14. Jules
JULES
“Idon’t get it.” Caroline pulled a sweater out of my closet and held it up to my chest. “You’re acting like you’ve never been around these people before.”
“I haven’t been around them all. Just the ones who’ve been out at the orchard. Besides, this is different.” I pushed the grotesque sweater away as I shook my head and said, “Everyone will be there. All the brothers. All the ol’ ladies. All the kids. All the significant...”
“I get it. It’s a lot.”
“Yes, it is.” Caroline put the sweater back in my closet and pulled out another. She studied it for a moment, then held it up until I shook my head. “And I’m terrified. What if they don’t like me?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. They’re going to love you.” Caroline flipped through several tops, then pulled out another sweater. “Besides, Q is crazy about you, and that’s all that matters.”
“I wish that was true.”
“Of course, it’s true. They want their brother happy, and you make him happy. Simple as that.” She tucked the sweater under my chin, then nodded. “I think we have ourselves a winner.”
“Are you sure?” I held it to my chest as I stepped over to the mirror, and I was pleased to see that it didn’t look absolutely hideous. “Hmmm. I think you might be right.”
“I know I am.” She walked over and plopped down on the bed. “You just need to fluff up your hair and put on those hip-hugger jeans you keep hidden in your bottom drawer.”
“You sure? Cause he’s going to be here any minute, and ...”
“It’s perfect. Now, get dressed so we can get started on your hair.”
I started to undress as I told her, “I really wish you were going with us today.”
“Hmmm, yeah. I just don’t think it’s a good idea. Besides, I promised my sister I’d have dinner at her place.”
“I understand, but know you will be missed.”
“I appreciate that.”
I finished changing; then, we worked together to tackle my hair and makeup. Twenty minutes later, I was looking even better than I’d expected. “Hey, this isn’t half bad.”
“Told ya,” Caroline replied proudly. “You’re gonna knock ‘em dead.”
“Thanks, Caroline.” I walked over and gave her a quick hug. “I appreciate you helping me out like this.”
“You don’t have to thank me, silly.” She hugged me back, and my chest tightened when she said, “That’s what friends are for.”
I’d never really had friends—at least, none like Caroline. In the past, I’d just had a couple of close acquaintances from work or school, but none that I could truly trust—certainly none that I could truly confide in, and it felt good to finally have my first true friend.
I gave her one last squeeze, then put on my coat as I told her, “I better get downstairs, or Quinton’s gonna think I’ve gone AWOL.”
“You’re probably right about that.” Caroline slipped on her coat, then grabbed her purse and keys. “I’ll follow you out.”
I grabbed the corn pudding casserole I’d made, then with Caroline following close behind, I rushed out the door, locking it behind me.
When we made it downstairs, Quinton was waiting for me in his truck, so I said another quick goodbye to Caroline and hopped inside.
As soon as I shut the door, Quinton looked down at the casserole I’d placed between us and asked, “Is that your famous corn pudding?”
“It is.”
“Great, I’m looking forward to trying it.” A smile swept across his face as he said, “You look great, by the way.”
“Thanks.” I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. “You look great, too.”
“Only cause I got you by my side.”
Quinton gave me a playful wink, then pulled out of the parking space and started driving toward the clubhouse. Neither of us spoke on the way over, and I was okay with that. I needed time to collect myself and prepare for what lay ahead.
I wanted to be happy about spending Thanksgiving with Quinton and all his brothers, and I was.
I was thrilled. It had meant the world to me that he’d asked me to come along, but at the same time, I was nervous.
There would be so many people there, and while I’d met most of them at the orchard, there were still many I didn’t know—which was enough to make anyone feel a little uneasy.
It didn’t help matters that Lauren and Flynn were going to be there.
I knew I had no reason to be concerned about Lauren.
Quinton had made it very clear that she hadn’t shared his feelings and had moved on with Flynn, but I was worried that us all being there together might be uncomfortable.
I didn’t mention my concerns to Quinton.
Instead, I feigned a smile and tried not to be freaked out that there were so many cars in the parking lot.
Once we were parked, we got out, and Quinton quickly made his way over to me. “You good?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Just a little nervous.”
“Nervous, huh?”
“Just a little.”
“Well, let’s see what we can do about that.”
The words had barely left his mouth when he reached for me, placing his hands on my waist, and pulled me towards him. Before I had a chance to react, he’d lowered his mouth to mine and was kissing me, soft and seductive.
