Page 30 of Always Been You

"Because." A fake smile was plastered on her face as she seethed between clenched teeth, "After your little stunt, my mom wanted to know what was going on. I told her we’re dating and she insisted on this. So, thanks. I hope you're happy."

He was actually. He hadn't planned on kissing Jess, it was just that he hadn't been able to help himself. He'd told her it was because he thought she might be having second thoughts, but that wasn't the case. The truth was, he'd almost kissed her before she'd tossed his ass in the pool. So when he'd climbed out of the water and seen the smug look on her face, he'd acted on pure instinct. But, he couldn't say that to her and keep up his charade, so he lied.

Jess had been avoiding him all day, that much was true. Sure, she'd glanced his way a few times, but they hadn't spoken. He had a gut feeling that she was reconsidering their deal and he figured if she was going to pull the plug, he at least wanted to get his redemption kiss first.

And damn, what a kiss it had been. He hadn't been planning for it to get so out of control so quickly, but the moment their lips touched, all of his senses short-circuited and his brain stopped working. All he could do was feel. If he hadn't heard the crowd start cheering, he might still be kissing her.

Once the kiss ended, everything that happened was a blur. Or maybe it just felt like that because he’d been so dazed from the kiss.

Jess left to talk to her mom at the same time Nana pulled him aside and asked what was going on. No going back now, he figured. He told her that he and Jess had been seeing each other but had wanted to keep things low-key. Her suspicious stare made him wonder if he actually sold it.

He didn’t have too long to wonder, because Brynn interrupted them and asked if she could borrow him for a second. She pulled him aside and asked him a bunch of questions about Jess, and now he was sitting beside his "girlfriend" getting ready to play against her parents in some game.

Brynn took her place at the center of the deck and got everyone's attention. "Okay, let me introduce our players for the Not-So-Newlywed Game. First up, we have the couple of the hour, John and Bonnie, who are celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary!"

There was applause, whistles, and hoots from the crowd. Beside him, Jess clapped, and he could see the love overflowing in her eyes for her parents.

"And playing against the not-so-newlyweds are the never-been-weds, Jess and Ethan!”

The cheering continued.

"Okay we asked both couples the same questions, and they wrote their answers on the cards in front of them. Let’s start with the not-so-newlyweds. John, what is Bonnie's go-to comfort food?"

"Easy." Jess's dad lifted his card and revealed his answer. "Ice cream."

"Bonnie, what did you put?"

Bonnie’s smile gave away that she had the same answer even before she raised her card. "Ice cream."

The couple kissed and there were claps from the people gathered around.

"Okay, same question to Ethan. What is Jess's go-to comfort food?"

Ethan lifted the card. "Pizza."

Jess had a slightly puzzled look on her face as she turned to look at him and tilted her card up that read pizza.

He thought about following her parents lead and stealing another kiss from her, but decided that it would be better not to.

As much as he wanted to do nothing but kiss her every second of every day for the rest of his life, he knew that he had one shot at this. If he screwed it up, he wasn't going to get another one. He had to play this just right. And keeping her on her toes, keeping her guessing was the only way to do it.

"The score is tied. This one is for the ladies. Bonnie, what is John’s favorite color?"

Bonnie’s faced cringed as she lifted her card. "I said brown, but I know that's wrong."

Her dad smiled and shook his head as he revealed his answer. "Yellow."

"Ah, I knew that!" Her mom exclaimed.

"And it's over to you. Jess, what is Ethan’s favorite color?"

Ethan looked down and was surprised when he saw that she'd written. "Blue."

She said it as if it was a no-brainer, but they'd never discussed his favorite color. He couldn’t believe she got it right. He lifted his card and revealed the same answer.

The crowd cheered a little harder now.

"And Jess and Ethan pull ahead. The score is two to one."

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