Imperfect Love

by Isabella White

  “It’s family time at the Peters’.”

  Jake grinned. “My family isn’t going anywhere. You I can only see each other on weekends, so deal with it,” he said, still holding Sam in his arms.

  “Hey, sexy,” she whispered to Sam as she kissed him on the cheek. He automatically leaned forward and opened his arms for Holly. She took him from Jake, who stared at Sam with a serious face.

  “What’s this?” Jake asked Sam.

  Bernie and Leo looked on lovingly as Holly hugged Sam, and he in turn had both his little arms wrapped around her neck.

  “You will lose every time when it comes to Holly, Jake,” Bernie stated.

  “Seriously, buddy? You’re swapping me for a chick?”

  Sammy giggled. “Holly.”

  “That’s it. I’m your Holly.”

  “My Holly,” Jake teased Sam.

  “Mine,” he said back to Jake.

  They all chuckled.

  “I’m your Holly, okay?” she said, planting another kiss on his cheek.

  Sam laughed delightedly, which was the sweetest sound in the world. Mischievously, he threw his arms out in Jake’s direction.

  “Oh, now I’m somebody again.”

  Grabbing him, he flung Sam over his shoulder and they started to play.

  “You staying for lunch?” Leo queried.

  “No, I just came to pick up Holly.”

  “I’m not going to your mom’s if that is why you’re here.”

  “As if. That’s not what I’m picking you up for. You think I’d want to go back there now?”

  Leo roared. “So, something did happen.”

  “She was shocked, and as for the rest? Well, who knows.”

  “Your phone hasn’t rang.”

  “That’s because it’s off.”

  “Jake!” Holly yelled. “Your mom’s going to hate me when she finally meets me. I already struggle where moms are concerned.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, I wasn’t sure before, but I think I know why now.”

  Amused, Jake tried to reassure her. “My mom won’t hate you. She’ll love you.” He put Sammy down on the couch and walked over to give her a hug.

  She didn’t look pleased.

  “I’m not going back.”

  “Fine. I’ll go get my purse.” On her way to her room she could hear Leo’s voice, but not what he was saying. Her room still looked like a mess; she hadn’t even unpacked her stuff from the weekend. She’d have to get to it when she returned.

  Grabbing the purse closest to her, Holly tossed in her wallet, a lip gloss, and a tube of hand cream. She never left the house without either of the last two. Just as she was about to exit her room, she reached out and grabbed the deodorant from her nightstand, chucking that in there, too.

  The first thing she noticed as she walked back into the lounge was Jake’s megawatt smile, aimed in her direction. Her heart skipped a couple of beats, but that was normal now. She still couldn’t believe that he wanted anything to do with her, but there he was and she wouldn’t complain.

  Mentally shaking her head, she realized she’d forgotten her keys and not knowing how late they might return, she hurriedly went back to her room to retrieve them.

  “You done?” Jake asked in a playful manner.

  “Yes, we can go.” Holly rolled her eyes.

  “See you later,” Bernie sang.

  Jake took Holly’s hand and they made their way out the house. Upon noticing her ride—a gray BMW parked in the driveway—Holly raised an eyebrow. Looking at Jake, she playfully said, “You drive a BMW?”

  “You betcha,” he replied through a huge grin. “You have a problem with BMWs?”

  “I just didn’t take you for one of those.”

  He laughed. “One of those? Best you get in, before I change my mind.” He winked.

  He started the car and reversed down the driveway. “So, pray tell, what do you have against BMWs?”

  “Not against the car as such, but BMW drivers think they own the road.”

  Jake roared with laughter. “What can I say? It’s a car made to be driven.”

  It was such a typical answer, all Holly could do was roll her eyes once more. “Exactly where are we going, Jake?”

  “You’ll see.” He had a mysterious tone to his voice.

  Jake ended up taking her to a small diner where they chatted about how he’d told his mom he wasn’t going to stay for lunch. Holly still wasn’t comfortable over the fact that he had done that, not one bit. Although she was grateful for the extra time she was spending with him, she felt her stomach turn into knots at the thought.

