24. Jess
Jess
Wake up, it’s a beautiful morning! Wake up, it’s a beautiful day! Birds are singing, bees are buzzing, chipmunks are… chipmunking. What do chipmunks even do?
Anyway, never mind that. The point is, last night happened.
Conor and I kissed until we were breathless. Over and over. And you know the way I thought our first kiss was the best kiss of my life? Yeah, WRONG. Like everything with Conor, even the kissing gets better. Every. Single. Time.
He wasn’t wrong when he said he’d perfected his kissing game over the years. So much so, that I should probably send Rebecca Sanderson a thank you letter.
Seriously, it’s that good.
And, it was all made even better by the fact that he called me his girlfriend. And sure, there’s a good chance he said it simply to spite Johnny. But I’ll take it.
And yes, my brother unexpectedly came home.
Yes, I had to think fast and make up a weird story about how I was clinging to Conor because he was saving me from a particularly aggressive flying cockroach.
And sure, it sucked that, following that, we all had to sit in the living room and listen to Aiden’s really, really boring stories about LA (okay they weren’t that bad, but they were pretty boring compared to what I’d just been doing with Conor).
None of that did much to dampen my mood, though. My feet were well and truly planted on cloud nine, and nothing could ruin that for me.
And I was kind of happy to see my brother, too, inopportune as his timing was. Until I discovered that he’d unceremoniously dumped all of my belongings onto the floor of his other spare bedroom so that he could claim his own room back. Ugh.
Last night, I settled into my new, much less comfy bed, assured that Aiden had nothing to be suspicious about. Then, a text came through.
Conor: Do you know that we’re sharing a wall now?
As much as I wished that Conor was on my side of the wall—or that I was on his side—and he was holding me and kissing me like we’d planned, the thought made me smile. A smile that remained on my face until I drifted to sleep.
My heart skips as I throw off my covers and leap out of bed, almost slipping on the small shag rug.
The spare bedroom comes without the luxury of an ensuite bathroom, so I grab my toiletry bag and dart out into the hallway, looking around furtively as I go.
I don’t want to risk running into Conor before I’ve freshened up.
I tiptoe down the hallway and… Success!
I throw open the door to the bathroom, glancing down the hallway one more time. And immediately run into something hard, solid and… wet.
I’ve been here before. I know exactly whose solid chest I’ve just barged into, because who could ever forget what a shirtless Conor Brady feels like?
I squeak and leap backwards, taking in the sight of Conor in all his freshly-showered glory. His hair is damp and tousled, his muscled chest glimmers with droplets of water. And— oh my gosh, he’s in a towel.
“Eek!” I clap my hands over my eyes. “Sorry!”
I stumble backwards, and my back hits the wall. He laughs, a low, throaty sound, and then his hands cover mine, pulling them from my eyes.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” he twinkles, looking at me like I’m something to eat. My stomach bubbles giddily at the sight of his smile. “Has anyone ever told you that you look beautiful in the morning?”
Before I can say anything, he kisses me on the mouth.
Hard. His lips are cool and minty, and I reach out to grasp him, pull him closer.
But, he’s already on the move. My eyes lift in surprise, locking on him as he backs out of the bathroom with that maddening smirk on his face.
I can only stand there, breathless and baffled.
“Missing you already.” He winks, and pulls the door closed behind him.
My hand flies to my lips and my heart vibrates against my ribs, fluttering like a hummingbird. What just happened?
In a trance, I move to the mirror. Then, I nearly scream again as I take in my appearance. I have the craziest case of bedhead and ugly clumps of mascara dot the region under my eyes. That’ll teach me not to sleep with makeup on.
Beautiful in the morning? I’m just amazed he wasn’t the one screaming.
As I brush my teeth and swipe at my face with cotton pads soaked in makeup remover, I think about how Conor consistently defies my expectations. How he sees the best in me even when he sees me at my worst.
Did he mean it when he said that he was my boyfriend last night, or was that just for Johnny’s benefit? He looked like he was going to say something about it when he hung up the phone, but my adrenaline-fueled pounce had immediately put a stop to any talking.
I’m curious to know what’s going on in his head… and there’s only one way to find out.
I rush back to my room and select a breezy, yellow sundress. Then, I tie my hair back into a ponytail.
By the time I make it to the kitchen, both Aiden and Conor are there—Conor making coffee and Aiden scrambling eggs. Because us Shaw siblings have enough sense to know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
The kitchen is spotless, as usual. Fernie sits in the middle of the kitchen island, healthy and flourishing in her brand new pot. I smile at my little plant, remembering the unfortunate, and very literal, run-in between Conor and I. Who would have thought things would go like this?
