Free Miss Me When the Sun Goes Down by Lisa Olsen Page B

the weather. 
    I stared at him stupidly, sputtering on the inside before I could make the words tumble out.  “I am not!  We’ve never… Daddy, I swear he’s not my…”  I couldn’t even say the word. 
    “We haven’t shared certain physical intimacies, but make no mistake, I intend to make you mine in all ways.”  The man had no shame in such a public declaration in front of my father , of all people. 
    Oh no…   I wanted to crawl into a hole and pull the dirt in after me when I saw the bulge of my father’s eyes.  “Daddy, I…”
    “All is well, petal.  Your father is a man of the world, he understands such things well enough,” Jakob declared confidently, clapping him on the shoulder.  “I’ve brought surety so there will be no doubt my intentions are honorable.”   
    The mind boggled. 
    “Perhaps we’d better bring this inside.”  My father suggested after an uncomfortable silence, turning to go up the stairs to the main living area. 
    “I couldn’t agree more.”  Jakob snapped his fingers, and Gunnar and Isak appeared at the end of the walk, arms laden with packages.
    “What is that stuff?” I whispered.
    “Is it not customary to bring gifts?”
    “That’s Christmas, not Thanksgiving.”
    “Ah, forgive me the blunder.  I mean to pay my respects to your family.”
    Unable to go inside, m y bodyguards deposited their bundles on the front porch, and Jakob ferried them in, not allowing me to carry a single thing.  I went back upstairs, not having to enter the kitchen to hear the whispered conversation between my parents as my dad brought Mom up to speed on the late addition to dinner.    
    Thankfully, Jakob refrained from using the L word again during the introductions that followed.  I hadn’t brought anyone home with me for the holidays since Trent, and they’d loved him to pieces.  But I could tell he’d already won my mother over, and I was pretty sure he hadn’t even had to put the whammy on her.  All it took was a case of expensive merlot and a compliment to her hairdo. 
    “Let’s sit down, shall we?” she suggested, touching her hair almost girlishly.  “We don’t want the food to grow cold.”
    You know how in vampire movies, the newly turned vamp can’t get enough raw meat when he’s going through the transition?  I co uldn’t stomach the stuff.  Meat – cooked or otherwise – made me gag, but I could still appreciate simple starches. I took the smallest piece of turkey and focused on the mashed potatoes and stuffing, leaving off the gravy made with turkey drippings.  Not that I’d eat a whole ton of those sides either, but I could at least make a small dent in my plate. 
    My father bristled when Jakob took his place at the head of the table, but he didn’t say anything as he took a seat beside my mom.  There was general small talk as the meal was served, and I relaxed, trying to find the normalcy in the holiday.  If I could just keep Jakob from saying anything boneheaded…
    “So… Jake,” my father began once his plate was loaded up.   “You said something before about intentions.”
    “Indeed,” Jakob replied, draining his glass and pouring another of the merlot.  I could begin to see why he’d brought an entire case of wine.  His plate was completely covered with food, and as he had on our date, he ate with gusto, already putting away nearly half of it by the time we’d barely started.  He wiped his fingers on the cloth napkin in his lap, drawing a sealed envelope from his jacket pocket.  “I humbly ask permission to court your lovely daughter, and offer this as a token of my worthiness.”
    “Isn’t that nice,” Mom beamed, accepting the envelope and handing it to my father. 
    “What is that?” I leaned close to Jakob, whispering in his ear, but he only winked, watching for my father’s reaction. 
    Daddy’s eyes widened as unfolded the sheaf of papers inside.  “This is… this is generous indeed, but…