“You were an unexpected child,” Ruby said, just when Jaz twisted the door knob. “I used to be a ballet dancer and I was able to recover after Freya. I wasn’t planning on having another child, but you happened. The pregnancy was complicated and I was bedridden for months after you were born. That was the end of my career. My life.”
“Your life?” Jaz narrowed her eyes at her. She charged back into the living room with full force. “You hate your own daughter because you had to stop ballet dancing? Was your career really that important to you? More important than me?”
Jaz had softened a bit. She appeared to have known about Ruby’s past, but obviously had no clue about how much that phase affected her mother.
“She didn’t want to have any children,” Matthew chimed in. “That was our agreement before we got married, but then we planned on having one. Just one. I’m sorry, honey. Your mother doesn’t mean that she hates you. Neither of us could ever feel negatively toward you.”
“Bullshit,” Jaz shook her head. “If you even have an ounce of love for me, you will accept my relationship with Blake. I love him.”
She looked at me and smiled when she said that, and it was in that moment when all the worries seemed to have disappeared from her face.
“Now, that is bullshit,” Ruby spread her arms and laughed. “It’s infatuation. Or maybe not even that.”
I knew something awful was coming my way now.
“Blake is using you to get money out of your father.”
There it was.
“That’s enough, Ruby.” Matthew’s lips were tight and his finger was pointed straight at his wife. Neither Jaz nor I had to step in and defend ourselves or our relationship anymore.
“I’ve been putting up with this crap of yours for years now. Jesus. I get it, okay? It sucked for you. Being sick for so long, losing your career. All of that. I’ve supported you through all those times and I’ve had it. And now for you to attack Blake like that? I don’t think you’re capable of any kind of love. You just aren’t.”
“What are you saying, Matthew?” Ruby settled into her seat with crossed arms.
She, too, knew that something awful was coming her way.
“I’m leaving you. We’re done. With all of this. I want a divorce so I can spend my retirement in peace.”
Jaz and I weren’t the ones to leave the house in the end. It was Ruby. I didn’t believe Matthew when he told his wife that he wanted a divorce.
I’d witnessed one too many fights between my parents where the word ‘divorce’ was thrown around like it was candy. They always made up and apologized. But I believed Matthew was as serious as a heart attack.
“I can’t stand to be in the same room as you” were his exact words just before Ruby left.
Then it was just us three… and the guilt lingering over Jaz’s head.
She apologized to her father.
“I never meant to hurt you. We… never meant to hurt you. And I’m sorry that this happened with you and Mom.”
She paused for a second and pursed her lips.
“Are you and Mom really going to get divorced?”
“It’s about time, kiddo.”
His gaze flicked to me, then back to her.
“I’m not hurt. I’m just… concerned. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Matthew,” I cut in, assuming it was okay if I spoke between them both. “If I may, I want to assure you that I care for your daughter deeply, and I have the utmost respect for you and your family. I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.”
He sighed.
“Well then. If you both have made this decision and if Freya has made her peace with it, then who am I to say anything?”
His lips formed a slight smile when he said that, and Jaz’s happiness shot through the roof. She’d been waiting to hear that. Family was everything to her and she was fiercely close to everyone except for her mother.
I wished for her sake that Ruby would realize what she was missing out on and mend her ways, but I highly doubted it would happen.
Even though there was a speck of sadness remaining in her after such a fight with her mother, I knew that she was happy.
And I knew that I would be able to fill that void in her with my own love.
21
Jasmine
One month later…
Blake zipped his last suitcase and placed it in my closet. We had officially moved in together.
It’d been one month since we made it official to my parents in this very house. And now, instead of having to peek through the window to get a glimpse of my handsome boyfriend, I could just admire him to my heart’s desire whenever I wanted.
It all worked out perfectly.
His parents were now living by themselves in his house and he didn’t have to hunt for a new place for them anymore. He was still working at the store as a manager, but not for the money anymore. I deeply appreciated that he stuck with the job so he could help my Dad.
“He helped me out when I needed the support,” Blake told me.
This is exactly the kind of man who I always dreamed of being with. One who could love and respect my parents like I did. Speaking of which, my situation with my mother was getting better too. Better in the sense that I was no longer deeply affected by her words and actions, now that we’d gotten everything out in the open. Her and Dad were still living in the same house, but leading separate lives. Maybe, they had been for a while and I just didn’t know it. I was happy for them, in a way.
At least, now they weren’t actively pretending to be the happiest couple in front of their friends in town. That had to feel a little liberating.
The idea of living with Blake had been the icing on the cake, though it was a task trying to get him to move in. Not that he didn’t want to, but man, did he take his time to warm up to the suggestion.
That was probably one of the perks of never having been in a serious relationship before. I didn’t have old wounds like Blake did. I just didn’t worry about whether or not moving in would kill our love.
I knew it would only make it stronger, and Blake was starting to believe the same.
