Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
JESSICA
Holy shit.
Teenage Matthew Williams was handsome.
Adult Matthew Williams?
Scorching hot.
And so fucking real.
Because of course he is.
I was just trying to fool myself over the last few days that the whole ordeal at the Reading Nook was simply a part of my imagination, but the only surreal thing about this man is how freaking hot he is. Nobody should look this good.
I suck in a long breath as I come to a sudden halt.
I should look away, I know I should, but it’s like my eyes are glued to him.
Those brown eyes widen in surprise, and my heart races as his gaze locks on mine. Time seems to slow while we stare at one another, neither of us saying anything.
Matthew was always tall for his age, but he’s grown even more since I last saw him.
He towers over me a good foot now. His shoulders are broader.
His skin is golden, as if he spends time outdoors on the regular.
His muscles are well-defined with drool-worthy washboard abs that come straight from the cover of a smutty romance novel, along with a deep V that leads straight to the waistband of his jeans that are molded to his strong legs.
“Trouble.”
His low, gravelly voice sends a shiver down my spine.
My head snaps up, and I can feel the heat rising up my neck at being caught checking him out, and yet, I can’t not look.
His hair is shorter, rich brown locks equally as messy as before. The lines of his face are leaner, jaw sharper, and those piercing brown eyes… They’re as devastating as they were when we were teenagers, pulling me in and not letting go.
“Don’t call me that.” My words are barely a whisper, but they slice through the air.
My heart is beating wildly inside my chest as we just stare at one another, the memories from four years ago coming back to the surface.
Searching for him in the school hallways. Watching him play on the football field. The way his hair curled at his nape when wet. The frown between his brows when he concentrated on solving a task. Those piercing eyes as they—
A soft shriek pierces the room, snapping me out of my thoughts.
Matthew curses under his breath. He turns around, and I spot Jax on the changing table, already on his hands and knees, ready to crawl away. Matthew grabs him at the very last second, pulling him into his naked chest.
Stop checking him out! I chastise myself, shaking my head.
“Dude, we need to have a serious talk about your attitude,” Matthew mutters, gently poking the baby on his naked belly. “You need to listen to what adults are telling you.”
Jax giggles, completely unbothered by the reprimand. Then he spots me, and his smile grows bigger. “J!”
Jackson calling me J because he can’t pronounce my full name has been the cutest thing ever.
He extends his hands toward me, and I can feel myself relax. “Hey, birthday boy. What are you up to?”
I slide my hand around his body, my fingers brushing against Matthew’s hot skin as he transfers Jax into my arms. Tingles course under my flesh at the point of contact, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek not to let a sound out.
“Choosing a pretty girl over the dude who cleaned your butt, why am I not surprised?”
A strangled sound escapes me. “You made a mess, did you? Good.” I gently nuzzle his nose with mine. “You’ve gotta make him work for it.”
Jax lets out a gurgle in agreement, his little hands reaching for my hair. I gently brush them away, sweeping my long strands over my other shoulder before he can tangle them between his grabby fingers.
“Dude, what did we say about flirting with the ladies? No can do.”
“As if he hasn’t been doing that for the last six months. He has us all wrapped around his little finger,” I chuckle softly.
I lift my gaze, only to be met with his deep brown eyes.
Matthew’s standing way closer than I anticipated, his attention zeroed in on me. His hand rises, his fingers tucking my hair behind my ear. The back of his hand brushes against my cheekbone, and tingles of awareness snap to life, leaving a burning sensation behind.
I should take a step back, break that one point of contact between us, tell him to get his hands off of me. The words are on the tip of my tongue, and yet nothing comes out. His thumb skims over my cheek, and goosebumps rise on my skin.
“And what’s going on here?”
We jump apart at the sound of Becky’s voice. Or, more accurately, I jump apart. My heart thunders inside my chest as I turn toward the staircase to find Becky and Miguel watching us with matching curious gazes.
My cheeks heat, but before I can come up with some kind of explanation, Matthew answers, “Your son decided to poop bomb me, and since you were nowhere to be found, I had to change him. You’re welcome.”
“Is that so?” My friend’s calculating gaze shifts to me, as if she wants to know how I fit into the situation, and it takes everything in me to gather my wits about me.
“Don’t look at me! I walked in on this mess.”
“Hey!” Matthew protests. “I’ll have you know, he was the one who made a mess of me, not the other way around.”
