Her frown grew deeper, fiercer. Also cuter. If she had any idea what that tiny, ineffectual frown did to him, she'd straighten that face right out.
"You're pretty arrogant," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yup, I am." He opened the barbecue and started flipping burgers. "I'm also sexy, good-looking, loyal, a great friend, and an even better lover."
Amy burst out laughing, some of the worry draining from her face. "You forgot humble."
Jared wrinkled his nose, tilted his head to the side and pretended to think. "I don't think I know what that word means."
They finished cooking together and sat down to eat with the girls. Millie and Sarah were thrilled to tell someone new all about their day. They regaled Jared with stories about schoolwork, teachers, friends, boys and playground politics. He listened and answered, even asking a few questions, somehow managing to keep his face from betraying how fucking cute he thought they were.
Millie was outgoing; a chatterbox who talked faster than anyone could possibly keep up with. Her sister, Sarah, was a little more subdued. She contributed to the conversation, but frequently blushed and looked away. Sarah talked more about school and schoolwork while Millie talked about her friends.
Jared watched the girls with interest, his gaze straying to Amy again and again. The more time he spent with the three the more he could see Amy reflected back in her sisters. Her personality was somewhere between the two, with a good dose of oldest child. Amy was responsible, but still outgoing and vivacious.
"How many cupcakes can we have each?" Millie asked him, her mouth full of icing from the first cupcake she grabbed.
Amy and Jared spoke at the exact same time.
"You can have one," Amy said sternly.
"You can have one of each flavour," Jared assured them.
Of course, the girls went with Jared’s answer, grabbing one each of the vanilla, chocolate and strawberry cupcakes. Amy gasped in dismay, her gaze swinging to Jared, a look of horror in her eyes.
"Do you have any idea what that kind of sugar is going to do to these two? They'll never go to bed tonight."
Jared shrugged. "Isn't that whole sugar rush thing a myth? Pretty sure I read some article about that."
Amy bared her teeth at him. "The scientists that came up with that nonsense obviously haven't spent any time around children who just ate their weight in sugar. They are wrong."
Jared gazed at Millie and Sarah who were rapidly shoving cupcakes into their mouths before their sister could stop them. He was a little worried that they might choke, but they seemed to know what they were doing. He wondered if Amy had ever considered entering these two in an eating contest before. He bet that between them they could eat a whole lot of hot dogs.
"You two, go play in the yard when you're done. There's a surprise back there for you." Jared pointed at the back door and winked at the two siblings.
Millie squealed while Sarah reached out to snatch another cupcake, both running from the kitchen to see what the surprise was. Amy raised an eyebrow and stood to follow her sisters. Jared grabbed her arm, whirled her around and dragged her back until she fell into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and planted a solid kiss on her lips.
He didn't let her up for air for several minutes, knowing that the surprise he got for the girls would keep them occupied.
When he finally let Amy breathe, she immediately questioned him. "What did you get them?"
Jared frowned at her, wishing she'd want more kissing and less talking. Maybe if he got the talking out of the way first, they could get back to the kissing. "A treehouse kind of thing. Put it together myself so I know it's solid."
"I don't remember seeing any trees back there."
"Yeah, there's not. I guess it's more of a fort, since it's built on the ground. But I prettied it up and put some girl stuff inside, like a little mini bake oven and some Barbies."
Amy's jaw dropped. "When did you get them all that stuff? When did you have time to build a fort?"
Jared could actually feel his face reddening in embarrassment, an emotion he didn’t know he had, but Amy was pulling all kinds of new feelings from him. He knew it was insane to buy such an extensive item for the sisters of a woman he’d had a crush on for less than a week, but that hadn't stopped him. He knew what he wanted and he was determined to get it. Integrating himself into their lives was important to him.
"Had a friend come over and help." Jared smirked as he remembered the look on Enrico's face as he kneeled inside the tiny house and set up the mini kitchen. He’d been so concentrated, so determined to get everything right, that Jared had started to think Enrico was more invested in the project than him.
For a few seconds Amy just looked at him, her face expressionless. Jared was starting to worry that he'd gone too far, that he'd insinuated himself into her life too much, too fast. Maybe she wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment yet. He wasn't going to let her back away from him, but he didn't want to have to be forceful with her. She was too… delicate.
Yeah, that was the right word.
For all appearances, Amy was a tough, no-nonsense, responsible young woman. But Jared saw so much more. He saw the vulnerable girl inside, the one that longed to be a normal 20-year-old; longed to go out partying with friends, to stay over at a boyfriend's house, to break rules, go to school, not worry about money and children. He wanted to give her some of the things that she was missing.
Finally, Amy's expression melted into one of happiness. She threw her arms around him and dropped her lips to his, kissing him soundly. "Thank you."
Jared was so in love with this woman, he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and drag her off to his bed where he would fuck her senseless and show her just how much she was coming to mean to him.
It was too soon for that, but not too soon for a good old-fashioned make-out session. He stood with her, tossing her over his shoulder and laughing as she squealed in his arms. He’d take her to the couch and show her what a sort-of-gentleman he was.
Eleven
Jared followed Amy back to her house where she spent half an hour helping her sisters get ready for bed. She threw a distracted smile at him as she went streaking through the living room in search of a stuffed unicorn named Clarence. Then, she ran back through the living room with a multicoloured toy in her hands.
Jared grinned to himself, stretching his arms across the back of the sofa. He didn’t mind waiting one bit. He was enjoying this small glimpse into the domesticity that went on next door to him.
Finally, after another five minutes, Amy dropped onto the sofa next to him sighing loudly. She looked tired but satisfied, as though she loved the bedtime routine. Jared wanted nothing more than to drag her across his lap and plunder her with kisses. Maybe even go to second base and put a hand up her shirt.
But first, he needed some information. "Your dad called today. Want to tell me about it?"
Amy's face dropped in disappointment and she shrank back on the sofa. Jared didn't like that, so he reached out, plucked her off her side of the couch and set her across his lap, cradling her back in his arm and holding her against him with a hand across her knees. She didn't protest, but it took her a moment to get comfortable.