by K. Anderson
He was not one for big weddings, after all her experience with Horace had taught her that big weddings did not guarantee a happy marriage. She wanted a small intimate ceremony with just Jack’s family and a few friends. Jack was chuckling now and from the street lights, she saw how relaxed he looked, the muscles on his face at ease.
“I don’t know if we can get away with a small ceremony. All my Uncles and Aunties reside in Texas and my mother…. where do I begin? She’s been on our case to get married for ages. I doubt I can convince her to a small ceremony.”
Leila thought of her own mother and imagined how she would have reacted had she been alive.
“I believe my mother would have been the same way. I was an only child and born later in their lives so I know she would have made a big fuss about it,” Leila said. “It doesn’t bother me either way. As long as we’re together, I’m happy.”
She waited for the words of love or even affection to come but none did. Her own mouth itched with the need to confess to Jack that she had fallen in love with him but his silence put her off. She told herself to give him time. He was probably one of those people who needed to be sure of themselves before saying something.
Still, it would have been nice to hear words of endearment along with the proposal. Leila shrugged it off, after all he was going to marry her. Which man married a woman he was not in love with?
That night, their lovemaking took on new proportions. The fact that Jack was now her fiancé made Leila a little teary as they made love.
“Are you alright?” Jack asked, concern written on his face.
Her emotions were raw and her feelings on the surface. She looked at Jack’s handsome face hovering above her and she felt overwhelmed by emotions.
“I’m fine,” she said with a smile. “I love you so much Jack. I’m in love with you, isn’t that crazy?”
He smiled back. “It’s not crazy at all.”
His mouth came down on hers and he kissed her wildly. It only hit her later, after Jack had returned to his own bedroom that he had not spoken of his feelings for her. It hurt Leila a little but she refused to focus on it, instead, she concentrated on the positive bits of their new relationship. She fell asleep with a lot on her mind.
Jack’s quiet refusal to share her bed until morning. The subtle distance he held between them.
Chapter Ten
Jack was excited about his looming nuptials with Leila. Despite his attempts at keeping a safe distance between them, she had crawled into his skin and he found himself thinking of her often. He felt impatient at the five days when she would be away. She had returned to California a day earlier to wrap up her life as best as she could in five days.
He pranced around the house, feeling lonely. He had never noticed how large the house was until now. He imagined it full of children in a few years’ time and the thought warmed his heart. Unable to bear his own company any longer, he decided to go out to his parents’ house. He glanced at the time. It was noon, good. He would just be in time for lunch.
He drove at a leisurely pace, musing over how one’s fortunes changed in an instance. He was about to get married and to a beautiful and wonderful woman. Not to mention sexy, Jack thought with a chuckle. Leila was a revelation in bed. Whatever inexperience she had, she more than made up with her passion.
She was game to try anything and he knew that their future together would never have a dull moment. He stopped his car by a large, wrought iron gate, full of ivy interweaving itself between the metal rods. Before he could hoot to make his presence known, the gate slid apart and he drove in.
It had taken years to convince his parents to have that particular technology installed. It was silly to have someone come all the way from the house or stop their chores to open the gate. Jack was surprised when he saw his brother, Aaron’s car parked in the drive. His brother was a lawyer in the city and it was rare to see him at this time of day.
He parked his car next to Helen’s and got out. He found the whole family in the back garden, having lunch as he had thought.
“Trust Jack to show up when we’re just about to eat,” Aaron said and stood up.
He hugged Jack and clapped him hard on the shoulder. The two brothers were alike physical but the resemblance ended there.
“Good to see you little brother,” Jack teased.
He went around the table and kissed his sister Helen and then his mother and father. He pulled a chair and sat down.
“This is an unexpected treat,” their mother said smiling whilst looking at all of them. “Having all my children under one roof and at the same time.”
“What you doing here in the middle of the day Aaron? Got fired?” Jack said.
“Partners don’t get fired big bro. I just felt a need to touch base, plus I’m going to Washington next week and I might not get another chance,” Aaron explained.
“Wow, you’re going up in the world! Washington huh?” Jack said.
“Don’t be impressed. I’m just going for a meeting with a client,” Aaron said dryly.
“They don’t just send anyone, do they?” their father said, speaking up for the first time.
“No,” Aaron admitted, smiling sheepishly. “It’s an honor.”
“You work hard bro and you deserve it,” Jack said, his teasing tone gone.
It was true that his brother worked like a dog at that law firm where he had recently been made a partner. He had broken the record as being the youngest lawyer to ever being made partner. Of course the family name helped but that was only a small part of it. His hard work had earned him the position and Jack felt very proud of his brother.
They had been raised with a value for work ethic. It was unknown in their home to be in bed past seven o’clock in the morning unless you had a very good reason for it. His sister Helen owned and managed several executive salons in the city. They had all done well for themselves on an individual capacity.
