Jeffrey barreled into the driveway, his car coming to a brisk halt. He burst through the front door, and sure enough, there was Karen, trapped in an intervention circle by his folks.
Before Jeffrey could make his presence known, Karen was in full defense mode, "Jeffrey and I are not an item! We're just friends, honest!"
"I get it!"
"You finally understand?"
"I know you're ticked off. Jeffrey can really be a piece of work! Just wait till he gets home. His dad and I are gonna read him the riot act!"
Karen, feeling utterly helpless and at a loss for words, caught a glimpse of Jeffrey striding in.
She shot up from the couch and pointed at him, "Jeffrey, get over here and explain!"
Paloma, seeing her son return, heaved a sigh of relief.
The last thing she wanted was her future daughter-in-law making a run for it, leaving her to face the music when her son asked about her whereabouts.
Jeffrey sauntered over with a grin and stood beside Karen. His eyes crinkled with mischief as he announced, "Alright, let me clear the air—”
"Karen here is my girlfriend, and I'm going to marry her."
Paloma's heart settled back into place at his declaration.
But Karen? She was on the verge of tears.
"Are you nuts, Jeffrey? Since when am I your girlfriend?"
"How many nights have you spent in my bed? If not my girlfriend, then what?"
Karen was utterly dumbfounded.
Hearing this, Huxley coughed awkwardly, excusing himself to get some fresh air.
Paloma, now all smiles, chimed in, "How about you two chat for a bit? Your dad and I will take a stroll around the block. If you decide to hit up the bank today, we'll join. If not, we'll head out."
"Sounds good, Mom. I'll sweet-talk her. She's just throwing a tantrum."
Once his parents were out the door, Jeffrey turned around only to be greeted with a sharp pain in his foot!
Karen had zeroed in on his flip-flops and stomped down hard.
"Yeow! Are you trying to cripple me? My leg's just healed!"
"You deserve it! Why don't you just become disabled?" Karen glared at him and outstretched her hand, "Give me back my phone! This is like house arrest. Do you know that, Jeffery?"
She was desperate to get in touch with her parents and to straighten out the whole Levi thing!
"I had no choice. The minute I let you go, you'd be straight to the hospital to find that pretty boy!" Jeffrey tugged Karen back to the couch, fixing her with a serious gaze, "I'm not kidding. I agreed to your terms for real. My folks are here to help us with the title transfer. You wanted security and I'm giving it to you!"
Jeffrey was different today.
Dressed up for a company meeting, he was wearing a rare look: crisp suit, tie knotted just so, hairBooks Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...
slicked back - he looked every bit the aloof business tycoon instead of the rakish heartthrob.
Maybe it was an illusion, but she could actually sense a shred of sincerity in his words.
But still...
"If you're serious, then answer me, why me?"
Karen tried to keep her emotions in check to have a real conversation.
But that genuinely stumped Jeffrey.
"What reason? The reason is you!"
"Among all your exes, there are prettier ones, ones with better figures, more sensible ones, and ones who'd cling to you. Why would you want to marry me?" Karen laid her deepest doubts all out, "Is it because I refused to stay in touch, so you find me different and refreshing?"
Jeffrey rolled the tip of his tongue against his cheek, loosening his tie, "You're overthinking it... I don't just say yes to anyone who asks."