Hey guys. Here is chapter 13. I hope you like it. I WILL NOT BE POSTING THE NEXT CHAPTER UNTIL I HAVE AT LEAST 15 COMMENTS AND 25 VOTES. I know, I'm a major bleeping biyatch for that but it gives me time to set a deadline for myself and also inform me on how many readers I do have. I believe most of you are silent readers which I'm thankful you read BUT I would like some feedback!.
Enjoy the GIF of an angry Jason on the side ——>
And if you haven't already watched the trailer made me moi, go ahead and give it a go on the side ——>
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Saddle Up
"Jason Puck McFarroll, is that you?" Janice screeched with excitement as she took in her son. In a rather non-discreet way, Leigh coughed up a laugh.
"Your middle name is Puck?" she said, her face turning red as she tried to stifle her laughter. Jason scowled at her, his eyebrows coming together tightly.
"This is already turning out to be a bad idea," he hissed quietly as they both walked closer towards his family. It had taken Leigh some time —three hours and five minutes to be exact — of coaxing Jason into getting ready, but they had finally made it up the mountains and to the campsite his family had said they would be in. Leigh was enjoying every second of it. She couldn't help but to snicker every time she looked at Jason. He was wearing loose tan cargo shorts with a hunter green V-neck t-shirt. It was completely out of his norm, but she had to admit, he didn't look bad.
She was coming to think that no matter what Jason would ever wear, he would still be smolderingly handsome in her eyes. And, that thought alone had her so close to admitting herself into an asylum. There were a lot of McFarroll's, Leigh had realized. It probably wouldn't have even seemed like that many of them, if it weren't for their wives being there too. There was Jeremy, the second oldest, and his wife Alice. Jared, who was the less attractive out of the bunch, was there with his wife Lauren, while John and Jesse were coupled off with their wives over a roasting fire.
Of course Jonah was alone. Leigh didn't know if he had a boyfriend or not, but she knew that his parents would probably more than disapprove. And then, there was Janice and Jim who looked like they were camp instructors.
Everyone came to give Jason a hug and to shake Leigh's hand. She hadn't really met them properly, and now was a great time for that. "Leigh, what are you doing here?" Janice said in a loud tone. "This is for the McFarroll family, and although you and Jason are engaged, you're not officially a McFarroll."
"Mom, don't talk to her that way-"
"It's alright, Jason," Leigh said in a rush to cut him off. She didn't like how Janice was treating her, after inviting her to come herself, but she didn't want Jason to get upset. She wanted him to enjoy this time with his family, and an argument with his mom would lead to him leaving immediately. "I was invited Janice, by you. Did you forget?"
"Oh, right," was all Janice said as she plastered on a smile. Everyone was staring at the two as if they were half expecting them to break out the claws and have a girl fight right there. Janice walked away taking everyone with her and leaving Jason to sling an arm around Leigh.
"Are you sure you want to stay?" he asked her, his eyebrows raised in an I told you so kind of way.
"Shut up," she scowled as she shrugged his arm off of her shoulder and hiked up her shorts. "This will be fun and by the end of the day you will be thanking me for making you come."
"You really do dream big, don't you?" Jason teased, rolling his eyes. Leigh let out a heavy sigh, ignoring him as she made her way deeper into the campsite. She could see from her peripheral that there were a small man-made stable with seven horses taking resident there. She had always been amused by the animals, but being so close had her nerves a bit frayed.
"We weren't expecting you Leigh," Jim, Jason's father, said. He was a tall man with a head full of silver hair that he probably dyed fashionably. "So I hope you don't mind sharing a horse with your fiancé." His tone was somewhat condescending, as if he knew that Jason and Leigh weren't really engaged.
"Why would she care, father," Jason said in a playful tone. Leigh could tell that Jason had picked up on Jim's tone as well, and as if to prove a point, he pulled Leigh to him and wrapped his arms around her waist. She shivered, mentally scolding her body for acting like a hormonal teenager. "After all, she's used to riding like a cowgirl anyway."
Leigh felt her eye twitch at his inappropriate innuendo, and it took everything out of her to not reach into her bag and pepper spray him with the full can she always carried around due to their certain circumstances with the mob. There was a chorus of disgusted grunts followed by a few whistles.
