Mia hadn’t said much either, except to exchange some gardening tips with Jackson’s mother or to answer a few of his father’s rare questions. By the time dinner had been cleared away, Jackson had been dying to take Mia and flee the house, but that was a big no-no on Thanksgiving Day. Instead, they’d watched the Cowboys game in its entirety, sitting on the massive sectional sofa as far away as they could from Shane and Tiff. Then, at his mother’s firm insistence, they stayed in the living room to eat dessert and watch the first half of the next game, but Arlene’s blatant attempt at prolonging the evening in order to spark some sort of conversation between her two sons yet again failed.

Jackson still couldn’t believe how cold Shane had acted toward him. Even colder than usual, which was completely baffling. Usually his brother was more aloof than rude, but tonight he’d been sending a helluva lot of scowls in Jackson’s direction.

Needless to say, he’d been relieved as heck when Shane and Tiff finally left. Now it was ten o’clock, his parents and sister had already turned in, and he and Mia were finally alone.

“It’s the guilt, you know.”

He turned to Mia with a frown. “What?”

“That’s why your brother and Tiffany were acting like that. They’re guilty as hell and neither of them know how to deal with it.”

“An apology would be a start.”

“Obviously. But I think they don’t know how to open up that dialogue. I get the feeling that they’re scared of you.”

He wrinkled his forehead. “Why the heck would they be scared of me?”

“Because you’re the wronged party in this situation. They’re scared of how you’ll react if they try to drag up all those old issues—they were probably scared of how you’d react back then, too. And I think they’re also a bit resentful. I mean, it’s clear that your parents are squarely on your side in this matter. Your mom wasn’t crazy friendly to Tiffany, and even though it’s obvious they love Shane, they don’t look at him with the same adoration they give you.” Mia shrugged. “I think Shane and Tiffany pick up on that.”

“Maybe.” An unsteady breath left his mouth. “Whatever. I don’t wanna talk about this anymore.”

Mia gave his hand another squeeze. “Okay,” she said simply.

He shifted around so he could meet her gaze. “I really appreciate you bein’ here. I don’t know if I could’ve gotten through that dinner without you.”

“Sure you could. You’re a big, manly Navy SEAL. You can tackle any obstacle in your path.”

He smiled weakly. “And yet tonight I was tempted to bolt out the front door every ten minutes or so.”

Jackson’s mind continued to run over the day’s events, unable to stop dwelling on the icy stares Shane had kept hurling his way. He was the one who ought to have been glaring. Because of Shane and Tiffany, he couldn’t go into town without being the object of vicious gossip. Because of them, he’d once lain in a bloody mess on the barn floor. And because of them, he didn’t feel comfortable staying in the house he’d grown up in with the parents who’d loved and supported him all his life.

“All right, I can’t believe I’m about to do this.”

Mia’s cryptic words jolted him back to the present. The determination lining her green eyes sparked his curiosity.

“Do what?”

She ignored the inquiry and said, “I’ll have you know I’d way rather be singing an ’80s pop song, but here goes…” She took a breath.

And started to sing.

Jackson burst out laughing as she softly belted out the lyrics to “My Girl”, his all-time favorite oldies tune.

As he listened, his heart grew so full it felt like it was going to burst. This woman truly was somethin’ else. She’d known exactly what to do to raise his spirits, and he loved her for it.

Lord, how he loved her. He’d known it for a while, but right here, right now, he could say without a single shred of doubt that he was wildly, passionately and unequivocally in love with Mia Weldrick.

When she opened her mouth to start the next verse, he cut her off by capturing her lips in a deep kiss.

“You—” he pulled back to meet her eyes, “—are absolutely f**kin’ wonderful.”

Pleasure washed over her face, and then she grabbed him by the collar of his button-down and kissed him again.

They fell back on the mattress in a jumble of arms and legs, their mouths locked together. Jackson’s pulse raced when their tongues met. His brain went fuzzy when Mia sucked on his bottom lip. And his c**k dang near exploded when she shoved her hand between their bodies and squeezed it.

Somehow their clothes disappeared and they wound up naked beneath the thick duvet, exploring each other’s bodies with their hands, mouths and tongues.

“You’re so beautiful,” he mumbled, propping himself up over her warm, slender body.

“So are you.” When her hand came up to stroke his cheek, he sagged into her touch, loving it, welcoming it.

Neither of them was interested in foreplay anymore—their hands collided down south as they both tugged on his c**k to guide him inside her.

They laughed at their own eagerness, then released simultaneous moans when he slid into her wetness in one smooth glide.

Mia wrapped her arms around him and ran her fingers over his back. He shuddered, not just from the feel of her tight pu**y clutching his cock, but from the overwhelming love flowing inside him.