Zoey And The Nice Guy (Big Girl Panties #1) (19 page)

“No! She’s stuck at a gas station in the freezing cold.” Zoey gathered his jeans, t-shirt, and sweater and hurled them at him.

He hurled them back at her and then climbed out of bed. Zoey bit her lip and tried not to get distracted by how good he looked naked. He grabbed his duffel bag off the floor and began digging through it for fresh clothes. He was moving so slowly.
 

Zoey bounced on the balls of her feet. “Could you speed it up? Jesus.”

This time his laugh was fully frustrated. “You need to tone it down a notch, Zoey. I just woke up. Let’s talk politely to each other, okay?”

“I need my mom picked up. Can you do it or not?”

He shot her a look as he pulled up his jeans. She closed her eyes and let out a breath. She couldn’t bear to keep her mom waiting. “Can you please hurry?”

She still had her eyes closed when he came to her and pressed his lips to her forehead. Before she knew it, he was gone.
 

Kellen figured he’d make it a few yards down the road and then get stuck, but his tires handled the job, and once he made it to the highway, it was smooth driving. A little slick, but there were no other cars on the road, and he knew how to drive on ice.

He regretted arguing with Zoey. Every little tiff they had made him uncomfortable. They’d just started doing whatever it was they were doin, and, in his mind, he figured they should have a honeymoon period longer than five minutes.
 

He supposed he’d been unreasonable. Her mother was stranded in the middle of winter, so of course he didn’t have time to take a shower. There had just been something about the way she’d pushed him into this that bothered him. She’d been frantic. There’d been a crazy little glint in her eye that he didn’t recognize.
 

The gas station was indeed deserted. A small, red Toyota was parked to the side. He turned into the drive and felt his back tires fish-tail just a bit. He pulled up behind the car and hopped out, leaving his truck running.
 

A man and woman got out. The man wasn’t much older than him with dark hair and a strong jaw. The woman looked like a caricature of Zoey, as though all her features had been aged and exaggerated.

“Kellen?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am.” He frowned when he saw her unloading two rather large suitcases and one smaller one.
 

“Oh, God, please call me Tracy. I am way too young to be a ma’am. This is my boyfriend Mark.”

Kellen shook hands with the guy and helped him load the suitcases in the back of his truck. Once they’d all piled in, Tracy in the middle, Kellen asked, “Do you want me to drop you by your hotel first, so you can drop off your luggage?”

“Oh, we’re just going to stay with Zoey,” Tracy said. “No sense spending all that money on a hotel when our daughter’s got a nice, roomy house in town.”
 

“Yeah, I get that,” he said, not wanting to offend her. “The only thing, is, she’s kind of got a houseful already. Addy and me. Maya and her two kids.”

“Oh, I’m sure there’s plenty of room. It’ll give me a chance to get to know you. I must say, Zoey’s got exceptional taste.” She ran her hand up and down his arm.

Kellen smiled tightly and kept focused on the road.

Tracy suddenly squealed. “Look at me!” she said, “sandwiched between two, hunky young men.”
 

Her hand slid across his shoulders. It was little comfort that she was doing the same thing to Mark. With Mark, it was consensual.
 

He wanted to ask if Zoey was aware that she was getting more houseguests, but again, he didn’t want to hurt Tracy’s feelings. Instead, he focused on the road, only talking to answer Tracy’s questions.
 

At last he pulled into Zoey’s driveway. Mark and Tracy exited the truck. Zoey stepped out, looking adorable in an oversized sweatshirt. Tracy ran into her arms. “Baby doll!” she squealed.

Zoey hugged her, and Kellen, who had just stepped out of his truck, froze at the sight of her expression. Her chin rested on her mom’s shoulder, her eyes were squeezed shut, and her smile was sheer, girlish bliss. “I’ve missed you, momma,” she said.

He wanted to be happy about it, but there was something off. Some underlying pain, just under the surface of her smile. Tracy stepped back. “Look,” she said, turning her head side-to-side. “I went red. You’ve inspired me.”

“It looks incredible. Better on you than on me.”

“Oh, stop,” Tracy said.
 