"I think we should start our trail now, before anymore of you inform your own mother of your sex life," Janice said, fingers pressed to her head as if she was catching a migraine. Jason let out a small laugh into Leigh's ear, pressing his lips to her temple and dragging her by the wrist to the horse stables.
"I could kick your ass right now," Leigh hissed to him, her eyebrows furrowed as she bit her bottom lip. The last thing she wanted was for Jason's family to think that she was a whore with an open sex life. The very thought was vile.
"Which horse do you want to ride," Jason said, ignoring her threat. She narrowed her eyes at him, yet otherwise let it go, focusing on the selection of horses in front of her.
"The white one looks like the less likely to bite my face off," Leigh said in a sharp tone. Jason scoffed at her.
"Why?" he asked, looking down at her. "Because it's white?"
"Well, white is an angelic color," Leigh defended.
"Looks can be deceiving," he said to her. "But, if the white horse is what you want, it's what you'll get."
Leigh smirked watching as Jason made his way through the stable. She frowned when she seen Jeremy McFarroll, the second oldest, already making his way to the horse and trying to climb on it. Leigh's eyes widened as she saw Jason grab Jeremy by the collar of his shirt and pull him down from the horse. She knew that boys were rough, but she didn't expect Jason to be so aggressive. After all, if Jeremy got to the horse first, he should have been able to keep it.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jeremy screeched, his head of long dark hair falling into his eyes. "I made it to the horse first."
"That's good for you," Jason said with a smug grin, motioning for Leigh to come to him. "But, I have seniority over you, so this horse is mine for the picking." Jeremy gave Jason and Leigh, who had just made it to Jason's side, a grimace before stalking away with his wife. Leigh looked after him, watching as he muttered indecent words under his breath.
"Do you have to be so much of a bully?" Leigh asked, her mouth hanging ajar.
"I was only giving my fiancé what she wanted," he said, his lips curling into a soft smile. Leigh rolled her eyes, looking at the horse. Everyone else was already getting on the horses and preparing for the trail.
Jason grabbed onto the horses saddle, pulling himself up and swinging one leg over. Leigh watched with curious eyes. The way he moved onto the horse was smooth and graceful, as if he had lessons as a kid.
"Let me help you up here," he said to her. She raised her hand, protesting to him.
"I know how to get on a horse," she said, even though her words lacked truth. "I don't need your help."
"Now's not a time to be stubborn," Jason said in a teasing manner. "My family is already starting on the trail." Leigh looked behind her to see that Jason was right. At this point, the last horse was riding away and they were still in the stable. "Unless you want to stay here and get a little..." he trailed off, looking around the hay filled stable and then back at her, "...dirty?"
"Knock it off," she growled, nevertheless still taking his hand. He wrapped his large hands around her and began to lift her up. He showed her where she needed to put her feet, and how she needed to angle her body in order to comfortably fall behind him.
"Make sure you hold onto me tight," Jason said. "I like to go fast."
"Well, for my sake can you take it slow today?" Leigh asked, scowling. He chuckled at the indecision in her voice.
"I'll try." Leigh made a face at the back of his head, wrapping her arms around his waist hesitantly.
"Are you comfortable?" Jason asked, looking back at her in a painfully odd angled way. Nodding her head, she waited for him to get the horse to go. He pulled back on the rope connected to the horse lightly, and the horse gave out a small snort before turning into the direction of the trail.
Leigh smiled to herself, feeling a bit excited about riding a horse. She had never gone into the mountains before, nor was she a nature person, but it was something about the area that soothed her. It was peacefully quiet, with tall inviting trees looming over their heads. The trail itself was a bit narrow, and the other McFarroll's were nowhere in sight.
Jason began to pick up some pace, and she wrapped her arms more tightly around him, resting her head on his back. She could feel his muscles constricting under the thin fabric of his shirt. She could hear the faint thump of his heart as the wind whipped her face. It was all, in a strange sort of way, comforting. She had never shared a sweet, silent moment with Jason before. They were always bickering and annoying one another.
Granted, there were times that she enjoyed their banters, she still savored this moment as if it was the finest of wines she had ever tasted.
"How are you parents?" Jason's voice was soft, yet echoing, bringing her from her reverie. His words surprised her. He hadn't asked about her family or anymore about the house explosion, and she had long come to the terms of him being selfish.