  I’ll make it my life’s mission not meet them, she thought, trying to calm down. She knew that Jake would get over whatever it was they had and fast, while it would linger with her for years to come. She’d convinced herself that she didn’t have what it took to keep a guy like Jake all to herself.

  There you go again! Negative thoughts continuously jumped into her mind. Insecure much, she admonished herself. Holly hated being insecure, she wasn’t really the type but now, she had no idea how to keep her insecurities at bay.

  A busty waitress with long, blond hair walked over and handed them each a laminated menu. Holly watched the girl’s face go through an array of expressions. She was trying to figure out if Holly was Jake’s sister, a friend, or a handful of other possibilities. It was quite evident that the wheels in this woman’s head were turning at breakneck speed.

  Holly composed herself, giving the waitress a small smile whilst clearing her throat softly; all to stop from bursting into laughter.

  “Could you give us about five minutes?” Jake finally asked.

  It was one of those awkward moments, where the person being spoken to seems to be on a different planet altogether. Eventually, the waitress came back down to earth, managing to mumble through her fluster.

  “Uh… yes, of course. Sure. See you in a bit.”

  As soon as Holly thought it safe, she giggled softly, hiding behind her menu. “Awkward,” she said, releasing a small breath. “Is it always like this?”

  Jake’s grin reached his eyes, it always did, forming vertical dimples on his cheeks. “I’m sure I have no idea what you are talking about.”

  “I’ll just bet you don’t.”

  Jake chuckled.

  “What’s good here?”

  “They do a mean steak, egg and fries. It’s my favorite.”

  Holly was sold. When the waitress returned exactly five minutes later, she addressed Jake only.

  What, I’m invisible now?

  “What would you like to drink?” Jake asked her, his tone sweet and gentle.

  “Hmm, I’ll have a light beer, thanks.”

  Jake stared at her, his expression somewhat shocked.

  “A beer?”

  “What? Girls can drink beer. It’s not written in any manual that we can’t have beer.”

  The waitress, amazingly, giggled slightly. Turning to her, Jake said to make it two beers.

  When ordering their meal, the exact same thing happened.

  “I’m not one of your FHM swim models, Jake. I don’t do salads with a dry, crisp glass of wine.”

  He chortled at the smirk on her face. “This is going to be fun.”

  Ignoring him, Holly told the waitress how she wanted her steak done, all the while seeing Jake cringe from the corner of her eye. Turning her attention to him, she sighed. “I don’t like steak well done. It’s too dry, rubbery and feels like you need three beers just to swallow it down.”

  “Holly, it doesn’t have to still be alive, either.”

  “I like my steak blue, okay? It’s nice.”

  Once their orders had been placed, Jake began telling her more about his family and how close he was to his sister, Amelia. She was the psychiatrist, and her husband, Armand, worked as a resident in the children’s unit of P&E. It sounded to Holly like Jake had the same kind of closeness to Amelia as she had had with Jamie. She misse
d her sister so much, but she had gotten used to the fact that she was on her own now. Jamie was in a better place, and pain free.

  During the course of the afternoon, conversation turned to Holly and her family. Jake was curious. All she could really say in answer was that she didn’t have any. Both her mother and father had been only children. Therefore, there were no first cousins for her; only her mother had cousins—a few times removed—who were more like aunts to Holly. The closest she’d ever come to a family was Bernie’s. They treated her like she was one of them, and for that she would always be grateful to her best friend.

  Jake’s expression had been one of sadness throughout her explanation. Holly loved the fact that he could empathize. It showed that he wasn’t all rock, and that deep down within the confines of his beautiful body was a kind heart. She just prayed that it would stay kind.

  “You ever think about forgiving your parents?”

