Love Realized

by Melanie Codina

  Without hesitation, Jake said, “Because that’s bullshit, I wouldn’t lie to you like that. It’s clear to me that you know things that have happened, and you’ve taken them upon yourself for some reason. Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Why does she defend him, Uncle Jake? I heard what he did … why she left him. If she knows what he did, why am I not allowed to be mad at him, too! He lied to me, told me that it was important to be good to women. Never be disrespectful, always treat them like you would treat your mother, like they were the most important person in the world.” Tears shown in the young man’s eyes as he looked at Jake. “He told me how I should treat a lady, and he didn’t do any of that! And she defends him—all I want is to be angry at him!”

  Jake could see the weight lift from Jonathan’s shoulders as he sagged back against the couch. The poor kid was holding all that in for over two months? No wonder he was a moody little bastard. “So are you angry with her or with him?” Jake asked.

  Jonathan paused to consider the question before answering, “I'm definitely mad at my father for being such a prick. But I'm upset that my mother is letting him get away with it—she defends him when she should be trying to destroy him. And now, there is apparently some crazy person doing some crazy shit around her, and it’s probably his doing, too!”

  He didn’t like how the young man was upset with Gillian, so that was going to be Jake’s first order of business. “So, you’re upset with your mother for defending your father? Did you stop to consider why she does that? Have you considered that she has possibly handled the situation the way she did … to protect you kids?”

  Jonathan’s silence allowed him to continue, “Did you know that your mother hid what happened between them for a long time? She didn’t share it with me, your Aunt Allie … no one. No, the strong woman that she is, she took it all on herself. Much like the anger you’re carrying right now. Now, I'm not going to pretend that because your father has been a good father to you, that you should ignore his other behaviors. Truthfully, I feel much of the same feelings toward him right now and would have absolutely no problem telling him that. But I will damn sure set you straight with how you should see your mother.” Jake cocked his head to the side in question to him.

  When the young man nodded his head, Jake continued, “You mother didn’t want you kids to know what happened because she didn’t want what happened between them to cloud how you would feel about your father. You have to see the irony of this, don’t you? She didn’t want you to know, so that you wouldn’t be angry with your father … kind of like you are.”

  Jonathan rolled his eyes and said, “Okay, I get that. I do. But why does she let him get away with it? She talks to him like nothing has changed.”

  Jake shook his head at the seventeen year old—sad that he was so confused about this. This was a conversation he should be able to have with his mom or dad. “Think about it Jonathan. That’s the kind of person your mother is. She doesn’t feel the need to harp on something and dangle it out there for everyone to see. She made a decision, she owned it, and she’s moved on from it. It’s her strength that allows her to do that, because believe me, I was there that night, and I saw what it did to her. We both know she would never want you to see her fall apart like that, but she did, nonetheless. But now she has moved past it, and I think you need to, as well, for her.”

  “You’re not asking me to forgive my dad, are you?”

  “Again, my answer will have to be, hell no. But I want you to make sure that you’re not upset with your mom. She’s worried about you.”

  The young man hung his head in shame before saying, “I just don’t know how he could do that do her. Why he would do that to her?”

  “That’s a question I think you deserve an answer to, but the only person you can get it from will be your father. So in the future, when you’ve calmed down, maybe you could ask him.” Jonathan nodded before leaning his head back against the couch. It must have been a huge relief for him to get that out there. Jake wanted to make sure that he also knew Allie would be a good person to talk to about all of this. “Hey, just so you know, your Aunt Allie—she might be the person that’s most upset at your father. You could always talk to her, too, you know.”

  For the first time that evening, Jonathan let a small smile creep across his face at Jake’s words. “I'm actually surprised that Aunt Allie didn’t have him hospitalized. Is it safe to assume that my mom also stopped her from doing that?” Jake nodded a laugh at the kid for picking up on that part of his Aunt’s personality. Jake and Jonathan had moved past the heavy stuff and into a lighter mood when Dylan and Ryan came into the room. Both boys said hello to Jonathan as they sat on either side of him. Jake was about to comment on how the boys should give him a little space when Dylan dropped a bomb.