"They're managing," she said. "Their realtor is still looking for the perfect house. They were reimbursed for the explosion, and my little brother is still able to go to school."
"You have a little brother?" he asked curiously.
"Yeah," Leigh began, "Tristan is twelve, and almost a bigger pain in the ass than you are." They both laughed, feeling awkward at how this was basically the first actual laugh they had shared together.
"I would like to officially meet him one day," Jason said after a long pause. "Your mom and dad too. I didn't really get to speak with them the night of the dinner, and I'm sure I didn't make a great first impression." Leigh made a face. She couldn't help but to think why Jason would even remotely want to be involved in her family. He barely wanted to be involved with his own family. "If it's okay with you, of course," he added after realizing her hesitation.
"No, of course," Leigh said quickly. "I think that you officially meeting my family are a good idea."
They were quiet the rest of the way, enjoying the nature around them and not that Leigh would ever admit it, but she was enjoying Jason's company. They came to a halt when they heard voices screaming. Leigh gave Jason a questioning look before he set out to follow the voices. It was a clearing up ahead with a small stream. Leigh could see the rest of the McFarroll's taking a break and letting their horses get a drink after almost three hours of riding around.
Jason pulled them into the clearing, getting off of his horse and helping Leigh down. Leigh could see that the argument was being taken place between Jason's parents and his brother Jeremy.
"What's going on?" Jason said, his voice booming. Jeremy turned to face Jason. He was angry, Leigh could tell that much. His usual tan face was red and livid, his eyes seeming wider than usual.
"You think you're a got-damn God, don't you?" Jeremy hissed, targeting Jason.
"Jeremy, I can honestly say that I have no idea what you're talking about," Jason said, pulling Leigh to stand behind him.
"All I wanted," Jeremy continued, "Was a piece of our families land to start my own company franchise, and you just had to pollute mom and dad's head into thinking it was a bad idea." Jason gave him a confused look. Leigh could tell that Jason really had no idea what Jeremy was talking about. She spared a glance at Jason's parents who were staring at the scene with smirks gracing their lips.
She wasn't a detective, but she knew that Mr. and Mrs. McFarroll were clearly up to no good and dragging Jason down to save their ass's.
Jason was glaring angrily at his parents, his jaw clenched tightly. The tension in the air was so thick, Leigh was sure that she could cut it with a knife. She could feel Jason's body shaking, he was angry and she knew it would bypass all of the anger she'd seen from him before.
"You know, Jeremy," he said, his tone slow and deliberate. "I didn't have to pollute our parents mind in order for them to say no to you. Every single business you have tried to start has practically gone down in flames. You're irresponsible and downright idiotic when it comes to handling money."
"That is still not your call to make," Jeremy hissed. "Alice, get back on the horse. We're leaving." It seemed as if everyone was feeling like the mood was spoiled because Jason's other brothers and their wives got back on their horses as well.
Jonah snarled, looking down at us from his horse. "Typical Jason move," he began. "You never want to see anyone else succeed but yourself." With that he rode off on his horse, leaving Leigh to stare dumbfounded after him.
"I can't believe our family day is ruined," screeched Janice. Jason flashed a glare at her, coming so close that Leigh thought he was going to hit her.
"Do you enjoy turning your children against one another?" he hissed into her face. Jim moved towards them, putting himself in between Jason and Janice.
"Don't speak to your mother that way," he said, his face threatening.
"I am so tired of this family pegging me out to be the bad guy all of the time," he hissed. "More importantly, I'm tired of the two of you lying on me because you don't have the balls to tell your own children no. You have to bring me in it as an excuse of telling them that they can't get what they want from you."
Janice laughed as if she didn't know what he was talking about. "What are you saying?" she asked incredulously. "That we purposely make your siblings hate you? That's pure ludicrous."
"No, what's ludicrous is the fact that you two don't have a sympathetic bone in your bodies. You treat your children as if we are objects and not human beings."
"Say what you must," Jim said, interrupted Jason. "But you are no saint. You developed your own bad reputation in our family. Your mother and I had nothing to do with the way your brothers view you."
"Leigh," Jason said, making her jump at the sound of her name. "Gather your things, we're leaving."
"See, that's one of your biggest mistakes," Janice said, crossing her arms. "Bringing someone like her into this family, what are you thinking?" Leigh's eyes arched. She didn't know how this conversation had suddenly become about her.
