Page 45 of When Ivy Met Mr. Holiday
“Here’s what we’re going to do.” His voice had the kind of confidence that made me wonder —had he secretly been plotting this game combo for years? Had Jack been keeping this part of himself from me? If so, why?
“We’re using the Candy Land board and cards. But every time you move, you must play an UNO card to decide your fate.”
I blinked.
What in the world?
“We are also shuffling the Exploding Kittens cards into the Candy Land deck. If you draw one, Lord Licorice claims your soul and you are banished to the Molasses Swamp—unless you can defuse it using another card.”
Jack paused for effect, letting the kids absorb his instructions. Or maybe letting me soak in his genius. It was a toss-up. Regardless, the kids and I were so here for it.
“If you draw a reverse card, you move backward. Skip? You lose your turn. Exploding Kitten card? You’re banished to the swamp unless you can play a legal UNO card or bribe Princess Frostine with a dramatic plea for mercy.”
I couldn’t help but giggle. Seriously, how had Jack come up with this? He was being freaking adorable, and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Especially with the way my insides fluttered. They shouldn’t have been doing that. Jack was too good at the fake-boyfriend thing. Only . . . this didn’t seem like he was acting but more like he had unlocked a part of himself that he’d kept hidden.
Was this the real Jack?
Would this version of him stick around after this whole fiasco?
How would I ever get over this—him—at this rate? It only made me want to kiss him more.
And looking around the room, it was clear I wasn’t the only one in awe of him. All the other adults seemed equally mesmerized, watching as he pulled off the rare feat of getting all the kiddos to agree on—and more amazingly, be enthusiastic about—the same thing. When had Jack turned into a child whisperer?
Before I could process it, Paige and Kira flanked me, each nudging me with a hip.
“You should have brought Jack home with you sooner,” Kira whispered.
Paige—not as subtle. “Go give that man some loving. You don’t need to be shy. You are worthy to be his girlfriend.”
I knew she was trying to be a supportive big sister after our little chat, but the last thing I needed was that kind of pep talk.
Jack, of course, heard and took a break from explaining the rules of his masterpiece. And he did exactly what I’d told him to do—play the part of an affectionate boyfriend. He flashed me acome kiss megrin while gesturing with his finger for me to join him. That dang sexy finger.
When I hesitated because I knew I was probably going to enjoy what came next and that wasn’t a good thing, Paige pushed me.
“I’m going,” I whined.Sheesh.
I tiptoed over to my fake boyfriend, feeling every eye on me. It was like no one in this family had ever brought home a date. I caught a glimpse of my mom leaning into my dad, smiling from ear to ear like this was some momentous occasion in our family’s life. Like everyone was saying,Our Ivy has grown up and met the man for her.
It made the guilt ten times worse. My family was genuinely happy for us. I could never, ever tell them the truth. For that, I hated myself. But I had to push the self-loathing aside and sell this relationship.
As soon as I reached Jack, he did just that by pulling me onto his lap. “Join us, darlin’.”
I settled into him, trying to relax like this wasn’t something new for us. Like I wasn’t fully aware of every single place where our bodies touched. Holy Santa, Jack’s hard body was a work of art. This was unfair. Deeply unfair.
“Aren’t they the cutest?” Mom squealed while snapping some pictures of us with her phone.
That didn’t help.
“Ivy is the cutest.” Jack nuzzled my neck, tickling me with his painted-on scruff, raising my skin and my pulse.
Thatreallydidn’t help.
Someone needed to save me from this mess I’d gotten myself into.
If I wasn’t careful, I was going to fall for Jack.
Chapter Fourteen
