For All The Right Reasons

by Brownell, Rachael

  When can we meet him? Why haven't you mentioned him before? What do you mean he's not your boyfriend? Who is he, then? I can't believe you're sleeping with him and you're not even dating him. We raised you better than that, Jessa Marie. Are you pregnant? Is that what this is about? If you're pregnant, you can tell us. We love you, you know that, right?

  The walk really helped me clear my head. I've always loved the smell of winter, especially after a snow storm. It's such a fresh smell, like the air is cleaner. I walked around the block twice before I got tired of trudging through the snow and headed back. I grew up in this neighborhood. My parents bought the house when I was only two years old. A lot of good memories happened on this street, in this neighborhood. Some of my friend’s parents still live around here. I wonder if anyone is home for the holidays. If I had more time, I would visit some of them.

  My watch tells me that I have fifteen hours before my flight leaves for New York. That means I need to pack up my things and drive to Jackson's. He's arranged for a taxi to pick us up in the morning and take us to the airport.

  All packed up, I'm ready to say goodbye to my parents, but knowing I'm not going to see them again for a few months makes me miss them the moment I turn off our street. They are some of the best people I know. Generous and caring, they'll do just about anything for anyone, no questions asked. They've always been like that.

  Jackson is waiting for me at the rental car center when I pull up. Since I sold my car last week, I had to find a way home for the weekend. Jackson offered to drive me. He also offered to let me borrow his car. Both of those options led to huge red flags waving. I politely declined and then asked if he would pick me up tonight. Thankfully, he agreed.

  "How was your Christmas?" he asks, turning the heater on full blast.

  "It was good. How was yours?"

  "Eventful," he says, looking over his shoulder as he changes lanes. My apartment, err his apartment, is only a few blocks away.

  "What does that mean? Did something exciting happen?" I ask, looking to talk about anything other than my boring weekend.

  "You could say that."

  "Um, care to elaborate?"

  "Not really," he says flatly, staring straight ahead.

  "Why the hell not?"

  "You said we didn't do personal, Jessa. Your rule, not mine. Of course, I want to share with you because it's funny as hell, but you made the rule, remember?"

  Damn him. I did make that rule, but now I want to know what happened. I could use a good laugh at the expense of another person. The question is, do I let the rule go so I can hear his story. Why the hell not?

  "We can cross that rule off the list. Now, tell me," I demand.

  "Are you sure? You were pretty damn serious about those rules when you made them. Don't you remember that time I was drunk and tried to kiss you? You almost gave me a black eye." He's teasing me, I can tell, but he's right. I've always taken the rules very seriously.

  The day I met Jackson was intense. I was trying to get my apartment set up, and I could hear him going at it with some chick through my bedroom wall. At first, I listened, her moans and screams captivating my interest. After about an hour, I turned on music. It didn't mask the noise, though. My ears were tuned into it, listening to her voice. Before I could stop myself, I started banging on the wall over my bed.

  Dead silence. Thinking I had solved the problem, I went back to unpacking my apartment. There was a knock at the door a few minutes later. Thinking it was Amber coming to help, I answered without looking. Not Amber. Not even close.

  Wearing only a pair of gym shorts that hung extremely low on his hips, Jackson proceeded to introduce himself. I was dumbfounded. Words would not come. I was staring at him, mouth agape, as he waited for me to tell him my name. It was what happened next that drew me to him.

  "Are you enjoying the view? I can always try to go another round if you're interested."

  Shocked, I snapped out of my trance and prepared to bitch him out. When I looked up, I could see that he was teasing me. If the huge smile on his face hadn't given it away, the deep laugh that escaped him would have. We were instant friends after that. For about two days.

  He brought me dinner one night and told me flat out he wanted me six different ways. I promised to think about it, knowing full well that I was on board, but I wanted boundaries. That's when I made the list. I wanted to make sure he knew that it was sex, just crazy-ass sex.

  Rule #1 – No kissing on the lips

  Rule #2 – No sharing personal crap

  Rule #3 – No getting emotionally attached

  Rule #4 – No other people in the bed

  Rule #5 – The sex has to stop if one of us gets involved with someone else

  My bet was it would last six months before he found a girlfriend. Rule number five was going to be the one broken first. I was wrong.

  "Please, Jackson," I say, begging him in a voice I know he can't, or better yet won't, deny.

  "Fine. Both of my brothers made it home this year. Things can get a little rowdy around the house with all three of us there." Pulling into the parking lot, Jackson lets his voice trail off as if there's not more to the story than that.

  "And…" I say, prompting him to continue.

  "It was an interesting holiday, that's all." Opening his door to get out, he successfully ends the conversation. For now anyway. I don't plan on giving up that easily, especially since I crossed one of the rules off the list for this story.

  After dinner, I cuddle up on the couch. Jackson takes the seat at the other end of it. His focus seems to be on the television, but I can tell something else is going on inside his head. It could be work or our impending trip, but if I had to guess, it has something to do with his family. Even if I'm wrong, I want to know the rest of the story from earlier.

  "So, two brothers, huh?" I ask, watching his reaction closely.

  "Yep, and two sisters, too," he answers without looking away from the television.

  "And where are you in all those kids? Oldest? Youngest? Wait, you do have a little bit of middle-child syndrome."

  His head whips in my direction. "I'm the youngest, thank you very much."

  "How old are your brothers?"

  "Devin is a year older than me and Thomas is two years older than him. Why?"

  "I figured there was more to your story earlier. Just wondering how everyone stacks up. Do they fight or something?"

  "You're an only child, aren't you?" How did he know that?

  "Yeah…" I reply, stretching the word out a bit more than necessary.

  "I should have known. All siblings fight. It's what we do. We compete for our parent’s attention. We want to show each other up, prove each other wrong. It's all a game. I don't play the game well. I keep my mouth shut and let everyone else go head to head while I sit back and watch it all unfold. I hate conflict. My brothers are the worst. They seem to think that they still need to compete in every aspect of their lives. It makes them stronger, more successful, but it's annoying. There's no real story from earlier. It was an interesting weekend, that's all. My brothers were especially caddy and my sisters egged them on."

  Jackson goes back to watching television while I let his words soak in. I never had anyone to compete with. It's not like I missed having a sibling when I was growing up, but it makes me realize that one of the reasons I joined the sorority in college was because I needed that companionship. I'm glad I did. I wouldn't have Amber in my life if I hadn't. If not for her, I would be embarking on this next chapter of my life alone. Having Jackson with me is proving to be far more interesting already.

  Keep reading…

  A special note

  Thank you so much for reading Jade & Nathan’s story. This book was demanded by readers. They wanted to know their story, how it started and how long they’d been keeping their relationship a secret from their best friends.

  I cannot even begin to describe how much I loved writing this book. The words poured onto the pages.
For ten days, I immersed myself in their love, their secrets and their heartache.

  I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have a strange feeling this won’t be the last time you hear from this group. With so many kids between them… you never know whose story might pop into my head next.