Page 390 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
JAKE
"Wow, man. She's breathtaking." Tyler's eyes moved toward Kari as she walked over to grab another beer after the hayride. Some of the girls from high school had fallen in love with her too over the short evening. They were surrounding her as they all walked toward the beer tent.
"Yeah. I didn't think I would ever get over Bethany, but Kari put a stop to that shit so fast it still makes my head spin." He rubbed his left shoulder as the same old ache resurrected.
Tyler turned back to study him. "I'm glad to hear that. I keep looking for Olivia everywhere I go. I heard she was in New York and it's driving me crazy knowing she's probably on the floor below me or something fucked up like that."
"She's not with someone?" Jake lifted his eyebrow. Olivia and Tyler's story was heartbreaking, one that kept his best friend bent over where women were concerned.
"I don't know." He lifted his half-empty beer bottle to his lips. "I guess I could find out, but a part of me doesn't want to know. I have my company with Luke. It's all I focus on."
"No side action?" Jake chuckled at the look he got.
"No. I'm not that kind of guy. You know that." His gaze followed Jake as he rubbed his chest. "That old football injury still hurting you after all these years?"
"Just when it gets really cold or hot." Jake dropped his hand from his chest. "You need to find someone to love you, Ty. Life is too short for standing around hoping an old flame will ignite again."
"I love her, man."
"You haven't seen her in years. Lots of years."
"And?" Tyler glanced toward the ground. "Every girl I've tried to date reminds me of her."
"So you have dated?" Jake reached for Kari as she moved back into his arms, her little button nose red from the cold.
"A little." Tyler smiled down at Kari. "Why are you dating this guy? Couldn't find anyone better up in Maine to shack up with?"
She smiled and glanced up at Jake, stealing his heart for the millionth time. "Because he understands me, he respects me, and he loves me so deeply that it hurts when he's away for even a few minutes."
"Yes, I do." Jake leaned down and pulled her close to him before spinning them to put his back to Ty. He made love to Kari's sweet mouth as she melted against him.
"I'm ready to go snuggle in front of the tree. Would that be okay?" She reached up and ran her fingers down the side of his head.
"Yeah." He glanced over his shoulder to find Tyler surrounded by pretty girls, all of them laughing as he told stories like he always did. He turned and walked with Kari back to the truck, trying hard not to tell her a million times how much he was in love with her. It sat on the tip of his tongue, and he'd said it ten times that day already. Looking needy was out, but she had him trapped, bent, locked to her for as long as she would put up with him.
He opened his door and moved back, helping her inside. "You have fun tonight?"
"Yes." She let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes. "I love your friends. The hayride was so perfect, and being alone with you finally..."
"What?" He laughed and got up in the truck, pulling her to his side and leaning down to enjoy the softness of her lips a little more before heading home. "We're together all the time."
"I know, but our friends are usually there. It's rare to get time with you alone unless we go out to your place." She rubbed his chest softly and looked up into his eyes, her expression filled with so many emotions that it crippled him. "I love you so much. When are we going to talk about marriage, Jake?"
He snorted and nipped at her lips. "You didn't want to talk about moving in together and now you're wanting to walk down the aisle."
"I did too want to move in together. I'm just worried about Lisa and Sicily." She moved back and put her seatbelt on as he started the engine.
"If I had to lay my bets on things, Lisa and Marc will be moving in together in May next year, or she'll pack up her business and go back to New York. They're not going to be able to keep up the madness they've been doing the last semester. It's too taxing on both of them."
"True." She wrapped her hands around his bicep and pressed her head against his shoulder as he pulled out. "I would think Sicily would move in with Drake eventually. They just got together."
"Yeah, but I've known Drake since I got into town. He's going to pop the question next spring. He doesn't like untied knots or loose ends. He's a commitment type of guy. He'll ask her to marry him soon."
"He told you that?" She glanced up thinking about her conversations with Drake. Jake was right. He was lost to Sicily.
"No, but I just know." Jake shrugged and smiled down at her. "Why were you looking at Drake so weird in the living room the other day? When they were talking about his family."
"I don't know. I think there's far more going on with him than any of us know." She turned and pressed her lips against his arm, rubbing softly against his jacket. "He got Sis cleared so fast of those charges on the fire."