  “Hey Jonathan, did you know that Uncle Jake likes Mom, and he kissed her, and wants to hold her hand, and maybe kiss her again?”

  Jake almost choked on his own tongue when he heard all that roll out of Dylan’s mouth. Jonathan’s confused eyes met Jake’s, and he raised his eyebrows in question. Of course, he wasn’t going to lie, but he would’ve preferred to deliver it to the young man with a little more tact than that. But, oh well, it was out there now, so time to own it.

  Jake smiled at him and said, “True story, man. I’ve loved your mother since I was seventeen years old, and I plan to make her a very happy woman.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Gillian couldn’t contain her yawn as she made her way back to the nurse’s station. She was tired and hungry and ready for her lunch break. The chaos of last night took forever to end, and she was disappointed that her time with Jake had to be cancelled … again. She had sent him a message when she got home late last night, after eleven o’clock, not sure if he was still awake or not. It took all of ten seconds for him to respond.

  Gillian: I'm home now. You can call me if you want. Otherwise, sleep tight.

  Jake: I'm sorry, Mr. Police Officer, but I'm just not interested in you right now … I kinda like this girl. Her name is Gillian, and she is super-hot!

  She was laughing at his text when her phone began to ring in her hands. Skipping a hello, she said, “What if it was a Ms. Police Officer?”

  “I’d have to say that my response would be the same. Besides, I try to avoid women who sleep with guns and can totally kick my ass. In my book, that would be all female police officers, and of course, Allie.”

  “Oh yes, it’s a good idea to include Allie on that list.” She sighed then asked, “Why are you still up?”

  “There was no way I could try and sleep ‘til I knew you were home, safe and sound.” Warmth filled her at that comment. Giddy schoolgirl was becoming a good description of her lately; it was a bit embarrassing if she thought about it.

  “Well, I'm home, so you can get some sleep now.”

  “Yeah, right, like that’s going to happen anytime soon. How did everything go with the police? Do they have any suspects?”

  “Well, first they asked me if it was possible that I had some disgruntled lover who had a problem with Logan.” She snorted at her own comment before adding, “I made sure to set that detective straight by pointing at Logan and saying that I didn’t, but he might.”

  “What about that number in your phone? That would be a dead giveaway as to who it was.”

  She responded, “You would think so, but apparently it’s one of those throw-away phones.” Yawning loudly in Jake’s ear, she continued, “It’s all very Law & Order, if you ask me.”

  “I don’t like the thought that someone has your number and knows Logan’s truck … I told Jonathan to double check all the window locks and doors when he got home tonight. And I want you to make sure you set the alarm.”

  “Thanks for that. I did when I came in. Was Jonathan okay? He didn’t seem too worried or anything?”

  It was Jake’s turn to sigh as he said, “You have one smart kid there, Gillian; he isn’t an idiot. He knows that
something is going on. Plus, you’re not going to be happy to hear that he knows why you and Logan are getting divorced.” Her sharp intake of air had Jake quickly trying to appease her. “Calm down, Gillian. It’s fine. He’s very angry with Logan, but I set him straight on a few things. Apparently, he was outside your bedroom the day of the party and heard the details. He’s seems to be upset with you because you are being too nice to Logan. And Jonathon feels you aren’t allowing him to be angry.

  Gillian hadn’t thought of it that way. Unaware that Jonathan knew, had only led her to believe he was just moody about the divorce, not the actual actions leading to it. She knew she was going to have to talk with him about it.

  “I'm sure if you talk to him, things will be better, but Gillian … from a male perspective, you have to let him be angry. Don’t force his father on him if you don’t have to.”

  She knew that Jake was probably right, and she wished that her son had come to her with this. Now even more drained, she and Jake said their goodnights, and she promptly crawled into bed before passing out.

