The Bride (The Bride #1)(18)

“Turn it over.”

I did and I could see the frame in the back was clear. So I could read my dad’s handwriting scrawled on the back of the photo.

We’re pregnant!

I put the picture down on the counter and walked over to Jake. He had his arms open and I stood in them for five solid minutes crying on his chest. Finally the crying turned to sniffles.

“Where did you find it?”

“It was stuck in the back of the top dresser drawer. It was pretty creased, but I found a good frame person who made it look nice again. I thought you would like it.”

“I love it.”

He stroked my hair and rocked me in his arms because I wasn’t ready to let go yet. I guess we didn’t hear the front door open, but Janet walked into the kitchen and made this little gasping sound.

I’ll never know why I did it. I mean it wasn’t like Jake and I were doing anything wrong. He gave me this awesome and kind of sad picture of my mom and dad, and was comforting me through that sadness.

Totally legit.

Still, as soon as I heard that gasping sound, I pushed him away. So hard he stumbled back a step. We stood next to each other looking at Janet and it was officially weird.

“Hey Janet,” he said.

“Hey.”

“Janet, look at this awesome picture Jake gave me for my birthday.” See the reason why I was hugging him. Why he was holding me. I picked it up and showed it to her. She was looking at it, making this humming sound in the back of her throat.

“I brought cupcakes,” she said. “For your birthday.”

That was super nice. I wondered if there was arsenic in them.

“I’m making eggs,” Jake said. “Want some?”

“Sure.”

Jake went back to the stove. Janet sat next to me. I tried to eat my eggs, bacon and toast as fast as I possibly could, but I wasn’t leaving a crumb behind, because it was my birthday breakfast. Eight minutes later I was done.

“Okay, I’m out. You remember it’s prom tonight, right?”

The deal was Chrissy, Karen, and Lisa were coming over and we were all going to get ready here. Then we were going to take Chrissy’s Jeep, because she had the coolest car, into town and meet the guys at the dance. Then Riley was going to drive me home, by way of my dad’s hunting cabin where I was going to have sex for the first time.

The cabin was prepared with five stolen beers, to get in the mood. Sorry, Javier and Gomez. A strip of five condoms—thank you, Karen’s boyfriend—and a really soft blanket. And a bag of Combos in case we got hungry after.

“Yes,” he said as if I hadn’t been reminding him all week, which I had. “Midnight, Cinderella. Not a minute later or I come looking for you with my shotgun.”

The plan was to leave the dance at ten. By the time we got back to the cabin, that left a solid hour and fifteen minutes for sex.

“Yep. It’s a deal.”

I grabbed my picture and hugged it to my chest as I scrambled out of the kitchen.

Totally the best night ever.



*

Jake



Guilt. I was feeling guilt. I was looking at the eggs frying in the grease, trying to understand this emotion, and finally I had to call it what it was.

Guilt.

There was absolutely nothing to be guilty about. I gave Ellie the picture, I knew she would love it, but I knew it would hurt in a weird way, too. She cried, I consoled her. That was it.

“I think the eggs are burning,” Janet said from her seat at the kitchen island.

I was on top of them and I didn’t see it. The edges were burning. I slipped them onto a plate. Added less burnt bacon and turned around to serve her. Slowly I set the plate in front of her.

Like she was this unpredictable animal and I didn’t know what was going to happen next.

She said nothing. Just took the fork I offered and started eating.

“That was nice. The cupcakes and all,” I said.

“Hmm,” she nodded.

“Ellie was shook up about the picture but I think she really liked it.”

“Yeah.”

I didn’t do this. I didn’t play games. I was a man who on any given day had about a hundred tasks that needed to be completed. Otherwise animal lives could be lost, human lives could be lost, money could be lost. Which meant I always had to cut to the chase to get the work done.

“Why don’t you say what you’re upset about and have at it,” I snapped. “Yes, I was holding Ellie, who was crying because of a picture I gave her of her dead parents.”

Janet put the fork down on the plate as if it was sterling silver. “You know what, Jake? I think you’re mad because I told you this might happen. I think you thought it couldn’t happen to you. No, not the honorable Jackson Talley. Never him. You were so above it.”

“What in the hell are you talking about, Janet?”

You know how you do that thing. When you ask someone a question like they are crazy, but really you know exactly what they are talking about. Yes, I knew exactly what she meant, but she was wrong.

Me holding Ellie meant nothing. I didn’t feel anything other than deep affection for the person who I counted as family.

It was guilt that made this awkward.

“I don’t know, you two looked awfully guilty when I walked in. Hell, she nearly toppled you over. And you, you can’t even look at me.”