Page 10 of The Christmas Cover Rule
Now, I’m once again over-analyzing myself in the mirror, when before today, it was borderline concerninghow little I cared about what someone else thought of me. I run my fingers through my hair, taming down the wild strands before adjusting the barely there straps on my silk pajama set under my robe. It would appear Aiden’s infidelity might not have broken my heart as much as it did my confidence.
Done delaying the inevitable, I take a deep inhale and crack open the bathroom door. There’s a soft light in the distance, but other than that, the room is mostly dark.
The tile is cool against my bare feet as I pad across the room and stop at the side of the bed. Jonas is resting against the headboard, with black rimmed glasses, no shirt, and lord knows what under the crisp, white sheet covering him from the waist down. His scruffy face is highlighted by the computer that sits open on his lap, and I clutch the robe I’m wearing a little tighter now.
“Get in the bed, Stell.” His voice is rough yet smooth at the same time, and it ripples down my spine.
“See, the thing is, I didn’t exactly pack my winter flannels.”
A slow, understanding smile forms on his lips, but he doesn’t look at me. Instead, he closes his laptop, covering us in a blanket of darkness. I hear the small thud of it hitting the side table and an even softer tap that I’m assuming is his glasses. There’s a quiet rustling of the sheets and two taps against the bed closer to me. “There. Now I’m none the wiser.”
I blow out a breath, drape the robe over the edge of the bed, and climb in. Other than my fingers tapping against my rings, I remain still. My eyes adjust to the darkness, and now I’m able to catch the soft hues of light attempting to come through the window. The quiet room is a stark contrast to the thoughts screaming in my head.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Jonas’s voice startles me, but in the next second, I’m somehow relaxing further into the bed.I turn on my side, keeping the distance between us, but I slide my hands under my pillow, looking over at him.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“What’s your real name?”
“What do you mean?” he asks without missing a beat.
“I mean, twice now someone has referred to us as Mr. and Mrs. Jonas, so I’m assuming that’s your last name.”
“It is.”
I wait for him to say more, but he only rolls over to face me now. “Great. I’m fake dating a guy and don’t even know his real name.”
“It is my real name, babe. It’s just my last name.”
I roll my eyes but have to bite back a smile.
“My turn to ask a question?”
“Shoot,” I mimic him.
“What’s going to happen on the next family trip?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, won’t your family be expecting me? Or how about in the delivery room when you have children, they won’t wonder where I am, then?”
“God no,” I scoff. “No. Once I get home, I’ll have roughly six months until I need to put in some more quality face time. By then, I’ll have grown some balls and dumped you.”
“You’re not going to want to break things off with me. Especially not after your family falls in love with me.” The Christmas lights wrapped around the trees outside glow faintly through the blinds in the window, but even without the soft lighting, I’d be able to hear the smile in his voice.
“You’re right. I’ll tell them you died.”
“What?” He barks out a laugh, and it’s so deep and warm, I can’t help but smile. “Works too much is out of the question?”
“In my family, breaking up with someone because they’redevoted to their work is liable to send me straight to hell,” I say, rolling onto my back and looking up at the ceiling.
“Ahh. I come from a family like that.”
“What do you?—”
“You sure you don’t want to just tell them the truth?” he cuts me off.
