“Speaking of family,” I grab my phone. “Annie wants me to ask you what we have planned for dinner. She was hoping we could do something because she wants to get to know you a little better since you are, and I quote “Dating her best friend”.” I smile at him.
I see his face brighten up a little, “wait so we are dating?”
“I don’t know, are we?”
He walks down the hall we are standing in and turns into the living room. “I wouldn’t object to that,” he smiles and walks over to a table that I see is set up for lunch. Candles, flowers, music the whole thing. “Hungry?”
“Jake, this is too much.”
He grabs my other hand and pulls me over to stand in front of him. “Jo, I am only feeding you lunch, what’s the big deal?”
“Flowers, candles, it seems a little overboard for a little lunch date doesn’t it?”
“I don’t think so. And I actually didn’t do that, the chef did.” He walks me over to the table and pulls a chair out for me. “I will be right back with lunch.” I watch him walk toward the kitchen. I look around the room. I see pictures of his family over the fireplace and get up to go look at them. There is a picture that has about twelve people in it. I am assuming that those are his parents and siblings. He did say he came from a big family. “Checking out the family,” he walks back across the room to the table and sets the dishes of food down. Then he walks to me.
“I saw the pictures thought I would take a look,” I smile at him.
“That is my big family, I have five brothers and six sisters.”
“You weren’t lying when you said you came from a big family. That is a lot of kids for two people,” I laugh.
“Yeah, the house was a zoo that is for sure.”
“So are you the middle kid then?”
He laughs, “I have three older brothers and an older sister, so I guess I am one of the middle ones. We are all right around sixteen months apart. My mom and dad knew how to have kids I will give them that. My two younger sisters,” he points to a picture with two girls in it, “they are twins. I think they are the only ones that mom and dad didn’t plan for. They are seniors this year. My sister Molly,” he points her out in the family picture, “she is the one that did the house.”
I smile when I look at him. I can see how much he loves his family and I see why he wants to help them. “So what do your parents do?”
“My dad works in a mill, has his entire life, and my mom just started working again five years ago as an in home nurse. She didn’t work pretty much for twenty years when she had all us kids at home. I don’t know how they did it. Only having one income and twelve kids.”
“Yeah, I have a hard enough time with two and I have a decent income.” I start back toward the table where lunch is sitting. “I don’t think I could handle that many kids. What made them want such a big family?”
“Not sure,” he pulls my chair out and I sit down. “I know my mom has a big family, and my dad only has three brothers so maybe my mom talked him into it.”
“Well if that is what they wanted then that’s cool that they went for it.” I look at lunch, a salad and sandwiches. “You couldn’t make your own salad and sandwiches?” I joke with him.
“Well I probably could have, but they wouldn’t be nearly as good. Besides I pay him for a reason.” He looks up at me. “So, about dinner?”
“Oh yeah,” I say after I swallow the bite of salad I am chewing. “Annie was hoping we could do something. She suggested my place or her place.”
“Well what about inviting them here? I have the scrimmage tomorrow so I don’t really want to chance being out late like I was last night,” he smiles at me.
“I didn’t hold you hostage you could have left,” I tell him. “If you don’t want to go anyplace how am I getting home?”
“I never said I didn’t want to go anyplace, I just thought that since we are already here they could come here for dinner. I could grill some steaks and potatoes.”
“I thought you didn’t know how to cook?”
“Cook, no I can’t, but I can grill pretty damn well if I must say so myself,” he looks up at me. “I actually like to grill.”
“Oh yeah?” I smile at him. “You don’t seem like the grilling type.”
“That sounds like a challenge,” he throws his napkin at me.
“Never,” I say matter-of-factly.
“Well, text Annie and tell her we are eating dinner at my house. They can come by any time after 4:00.”
“Why after 4:00?”
“You don’t want to hang out with me alone or what?”
“I never said that. But I didn’t know you wanted to just hang out.”
“I have an entire yard that I want to show you,” he smiles at me. My breath catches in my chest.
“You need to stop doing that to me!”
“Doing what?” He asks innocently.
“Making me all blushy and act like the stupid little teenager with a crush.”
“I don’t do it all the time on purpose, only sometimes.” I shake my head and grab my phone off the table where I put it.
Jake says dinner tonight sounds good, but he would like for you and Michael to come by his place…
“There I sent it. Now can I eat my lunch without you trying to embarrass me?”
He waves his hands like he has done nothing wrong and sits back in his chair. I can feel that he is watching me eat. I am just about to say something to him when his phone starts ringing. He looks at it and stands up. “I will be right back.” He walks toward the hall we came in. “Phil, what’s up?” I hear him say then hear a door shut. I finish my salad and what is left of my sandwich. I hear my phone ping for a text and set down the glass of water I have in my hand.
His house? Why?
I laugh, only she would object to having dinner at someone’s house.
Because he wants to cook for us I guess. I'm not entirely sure. He has a game tomorrow so he said he doesn’t want to be out late. This house is AMAZING you should come just to see it.