  Holly hadn’t expected that question and it made her think for a couple of seconds.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

  “No, it’s not that. It’s just that nobody has ever asked me that before. But, I have thought about it… I guess I’m scared of them leaving again when I become attached.” That was the best way she could have described how she felt about Charles and Jane.

  “You should give it more thought, Holly. I can’t imagine not being able to speak to my mom. I mean, she drives me up the wall sometimes, but I would die for that woman.”

  Another thousand points for Jake. Her nana used to say that when the time came and she starting dating, to look at the way the guy treated his mom and she would know that that’s how he would treat his wife. Jake spoke very highly of his mom, even though she sounded a tad over-protective.

  Their waitress, who was carrying two steaming plates and a couple of cold beers, interrupted them a short time later. They took their time, eating slowly while Jake told a few jokes. Holly found herself laughing so much that she could barely eat her food. Jake earned another thousand boyfriend points at that meal. Making her laugh was always a good sign.

  A while later, when their plates were almost devoid of food, Jake looked at Holly with a smile. Obviously, the meal had lived up to his recommendation and he was pleased. Before he could ask Holly if she’d like dessert, she held up her hand, as if she’d read his mind.

  “I’m honestly stuffed, Jake. I won’t even bother looking at the dessert menu. You’re more than welcome to have if you want.”

  “No, I’m good, too. Let me settle the bill.” Jake looked around for their waitress and when he caught her eye, waved his hand in the air.

  “So, where to now?”

  Jake wiggled his eyebrows. “Wait and see. You’re an impatient one, aren’t you?” His expression was one of playfulness, which made him look even sexier.

  In the car, they mostly listened to music, with Jake playing her all his favorite songs. There were plenty of hard core bands in the mix, which made Holly cringe.

  “Dude, this is seriously angry music,” she joked.

  Affronted, Jake grumbled. “It is not, it’s awesome. Don’t you like it?”

  “Not really, no. I love my ears too much. But don’t change it on my account. Your car, your choice. Just don’t be upset if I feel like punching out a window or something.”

  Jake’s one eyebrow went up. He said nothing, though, and instead turned off onto a dirt road. Holly’s heart started to bounce as a beautiful farmhouse popped up directly ahead. She gave him an intense look.

  “Oh, for crying out loud. We’re not at my mom’s place. Out with you.”

  She found she could breathe again after that welcome bit of news. Plastering a smile on her face, Holly climbed out of the car.

  A middle-aged woman came out to greet them. “Jake, is that you?”

  He grabbed the woman around her waist and swung her around the large, front porch. She was small and could have easily passed for his mom, but he’d said that that wasn’t where they were going and she believed him.

  “They still here?” Jake queried, head cocked to one side.

  “They are, although they’re a bit bigger now and will leave us soon.”

  Holly had no idea what they were talking about, so she just stood there and listened.

  “My apologies, Leonora. This is Holly.” He winked at Holly.

  “Nice to meet you, Holly. I wondered where Jake’s been all this time.”

  “I promise you, it wasn’t with me,” Holly joked, making Leonora laugh while simultaneously giving Jake the eye.

  “It’s a long story. One we don’t have time for now.”

  “Fine, just as long as you don’t wait weeks before you show your face again.”

  Holly wondered about that. Was he really that depressed over his supposed affair with the married woman? And what would it mean if she become available again? Would he leave her in order to reunite with this woman? Holly’s insecurities soon washed away as she followed Leonora and Jake to the backyard. Her heart started to pound softly when she saw a huge cage housing three lion cubs. Apparently, it was play time as they rolled around inside, pawing one another.

  “HOLLY, I’D LIKE YOU TO MEET JAKE, Leo, and Amy,” Leonora proclaimed, as one of the lion cubs wrapped his paws around her arm. He was still a baby, but not as small as one would have imagined.

  “How old are they?”

  “Approximately two months. The wildlife rescue organization gave us permission for them to stay until they found a permanent home for them in Africa. They will be leaving us soon,” she sighed, looking sad while she watched Jake wrestle with one of the cubs.

