Page 11 of Loving Jared

Seven

After dinner, Jared grinned to himself as he watched Amy step inside her house and softly close the door, her eyes boldly locked with his until the last second.

He continued grinning like a teenager after a first date as he walked back to his place, picturing those curves tightly packed into a pair of jeans and a crop top. Then there was her phone conversation. Goddamn that phone conversation. At first, he’d been furious with the idea that she was forced to work as a phone sex operator in order to make ends meet. He listened to the conversation though and quickly picked up on her love of the subject matter. He’d stood silently behind her, absorbing every word, like a peeping pervert.

The more he learned about Amy, the more he wanted to spend time with her. Everything about her was a turn on, from her sexy voice and body to her deep sense of responsibility to her siblings. She was exactly the kind of woman he wanted in his life.

He headed to his kitchen and began cleaning up the supper dishes, eating the leftovers from Amy's plate. He wanted to do it while she was here but didn't think they they'd reached that point in their relationship. Jared was a big guy, he ate like a horse, and leftovers were gold to a man like him.

He was about to lock up for the night when a sound caught his attention. It was out of the ordinary, and he couldn't place it. It took him a few minutes to realize that he was hearing shouting coming from next door. Coming from Amy's house.

Jared didn't even hesitate, he flew out the front door, ignoring it as it banged shut behind him, and loped across the lawn toward her house. The front door was open, although the storm door was closed, which is why he'd been able to hear the full-blown shouting match going on between Amy and a young man who looked to be in his mid-to-late teens.

The boy’s back was to Jared, so he didn't hear Jared quietly open the door and step inside. Amy's eyes went to Jared, a combination of shame and fear in them. Jared's blood boiled at that expression.

"I'm old enough to live on my own. I'm not asking, I'm telling you, I'm going to stay with Keith. At least he doesn't boss me around."

Amy took a deep breath, in through her nose and let it out in a long sigh through her mouth. She pinned her brother with a look that was stern but caring. Jared was impressed given the words the little shit had just hurled at her.

"Why don't you spend the night here, sleep on it, and we can talk about it in the morning." Her voice was calm and soothing as she spoke. Mature beyond her years. "There are things you can't get at Keith's house that you need."

“Yeah, like what?" he demanded belligerently.

Jared was beginning to understand what was going on. Amy's little brother was balking under her court mandated supervision and he wanted out. Jared wasn't surprised. Had he been in the same situation at that age, he probably would’ve felt the same way. Still, he couldn't have anyone speak to Amy that way, not even her brother. He was going to give her a few minutes to resolve the situation, then he would step in if the kid kept mouthing off.

"Like food, books for school, clothes, shoes, and someone to talk to." Amy's voice remained calm, though Jared could see the fluttering of her pulse in her throat. She was upset.

Out of the corner of his eye Jared caught a movement. He glanced over and saw two little girls peeking around the corner of the living room wall, determined to hear every word of the conversation. Amy's little sisters.

"I can get all those things at Keith’s; his mom will feed us and give us rides. She already promised." The kid hiked his backpack further up and shoved a hand through already ruffled black hair, making it stand on end. "She isn’t near as strict as you. She lets us do what we want."

Amy nodded her head thoughtfully. "And what is it that you want?"

"I want to be able to do whatever I want," he said sharply, waving his hand in front of him. "I don’t want to be told when to come home, when to take a shower, when to brush my teeth, when to go to bed. I'm sick of you smothering me."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Amy said softly. "I wasn't trying to smother you, I just wanted you to feel loved. Like with Mom."

"You’re not our mother though, there's a big difference. She did things right. You never do anything right."

Amy couldn't contain the flinch that rocked her body. She wrapped her arms protectively around her middle and stared at the ground for a moment. Teagan shuffled his feet, clearly half ashamed. In his mind, he'd spoken the truth, but it had come out harsh. Jared suspected he hadn't meant to hurt his sister. He just wanted a little more freedom.

Jared stepped forward and put a hand on Teagan's shoulder. Teagan whipped around and jerked out of Jared's hold, a fierce glare marring his features. Jared was surprised at how much the boy looked like his sister.

"Who the fuck are you?" Teagan demanded, taking another step back.

Jared was pleased to note that Teagan took a protective step towards his sister, placing his body in front of hers. As much as he talked a big game, he loved his older sister.

Jared lifted his hands and said, "I'm your neighbour. Name’s Jared. Couldn't help but overhear the argument. Kinda carried across the lawn."

Jared didn't bother to tell Teagan that he'd had supper with the kid’s sister and that was part of the reason he was more likely to be attuned to what was going on in their household. Jared realized that this type of argument could've happened many times before now and he probably never would’ve heard a thing. It hadn't come across his radar because he hadn't cared enough to actually check.

"Well, you can just leave then," Teagan said with a glare. "This is private family business."

Jared raised a brow. "Your private business became my business when you raised your voice to a woman with children in the house."

A tide of red covered Teagan's face and his frown deepened. He didn't like being reprimanded by an older man.

Amy stepped forward and touched Teagan's back, drawing his attention. "I've been getting to know Jared the past couple of days, he's a good guy."

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