushed. Fuck. Why did I say that?
I like nothing about little Elle, but goddamn when she went rosy red, she did something to me.
My heart skipped a beat, maybe two, and hammered loudly in my ears.
Jesus. I wanted the annoying sound to stop, but she kept staring at me with her cinnamon eyes swirling with fucking desire and passion for me.
No. Nope. There was no way in hell Elle would ever want me.
Faith came back into the room, and she made munching sounds of delight as she ate her fruity pizza.
Elle blinked several times. I took another bite to get rid of the memory of what her lips tasted like, but I went to clear my throat too soon.
A pineapple lodged in my throat, forcing an imminent cough so I wouldn’t choke.
I swallowed hard, and the fruit went straight down. “I mean, if Faith enjoys it, then I do too.”
Elle wandered over toward the tree and hung up the ornament.
She took another bite of her pizza, chewing slowly.
Her mind reeled as she stared at me and she swallowed.
She walked back for another decoration and handed one to her eager daughter.
Faith went to the tree and hung the red ball with too much fucking glitter up on a branch.
“So, you do like pineapples on your pizza.” Elle narrowed her eyes.
“I like you... I mean...” I pretended to cough and rambled on to fix my damn mistake. “I like Faith. Your daughter is cool.”
Smooth. Real smooth. Idiot. What the fuck?
“I like you too, Mr. Timber.” Faith smiled up at me and handed me a fucking angel on a shitty thread. “Go hang this up on the tree.”
I followed the kid’s orders, even though my mind despised the idea.
I wanted to groan, to throw the fucking ornament right into the fire, but Faith made my bitter heart twinge.
She lit a warmth in me I didn’t want to ignite, but it was too fucking late.
I should’ve let the spark go days ago instead of adding to the flame.
The fucking fire wouldn’t burn out, especially with her mother around, who only added gasoline to it.
Elle stayed silent while I quickly hung the angel on a branch, and it almost fell onto the carpet. There. Enough of the bullshit.
I spun around, only to find Faith behind me with another fucking ornament. This time, a snowflake with white glitter on cheap plastic. I wanted to snap the piece in two, but I plastered a grin on my face and hurriedly placed it on a new branch.
To save myself, I went to grab another piece of pineapple pizza. I needed fuel to endure the battle raging inside of me, and this fruity shit wasn’t bad after all. The sweetness helped kill my bitterness while I took another chintzy decoration and put it on the evergreen.
“Here...” Elle passed me some silver tinsel shit. “I think you’ll be good at this.”
“What the fuck is it?” I scrunched up my face.
“Language,” Elle hissed at me.
“Right. Sorry. What is this stuff”—I emphasized the word because she’d smack me if I cursed again—“you want me to put up?”
“It’s an icicle tree tinsel. You throw it onto the tree.” Elle grabbed some of the shimmering crap out of my hand, and her touch made my skin tingle. “Like this.”
Elle tossed the tinsel onto the branches of the evergreen. A simple technique I could do easily. I’d leave the organization of the decorations for the girls to enjoy.
In a matter of one minute, I wasn’t sour anymore.
The edginess inside eased up, and tossing the tinsel on the tree made me.
.. happy. Excitement filled me while I worked around Faith and Elle as they hung up their beloved decorations.
I’d accidentally bump into Elle, and her cheeks would turn rosy.
The sound of her laughter would stoke the blaze inside of me even brighter, keeping me warmer than a goddamn fire.
This classic Christmas bullshit was fucking fun when I got into the swing of it.
I’d never known the joy one could experience during the festive season and always figured the holidays weren’t for me, but Elle had proven me wrong.
Maybe there was hope for me, and I didn’t have to be a miserable fuck all year round.
We wrapped the lights around the evergreen, and everything was complete except for one last piece. The tree topper. Probably a fucking boring angel.
Faith came over with her hands behind her back.
“What do you have there, kid? A fu—” Elle cleared her throat and shot me a warning glare. “I mean... Is this a magic trick?”
“Yep!” Faith declared and revealed a green star tree topper. “Ta-da!”
My heart swelled two times too big. Tears bit at my eyes, and there was this weird knot forming in my belly where something fluttered inside.
“Faith wanted to get you something special to put on the tree,” Elle announced with a smile. “We ordered it with fast delivery. She picked something green for you, Jack.”
I had no words. My mouth wouldn’t move, except for this unstoppable twitch at the corners of my lips, which turned into the biggest fucking grin I’d ever experienced. I smiled so wide my goddamn face hurt.
“Wow, Faith...” My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. “Is this for me?”
“Yes, Mr. Timber.” Faith smiled with twinkling eyes as she held the tree topper up to me. “Would you do the honors?”
I stopped grinning. “No.”
“Why?” Faith’s smile fell. “Is something wrong?”
“No, kiddo. It’s perfect.” I grinned again and picked Faith up. “But I need you to put the star up for me.”
Faith squealed with glee as I lifted her into the air, and I laughed along with Elle.
Faith placed the tree topper neatly on top, and bright neon green ruled the Christmas tree.
The best decoration I could ever ask for, not because it was greedy but because it was a gift from a little girl who made me into a man I never thought I could be.
A better person who did things differently, but I did them for her.
After placing Faith down, smiling in wonder, I felt a light touch against my arm.
I glanced over at Elle, who was peering up at me intensely, and my heart leaped up into my damn throat.
I couldn’t breathe because the organ wouldn’t budge with the way she kept ogling me like I had done something right.
Something she appreciated because I’d made her daughter happy. The greatest gift of all.
“Thank you,” Elle whispered.
The woman made me experience a joy I had never wanted to until the sensation was present.
A glimmer of hope that this elation would last, and I could be free from the bitterness haunting me every damn day.
If only I could keep her, hold her, and kiss her for the rest of my life, but this moment in time had to be fleeting.
She was my best friend’s daughter. There’d never be Elle and me.
Elle couldn’t see me after I stepped away from the tree. I couldn’t tell if the bitter gesture stung, and I didn’t want to see because her pain would leave this memory tainted. I wanted to keep the gift she had given me, safely locking her present away for all of eternity.
“Drum roll, please!” Elle announced.
Faith tried to create the noise with her tongue but failed miserably.
I placed my tongue against the roof of my mouth and made a drumming sound.
Faith glanced back at me and followed my lead with a high pitch beat.
Elle fell back beside me with her arms around Faith’s shoulder while eager Chip sat beside me, and we all stared up at the tree awaiting its glow.
Suddenly, the tree lit up. Bright, beaming, and as gleeful as could be. The moment left me in awe. I had never seen a Christmas tree like this before, and the wondrous beauty astounded me.
“Wow...” Faith sighed in amazement.
“Perfection...” Elle whispered in wonder.
“A damn stunner if you ask me.” I grinned, but my gaze fell on little Elle.
She glanced over at me and shook her head with a smile. “Don’t press your luck, Jack.”
Elle gently nudged me, and I gave her a playful shove back.