Chapter Nine - Oh, hell no.

"Wow, I'm starving." I mumble, my stomach rumbling loudly for the fiftieth time. Jake chuckles, changing into a simple white shirt and grey jogging bottoms. Even in casual loungewear, he never fails to amaze me with his handsome features. No matter what the man wears, he looks good in it.

"Well you are eating for two now so it's explainable." Jake mimics Tobias' voice, slapping a hand to his forehead. I laugh loudly, unable to believe Tobias was the one to slip up.

"Honestly, what are we going to do with him?"

"Give him to the homeless shelter so they can serve him up as Christmas Turkey." Jake grumbles unhappily under his voice. I giggle at him, shaking my head —

"You love him really."

"Eh." Jake shrugs casually, shooting a cheeky smirk in my direction. I bounce off the bed and hold my hand out to him which he takes immediately.

"Can we please go and get some food before I waste away into a ball of nothing?" I beg him, already pulling him towards the door. He nods his head, having the same idea as me —

"Two very late Christmas Dinner coming right up."

*****

After piling our plates high and going back for seconds, we're now finally content and slightly suffering from a food coma. I groan as I head for the couch, clutching my stomach over dramatically. Jake is the first to drop, closing his eyes with a deep sigh. I take a seat next to him and he pulls me in, nestling me between his legs with his arms around my top half.

"I think I over ate." I mumble, my stomach almost on the verge of bursting. Ivory enters the room clutching a glass of wine followed by the rest of the family. We'd decided to gather in the living room with the fire on to exchange presents. Ivory is the first to open hers from Jake and I —

"You got me jewellery? Wow, I love it! Thank you guys." Ivory beams, taking out the simple silver bracelet and securing it around her wrist. She holds it up and admires it in the light before heading towards us.

"It's the least we could do, you're an amazing friend." I tell her, embracing her tightly. Her smile widens as she leans over me to hug Jake.

"And you're an amazing cousin even though you annoy the hell out of me sometimes."

"You're the sweetest Jake." Ivory responds, pecking his cheek before pulling away. He mocks disgust, wiping at it dramatically before breaking out into a grin. Small laughter breaks out in the room and I join in, looking around at everyone. A feeling of gratefulness and gratitude settles in as I realise how much my life has changed since meeting the Melvin family. . .

"This is for you," Tobias surprises me, handing me a small box. He appears nervous as he hands it over to me, his brown eyes averting eye contact with me. My eyes widen as I take it from him, noticing Jake watching me closely from the corner of my eye.

"Just for me?" I ask quietly and he nods slowly, averting eye contact with Jake. I give him a small thankful smile before taking the little present that's wrapped in shiny red paper. It's done messily with the tape covering eighty percent present and I know instantly Tobias had trouble wrapping it.

"Merry Christmas Emily," he smiles before returning to his seat on the couch next to Jane. She smiles at him a little tightly than usual but Tobias doesn't seem to notice her stiff posture towards him. I pass the present between my hands, chewing on my bottom lip nervously.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Jake asks me, his words spoken quietly. I bite my lip harder, feeling the aura inside the room fill with a tense atmosphere. Everyone turns to watch me, waiting for me to open the gift.

"Yeah of course, thank you Tobias." I smile, beginning to tear apart the paper. A silence falls over the room and I feel myself grow increasingly nervous. The sudden sound of the doorbell ringing interrupts me and I push myself off the couch quickly —

"I'll get it!" I chirp loudly before exiting the room and heading for the front door. I breathe out a sigh of relief, my eyes landing on the shadow of a figure on the other side. I tug on Jake's hoody, feeling under dressed for a guest.

As soon as I open the door, I smile automatically at the person on the other side. My eyes meet with large green ones with thick black lashes. She appears to be the same age as me with long jet black hair that's curled to perfection. She wears heavy makeup and resembles a model. I've never seen her before and wonder whether she's part of the Melvin family.

Her eyes drift down my outfit as she scrutinises me and I suddenly feel extremely under dressed in comparison to her. Her green eyes flash in irony as she peeks over my shoulder to look into the house.

"Hey! Can I help you?" I ask politely and her eyes snap back to mine, realising that I'm indeed asking her a question. She pauses for a moment before her perfectly pouted pink lips turn up into a smile —

"Yes I hope so. Does Jake still live here? Or Tobias?"

Her words are spoken in a slow drawl but sound exaggerated, almost as if she was putting on a facade just for me. At the mention of Jake's name, a frown appears on my face.

"Yes, they live here. I'm sorry but who are you?" I ask firmly, closing the door over a little further. Jake laughs loudly from the living room at a joke someone drops and I practically see her green eyes light up brightly at the sound of him.

"Is that Jake?" She asks in excitement, completely ignoring my question. She once again attempts to look over my shoulder into the house, acting like I don't exist.

"Who are you?" I repeat a little bluntly this time. Her green eyes flash with annoyance before snapping back to me and she holds out her hand unwillingly —

"I'm Violet."

My mouth hangs open in shock at her name. Violet. Jake's ex.

Jake's ex who cheated on him with Tobias.

Oh, hell no.