Page 23 of A Love That Broke Us
I can’t hold back my laughter at the ridiculous chaos. It’s beautiful.
Amber throws her hands in the air, shaking her head in frustration. “You’re all hopeless!” she shouts, exasperated.
“Bellatrix!” Jensen’s dad guesses—still stuck on Harry Potter.
“Dad! Shut up!” Megan throws another pillow at him.
To be fair, Amber is continuously making an exaggerated flicking motion with her wrist, it looks like she’s casting a spell.
Lightbulb. “The Fairy Godmother!” I shout.
Amber throws her arms up in victory. “Finally! Thank God, Alley’s here to save all of you degenerates!”
Charades is the game—and proceed with caution, because Jensen’s family? They’re competitive.
It’s Christmas Eve, my first time meeting Jensen’s family, and I’m having an absolute blast. His mom and dad are most definitely drunk, Megan has a ruthless competitive streak, and Jensen… well, let’s just say charades is not his calling in life. He sucks at this game.
My team consists of me, Jensen (yes, unfortunately), his sister Megan, his dad Tom, and his sister-in-law Amber. We’re up against his mom Christy, Matt—who apparently spends every Christmas Eve with Jensen’s family—his brother Jeff, and brother-in-law Kevin.
We’re getting our asses handed to us, and we even have an extra person. Jeff, Matt, and Christy are surprisingly good at this game. Like, weirdly good.
Jensen’s hand grips my thigh. “Nice job, babe,” he says, leaning in to kiss me. Something so simple, yet it spreads a warmth and tingly sensation through my entire body.
We’ve been seeing each other for three months now. We had the official “let’s be exclusive” talk a few weeks ago, and while it’s moving fast, it doesn’t feel rushed. We spend so much time together—talking all day, every day via text, and after work, it’s either my place or his. When we’re apart, we’re on the phone. I’m falling for him—fast and hard.
I haven’t been this fully happy in so long. Jensen fills my cup in every way, in ways I didn’t even realize I needed.
His family only solidifies what I feel for him. They’re kind, hilarious, and have a love for each other that I didn’t know existed in families. They’re so close, and they genuinely enjoy spending time together. I never had this growing up. Michael is amazing, but this? This feels like a gift.
Jensen’s the baby of the family, his sister Megan is two years older, and his brother Jeff is four years older. Each of them has two kids, and the oldest, Grace, who’s twelve, is being paid to watch the three littler ones so the adults can drink and play games in peace.
Matt’s up, and Megan groans. “Isn’t it Kevin’s turn?”
“Hey! I resent that, babe,” Kevin says, gesturing to his crotch. “See this? It’s off-limits tonight. Don’t even try to get some because this shop? It’s closed.”
Megan rolls her eyes, laughing. “Oh no, whatever shall I do?”
“Shut up, both of you, and pay attention!” Matt yells. “Also, Kev, don’t ever gesture to your dick again. That was weird.” He flips the timer over and immediately begins. He mimes stepping into pants, pulling them up over his waist, then drawing back a bowstring.
“Robin Hood!” Christy shouts.
“Dammit!” Megan cries. “That was way too easy. You guys always get the easy ones.”
“It’s called skill, Megan,” Matt says with a smirk. “I’m telling you, Hollywood is missing out. I should’ve gone into acting.”
He bows dramatically and takes a seat.
Crap. It’s my turn, and while I’m thoroughly enjoying myself, I’m not exactly thrilled about making a fool of myself in front of Jensen’s entire family.
I draw my paper, and relief washes over me.Rose, from Titanic. Easy peasy. I flip the timer, spread my arms out wide, and tilt my face to the ceiling.
“Jack! Rose! Titanic!” Megan shouts triumphantly. “Yes!” She pumps her fist in the air. “Suck it, bitches!” Laughing, she jabs her hands toward her crotch in a mocksuck itgesture.
Jeff and Matt simultaneously flip her off, grinning.
This goes on for another hour, until everyone has had three turns. We lose, but my hell, I feel like a winner just sitting here with Jensen and his family.
His mom disappears for a moment and reappears in the living room, holding a handful of prizes.
