Page 31 of Loving Jared

Seventeen

Amy and Jared did end up having a conversation about her factory job and it ended pretty much as Jenna had predicted.

Jared told her that she'd have to quit her job and she didn't have a choice, that he didn't think she should be working at a job like that anymore. With the long, painfully early hours, the poor pay and lack of advancement opportunities. He wanted her to consider going back to school. Which all did sound wonderful, but Amy had to make him see he couldn't just map out her future for her. Especially not after only a few weeks of dating and a day after the I-love-yous were said.

When Amy tried to argue with him, Jared stood firm. When Amy finally relented, Jared took her to bed. A satisfied Amy lay sprawled across the mattress, heaving for breath and wondering where her backbone was. She’d just been dicked into compliance and she didn’t even care.

She glanced over as Jared was putting on his clothes, getting ready for work. "Aren't you going to be late?" He usually went to work much earlier.

He sat on the edge of the bed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, before bending over to kiss her. His lips lingered against hers, then he trailed some kisses down her throat toward her breasts. She clutched his head and arched up toward him. He groaned, his face smashed squarely between her breasts. Then he pulled back and said, "You aren’t the only one making changes. I won't be going into work as early as usual and I won't be working as late either. I have a family now, gotta be around to take care of them."

A warm glow spread through Amy. Her own father hadn’t been around much when she was growing up, preferring to spend time at work and with his buddies.

"And what does your boss think about that?" she asked curiously. Vince didn't look like a guy to mess with, but then again, the two men were best friends.

Jared shrugged. "He'll understand it's what's good for me and my family."

Amy rolled up onto her knees and flung her arms around his shoulders, clinging to him. Then she placed a smacking kiss on his cheek.

"Well, if you're not pulling your weight around there, I'd be happy to step in and take your place. I'm looking for a new job now. Let Vince know."

Jared burst out laughing, then he flipped her over and smacked her bare ass, hard enough to make the flesh bounce. Amy rolled onto her side and scrambled away from him, also laughing.

"You sure as fuck aren't going to be looking for a new job. I wanted you to quit the factory for a reason. You need more spare time."

"Spare time for what?" she demanded. "I don't do much during the day anymore."

"I don't know. Do whatever women do. Work on your tan, get your nails done, cook dinner for your man." He must've known what was coming, because he flinched away from her as her hand sailed harmlessly past his chest without landing the smack she'd intended.

"Okay, I like to tan and sometimes I like getting my nails done, but I'm not going to do that all day every day. I’m not a beach babe cliché, Jared."

He looked like he was going to say something smart-ass, so she hit him with a pillow.

"We'll talk about it," Jared assured her, grabbing the pillow. "I put those college brochures on the island for you. Have a look at them, see if one of the programs catches your eye."

Amy nodded. He'd set them there two days ago, but she hadn’t touched them yet. She wasn't sure why. The idea of going back to school did appeal to her, especially after working the factory job. But she supposed she enjoyed living in their happy bubble. She didn't want to mess that up by adding something that could be significantly stressful.

"I'll have a look."

As if reading her mind, Jared said, "You can go part-time. In fact, I would prefer it. Just take a couple classes a semester, something you know you'll enjoy. Think about it."

She looked at him curiously. "Why is this so important to you? Do you prefer your women better educated?"

Jared chuckled. "Not a chance. I don't want a woman who can talk circles around me and potentially win all the arguments. I definitely prefer barefoot and cooking in my kitchen." When it looked like she was going try to smack him again, he continued, "But, I don't want you missing out on that experience. It's what you would've done if your parents were around. Now I'm here, and I'm gonna make sure you get everything you ever missed."

Her eyes filled with tears and she nodded at him. Jared kissed her and stepped back. "I'll text you."

"I'll text you back!" she yelled after him as he left the bedroom.

She snuggled back under the covers, sighing happily and closing her eyes. Since her job was kaput, she had nothing to do for the morning, so she was going to be decadent. She was going to go back to sleep, then she was going to get up and make herself a seriously epic breakfast of a chocolate sundae with strawberries and whipped cream. Then she’d look over the college magazines and see what courses they had to offer.

Amy was sound asleep and enjoying life in dreamland when a shout woke her up. She blinked hazily and pushed herself up into a sitting position, looking around in confusion. A whiff of smoke hit her nostrils and she curled her nose up in disgust.

"What the hell?"

She gathered the blanket against her chest, slid off the bed and went to peek out the window.

The first person she saw that she recognized was Enrico. There were two other men in the yard with him. They were running around like crazy, waving at each other and shouting. From her angle, she couldn't tell what was happening.

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