Page 69 of Crash

“And this is the best part, everybody. We’re in love!!” Everyone in the kitchen cheers. I hide my face in Luke’s chest, but all he does is drag me to a chair and sit me on his lap.

“Can we please talk about something else?”

“Get used to it, Vivi. The Clark men are known for being embarrassing,” Sandy says.

“How was Hawaii?” I ask to change the subject. Thankfully, Tash brings a tray of fresh mimosas and plain orange juice for Sandy.

Sandy leans back against Jake and he gives her a kiss on the forehead.

“It was amazing. We were only there for five days, but I loved every second of it.” She pulls out her phone and I scan through their pictures as Luke looks over my shoulder.

“Look at this,” I say as I find a video of Sandy dancing along with the luau dancers, swinging her hips fast from side to side. “Go, Dee!”

“My sister’s hips don’t lie!” Tash says.

“They sure don’t. If she wasn’t already pregnant, she would have gotten pregnant that night.” Sandy turns her face, clearly mortified by Jake’s words. “

“Please, man. I’m about to eat,” Chris says.

“He’s lying,” Sandy says, blushing. “We didn’t do anything.”

Jake turns his shocked gaze on Sandy.

“Yeah, we didn’t do any one thing. We did every damn thing, baby. You could barely walk the next morning, remember?” He pulls her closer and sticks his face in the side of her neck. “And if you had danced like that with me the night we met, I would have married you that night. We already had a priest there.”

“I’m going to need therapy,” Chris says.

“See, what I mean Vivi? Be quiet, Jacob. You know Chris’s mental health is fragile,” Sandy says as she strokes Jake’s cheek.

“And she kept wearing these tiny little shorts. I’ve never seen you wear shorts that short before, and you can’t wear them again unless I’m there. I almost lost my mind with those shorts.”

The women laugh, but Chris scrunches his face as he whisks whatever’s in his bowl.

“You know why you haven’t seen them before? It’s because Mama would never let us wear anything that short. One time, Dee decided she was going to wear some booty shorts and one of the neighbors saw and told. Let’s just say, she will probably never wear booty shorts again if there’s a chance that Mama can find out.”

“Remind me to thank your mom. Those shorts are only for me.”

“Um, Sandy can wear whatever she wants whenever she wants,” I say. Sandy reaches over and gives me a high five.

“Fine, then she should be ready for the consequences,” Jake says.

“And what consequences would those be?” Sandy asks.

“Whatever your mom wants to do to you when I call her and tell her. I love how everyone here acts like I’m the only one who’s scared of her.”

CHAPTER 40

LUKE

Just like I thought, she blushes when she reads my text. The shy look I love so much finds me and I blow her a kiss. She blushes again but doesn’t look away. She holds my stare, and because she loves to torture me, she slowly glides her tongue against her lower lip.

A line starts to form, and I get behind the last customer. Thankfully, no one gets behind me and when it’s my turn to put in my order, the bakery is empty.

She looks at me, a small smile on her lips, as she waits for me to speak. I’ve had enough coffee and baked goods, but I’ll never get enough of her. I grab her by her shirt and kiss her before she can protest. She’s putty in my hands as she surrenders to my kiss, but she pulls away all too soon.

“You better sit down before my aunt comes back,” she warns as she looks towards the back of the bakery.

“She loves me,” I say back.

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