I am standing in front of the window looking out at the front yard when I hear him come back in. “Sorry, I had to take care of some stuff for my parents.” He comes and stands next to me.
“No worries,” I smile up at him. He looks upset. “Everything ok?”
“Yeah, that was my account manager; he told me that my dad’s company is forcing him to take early retirement. Which probably wouldn’t be so bad if they were giving him the entire pension and everything that they promised him, but they are trying to screw him out of it now.”
“That sucks,” is all I can come up with to say.
“Yeah, but we will get it figured out. I have my lawyer on it and Phil, my account manager, is staying on top of it with my dad.” He grabs my hand and turns me toward him. “I want to show you around,” he smiles at me.
“Jake,” I pull on his hand so he stops. “I am just curious?”
“About?”
“Well you asked me what I want, but you never told me what you want?”
He looks at me and smiles, “I have what I want right now. You are here with me and we are getting to know each other.”
“I mean what are you looking for long term?”
“Honestly?”
“Yes.”
He cups my face in his hand and pulls my chin up so I am looking at him, “I want to make this work. I like you, a lot more then I had anticipated when you dumped your beer all over me,” he smiles. “This is new for me, and I have no idea what I am doing right now, but I know that I like spending time with you, and can’t wait until I can show you off.” He looks longingly at me and I quick turn away from him. “You don’t want that do you?”
“Jake, it’s not that at all. You have to remember I was with the same guy for almost ten years. This is all new to me too. How about we make a deal?”
“And what kind of deal would that be?”
“Let’s just go with the flow and let ever
ything happen naturally?”
He chuckles, “what if my flow is faster than yours?”
I turn back around and look at him, “well you’re a guy so I would expect that.”
His mouth drops open. “That’s not fair!”
“Either are you,” I smile and poke his arm. He grabs my hand and pulls me closer to him.
“You really aren’t fair, I want to kiss you right now, but I'm afraid you will get mad at me.” Before I have a chance to say anything he grabs my hand and pulls me to follow him. He walks me around and shows me the house, which is so extraordinary I don’t even know what to say. Why does one guy need so much room? As I suspected he has a theater and an office, but what really catches my eye is the game room that he has. He is like a child when he talks about it. “I bought games just so that I could say I had a game room, even though I never really play in here that often. I have my favorite which is the air hockey table, and then my next favorite ski ball.”
“Ski ball?”
“Yes, I love that game. My dad used to take me and my brothers down to the arcade on Saturday nights and give us each $2 and let us play. Even when we were all older he would still take us. Now, even, he takes my brother Max there. He just turned nineteen and goes to school at the local college and lives at home with them. I will admit, when I go home to visit I still like going there with dad. It is sort of our get away,” he smiles at the thought. I can see how much his family means to him. Just as we are walking toward the kitchen his phone rings again. He pulls it out of his pocket and looks at it. “Hello?” He answers. “Hey Em, what’s up?” He holds up a finger signaling to give him a minute and I walk over to the patio door. I hear him talking; from the tone I'm guessing it is probably one of his sisters. “Yeah, Phil called me. I told him that dad is not going to settle for that and I have my lawyer all over it.” I open the door and walk outside. I take a deep breath. My head is spinning, I look around. What does this guy see in me? I mean I see so many good qualities about him, but I just don’t get why he is trying to start a relationship with me, I'm so average compared to him. Then I remember that he told me he is just trying to be a normal guy. I smile at the thought.
“Don’t worry Em, I will handle it, I don’t mind.” He walks out on the porch behind me. I turn and face him and lean back against the railing. The sun is shining on him and I just admire the view. He is so good looking. I would love to kiss him. That reminds me of what he said in the living room. Why didn’t he kiss me? Is he really scared I will get mad at him? He laughs, “Sure I will see if I can get you and Andy tickets to the game.” He looks at me and smiles. “Listen Em, I have to go I will give you a call later. Love you.” He hangs up, “Sorry, my sister.”
“I figured,” I smile.
“I'm actually surprised she is the only one that has called me. This crap with my dad has everyone pissed off right now. My oldest brother John is down there with my lawyer trying to get it figured out.”
“If you have family stuff to figure out I can leave,” I say without thinking about it.
“Do you want to leave?” He looks at me.
“Only if you have things to take care of, that is all I meant. It sounds like this is a big issue.”
“That is what I pay my lawyer for; he will take care of it. I have faith that once the company hears what he has to say they will get the issue figured out.”
“So what does the rest of your family do?”
He laughs, “You want to talk about my family?”
“Well you seem to care a lot about them, and I am curious.”
He walks up to me and moves a piece of hair out of my face, and looks at me, “why don’t we talk about you? We spent all lunch talking about me.”
“You know about my family, I only have one brother, and he owns a restaurant. You met my mom, who is, well interesting.”
“What about your dad?”
I look up at him, “oh yeah, um I have a step dad, his name is John.”
“Step dad?”