“Morning.” My voice comes out all breathy and jittery, and both men turn to look at me.
“Morning, little sis.” Aiden sets down his spatula and moves to give me a hug. “How was sleeping in your new bed?”
I lean out of his hug and stick my tongue out at him. “Terrible. My back’s in agony.”
Aiden smirks. “Your punishment for lying to me.”
My heart stops and I just about choke on my own spit. Does he know? Did Conor say something?
“L-lying to you?” I stutter. My eyes swivel from Aiden to Conor, who looks a little pale all of a sudden.
“About sleeping in my room,” Aiden clarifies, ruffling my hair. “Don’t look so scared, J. I’m just going to make you take out the garbage and clean the bathroom a few times before I properly forgive you.”
I exhale in relief and paste on a smile. “Anything to make it up to you, dear brother.”
Boy, do I need my morning coffee. Now.
“I’ll bet you just about lost it, living with this one for the past few weeks,” Aiden says to Conor, blissfully unaware of the momentary panic he just caused. “She’s messier than I am, I’m surprised you didn’t move out.”
“It was a struggle, that’s for sure.” Conor locks eyes with mine, and my stomach jolts at the look in his eyes. It’s the type of look that makes me want to lock Aiden in his room and throw away the key so I can have this morning with Conor all to myself.
Wow, falling for someone has really brought out the selfish side in me. I take a huge sip of coffee.
“Speaking of moving out,” Aiden presses on cheerfully, scooping eggs onto a plate. “How’s the reno on your new place coming?”
“Getting there.” Conor smiles easily.
“Can’t wait to see it,” Aiden says, then smiles jokingly. “Plus, it's about time you moved out, now that I’ve got my sister bunking here. You know what they say: two’s company and three’s a crowd.”
Aiden laughs at his own, definitely not funny joke, but my too-big gulp of coffee goes down the wrong way and I choke for the second time this morning.
Because Conor will be moving out as soon as the renovations are done on his place.
But me? I’ll still be here. Probably living with my brother til we’re gray and old.
I look at Conor, who’s now sitting at the counter and texting.
He lifts Aiden’s “World’s Okayest Brother” mug to his lips, a coy smile on his lips, and I take a moment to stare at him.
Drink him in. He’s so perfectly handsome, and so successful in his work.
He has his own house, his own business. He has everything going for him.
All I have to show for myself is four years’ experience with circus waitressing and a single successful open house. An ugly, but all too familiar, voice reminds me that the success likely had more to do with Conor’s beautiful renovations than anything I’d done, anyway.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, shaking me from my thoughts. I tear my eyes away from Conor, grateful for the interruption.
Conor: Is your back really in agony? I know a guy who can hook you up with a really good massage.
Oh goodness, the butterflies are back. A whole army of them.
My face reddens, and I look to see that Aiden is safely engrossed in his egg-eating before I dare glance at Conor. When my eyes meet his, he smiles wickedly.
“Well?” he mouths.
I type furiously on my phone.
Jess: Stop it, Aiden’s literally sitting right there.
Conor’s eyes widen a touch when the message comes through. But then, he smirks and begins typing. I wait for his text in anticipation.
Aiden chooses that exact moment to insert himself into our bubble.
“Who you texting?” he asks Conor in that tone guys always use when they talk about girls.
Conor jerks up his head, and a ray of sunlight hits his face. And, let’s just put it this way—he doesn't look unlike an angel. “Uhhh, no one. I’m, um, playing… Angry Birds?”
Aiden snorts. “That's weird, I didn’t think anyone had played Angry Birds since, like, 2016.”
“Conor’s big into Angry Birds,” I add helpfully. “Plays for hours every day.”
Conor sets his phone on the counter and smirks at me. “It definitely keeps me on my toes.”
“Well,” Aiden shovels another forkful of eggs in his mouth. “Maybe don't reveal your secret Angry Birds obsession to your date tomorrow night.”
Conor turns suspicious eyes on my brother and crosses his arms across his broad chest. “What date?”
I turn to Aiden, too, my brow furrowed. I have no idea what Aiden’s talking about… but I already know I don’t like where he’s going with this.
Aiden grins and puffs out his chest with bravado. “Remember those girls we went out with before I left for LA—Jennifer and Brooke? I arranged a second double date with them.”