Page 136 of Return Policy

“You’ll look beautiful, babe.”

“Mm-hmm,” she grumbles.

We walk in the front door of the house, and Hazel, our sweet Australian shepherd, comes sprinting toward us. I bend down to meet her, and she jumps on me, planting slobbery kisses all over my face. “Nice to see you too, girl,” I say, laughing as I scratch behind her ears.

Standing back up, I wipe the slobber off my face with my T-shirt, and Hazel begins her inspection of our new house guest. Sophia holds her hand steady as Hazel sniffs it, then nudges Sophia’s hand with her nose.

“Who’s a good girl?” Sophia says down to Hazel, rubbing her head.

“You are,” I say lowly, squeezing her ass.

We leave our bags by the door and head towards the kitchen, where the sound of “Jingle Bell Rock” is blaring out of the speakers.

“Should I grab a chair so you can continue my lap dance?” Sophia teases, with a devilish grin.

“Hush your mouth.”

We step in the kitchen just as Mom pulls out a fresh batch of cookies from the oven. An ear to ear smile spreads across her face as she abandons the baking sheet on the counter and runs over to us.

“About time!” She throws her arms around me, hugging tightly and taking my face in her hands. “There is no way on God’s green earth you’re going another six months without setting foot in this house. I will not allow it. It was too darn long.”

“Hi, Mama.” I chuckle as she kisses my cheek. “Nice to see you too.”

“And you must be the sweet Sophia I’ve heard so much about,” Mom says.

“You told her about me?” Sophia asks me quietly, her cheeks tinging pink.

“Of course I did.” I smile proudly.

“You know, Ms. Sophia, this is the first time he’s brought home a girlfriend. Ever.”

“Ever?” Sophia’s eyes bulge.

“Yep, so you must beveryspecial.” She pulls Sophia in for a tight hug. “I’m Jenna.”

“Grandma Mia wasn’t kidding.” Sophia’s amused expression meets mine. “You’re a touchy-feely crew, huh?”

“We sure are.” Mom nods. “And if you saw her, then you must already know about dinner plans.”

“Seven o’clock sharp,” I reply.

“That’s my boy.” She ruffles my hair. “Alright, well, your room is all set up, and then you can take Sophia to meet Penelope.”

“Penelope?” Sophia asks, smiling curiously.

“Yep.” I glance out the kitchen window towards the pasture before returning my attention to Sophia. “Myotherfavorite girl.” She narrows her eyes at me and follows me up the stairs to my bedroom. I close the door behind us, setting our bags in the corner of the room.

“Your mom doesn’t care if I sleep in here?”

“Nope.” My eyes wander the familiar space, an equal sense of longing and regret settling in my stomach. “I’m sure she’s just happy I brought you willingly and didn’t sneak you in through my window.”

“You’ve done that?!” Sophia freezes in place, gawking at me. “That sounds kinda hot… Maybe later I can—”

“Absolutely not.” I cut her off and laugh.

“Why?”

“You could get hurt.” I rest a hand on her face, brushing her soft cheek with my thumb.

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