Page 168 of Always Love You More

I stare back at him.

“Everything you do is … Let’s just say I’ve already had a lot of practice being patient.”

I pull my bottom lip between my teeth, making his eyes drop to my mouth again.

He jerks his chin in my direction. “Case in fucking point.”

“Well,” I murmur, stepping toward him, “you better make it worth the wait.”

“You know I always do.”

“That’s a lot of big talk,” I say, inching forward.

He smirks. “Not like I can’t back it up.”

“We’ll see,” I breathe.

He pulls away from me again, starting for the door. “Let’s go,” he says, his voice even, as if the last five minutes didn’t even happen.

I scowl, pushing past him. “You’re gonna pay for this.”

He comes up behind me, shutting his door with aclick. “Can’t wait.”

Jameson’s mother is already at the table when we walk into the kitchen, three plates laid out and the bag from Matty’s in front of her.

I slide into a chair, Jameson taking the one next to me. He looks over at his mother’s empty plate.

“You didn’t have to wait for us.”

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I wanted to.”

He watches her for a moment then nods, a spark of hope in his eyes before he blinks and it’s gone.

I take the burger he passes me, offering a quiet thanks, and unwrap it as he hands out the rest of the food. He eyes the fries I’ve dumped onto my plate and mutters, “Almost forgot.”

He stands, and a minute later, he’s back, placing a chocolate milkshake in front me.

I grin over at him, popping off the lid and dipping a fry inside. “You’re the best.”

He smiles back at me. “Gotta keep you sweet.”

I lean into him, dropping my voice. “Thought you liked me mean.”

He lets out a low laugh, and I pull away from him, grabbing another fry.

I look up and find his mother watching us, eyeing Jameson curiously. She picks at her burger, only taking a bite when she realizes he noticed she’s barely touched her plate.

She sets the burger down, clearing her throat. “I was wondering if maybe …” She shakes her head, picking it back up and taking a bite as if to silence herself.

“Wondering what?” Jameson asks.

“Never mind. It’s stupid.”

“Wondering what?” he repeats, his voice gentler this time.

“If I could … get my hair done. Maybe my nails.” She drops her eyes to the table. “I want to go out …” She looks back up. “Like we talked about … but I don’t want anyone to see me when I look like this.”

“Like what?”