Page 24 of A Love That Broke Us
“What’s this for?” I ask Jensen, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, we now have the charades awards ceremony. MVP, best guesser, and the cutest—which is basically the person who sucks the most but looks cute doing it.”
I burst out laughing. “You’re joking.”
Jensen grins, his dimples on full display. “Never. This is serious shit, Al. I’d never joke about something like this.”
“Oh my God. Be honest, how many times have you won?”
He leans in, chuckling. “Oh, I win every year, babe. There’s a reason I suck at this game.” He winks, and dammit, I fall a little harder for him.
“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, listen up,” Christy announces, taking a generous sip of her wine.Good Lord, this has to be her fourth glass. How is she still standing?She holds up a small basket, neatly wrapped in cellophane. “Cutest player goes to… drum roll, please!”
Everyone literally drum rolls, and for a moment, I swear I’m not in a room full of adults but at a middle school assembly.
“Jensen!”
A chorus of boos erupts from everyone, laughter following close behind. Megan chucks a pillow at him and shouts, “I refuse to be on your team next year!”
“You suck!” someone else calls out, and everyone doubles over laughing.
This is, hands down, the best thing. Ever.
Jensen plops back down beside me, holding his gift basket like a trophy and grinning like a fool.
Christy raises her voice over the commotion. “Alright, alright! Best guesser goes to…” She pauses for dramatic effect. “Drum roll!”
Again, everyone drum rolls.
“Alley!”
I blink in surprise, then grin, but before I can even process the moment, Megan calls out, “Well, no shit. We have Jensen on our team, and she sees his dick!”
Megan is, without a doubt, both the best and the worst.
I stand to accept my prize, whistles and catcalls filling the room. Between all the attention and Megan’s comment, I’m certain my cheeks are blazing red. I give an exaggerated curtsy, earning a fresh round of laughter, and quickly sit back down.
“And last but not least, our most valuable player,” Christy announces.
Jensen leans in, his breath warm against my ear. “It’ll be Matt. Mom has a soft spot for him.”
“It was a close one this year,” Christy continues, drawing out thesuspense, “between Jeff and Matt… But the winner is… drumroll, please!”
Like clockwork, nine adults drumroll, and Christy beams. “Matt!”
Matt makes absolutely no effort to be humble. He leaps up, flexing his biceps like he’s on a bodybuilding stage, then kisses each one for good measure. He bows dramatically, over and over, before mock-holding an invisible microphone.
“First and foremost, I’d like to thank God,” he begins, pointing upward, his grin so smug and charming it could make any woman weak in the knees.
It’s over the top, ridiculous, and the verdict is in—I absolutely love Jensen’s family.
“So,Alley, has Jensen told you what a spoiled little shit he used to be?” Megan asks, her eyes darting toward Jensen with a mischievous grin.
“Oh, God. Here we go,” Jensen groans, shaking his head.
“What? You were!” Megan says, doubling down without hesitation.
“You really were, buddy,” Jeff chimes in, earning nods and murmurs of agreement from the rest of the table.