Kellen slammed the door shut and hovered by his truck. Now that he knew his tires could handle the snow, he was seriously considering going home. Even long-standing marriages built on a bedrock of love and commitment still rattled in the presence of in-laws. He wasn’t sure his fledgling romance with Zoey could withstand the pressure. He desperately didn’t want that heartbreak.

While he was standing there deciding, Tracy, Mark, and Zoey all disappeared inside. The door slammed shut, almost in answer to his thoughts. He cocked his head and frowned. A moment later, it opened again. He blew out a breath and smiled when Zoey popped her head out. “Grab their luggage, Kellen. Don’t be rude.”

She vanished back inside.
 

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” he muttered. He turned and hauled out the two suitcases.
 

Inside, their pieced-together little family that had been so cozy over the past week took on a more chaotic air. It was louder, primarily due to Tracy, whose voice was sharp and demanding of attention. Maya was cowering at the end of the sofa closest to the corner in the living room. Addy smiled politely and chatted with Mark even as she stood between Maya’s family and the newcomers, subtly shielding them.
 

Zoey was nowhere to be seen. And then she was there, hurrying out of the hallway with her mom in tow. “God, Kellen, you’re so slow. Mom’s exhausted, bring the suitcases back here so she can shower and get some rest.”

He dropped one of the suitcases, took her chin in hand, and forced her to meet his eye. He didn’t say anything, only arching a brow. This time she didn’t think his assertiveness was cute or attractive. She glared at him, pure vitriolic hate. “Please,” she snarled.

He dropped his hand, gritted his teeth, and took the luggage back. He stopped in the hallway when he realized he didn’t know where he was going. The kids were in one of the spare rooms. Maya and Addy in the other.
 

“Back in the master bedroom,” Zoey said. “You and I can sleep on the hide-a-bed downstairs.”

He glanced back over his shoulder, but did as she asked. He dropped off the suitcases and then left Zoey and her mom in the room. He waited in the hall, listening to Zoey in the background. “I’ll get the sheets changed while you’re showering.”

“Thanks, sweetie,” Tracy said.

“If there’s anything you need, just let me know.”

As soon as Zoey rounded the doorway into the hall, he grabbed her arm. She didn’t even look at him. She pulled her arm away, and when he caught her other one, she pulled away from him again. This time he held tight, and she started slapping at him. “Let go. I have to get sheets.”

“Stop. Zoey, I need to talk to you.”

She fought harder, shoving and slapping. At the same time, he knew if she really wanted him to let go, she’d kick him in the balls or something. She wasn’t acting like herself right now, and he remembered what she’d said about how she hated who she became when her mom was around. “Let. Go,” she said, her voice quiet and tight.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her against the wall. She hit harder than he intended and stared up at him, dazed. Her eyes were wild. Frightened? Panicked? He didn’t know what it was he was seeing. Her bottom lip quivered.
 

“Oh, baby, calm down,” he whispered. He cupped her cheek and stroked it with his thumb.
 

Her whole body buzzed and trembled. “I need to change the sheets.”

“Hey,” he said, “calm down. Go sit down and adjust, and I’ll change the sheets. Where are they?”

Her eyes softened at last, and he felt her relax just a shade. “They’re in a cabinet in the utility room.”

“Okay, I got it. Go sit down and get to know Mark. He’s our age, so we should have a lot in common.”

Her lips quirked up, and he gave her hair a little tug. At the last second, she threw her arms around his waist. “Thanks,” she said.

“It’s not free. We’re gonna give that hide-a-bed a run for its money tonight, you hear?”

She laughed and shoved him away. “You’re insatiable.” She walked away, and he slapped her on the ass as she went. Then he found his way to the utility room between the house and garage and gathered some sheets. The bathroom door in the bedroom was closed, so he went ahead and switched the sheets.
 

He was about to gather the pile of used sheets in his arms when the bathroom door opened. Tracy, wrapped in a towel with another towel twisted around her hair, leaned against the doorframe. “Well, hello there,” she said.

He gave her a quick nod before scooping up the sheets.
 

“I hope I’m not putting you out,” she said.
 

He was only two steps from the door.

She strolled out of the bathroom and fell face down onto the bed. She folded her hands under her cheek and kicked her feet back and forth.

“Not at all,” he said. “Anyway, it’s Zoey’s house. If she’s happy, I’m happy.”

“Mm, that’s sweet.” She rolled her eyes shut and moaned. “God, this bed is orgasmic.”

