Harper sent Jason a death glare. “No, she won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I just do, Tom.”

Apparently January’s grandma’s house was only a ten-minute walk from the station so we decided to hoof it. Every step I took January’s direction made my body shake impossibly worse than the last.

January’s home was a typical Jersey split level, baby blue and ugly as hell. I stood just down the street from it, my family flanking me and immediately feeling for all the world like an absolute idiot for agreeing to bring them along.

“You all wait right here,” I said with conviction, eyeing them all harshly. “I swear to God, if I see one of you girls anywhere near us, I’ll have your prospective spouses whip you, fifties-style.”

“Ugh!” Marty yelped. I focused in on her and she pretended to zip her mouth.

“Stay. Here.”

I nervously walked January’s way and shook out my hands to steady them, wiping the sweat onto the thigh of my jeans. I scaled the sidewalk to the front door. My finger lingered over the doorbell.

“Here goes nothing.”

Chapter Thirteen

Settle Down

January

I’d barely rinsed the conditioner from my hair when I heard the doorbell. I’d hopped in the shower almost immediately after coming home. I needed two things. One, I needed privacy so I could bawl my eyes out after seeing Tom at Seven where he proceeded to blow me off, making me feel worse than I ever thought I could. Two, I needed the water to soothe myself and my aching heart.

Who could that be? I thought as the doorbell rang again. I shrugged my shoulders and continued to cry into the falling water, sniffling like a little girl. They could sit on the porch for all I cared.

“You!” I heard loudly.

I turned the water off and stilled, listening for the commotion coming from the direction of the living room.

“You don’t understand!” I heard my cousin Collin say loudly.

I hopped out of the shower quickly and wrapped my short robe around myself. Hauling ass outside of the bathroom, almost slipping on the wood in the hallway. Sounds of fighting came from the front lawn along with...chanting? I ran to the front door and stepped out onto the front porch.

“What’s going on?” I asked, stopping still at the sight of Tom’s hands around Collin’s neck. “Tom?” I could feel the burn of tears beginning to surface again. “What-what’s going on?”

“January,” he said desperately, releasing his grip on my cousin and coming toward me. He stood on the bottom step beneath me.

Collin fell to the grass, rubbing his neck. “Do you know him?” he asked.

“Yeah, this is Tom,” I explained, gesturing towards Tom like an idiot. Collin started laughing.

“What?” we both asked, turning his direction.

“This guy thought I was your boyfriend. He said he recognized me from the airport and told me I couldn’t have you, that you belonged to him.”

“Tom,” I sighed, realizing for the first time I was standing on my porch in a short ass robe, naked underneath and hair dripping in front of fifteen random people. “Can I talk to you inside?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said, climbing the porch steps.

I glanced behind me and saw a guy who looked exactly like Tom but older.

“Who are those people?” I asked quietly, as we entered my grandmother’s home.

“Uh, those are my parents and sister and friends.”

Tags: Fisher Amelie Sleepless Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net