Jack served himself and returned to the table, enjoying the feeling of belonging that he had taken for granted before he met Leila. He couldn’t imagine how it felt like not to have his family around. Once they were married, he hoped she would feel part of his family. They were wonderful people and he knew that she would come to love them as he did.
“What’s up sis, you’re very quiet,” Jack said turning to Helen.
“I’m alright; you two never let me get in a word.”
“I don’t remember you complaining about it before?”
Helen laughed and pushed back her jet black hair with impatience.
“How’s the agency thing going?” she whispered. “Any luck?”
“As a matter of fact I did find someone. She’s wonderful and perfect for me. Her name’s Leila and we’re getting married in a month’s time.” Jack said.
“Married?” Helen shrieked.
Silence fell across the table and everyone turned to him. His mother looked particularly shocked.
“Jack?” she said.
He sighed and decided to tell them. He had intended to introduce them to Leila and give them time to get to know her before announcing their engagement. Now, thanks to Helen’s big mouth, he had to tell them now. He glared at her and then focused on his parents.
“I met this girl, her name’s Leila and yes I did propose to her and she said yes.”
They were all silent. It was a lot to take in, Jack knew. His father recovered first and he cleared his throat.
“Where is this girl then?” he said in an even tone.
“She went back to California just yesterday. She’ll be back on Friday and you can meet her then.”
“How about dinner on Friday then? Your mother and I would love to meet her,” his father said.
Jack would have preferred to have Leila for himself for the weekend but he felt cornered and he nodded.
“Friday it is then. Will you join us Aaron?” their father continued smoothly.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said and winked at Ja
ck.
The topic was immediately dropped and for that Jack was grateful. He loved his parents for that. They treated all their children like adults. They never made negative comments even when some situations like proposing to a girl weeks after you met her baffled them. They talked about the Christmas plans and caught up with news of their other relatives.
The lunch stretched on and he left three hours later. By the time he got back to the ranch it was three in the afternoon. He steered the car to the left and in the parking lot he saw a silver mustang and groaned. It was like a bad dream. Clarissa was back.
Chapter Eleven
He found her lounging on the deck, her long fingers wrapped around a glass of champagne. At three in the afternoon, Jack thought to himself, shaking his head. She had not heard him enter and now he padded up to her observing her and watching for those feelings he had had to return. He felt as if he was observing someone he once knew a long time ago.
Yet it was months ago that he and Clarissa had been engrossed in their affair. He knew the reason for his feelings disappearing was Leila. Though he now questioned whether he had strong feelings for her at all. Did you get over someone you once loved so fast?
She finally sensed someone and she whipped her chair around. She smiled, revealing a pair of white even teeth. As usual, her tits were hanging, squeezed into a tank top that was two sizes too small. Jack felt absolutely nothing, just a mild irritation at what he viewed as invasion of his privacy. His home was now a private domain belonging to his wife-to- be and himself.
He looked at Clarissa and smiled politely.
“Hi Clarissa,” Jack said in a casual tone.
She stood up and with flair wrapped her hands around him and then lifted one leg and wrapped it around his thighs. Still there was none the heat, that months ago would have been warming up his body. Gently, he disengaged her and she pouted.
“What is it big boy? Aren’t you happy to see me?” she said, posing as though for the cover of playboy.
“You weren’t so friendly the last time I saw you,” Jack commented.
Clarissa laughed and threw her head back, knowing that the gesture was a sure way to turn him on. Only this time, he felt nothing. He saw Carissa for the empty shell that she was. It was unfortunate that with such a package that was her exterior, she had no substance. Her interest was one thing only—money.
He shuddered with the realization of how close he had come to marrying her. Jack sat down opposite her and observed her with amusement. He was just relieved that Leila was not here. If Clarissa had found her here, she would have gone out of her way to claim her possession of him.
He could take his time now and let her say why she had come back.
“You upset me very badly Jack and my feelings were heart,” she said, adopting a little girl voice, which she resorted to when she was determined to have her way.
Jack hated it. He could not understand why a grown ass woman would want to speak like a five-year-old girl. Now he realized again, that her tone did not upset him as it once did. She was part of his past, he knew now.
“I missed you so much Jack. There’s no other man like you and I was a fool for leaving although you drove me to it,” she said sounding sincere.
“What has changed about you Clarissa? I’m sure you still spend money like it grows on trees, right?”
“A girl needs some retail therapy to keep her going,” she said with a shrug.
“You still don’t want children and you know that’s a deal breaker for me?”
Her expression said and before she could speak, he lifted his hand to quiet her down.
“None of that matters now Clarissa. I’ll not waste your time or mine,” Jack said, suddenly tired of the games he and Clarissa were playing. “I’m not interested.”
“You can’t possibly mean that?” she said, clearly shocked.
“I do I’m afraid. I gave you a chance and you fucked up. I’ve moved on.”
She screwed her eyes and bore into his. “Who is she?”
“It doesn’t matter Clarissa, what matters is that you and me are done,” Jack said firmly.