Well that pretty much ruined any chance he ever had of getting off in that bed again. “Glad you like it,” he said, and hurried out of the room. He threw the sheets in the wash along with a few towels.
 

When he finished there, he returned to the living room. Zoey was chatting it up with Mark, but then Mark stood and joined Tracy in the bedroom. The door clicked shut, and Kellen’s stomach churned. At least he had a few, beautiful memories from that bed. He collapsed into a recliner.

“Send her to a hotel,” Addy said.

Zoey glared at her. “If you don’t like her, you can leave.”

Kellen sat up. “How do you talk to your best friend like that?” He’d snapped before he had a chance to talk himself down. How dare she turn on Addy out of the blue?
 

Addy interrupted before Zoey could jump down his throat. “It’s okay, Kellen. I understand what she’s going through. And Zoey, I am going to leave, because I can’t watch you do this to yourself. I’ve learned already there’s nothing I can do to stop hurricane Tracy from fucking with your life. I just have to make one last-ditch effort to save you from yourself. That’s why I’m begging you…send her to a hotel.”

Zoey deflated. “I can’t. I don’t want to. She’s my mom, okay? Sure she’s a selfish hag, but she’s my momma. She used to run her fingers through my hair to put me to sleep. And she’d take me shopping and we’d have the best time together. I love her, okay?”

Addison smiled gently and put her hand on top of Zoey’s. “I understand.”

“Do you need me and the kids to go?” Maya asked.

Suddenly, Zoey snapped out of it. “God, no. You’re staying right here. This is your home, now, for as long as you need, okay?”

Maya smiled and nodded. Addy looked relieved. Kellen was definitely relieved, though he still didn’t feel secure about his own position in her life.
 

“And Addy, don’t go,” Zoey said. “Christmas at your parents’ is just freaking depressing. Stay here, and we’ll make this fun no matter what.”

Addy hugged her.

“What about me?” Kellen asked. “You want some space?”

She turned to face him, grabbed his hand, and said, “Please, don’t leave me.”

He grabbed her face and kissed her. “Never, unless you ask me to.”

“Not even then.”

He wanted to tell her that she had to take some responsibility. That he couldn’t hold up against her if she pushed too hard. That what she said to him mattered, no matter how patient he was, no matter how he tried to listen to her heart rather than her words. But it didn’t seem the time, so, instead, he just held her.

He turned to Maya. “Can I take the kids to Grandma and Grandpa’s for a little while in the morning?”

She stared down at her hands. “You’ll stay with them? You won’t let your mom talk to them by herself?”

“Absolutely, I’ll stay with them.” He and Maya had already discussed this. He was only waiting on a definite decision.
 

She sighed. “Okay. They really wanna go and I can’t bear to tell them no. Just so long as you swear you’ll stay close to them.”

“I swear, Maya. I only want their Christmas to be as normal as possible. We won’t stay long, either, just long enough and then we’ll come right back here.”

She gave him one of her soft, shy smiles. “You’re the best brother-in-law ever.”

He grinned proudly. Zoey squeezed him tighter, and he looked down to see that she was proud of him, too.
 

“Time for
A Christmas Story
!” Zoey shouted.

Matthew and Sophie cheered as they ran into the living room. It was seven o’clock. Dinner had been havoc, since Zoey had two extra people and she wasn’t that great of a cook to begin with. Kellen had jumped in, faithfully helping her no matter how many times she snapped at him. She could see it was wearing thin, though. She wondered how long she could get by with being a bitch to him before he gave up.

She’d made a pot of hot chocolate for the kids and a pitcher of eggnog for the adults. She poured hot chocolate for the kids and topped it with marshmallows. They were bundled on the couch on either side of their mother. Maya had her feet up on the ottoman and a look of sheer peace on her face. Zoey went back to the kitchen and returned with a mug for Maya. “Here you go, beautiful momma,” she said.

“Hey, what about me?” Tracy said, pretending to be offended.
 

That was Tracy’s anthem. Her motto. ‘
What about me?’
Zoey despised it, but she so desperately wanted something from her mom. Some connection. Some validation. She couldn’t figure it out, she just knew she had to keep trying. “Eggnog?” she offered. “I was generous with the rum.”