Chapter 31

“Have you been to see Emma yet? She’ll be over the moon to see you; feels like it’s been years.” He moves back to lean his butt against his car, hands pushed in his pockets as he regards me seriously with that hotshot twinkle in his eye and that infuriating Carrero half smile that brings out the dimples.

Family feature.

“Umm, nope. I was thinking about maybe popping in later if she’s going to be around.” I answer evasively, non-committedly. I’m not sure if I’m ready to face this one particular person just yet.

Emma and I have history, a special relationship, and I’m truly terrified about how exactly she is going to react at finally seeing me again. I have dodged her calls and emails for weeks, maybe months, and I know I’ve been putting this off. My stomach churns with nerves, an image of her beautiful soft blue eyes and pretty face in my mind’s eye. Emma is one of the few people who can reduce me to tears with just a look of disappointment, well one of two, but that asshole can go drown himself in the nearest tub for all I care.

“Come now. I’m heading home with her craving requests; this baby has her devouring gherkins like they’re going out of fashion, and I am seriously thinking she may need an intervention. Would cheer her up to see you back here. This pregnancy has been tougher than the last two and I daresay will be our last. I can’t stand to see her go through this anymore.” Jake shrugs his shoulder in a very masculine, yet boyish way and I find myself nodding before I’ve even decided about seeing her. He has this knack for coercing you without even bloody well knowing he’s doing it.

Goddammit, Jake!

“Great. Hop in.” Jake thumbs over his shoulder at the car and turns to slide into his own seat confidently; obviously end of conversation and a hint to do as I am told.

Typical Jake!

I obediently follow and get in the other side apprehensively, we’re only minutes away from home, maybe even seconds with this car, so it’s not a hardship getting a lift in it. It’s a sexy black beast of a machine after all. Emma still calls this bad boy ‘The Batmobile’.

“Still love this thing.” I pat the dash affectionately after I buckle my belt and relax back into the molded bucket seats and expensive leather upholstery. This car is still his pride and joy, even though he has newer and fancier models. Emma once told me he has a sentimental attachment to this car because of her, and I really don’t ever want to know what that is. Knowing Jake, it means he seduced Emma in or on top of this car multiple times in their dating days.

“Are you home for good?” Jake pushes as he starts the beast and slowly gets us onto the road with the roar of that grumbling, purring engine. The thrill of this car is not lost on me. I have tried so many times to get Arrick to borrow it in the past, to take me driving. It’s a beast and when he was teaching me to drive, I just wanted to try this out. In the end, I passed my Driver’s Ed in something boringly slow that Arrick chose from his dad’s garage, and since then I have never had a need for a car of my own in the city. I prefer to walk or use the subway.

“I don’t know … just trying to find my head I guess.” I shrug and watch the scenery slowly move by, the expensive manicured houses and lawns and the immaculate streets in our millionaire’s neighborhood.

It still never lost its sparkle and grandeur to me, and I know I should thank my lucky stars every day that this is how my life ended up. I got the fairytale ending that Cinderella hoped for, and it only makes it so much more confusing to be feeling this way.

I guess the saying ‘money doesn’t buy happiness’ is true.

“Think we have all been there. It’s only after you do find your feet you realize you made a mess of getting there.” Jake winks at me cheekily, that knowing look and smug manner and I find myself eye rolling hard.

“Let me guess … Your adorable brother has already had the heart-to-heart about the problem Sophie has become.” I sigh heavily and push myself down in the seat to lift my feet onto his dash. Jake slaps my legs down with a warning frown that I’m hurting his precious car and gets one right back on the arm.

He runs a flattened palm down my face annoyingly, forcing me to shut my eyes and squishes my nose in the process; just because he is always annoying as shit, and makes me slap out at him like a five-

year-old in sheer impulsive irritation.

“I hate when you do that!” I snap and wipe my face in agitation, knowing he’s probably smeared my mascara into panda eyes, scolding him with a haughty look and sticking my tongue out immaturely.

Jake just grins, hitting me with that ‘I’m hot and I do these things because I can’ look that always drives me and Emma crazy. Jake can be so goddamn infuriating at times and sees nothing wrong in tormenting me endlessly.

Sounds familiar!

“You should know by now, Miele, that my brother tells me everything, well mostly everything. And that I knew he was hauling your ass home at stupid o’clock, when he interrupted my sexy Emma time with a text.” He winks naughtily, always trying to get a reaction and I screw up my face in revolt.

“Ugh, too much information. You need to get neutered or something! After being married this long you should be going off each another by now, and maybe collecting stamps.” I fire back with that cringe running through, trying to not visualize him and Emma doing anything X-rated, and shoving his arm away as he goes to ruffle my hair irritatingly.

“Two kids and another on the way … It’s not the end of my sexual advances towards my crazily beautiful wife. Hate to tell you, teeny, I doubt it’s in the Carrero blood to give up on that!” Jake smirks, secure in his obvious sexual prowess, and love of chucking his own crown back on, despite no longer living the life of man whore. It seems Emma must have equal stamina to keep up with a guy who used to date multiple women a week and had a reputation for being a wild Italian stallion. I shudder in repulsion at any sort of thought about those two doing any form of energetic acrobatics, pregnant or not.

“Please … My ears are burning!” I implore him with heated red blushes, completely uncomfortable with this topic. They are like a second mom and dad to me and this has the same effect as my actual mom and dad talking sex in front of me. Parents just shouldn’t do that shit anymore, especially not once they get past thirty!

“The innocent little ears of ‘Sophiepoo’.” He grins my way again, turns the car into his street and slows right down as we approach some kids playing on bikes in the road. He crawls by them with a smile and a wave and points at the kids to get on the sidewalk. The father in him showing through and losing that immature ass quality, for all of like five minutes.

It’s kind of cute to see that sometimes he is serious and responsible, even if it does disappear almost as quickly. I don’t get how two brothers can be so alike, yet not. Arrick is always the picture of maturity and sense; that cool, calm demeanor is always the overriding personality, and his fun childish side peeks out from time to time. Jake, on the other hand, is all fun and games and fast smiles, hot temper and heart on his sleeve with the odd hint of ‘guy capable of running things’. It’s plain weird.

“So, really, Emma knows I’m here and is waiting to lecture me, right? What, were you waiting to run into me and just maneuver me home all along?” I cross my arms over my chest huffily as Jake pulls up the long expanse of driveway to his gorgeous two-story home that practically faces my own.

“Emma doesn’t lecture. Emma likes to help, and nope, I really was just bulk buying my Bambino three hundred cases of pickles, so I don’t have to make another two-a.m. jog across town to find a seven eleven that sells them.” Jake lifts knowing eyebrows and a cheeky smile my way. Dazzling me with his pearly whites and trademark Carrero dimples.

“Let’s get this over with, then maybe I can go back to moping around in the street and turn down the next random lift offered to me by some weird man.” I slide myself out when we stop and make my way ahead of him. I know this house only too well and don’t need any invites to go in. It has always been my second home.