  “That one’s Amy,” Leonora offered, pointing at the feline Jake was wrestling. “When she was tiny, Jake used to sit for hours feeding her from a syringe. They have a special bond.” This last part she whispered softly.

  “I can see that.”

  One of the other cubs came rambling up and climbed onto Holly’s lap. He was strong and managed to push Holly back against the cage with his soft paws.

  Both Leonora and Jake laughed as Holly let out a small, involuntary shriek, followed by giggles.

  “Come here, Jake.” Jake pulled the lion cub’s tail and suddenly the lion cub by the same name started playing with him.

  “It looks to me like both Jakes are crazy about you, Holly.”

  Before Holly could utter a single word, someone joined them.

  “Jake, is that you?” a male voice asked.

  The man, who looked to be around Leonora’s age, opened the gate. Jake got up and shook his hand with a smile on his face.

  “Holly, this is Chris. He’s Leonora’s husband.”

  “Nice to meet you, Holly,” the older man greeted her, a twinkle evident in his eyes.

  “It’s nice to meet you, too.” Holly nodded.

  They spent another delightful hour with the cubs, after which they made their way to the house for a much needed cup of coffee. As they settled around the large, oak table that served as the family’s eating area, Leonora recounted the sad story of how the lion cubs came to be at the farm.

  Apparently, a nearby neighbor had kept lions without a permit. One night, a storm hit and lightning struck a large tree on the edge of Chris’ and Leonora’s farm. When Chris went to investigate the damage, he saw the lions roaming their pasture.

  The storm had blown down the rickety fence their irresponsible neighbor had constructed to keep the lions caged. Chris had immediately phoned the authorities, who arrived in record time in order to remove all the lions. Days later, Chris found the three cubs tucked inside a hollow tree near where the lightning had struck. He brought the three malnourished cubs back to the farm, and applied for a temporary permit to care of them until a suitable home could be found.

  Holly still didn’t know if Leo was named after Leonard, or Leonora.

  Leonora continued with the cubs’ story, explaining how the minute the cubs were safe on the property she had given Jake a call. He’
d raced over in a big SUV, Amelia with him. Brother and sister had sat with the cubs for weeks, feeding them and playing with them.

  Another thousand points for him, because anyone who loves animals has a good heart.

  “We couldn’t have cared for all three if we hadn’t received the funds to do so from Jake and his family.”

  “You are too modest. Anyone would’ve done the same.”

  “I wish that was the truth, Jake,” Chris said honestly, getting up to pack their mugs in the dishwasher.

  Holly and Jake stayed and visited with the couple until three, then decided it was time to go.

  “That was amazing!” Holly said as they got into Jake’s car, thinking that she probably would never see wild animals up close ever again.

  “I thought you might appreciate that.” Jake had both a look of sorrow and peace on his face.

  “Are you sad they are leaving?”

  “A little, but this isn’t the right place for them. They belong in Africa.”

  “I agree.”

  “You should have seen them when Chris and Leonora found them. They were literally starving. The vet provided us with a special formula to feed them, and we slept with them for days.”

  “Who’s we?”

  “Me and Amelia.”

  “I can’t believe how stupid some people can be. I mean, you have to be pretty insane to keep grown lions in your backyard. Although, I’m sure nobody ever broke in there!”

  Jake laughed. “That’s one way to look at it. But, I agree, they were pretty stupid.”

  Silence took over for a while before Jake spoke again. “So, Leo tells me you don’t have a phone.”

  Holly shrugged. “I don’t. I smashed mine against the wall after the last time I spoke to Brandon.”

  “Remind me to never piss you off.”

  They chuckled. Holly couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed and enjoyed herself so much, and the thought made her sigh a little with happiness. They drove for about twenty minutes before Jake pulled up at the mall. Clasping her hand in his much larger one, he dragged her into the first cell phone store they came upon. Her protests didn’t help one bit as he shoved a brand new Samsung Smartphone into her hand.

  Holly eventually accepted it graciously.