"What's that supposed to mean," Leigh said in a low tone.
"Your family was a charity case. We didn't help them because we thought they would ever be good enough to hold a candle to our family. We did it because the press was trying to release an article about us being selfish people and that would have ruined our image at the time. We did it purely for our own sake," Janice explained.
Leigh scoffed, feeling her eyes burn with tears. It was okay for her to get talked about by Janice, but for her to degrade her parents like that, it was completely out of line.
"That's enough," Jason rang out, his voice slicing through the air.
"That's what I want to know," Jim added. "Jason, when is enough going to finally be enough? You're not seriously going to follow through with this wedding are you? It's a joke."
The air was silent with nothing but the heavy breathing of Leigh to keep her tears at bay. The McFarroll's were more than crude people, she was beginning to realize. They were monsters. They only cared about themselves and no other person. They would easily crush a person and not even care to think about them the next day.
"You know," Jason finally said, rubbing his hand against his chin. "When I was young, I actually looked up to you people; I actually wanted your approval." He walked over to Leigh, grabbing her hand. "What a fool I was. You two are the most selfish people ever known to mankind. You should be happy that I'm bringing someone like Leigh into our lives." With that, he got onto the horse, helping Leigh up quickly.
"You have lost your mind," Jim said, looking fierce. Jason didn't say anything. He only pulled the rope on the horse and charged forward, leaving his parents behind.
They didn't travel far before Jason was stopping the horse again. They were in a part of the mountains that viewed over the whole city. The sun was coming down, creating a dark orange glow around them. Jason sighed heavily, seeming to not care as he took a seat on the dirt ground. Leigh frowned. She felt bad about the whole situation. It was her fault Jason had even come, and it only ended in ruins.
She had come to terms that Janice had used her for all the wrong reasons. She didn't want to spend quality time with Jason, she wanted to make her sons hate him even more than what they already did. And, Leigh had fallen right into her trap. With heavy feet, she dragged herself to sit next to Jason.
"I'm sorry, for making you come here," she said, avoiding looking at him and staring out into the city. "You were right; this was a bad idea. I should have listened to you."
"It's not your fault," Jason said after a slight pause. "You saw potential in a lost cause. I can't be upset with you for that."
"I just had no idea that your parents treated you like that," Leigh reasoned.
"Those are my folks," he said, resting back onto his elbows. "I remember when one of my brothers, Jared, was dating a poor girl and fell in love with her. My parents had convinced Jared that I used to have sexual connections with the girl, forcing him to believe them instead of me and to break up with her. He's never forgiven me. He thinks I had sex with his first love, when the truth is, I've never even laid eyes on her."
Leigh's eyes widened, reaching for his arm. "I am so sorry, Jason." She couldn't help but to feel sorry for him. All this time she had only saw him as an arrogant asshole. She didn't even stop to think that there was more to him. Yet, here he was confessing feelings to her, and she could see the real him. There was a part of him that was vulnerable; a child begging for his parents approval. He was hurt by his family, and acted as if he didn't care just to deal with the pain.
He didn't want to be this person who seemed heartless; he was forced to be that way by his family,
"I know you may not believe me," Jason began, "But it seems as if you came into my life at the exact right time. You're the only positive influence I have, and I think I need that more than ever right now." He grabbed her hand, wrapping his own around hers and looking into her eyes.
Leigh inhaled, her breath getting caught in her throat. He was staring at her as if he needed her, as if her very existence was the only thing from driving him insane.
"I need you more than ever," he said, his voice sounding low and strained. Leigh hesitated before pulling a stray tress of hair from his eyes.
"We need each other," she admitted, and it was then that she realized that she didn't hate Jason as much as she thought. In actuality, she was seeing a part of him that was sacred and she knew no one else had ever seen. She was now comfortable with their arrangement, and even though the man in front of her had many secrets and scars, a part of her found him to be intoxicatingly prepossessing.
For his flaws were the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed.
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This was a drama-ish chapter but I think Jason and Leigh finally had a break through eh? I just had to get an update in before Valentines Day. SOOOO HAPPY VALENTINES DAY LOVELIES.
I have a day planned of breakfast in bed, going shopping, going to dinner and tying all that up with going to the movies to see 50 Shades of Grey. I hope you all have a good day, the single and the taken!!