  Recalling last night’s events, and the worry she had with her son, Gillian found herself yawning again as she sat at her station. A cup of coffee magically appeared before her, and she couldn’t contain her smile when she saw the hand that was placing it there. Jake had brought her coffee.

  “And how did you know that I was desperately in need of caffeine?” she asked as she accepted the cup and swiveled her chair around to face him. Since her seat was at bar height, she had a perfect view as he crossed his impressive arms across that equally impressive chest of his and leaned against the counter top.

  “That’s because I was up as late as you were last night, so call it a good assumption. Not to mention that yawn had you resembling a snake—unhinged jaw and all,” he said while giving a little laugh under his breath.

  Feeling a little guilty knowing he had stayed up for her last night, she quickly said, “I'm sorry about that. You didn’t have to wait up for me, you know.”

  He shook his head at her, “I didn’t have to, but I wanted to, Gillian. I was worried about you—still am. I really don’t like the idea that this crazy person—whoever it is—has your number. You think maybe you should get a new one?”

  “That’s what my brother said last night, but I don’t know. I like my number.” She knew she was pouting a little, but it was true. It pissed her off to think that she had to change her number because of some crazy person. The truth was Gillian was pretty convinced that it was Jody Spencer. She always had this underlying concern about the woman making her presence known, and while it may not have been a rational concern before, it now seemed completely legit.

  “Okay, I’ll go to the wireless store as soon as I can. But I'm working twelve-hour shifts for the next four days, so I don’t see it happening until after that.” When it seemed like he was going to have something to say about that, she gave him a look that told him she wasn’t going to argue about it. He put his hands up in surrender, and she changed the subject.

  “Thank you for talking with Jonathan last night. I appreciate it.”

  Jake shrugged his shoulders and said, “It wasn’t planned. He just sort of threw it all out there. He looked better once he got it all out, though. But you should be prepared—I told him that Allie also shares some of the animosity toward Logan that he does, so he’ll be teaming up with her now.”

  “Oh great! Just what we need; Allie, the ring leader, with an angry following.” She laughed at the mental picture that provided her with.

  Jake stood up from his position against her station and placed his hands on both her shoulders, commanding her attention. The serious look on his face made her focus on only him as he said, “I want you to promise me that you’ll pay attention to things around you, Gillian. Clearly somebody is angry, and we can assume that it’s directed toward Logan, but the truth of the matter is that you are the one who got the messages. So I wouldn’t like it if you disregarded your safety by ignoring it.” He paused as he ran his hands down her arms ‘til he could hold both of her hands in his, pulling them in his direction, forcing her to stand up.

  It certainly was no hardship to stare at this beautiful man in front of her, but the fact that he could place her under this spell with just a look was mind-boggling. The only way she could answer him was to nod like a fool as she felt her body sway toward his. His swift smile as he lifted their hands up to kiss, had her stopping mid sway and remembering she was at work. She was at work and was trying to make out with Jake. She could feel the heat fill her cheeks when the embarrassment at her behavior set in. His knowing smile only escalated her embarrassment as she ducked her head a little to avoid his gaze.

  His fingers at her chin forced her to tilt her head back up at him, and he tapped a finger to her nose playfully. “Promise me you’ll be careful? Promise me you will not walk out of here alone tonight? If nobody can walk with you, I expect you to call any one of us—your brother, my brother … me.”

  “I promise,” she whispered.

  Jake responded, “Good. Now I’ve gotta go. Eddie is down in the rig waiting for me.”

  She smiled at him. “Thanks for the coffee.”

  “Anytime, beautiful.” He winked, and then he was gone. What the hell was it about Jake winking that made her swoon? She shook her head in an attempt to focus and snap out of her daze. Somewhat successfully, she managed to finish her patient charting in a timely manner, that is, once her caffeine kicked in. Before she headed down to the cafeteria for lunch, she quickly texted Jake to thank him again for the caffeine fix.