“Yeah, my real dad is kind of a douche bag. I haven’t seen him since I was twelve. He never was a part of my life really. Came around when it was convenient for him. My mom and he got divorced when I was two.”
“I'm sorry,” he rubs my arm. It sends those butterflies in my stomach soaring again. And there it is, that blush. DAMMIT! He smiles a little at me, “I really am sorry about that, I wasn’t trying to, I promise.”
I look up and him and see that gorgeous smile and can’t help but want him to kiss me. “Kiss me,” I say without even thinking.
He looks shocked, “Really?”
I don’t answer but nod my head. I feel his hand move from my arm to the back of my head and he leans down and kisses me. It is like and electric shock goes through me. I put my hands up to his cheeks and kiss him back. It is almost like I needed this to make me realize how much I really do like him.
He backs away and leans his forehead against mine but doesn’t let go of me. I put my hands on the railing behind me to support myself because I feel like I am going to collapse. “Wow!” is all I hear him say as he just stands there.
“Ditto,” I giggle.
He picks his head up and smiles, but this time it is a different smile. A younger smile. And even cuter then his heart stopping one. “This is crazy, isn’t it?”
“What is?” I ask sort of panic as he moves out from in front of me and to the railing. I turn sideway so that I can still see him.
“This,” he points his finger back and forth between him and I.
“It could be, but then again maybe it happened for a reason. I mean they always say things happen for a reason. Maybe Annie had a sixth sense,” I cringe at the thought of that, because I never believe in that kind of stuff.
“You believe in that?”
“No,” I shake my head, “not really. But how else do you explain it?” I can see he is thinking and processing right now. He turns to look at me and then my phone starts ringing. I jump, I forgot that I had been carrying it with me. “Hello?”
“Jo?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, it’s Ryan.”
“Yeah, I know. What do you want?” I turn and walk toward the steps that lead down to the lawn.
“I just got an email from Chief saying we are having a division meeting Monday afternoon.”
“Yeah, and?”
“I'm assuming this has to do with what happened this morning?”
“You know what; I really am not in the mood to talk about this right now. Why don’t you just show up like the email says and find out just like everyone else?”
“Jo, I'm sorry about this morning ok? I have had a lot going on lately and took it out on you.”
“Kiss my ass Ryan; you have had a lot going on? Do you seriously think that gives you the right to treat other people like shit? I am not having this conversation with you, good bye.” I hang up. I turn back toward Jake. I see him staring at me and I just lose it and start crying. I can’t help it. He walks over to me and pulls me into a hug. He doesn’t say anything just holds me as I cry like a baby in his arms. I wrap my arms around his waist and don’t want to let go.
I finally get myself under control and step back away from him a little bit. “You ok?” He looks down at me.
“I feel like an idiot, but yeah I'm fine.” I wipe the tears away off my cheeks.
“Why do you feel like an idiot?”
“Because I was just crying like a baby,” I sit down on the top step of the stairs and look out across the lawn again.
“Because you are stressed out?” He sits next to me and starts rubbing my back.
“I don’t know why. I think I am overwhelmed by the last couple days. Moving, this crap at work, and you.” I look up at him.
He turns to me. “Is it too much? I told you Jo, I want you to be comfortable and if this is too much too fast then we can back off.”
I shake my head. “No, it’s not that at all. I think I am just realizing tha
t it is time to move forward with this part of my life and it scares me. I mean what if this doesn’t work out between us, and then there I am back at the dating game again. There is a reason I didn’t date for the last two years.”
“Well, for one, don’t think about the “what ifs” and just be happy with what is here right now,” he moves closer to me. “If you want me here, I'm here, I'm not going anywhere.”
“What about what you said after we kissed?”
“That this is crazy? Because it is. Who has a connection like that after knowing each other for two days? I have never had this before so I have no idea what is going on.”
“So what does that mean?”
“I don’t know. I think it means that I really want this to work. But I don’t know how to act on it. I mean when we kissed it was amazing, and I feel like I have known you forever. I just wish I knew what you were thinking.”
I look at him, and see that he really means it. “I am thinking that this is crazy. I have fallen for you hardcore and it scares the shit out of me, but I'm happy. But as I realize that I have fallen for you I remember who you are. And I think that scares me more, because I don’t know if I can handle being in your spotlight that you have.”
“Is that what worries you? You think it will become about the public attention?”
“I just don’t know if I can handle it. I mean I could barely handle the public attention I got locally when Jarrod was killed, I don’t know how I would do with national, possible worldwide attention.”
“I think you would do just fine with it, I think after the first hype of the “dating a local girl” headline it would be over.”
“You really think so?”
“Yes, I do. Not many football players make the news for who they are dating. There are the select few, but they are also the ones that date the famous women. And even though you may be famous around here I don’t think it would become national news,” he chuckles. He grabs my hand, “Let’s just do this the way we want and we can keep it as quiet as you want.”
“Who are you?” I smile at him.
Unexpected Love (Jo's Story) Page 8