“But we can’t be done,” Clarissa said in a surprisingly confident and strong voice. “Not by a long shot.”
Jack sighed. “We are Clarissa, let’s just both of us accept that and move on.”
“But we can’t Jack,” she said.
He hoped she would not turn out to be one of those women who got obsessed with a man.
“Why the hell not? Are we not two adults of rational mind?” Jack said, emphasizing the last two words.
“Because I’m expecting your child Jack Farley.”
It felt as though the ground had opened up and was slowly pulling him into its jaws. Pregnant? Jack’s brain repeated the word unable to fathom what it meant. She couldn’t possibly be pregnant, not now! His heart seemed to have stopped beating and his brain refused to formulate coherent thoughts. This was not happening, Jack thought.
“Yes Jack, I’m pregnant and I assure you that you are indeed the father.”
Jack closed his eyes and wanted to weep. How could things go so badly wrong when just a few hours ago he had existed in an orbit of unbreakable joy?
“How sure are you?”
“Very sure, I’ve gone to the doctors and he confirmed that I’m three months pregnant,” she said and patted her tummy. He looked at it closely and saw that indeed her belly was a little rounded.
“You don’t want children,” Jack said in a flat voice.
She beamed. “Now I do. I can just see us as a family of three, sitting around the dinner table or going for pizza.”
Jack’s head pounded and he knew the veins across his head were dark and visible. He stood up and begun to pace.
“Listen Clarissa, having a baby is not a big deal. Thousands of parents are raising their children yet they are not together as a couple.”
“I have no intention of having a baby out of wedlock,” Clarissa said, her black eyes glaring at him.
“Since when do you have moral values?” Jack snapped and then regretted it immediately. Infuriating Clarissa was not the best way to go about solving the issue.
“I don’t care what you say Jack, I’m not having this baby alone. We love each other, don’t we? We’re doing it together—”
The unspoken threat hung between them.
“Else what?” Jack said.
Clarissa’s face was hard and cold. He had ever seen her that way.
“Else you will never get to see your child, ever.”
All the air left his lungs. Jack felt as though she had grabbed a knife and stabbed him with it, right in his ribcage. His child, she was carrying his child? His eyes strayed to her rounded tummy. His longing for children had intensified over the years. Perhaps it was a sign of maturity but whatever it was, he wanted that baby badly.
“Yes Jack, this is our child in here. Mine and yours. We could have a good life together,” she said her voice now soft. “I think it’s a little boy. A copyright of his daddy.”
At the word “daddy”, Jack’s heart twisted. His mind conjured up the image of a little boy with black hair like him and a cheeky toothless grin. What was he going to do, he thought, running his fingers through his hair? He thought of Leila and her loveliness. He thought of his proposal and his dreams to spend the rest of his life with her.
Though he had never acknowledged it before, he understood then. He loved Leila. He had loved her from the moment he had laid his eyes in her sundress. He shook his head, as if ridding his brain of cobwebs. He wasn’t ready to give up on his dream of marrying the love of his life. But the image of a black haired boy haunted him.
How could he turn his back on his own flesh and blood?
Chapter Twelve
Both Leila and Susan cried a little as they held on to each other outside Leila’s condo.
“Texas is not that far you know?” Leila sniffed, stepping back to look at Susan.
“I know an
d besides we’ll come down for the wedding.”
Everything was happening so fast. She had packed away all her things in a storage facility and the condo was on the market for rent. Her friends at the shelter had thrown her a last minute going away party the previous day. She looked back at her condo building without regret. She had not been happy here and she was glad to leave it for good.
“Are you nervous?” Susa said, as they got into her station wagon, packed tightly with Leila’s luggage.
“I’m nervous as hell!” Leila admitted, belting up.
“Then perhaps you should postpone the wedding, get to know each other a little better.”
“If you met Jack, you would understand. He’s perfect in every sense of the word and the chemistry between us is amazing,” Leila said.
“Sex does not guarantee a happy marriage,” Susan commented.
“Neither does lack of it,” Leila quipped and they both erupted into giggles.
“Seriously though, I’m really happy for you and I can’t wait to meet Jack. I can’t guarantee that I’ll think he’s hot…”
They both laughed at that and the Leila reached for her friend’s free hand and held it.
“I’ll miss you so much,” she said with feeling.
“Me too.”
Soon they were at the airport and hugging goodbye for the last time. Leila got into her flight and as she sat there waiting for the plane to take off, she contemplated the life that awaited her. She hadn’t yet met Jack’s parents and family and she looked forward to that. She knew that they were nice people, after all, they had raised Jack and he sue was ice. The plane soon taxied down the runway and with it her spirits also lifted.
She couldn’t wait to see Jack and this time he had promised to be waiting for her at the airport. She had teased him about that first time and he had had the grace to look embarrassed. They hadn’t spoken at all during the five days she had been away and now she felt as though she had not seen him in years. She couldn’t settle down during the journey and it was with great relief for Leila when they finally touched down in Lainley, Texas.