The Christmas He Loved Her (Bad Boys of Crystal Lake 2)

“She obviously didn’t believe you.”

“Unbelievable.” Jake made a strangled sound. “Women accuse men of having selective hearing all the time, and you know what? We do! Because you guys only hear what the hell you want to hear, so why should we bother?”

“Whatever, Jake. Honestly, what did you think your mom would think? You bring a woman home for Thanksgiving, it’s not that far off for them to assume we’re sleeping together.”

“It’s all bullshit.”

“I know it’s bullshit. You know it’s bullshit.” Lily shook her head and smiled. “But your parents don’t and neither does Raine.”

“What are you getting at?” Christ, it was too early in the morning for this kind of crap.

“I’m here for a few more days. What’s so wrong with us”—she smiled in that way that instantly put Jake on alert—“pretending we’re together, if it makes your parents happy?”

Jake’s irritation grew by leaps and bounds. What the hell was up with the women in his life?

“That’s the most insane thing I’ve ever heard.” He’d barely got the words out when his mother and father walked into the kitchen, both bundled up in matching plum-colored terry robes and huge, fluffy slippers.

His father’s complexion was pale, his cheeks gray, but there was a lightness in his eyes that set Jake at ease. Jake glanced down at his father’s feet and then back up to his father. His expression said, Don’t ask, which of course meant Jake couldn’t let it go.

“Nice slippers.” He couldn’t help it and his face broke into a wide grin as the tension inside him slipped through the cracks.

“Thanks,” Steven said airily as he reached into the cupboard for two coffee mugs.

“Aren’t they different?” Marnie stuck her foot out, twisting her ankle. “I saw them in one of my catalogs and knew Steven would like them as much as I did. They’re so warm and comfortable.”

Jake nodded. “I see that.” He glanced up at his dad again. “They’re, uh…really furry.”

His dad tipped his head to the side. “They are.”

“And really purple.”

Steven poured his coffee. “They are that too.”

“They match your robe.”

His father’s eyes narrowed. “We could go on all day I suppose, but let’s just stop right about now, son, sound good?”

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nbsp; Jake chuckled and nodded. “Hey, I wish I had a pair.”

“I could order you some, if you like.”

He glanced at his mother and shook his head. “Nah, I’m good.”

Marnie took a sip of her coffee. “How’s our Raine?”

At the mention of his sister-in-law, the lightness of the moment vanished. “She’s going to have one hell of a hangover, that’s for sure.” A thought crossed his mind. “Where’s her dog?”

Jake had forgotten about the puppy until now.

His mother’s entire mood lightened, and for a second he just drank in the sight. “Gibson is asleep on our bed.”

“Your bed?”

Okay, his parents were definitely going crazy. For as long as he could remember, dogs were strictly meant for outdoors. They’d had a collie one summer, a mangy animal that Jesse had found down at the pier in town. They’d brought it home, ignoring its general unease and nastiness, convinced their father would fall all over himself with joy at the thought of his sons gallivanting through long hot summer days with a white and black collie following in their footsteps.

The reality was much different. Steven hadn’t budged, and they’d had to beg for permission to keep it until an owner could be found. The dog was eventually named Puppy and spent the summer in the boathouse, roaming the woods that surrounded their property and turning up for food every night. Near the end of that summer, Puppy didn’t show up for his dinner, and they’d never seen the dog again.