“Throwing the kid who can’t talk or defend himself under the bus? Seriously, Matthew? So mature of you.” Becky smirks at her brother as they join us. “Well, it’s good to know you can change him on your own. That will certainly make it easier when I drop him off for babysitting duty.”
Jackson extends his hands toward his mother, who takes him from me and kisses his cheek. “Right, Jax? Gotta make up for all the lost time with your uncle now that he’s here for good?”
Wait, what?
My head whips in the direction of the man in question. He’s glaring at his sister, clearly not amused. His mouth moves, but I can barely hear them talking over the wild rhythm of my heart echoing in my eardrums.
He’s back?
For good?
The same man who couldn’t get out of this town fast or far enough?
I flex my fingers, my nails digging into my sweaty palms. The bite of pain snaps me out of my haze just in time to hear Becky’s next words.
“I bet Sheriff Jenkins was excited to see your face.”
Sheriff? What does the sheriff have to do with—
“Ecstatic.” Matthew’s expression turns dark. “He’s an even bigger asshole than he was before.”
“Can you blame him?” She shakes her head, a trace of teasing in her voice. “God help us all. Talk about a twisted sense of humor. Who’d have thought, my brother, the troublemaker, would now be a police officer in our small town?”
Jax draws her attention, but my focus is still on the man next to me as my mind processes this news.
The way he shoves his hands in his pockets, back stiff. The muscle in his jaw twitching as he presses his lips together before they curl in a mocking smile, his voice low and self-deprecating. “Yeah, who’d have thought.”
I can see it, though.
Yes, Matthew’s been a hothead more often than not. However, he has good intentions, and he rarely lets people see him for who he is.
Matthew turns to me, those piercing brown eyes finding mine, that smug grin still plastered on his face. But I can see the trace of hurt beneath it.
That was always my biggest problem—I could see him. The real him. The broken boy hiding behind the mocking smile and surly attitude.
And that was my downfall.
He was my downfall.
“How are your parents doing, Jessica?” Mrs. Santiago gives me a kind smile as she looks up from Kaylee, who’s sitting in her lap and playing with her doll.
“Good. Busy now that the school year is back in session.”
My dad is the high school principal, and my mom works as a kindergarten teacher, so for most of the year, their life is hectic, both at home and at work.
“What about your sisters?” Mrs. Fernandez chimes in from across the table. “There are three of them, right?”
I nod in acknowledgment. “Keeping them on their toes.”
There’s a tingling feeling at the back of my neck. I tilt my head to the side, letting my hair fall from behind my ear and shield me from view.
Mrs. Santiago chuckles. “I can imagine they have their hands full. What are they now? Early teens?”
“Amy and Emily are seniors, and Carly just turned thirteen. So it’s…” My voice trails off as I consider my words. “Lively.”
That’s one way of putting it. The Richards sisters are loud, opinionated, and feisty.
Somebody is always grumpy because of raging hormones, and fighting over who stole clothes or makeup from someone is a regular occurrence.
We love each other, and there isn’t anything we won’t do for one another, but we have no qualms about starting a fight amongst ourselves either.
And while I miss them sometimes, I’m also extremely grateful that I’m living under my own roof and away from their teenage craziness.
“There is something about a house full of people. Emmett always wished he had a sibling.” There is a note of wistfulness in her tone that’s hard to miss.
“But now we have Kate and Penny, who’re both like daughters to me, and there’s this little one who definitely keeps us on our toes with her shenanigans. ”
Kaylee turns to her grandmother and flashes her a shy smile, which in turn has the older woman’s lips curving up. “I’m talking about you, yes. And very soon, you’ll be a big sister too.”
“Best big sister.” Kaylee claps her hands, which has us all chuckling.
“That’s right. I heard congratulations are in order.”
“Thank you. We’re so excited for Emmett and Kate. I can’t believe we’ll have a new little one soon. And Kate’s handling it like a champ.”
Her comment grabs my attention.
“Nauseous again?”
Kate had a difficult first pregnancy. She’s been throwing up constantly and barely managed to keep any food down.
“Yes, but we’re taking good care of her. I go check in on her, probably more than she’d like, and bring her soup. I swear that’s the only thing she can eat these days.”
“Well, if she’s not feeling well, don’t hesitate to give me a call. We can give her a look at the ER.”
Mrs. Santiago nods decisively. “Oh, trust me, we’ll be doing that.”