Just Pretend

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Gwen

The moment Jace gives the ultimatum to choose between not sleeping next to him and sleeping next to him, I've already made up my mind.

Of course, I'm sleeping beside Jason tonight.

Clarissa wants all of us to sleep under the same roof and when only Jace and I RSVP'd, Alyssa had sent through that everyone will find their own sleeping space in the house.

I know Jason is taking the spare bedroom and I intend to join him.

I hand a laughing Clarissa off to her mother as Jason starts walking in our direction, my eyes briefly falling on the puppy that reminded me of him when I walked into the shelter.

The lovable determination of Carrie reminds me of Jason and his ways of doing everything with the full amount of energy that it deserves.

I've been taking Carrie to training for the last week, teaching her obedience from the start and giving her guard dog training, and she's been amazing. She's lying on the lounger with her gaze trained on me, her head resting on her paws after Jason closed her with her blanket.

With no warning, Jason jumps in the pool, causing water droplets to fall everywhere; landing in my hair and on my arms and back. I stay where I am as Clarissa, Alyssa and Will scatter, turning to look at Jason standing at the edge of the pool.

'You just gave me a hair tie,' I point out at his mischievous expression. He narrows his eyes but steps forward, dropping into the pool as I start moving away slowly. He surfaces a few feet away from me and I pretend to jump away.

He quirks an eyebrow and I slowly make my way over to Alyssa, who's helping Clarissa out of the pool while Will waits for her with a towel.

'Can we swim again tomorrow?' she asks and Alyssa tells her that today is the last day for swimming, to which she pouts as Will dries her off. I feel the water shift behind me and I make one last poor attempt to get away from Jason just as he wraps his arms around my waist.

I laugh and relax against him as he drags me back through the water, leaving Alyssa, Will, and Clarissa looking after us with varying expressions of shock and excitement.

'That wasn't much of a fight,' he says in my ear, his lips brushing the lobe gently, and I shrug.

'Are you complaining?' I respond softly and he chuckles, dragging me to the edge and shifting me around to carry me out of the pool. I sigh, knowing it's futile to argue with Jason, wrapping my arms instinctively around his neck.

He sets me down next to Carrie and Clarissa and drapes a towel around my shoulders while I praise Carrie for her good behaviour.

'Thanks,' I tell him, looking over my shoulder as he wraps a towel around his waist. Clarissa watches us like a hawk and he nods in acknowledgement of the sentiment, catching Clarissa's eye with a raised eyebrow.

'Enjoying your reality TV, kiddo?' he asks, amused, and Clarissa nods enthusiastically, turning her head between Jason and me.

'It is pretty interesting,' Will says and Jason cuts his eyes to him with a glower. Will just grins and walks forward to haul Clarissa into his arms and onto his shoulders while I dry off the remainder of the water on my body.

Jason tells me to take Carrie and he'll bring our clothes. His words seem to hit the pause button on his family heading towards their garden gate and Will and Alyssa turn around to look at him.

Alyssa turns them back around and they resume walking again; Will opening the gate for Alyssa before he and Clarissa head through, leaving it open for us.