Chapter 28 Morning after
Melissa’s POV
Morning came too fast.
I dragged myself out of bed after maybe three hours of sleep, pulled on jeans and a sweater, and braced myself for whatever fresh hell waited downstairs.
The smell of coffee and bacon hit me halfway down the stairs. Mom’s voice drifted from the kitchen, her voice was high pitched meaning she was excited about something.
Great.
I rounded the corner and stopped dead.
Jason sat at the kitchen island, showered and dressed in dark jeans and a fitted black t-shirt that showed off the body I’d seen way too much of last night. His dark hair was still damp,and pushed back from his face. Those green eyes lifted to meet mine, and that infuriating smirk appeared.
“Morning, Melissa!” Mom turned from the stove,with her spatula in hand, beaming. “Come meet Jason. He prefers Jason over Luca.”
“We’ve met,” I said flatly.
“You have?” Mom’s eyebrows rose. “When?”
“Yesterday,” Jason said smoothly before I could respond. “Ran into each other outside the arena. Small world.”
“That’s wonderful! I’m so glad you two are getting to know each other.” Mom set a plate of pancakes on the island. “Isn’t this nice? All of us are together like a real family.”
I wanted to die.
Jason’s eyes never left my face. That smirk deepened, like he was replaying last night in his head and finding it hilarious.
“Coffee, sweetie?” Mom pushed a mug toward me.
“Thanks.” I grabbed it and sat as far from Jason as possible.
“Jason just got back from Monaco,” Mom continued, piling bacon onto plates. “He was racing there. Isn’t that exciting?”
“Thrilling,” I muttered into my coffee but I was actually really excited about it. Sports and books have always been my weakness.
“Formula 1,” Jason said, his voice casual as if he wasn’t talking about the most prestigious and expensive form of auto racing in the world. “We just finished the season. Came in second overall.”
“That’s amazing!” Mom gushed. “Gavin must be so proud of you.”
“Where is he?” Jason asked, finally looking away from me.
“He had an early meeting at the arena. He’ll be back this afternoon.” Mom set plates in front of us. “But I’m so glad we get this time together. We need to start planning for Christmas! It’s only a few weeks away.”
Christmas. Right. Because this situation needed more forced family togetherness.
“I was thinking we could all go shopping today,” Mom continued. “Get decorations, pick out a tree. It needs to be special since it’s our first Christmas as a family.”
The word family made my stomach turn.
“I have plans,” I said.
“Cancel them! This is important.” Mom’s eyes were so hopeful it made me feel guilty. “Please, Melissa? It would mean a lot to me.”
I looked at my plate. I remembered all the Christmases before this. It was just me and Mom in our small apartment, decorating a tiny tree while watching old movies.
Before Gavin. Before everything got twisted and wrong.
“Okay,” I said quietly. “I’ll come.”
“Perfect!” Mom clapped her hands together. “Jason, you’ll join us, won’t you?”
“Can’t.” He stabbed a piece of bacon. “Got something I need to handle this afternoon.”
Thank God.
“Well, maybe next time.” Mom didn’t look disappointed. “Melissa and I will have a girls’ day then!”
Jason’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it, and something flickered across his face. Annoyance maybe.
“I have to take this.” He stood, grabbing his coffee. “Excuse me.”
He walked out, phone to his ear, his voice dropping low as he spoke in what sounded like Italian.
The moment he was gone, I exhaled.
“He’s wonderful, isn’t he?” Mom said, her eyes bright. “So polite. And handsome! Don’t you think he’s handsome?”
I nearly choked on my coffee. “Mom.”
“What? I’m just saying. You two are going to be siblings. It’s nice that you’ll have each other.”
Siblings. Right. Because that’s exactly what came to mind when I thought about Jason.
Not the image of him between two naked women.
Not the way those green eyes had locked onto mine while he…
Stop. Just stop.
“I need to get ready,” I said, pushing away from the island. “When are we leaving?”
“An hour? That gives us time to hit the boutiques downtown before they get too crowded.”
I nodded and escaped upstairs before she could say anything else about how wonderful this blended family situation was.
…-
An hour later, I was showered, dressed, and following Mom out to her car.
The boutique district was already packed with early Christmas shoppers. We spent two hours wandering through stores, Mom picking out ornaments and decorations while I nodded and agreed and tried not to think about how different this Christmas would be.
“What do you think of these?” Mom held up silver and blue ornaments. “For the tree?”
“They’re nice.”
“You hate them.”
“No, I don’t…”
“Melissa.” She set them down, her expression softening. “Talk to me. You’ve been quiet all morning. Is this about the move? About Gavin?”
Yes. It’s about Gavin and how I can’t stop thinking about him even though you’re going to marry him. It’s about his son who I caught having a threesome last night. It’s about how everything is wrong and complicated and I don’t know how to fix it.
“I’m just tired,” I said instead. “Didn’t sleep well.”
She studied my face, then pulled me into a hug. “I know this has been a big adjustment. Moving into Gavin’s place, sharing space with him and Jason. But I promise it’s going to be wonderful. We’re building something special here. A real family.”
I hugged her back, guilt sitting heavy in my chest.
She had no idea. No idea what was happening right under her nose.
“Come on,” she said, pulling back with a smile. “Let’s get hot chocolate. My treat.”
We left the boutique, stepping out onto the busy sidewalk. Holiday music drifted from storefronts. People rushed past with shopping bags. The city felt alive with pre-Christmas energy.
Mom sneezed suddenly, covering her nose.
“Bless you,” I said.
“Thanks. I think I’m catching something.” She sniffled, pulling a tissue from her purse. “My throat’s been scratchy all morning.”
“Maybe we should head home.”
“No, no. I’m fine. I just need…” She sneezed again. “Okay, maybe I should grab a face mask from that pharmacy we passed. Just in case.”
We backtracked to the pharmacy. Mom bought a box of disposable masks and put one on immediately.
“Better safe than sorry,” she said, her voice slightly muffled. “I don’t want to get you sick.”
We stepped back onto the sidewalk, and that’s when I heard screaming.Excited screaming.
A crowd was forming down the block, people pulling out phones, pushing closer to something I couldn’t see.
“What’s going on?” Mom asked, adjusting her mask.
The crowd parted slightly, and I saw a race car. It was sleek, and black. It obviously cost more than most people’s houses. It sat in the middle of the street like a predator, with engine purring.
And standing beside it, signing autographs and taking selfies with a growing mob of fans, was Jason.
He wore what looked like racing gear…or at least the jacket. It was red and black with logos I recognized but was in shock to process.
The crowd pressed closer, phones raised, voices overlapping in a chaos of excitement.
“Oh my God,” Mom breathed. “Is that Jason?”
“Unfortunately.”
“I knew he raced, but I didn’t realize he was this famous.”
Famous was an understatement. People were losing their minds. A girl thrust something forward for him to sign. Another was crying…actual tears streaming down her face…while Jason smiled and posed for a photo.
“We should say hi,” Mom said.
“Absolutely not.”
“Melissa, don’t be rude. He’s family.”
Before I could protest, she was already moving toward the crowd. I followed reluctantly, staying a few steps behind.
Jason’s eyes scanned the area, and then they found us.
That smirk appeared.
He said something to the people around him, then started walking toward us. The crowd shifted, some following, some staying behind to film.
.