Just Pretend

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Jason

While Gwen takes a midday nap on the mattresses, curled around Carrie after lunch, I kiss her cheek gently before heading out of her house and to my truck parked across her driveway.

I'm surprised that I remembered to turn the thing off in my hurry to tell Gwen what's going on, but I've left the keys in the ignition. I climb into the cab and start the ignition before pulling out of her driveway and driving down the road to the gate and calling it open.

I drive straight to my place and grab the same two duffels I used to move in with her the first time, and stuff them full of clothes, intending to come back tomorrow for the rest of my clothes.

Now that Gwen's officially mine, I'm not planning on letting her sleep one night on her own again.

I sling the duffels over my shoulder and head back to my truck, dropping them on the back seat and making sure that my front door is locked before walking back to the truck and hopping in, driving back to Gwen.

I make sure to enter the house quietly but when I walk into the foyer and look over to where I'd left Gwen; she's still sleeping on the mattresses but Carrie is laying with her head on Gwen's side, looking at me. I show her the duffels and she huffs, sliding back down on Gwen's body to rest her head on her stomach.

I chuckle before heading upstairs to unpack, surprised that Gwen left the wardrobe empty for me after I moved out like the coward I was. I unpack quickly before jogging downstairs and laying down next to Gwen, smiling when she shifts into my arms, resting her hand gently on my bicep under her cheek.

Carrie follows her mom, shooting me a glare for being the cause of her having to move, and rests her head on Gwen's thigh as I wrap my arm around her waist, nuzzling my head into Gwen's neck before falling asleep, myself.

The smell of grilling meat wakes me three hours later and I feel around on the mattress next to me, searching for Gwen and only finding the silky coat of Carrie curled up beside me, her back facing me. I open my eyes and the moment Carrie realizes I'm awake, she jumps up and darts to the sliding door.

I sit up slightly slower than the dog and look through the glass door to see Gwen turning and cupping Carrie's smiling face in her hands before turning her head towards the glass. She smiles when she sees me awake and she turns back to the grill to turn down the heat before making her way inside, the smell of smoke following her, and she sits down on the mattress beside me, slinging her arm around my shoulders and draping her leg across my thigh. I rest my hand on her thigh and turn my head to look at her curiously.

'Again, I'm asking you why I always seem to fall asleep with you and wake up without you next to me?' I say softly, leaning my head against her shoulder and she laughs quietly.

'Maybe because you sleep like a rock,' she says and I hear the amusement in her voice and I look at her sideways, to which she laughs and shakes her head.

'Also, this time I have a valid excuse,' she says and I raise my eyebrows at her.

'Food and -,' she reaches between the mattresses furthest from where we're sitting and she pulls out two thin plastic tubes, holding them between her fingers. I grin and pluck one of the tubes from her hand, unscrewing it and putting the joint that drops into my palm between my lips.

'Forgiven,' I mutter around it and she grins before standing up and heading outside to the grill, putting her own joint between her lips.

I have to admire her bravado; when she reaches the grill, she turns up the flames and leans forward a little – keeping her hair to her chest with her hand – and lights the blue cone between her lips with the dancing flame.