  ~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~

  The next three days were filled with busy work shifts, text conversations, missed phone calls, quick hellos at her work station when he had a patient to drop off, and enough pent up longing to choke an elephant. Jake was getting tired of missing Gillian and was determined to make sure he got to spend some time with her tonight. It was Thursday and the last of her four shifts in a row, so he knew she would be tired. He thought it would be a great idea to pick up some pizzas, his son, and head over to her place. Of course, he sent her a message first to make sure she was on board.

  Jake: Hey beautiful! Pizza for dinner, your place, my treat?

  Gillian: Yes please! I want pepperoni and mushroom on mine =)

  Jake: You got it … what time you off?

  Gillian: I get off early at five today, but have to run by the police station to sign my statement about the other night. Shouldn’t take more than an hour.

  Jake: Okay, I’ll try to time it for them.

  Gillian: Perfect!

  Glad they had set those plans in stone, he was able to push through the rest of his day.

  After picking up both Dylan and Ryan from his parents’ house, they all went and picked up the pizzas from Gillian’s favorite place, Bronx Pizza. It was a little out of the way to go there, but the establishment was known around San Diego and was well worth the drive—especially if it put a smile on her face. Jake arrived at her house shortly after she said she would be home, and he smiled when he saw that her SUV was already there. He and the boys climbed out, carrying their assigned item:, a pizza for each boy while Jake had the drinks and ice cream. The first clue that his evening wasn’t going to turn out as he had hoped was the sounds of feminine laughter coming from inside. Dylan opened the door for Ryan and Jake heard his excited son yell, “Aunt Allie!” before both boys took off in the direction of the laughter.

  What the hell was Allie doing here … and where the hell was her car? Jake looked behind him to see if he had somehow missed it, but no, it wasn’t there. He decided that Allie was officially having her superhero name changed to Cockblocker, for her epic ability to show up and completely derail his plans with Gillian. Making his way into the house, he saw that Allie and Gillian were sitting on the couch together with a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table in front of them. When Gillian looked up at him, she smiled, and he almost forgot about his irritation with Al
lie.

  “Hey you,” she said, as she got up to help them with the pizza. She leaned up on her tip-toes to place a kiss on his cheek, but he wasn’t having that anymore. He snaked his arm around her waist and held her against him, as he closed the space between them and kissed her on the lips. That was where her kisses belonged now—on his lips—not his cheek. Knowing they had an audience, he was mindful not to slip her tongue, but he sure thought about it. He could taste the wine she was drinking on her lips, and it made it even harder not to taste more of her.

  Pulling back just a little, but still holding her against him, he smiled down at her and said, “Hey yourself. I’ve missed you.”

  She blushed at his comment and shyly whispered back, “I’ve missed you, too.” Jake turned to see Allie watching them from the couch, completely awestruck.

  “Allie, to what do we owe the honor of your presence today? Don’t you have clients to take care of?”

  A huge smile spread across her face as she said, “Well, I’ll be damned. That was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.” Gillian was still pressed against him, so when she giggled and buried her face in his neck, Jake couldn’t help his reaction. His body hardened, and he knew he needed a moment alone with her.

  Looking to Allie, he extended the bag in his hand toward her and asked, “Could you take this into the kitchen and give us a minute, please?”

  Allie jumped right up, took the bag and said, “Absolutely.” With shit-eating grin, she went to the kitchen where Jake could hear the boys.

  Now that his other arm was free, he wrapped it around Gillian and just held her against him. He pressed his face into her hair and smiled as her scent filled his nose, livening his senses. His body was on edge with need, especially since her hands were idly stroking a small area above his waistband. He just needed one more kiss—a real kiss. Sliding his hand up her back and burying it in her hair, he tilted her head back so she had no choice but to look at him. Her eyes met his gaze as he slowly leaned into her, and said softly, “I'm sorry, but I just can’t wait any longer to do this.” Pressing his lips against hers, he felt them soften and mold to his, before he let his tongue glide along the seam. Feeling her softness, tasting her, wanting more, he used his hand in her hair to position her for the perfect angle as he pressed his tongue through the barrier of her lips.