Page 59 of Djinn in Love

“Your mother is the one who picked me for you!” she hissed.

“No, she thought we could attend the wedding together. She wasn’t choosing you as my bride.” With those words, his eyes moved to Veronica, making it clear who he was choosing.

Jasmine tossed her hair. “I expect an apology the next time I see you,” she said to Jasper. She pretended Veronica wasn’t even in the room. Apparently, that was her answer to the situation—more denial.

“The next time you see me, I won’t see you.”

With a huff, Jasmine turned and stomped out of the kitchen. Her angry footsteps clacked against the hardwood floor. Neither Jasper nor Veronica followed her. A few moments later, the front door opened and then slammed shut, the crack echoing throughout the house.

“Well, that was fun,” Jasper said, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest. His tone was wary when he asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Veronica answered, wondering why he was maintaining distance between them.

He pushed off the counter and came toward her. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I don’t like confrontations, but it was clear that was necessary.”

“You understand she was lying through her teeth about us seeing each other behind your back, right?”

Veronica nodded. “I knew. Even before she spoke.”

“It still hurt you to see her all over me like that, though.”

She nodded again, hugging her waist. “More than I thought it would. More than it probably should since we’ve been dating less than a month.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Jasper insisted, coming even closer. “We both know what this is and where it’s going. That’s all that matters.”

“Do you think she’ll make things difficult between you and your mother?”

Jasper shook his head. “No. Maybe between Milo and Prema and I, but I doubt it’ll last long. They both know what she’s like.”

“What’s that?”

“Spoiled rotten and unable to understand the word no.”

Veronica nodded. That seemed accurate.

“My mother really likes you, you know. Even if Jasmine went running to her, telling tales, Leila would be on your side.”

“I don’t know, Jasper. She did try to arrange for you to take Jasmine to the wedding as your date.”

He came even closer, stopping just in front of her. Jasper leaned forward, resting his hands on the counter on each side of her body. “Only because she knew I’d come alone otherwise, and she didn’t want to deal with all the questions and gossip flying around the wedding. The day was about Milo and Prema, as it should have been. My single status would have been a distraction.”

“Are you sure she doesn’t care that I’m an empath?” Veronica asked.

He shook his head. “I told her Thursday after we arrived that you were an empath, and I didn’t want her scaring you off. That was all it took, really. She might be tough and a meddler, but she wants me to be happy, first and foremost. You make me happy, which means she automatically approves of you. Oh, and you didn’t fall at my feet immediately when I asked you out, which makes her like you even more. She said I would appreciate you the way you deserved if I had to work for you.”

Veronica had no response to that.

Jasper continued, “I just hope you won’t make me work too hard to get you to marry me. Even though I screwed up and told my parents about your abilities before you had a chance.”

She gaped at him. She heard his admission that he messed up, but her brain was still stuck on his first statement. It took a few seconds before she managed to squeak, “Marry you?”

“I’ve already explained to Leila that we won’t be having a three-ring circus for a wedding. That it will be very small, just immediate family, because you shouldn’t have to endure the same kind of huge event that Milo and Prema had. She didn’t argue. Probably because I mentioned that I wanted to try and talk you into starting our family in the next year or two. The woman is rabid for grandchildren.”

Veronica blinked at him, her mouth opening and closing, but no sound emerging.

Finally, Jasper asked, “Any thoughts on the matter or are you going to stare at me all night?”

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