Enchanted by his touch, I leaned into him, relishing the warmth of his body next to mine.
His arms wound tight around me, inching me even closer as his tongue found its way into my mouth.
Seconds later, I was completely lost in his touch and no longer worried about the crowd of people who were waiting for us inside.
He kissed me for a moment longer, then pulled back, breaking our embrace. His eyes danced with mischief as they locked on mine. He lifted his hand up to my mouth, gently brushing the pad of his thumb across my bottom lip, and asked, “You good?”
“Um-hmm. More than good.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.”
Realizing I’d left it behind, Quinton grabbed my casserole from the truck, then led me up to the front door of the clubhouse.
As soon as we stepped inside, we were engulfed by a crowd of Quinton’s brothers.
They all took a moment to greet us, and I found it endearing that they all paid special mind to speak to me.
By the time we made it to the family room, I was feeling much more at ease. We’d barely made it through the doorway when Cass, Cotton’s wife, came over to me and asked, “Do you want me to take that for you?”
“Yeah, that’d be great.” I handed her my casserole as I added, “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Cass gave me a warm smile as she said, “We’re all really glad you decided to come today.”
“Me, too.”
“Now, don’t be shy.” Cass motioned her hand over to the line at the food table. “You guys go over and make yourselves a plate.”
Quinton rubbed his hands together as he chuckled, “Don’t mind if we do.”
I followed Quinton over to the back of the family room, where everyone had gathered to make their plates.
I was waiting for my turn when I noticed that several of Quinton’s brothers were in the room but weren’t joining in the festivities.
Instead, they were positioned at each entrance like they were standing guard.
I was curious about what was up with them, so I leaned over to Quinton and asked, “Is something going on?”
“Hmm?”
“The guys at the door.” I gave my head a slight nod in their direction as I asked, “They aren’t eating.”
“Yeah, they’re keeping an eye on things.”
“Do they always do that or is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing for you to worry about.” He grabbed a plate from the table, then handed it to me. “Now, dive in. There’s plenty to eat.”
“That’s an understatement.”
I looked down at the spread of food, and I didn’t see a single item that didn’t look positively scrumptious.
I wanted to try a bite of everything, but at the same time, I didn’t want to blow all the hard work I’d done on my diet.
I was far from where I wanted to be, but I was doing okay.
My clothes fit better, and I felt more confident.
It was hard not to when Quinton looked at me like I was the most beautiful woman in the room.
I was contemplating where I wanted to splurge when Quinton leaned over to me and whispered, “Forget the stupid diet and eat what ya want. I’ll help you burn it off later tonight anyway."
“Ah.. well, oo-kay."
"You're fucking hot, babe. Eat the potatoes."
I didn’t argue. I knew doing so would only prompt him to prove a point, and considering how many people were around, that was the last thing I wanted. So, I got the potatoes, the rolls, and everything in between. Once our plates were full, we went over to find an empty seat.
We hadn’t gotten far when Smokey called out, “Hey, Q! You and Jules come over and sit with me and MJ.”
“Or you could come over and sit with Henley and me.”
“Why would they wanna do that when they could sit with Liv and me?” Clutch scoffed.
“Ah, look at that. The children are fightin’ over me.”
“Not over you.” Maverick motioned his hand toward me. “Over her.”
“Yeah, we need to have a chat with her.”
“The fuck you do,” Quinton huffed.
“Oh, come on, brother,” Clutch snickered. “We’ll play nice.”
“Um-hmm. Sure you will. I think I’d rather sit at the kids' table.”
“Yeah, go ahead and sit with the kids. Hell, you’d fit right in.” Smokey motioned me over to their table as he told him, “But something tells me she’d rather sit with us.”
I wasn’t sure what to do, so I looked up at Quinton and whispered, “I’ll sit anywhere you want, but I’m not sure I can survive the kiddie table today.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. We don’t even have a fucking kids' table, and even if we did, I wouldn’t sit with ‘em. The guys are just giving me a hard time because you’re here.”
Quinton shook his head with a grumble, then guided me over to the table where MJ and Smokey were sitting. He pulled a chair back and waited for me to sit. Once I was settled, he took the empty spot next to me, and it wasn’t long before Smokey chuckled and asked, “So, about that chat...”
“Don’t start, Smoke.”