Page 381 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
"I'm glad we're going back." She pulled her knees up in the seat with her and wrapped her arms around them. "Tell me about your other brothers."
He relaxed, his shoulders sagging a little. The conversation seemed to be as tense for him as it was for her.
"Right, so my other two brothers are younger than me. Landon is an investment broker in Oregon and Clint, my baby brother, is still in college, and makes Drake look like a chump." He chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Drake looking like a chump sounded way out of place. He was the scariest, strongest-looking guy Kari had ever run into. Where there was a soft side of him that he shared with the group, she knew there was more to him. She was grateful that Jake brought him up. It was a good time to poke a little.
Jake glanced over at her and smirked. "Clint is a bodybuilder, a gym rat. He's put more hours into his body than he has into all of his other ventures put together."
"Oh. Interesting." She smiled.
"Hands off. He's a looker. Much better looking than me, but he's a blondie."
"Blondie?" Kari chuckled. "I'm not at all interested in anyone but you, but for the record, a blondie is the last thing on my old list of things I enjoyed in, on, or about a man."
"He dyes it. He's got dark hair like me. He's a fucking goober, but I love him." The warmth on Jake's face and in his voice was contagious.
"You guys are pretty close?"
"We used to be. He looks a lot like Marc. He's got that party boy persona, but you can tell he's very dedicated to his health. It's a little obnoxious, but I love the guy. The best part is that he's brilliant."
"How so?" Her interest was beyond piqued. She couldn't help but wonder if Clint was as in awe of Jake as Jake was of him. It was cute. Endearing.
"What do you mean?" He reached up and brushed his fingers by his lips as he kept his eyes on the road.
"How is he brilliant?"
Jake's brow pulled closer. "He's just brilliant. Like his IQ is off the charts. He's got a 4.0 at Texas A&M in College Station. He's this meathead-looking guy with the intelligence of a mad scientist."
"Oh." Kari laughed, finally getting Jake's point. His little brother really was a genius. "Is he married?"
"Clint? No way. He's going to marry himself." Jake glanced her way. "Which exit do I need to take, baby? I haven't been to your mom’s, remember?"
"Oh yeah." She sat up and brushed her hands down her legs as she tried to get her bearings. "Two more exits up the road. We're almost there."
"I'm excited." He shifted in his seat, causing the scent of his cologne to waft her way.
She breathed in deeply and let out a soft moan. "You smell so good. I just want to snuggle up next to you."
"Good. I plan on doing a whole lot more than snuggling." He ran his hand down his chest as his expression hardened a little. "So your mom... she's um... she's nice, right?"
Kari laughed. "Are you afraid of meeting my mom?"
"Not afraid. I just want to make a good impression, baby. You're going to be my wife one day. I want her to like me."
"She's going to love you, Jake. You have nothing to worry about." Kari pointed to the exit. "Right there."
"Tell me a little more about her. You know, so I don't do something stupid." He pulled the car off the freeway and pursed his lips.
"She's very religious, loving and strong. My father left years ago after she found him cheating on her. They were married twenty years."
Jake's expression was filled with sadness as he pulled into the driveway Kari pointed to. "Why do we all have to have that in common?"
"I don't know, but she's a good woman and she deserves someone to love her. That's my Christmas wish this year."
"Christmas wish?" He turned off the car and turned to face her, reaching out and touching the side of her face.
"Yeah. You guys don't do Christmas wishes?"