“So what do we do next?” He asked, his smile telling me exactly what he wanted to do.
“No… stop,” I laughed, trying to get away from him. “I need to call Freya first.”
Thanksgiving was coming up in a few days and she was supposed to visit home during the holidays. I was a little worried about what it was going to be like — with all the recent changes.
I hadn’t seen her since she left with nothing but a note on her bed sheet, and though I couldn’t be happier to see her soon, it was nerve-wracking for me.
I took a deep breath when I put the phone to my ear and heard it ring. Blake bent over to kiss my cheek because my nervousness must have been pretty obvious.
He kept rubbing my back till I said “hello” and stepped away.
“Hey,” she sang. “What’s uh… what’s going on?”
She knew Blake was moving into the house today. A part of me wished that we’d waited until after Thanksgiving. In their years as a couple, they had never even attempted to live together. I didn’t mean to rub our relationship in her face, but at the same time, it was important that she got used to us being together.
Blake wasn’t going anywhere. He was going to continue being a part of my life and the sooner Freya saw that with her own eyes, the better it was going to be for everyone.
“Nothing much,” I said. “Blake’s here. He’s saying hi.”
I bit my lower lip and snapped my eyes shut.
“Oh,” she replied. “Tell him I said hi back.”
“You’re coming right? Home? For Thanksgiving?”
“I thought that was the plan,” she said. “Has something changed?”
“No,” I squealed. “No. Absolutely not. Look forward to seeing you.”
I thought that was the end of the conversation, but apparently, there was more.
“Oh, and Jaz…”
“Yeah?”
“I’m bringing someone. A plus one.”
“To our Thanksgiving dinner?” I chuckled, kind of shocked, but happy at the same time. “I mean, of course, that would be really awesome. And who… is this someone?”
“It’s nothing official or anything,” she said. “Don’t get all jumpy on me. But I am dating someone. More details to follow soon.”
She hung up before I could ask another question, pestering her for a name.
“Hello?” I groaned. “Hello?”
“Everything okay?” Blake asked with furrowed brows. He was laying on the bed, shirtless.
His arms were tucked behind his head and I just smiled at the gorgeous view.
“How are you so damn cute?”
He narrowed his eyes at me.
“Cute is not the kind of compliment I appreciate from you.”
“Then what would make you happy?”
He dragged himself to the other edge of the bed where I was standing and slid his arms around me, pulling me so close that I gasped.
“How about irresistible?” He winked.
I rolled my eyes and smirked. “Fine, I can’t really deny that you’re a hot piece of pie but I need to stop spoiling you with my compliments.”
He kissed me and squeezed my ass with one hand.
I laughed into his lips when he did.
“You seem like you’re in a good mood. Any particular reason?”
I sighed. I wasn’t sure if it was too soon to be happy about what Freya had told me, but it sure did lighten my mood and temporarily relieve me of my worries.
“Nothing for now,” I said. “But we’ll find out soon enough.”
“Oh, it’s like that, huh?” He raised his brows, grazing his lips across the side of my neck. “Keeping secrets from me and everything.”
“Uh-hmm,” I said, moaning a little.
We forgot all about the conversation and jumped into bed the very next instant. I could tear apart his clothes within seconds every time I was under the sheets with him.
Blake drove me absolutely crazy. He’d been doing that since the day I first got a taste of him.
His tongue swirled over my lips while I ran my hands over his bare chest. I loved doing that, every single time. There was something about reminding myself that the hottest man I’d ever met belonged to me.
“I love you,” I said and he responded to me by pressing his lips against mine and rolling on top of me.
I began unbuckling his jeans impatiently, then slid my hand inside his boxers to stroke his hard cock. I wanted it in my mouth.
Before I’d lost my virginity, I never thought I would want to suck a man’s cock. I just didn’t, but it wasn’t like that with Blake. I genuinely wanted him. All of him.
I pressed my hands against his chest and rolled back on top.
He laughed. “What is this game we’re playing?”
“If this is a game,” I smiled. “Then it’s going to be the best goddamn game of your life.”
His eyes went wide and I pulled his jeans down, then the tight boxers that accentuated his toned thighs. The man was so drool-worthy, it hurt my fucking eyes.
It still felt a tad bit weird, though. It was my first time. I started off by kissing it and then licking his length till I was ready to take all of it in my mouth.
He raked his fingers into my hair and moaned when I did, and that took away whatever it was that I was feeling. Now, it was pure ecstasy — to be able to pleasure him like that.
He was so big, no wonder my eyes would always reach for the bulge between his legs. Blake pulled me up by my shoulders and kissed my neck, sliding the tank top off my shoulders.
“What happened? Did I do something wrong?”
“Oh, my angel. No, I just didn’t want to cum before you did.”
With that, he yanked my panties off like they were the biggest nuisance in the world for him. If it were up to Blake, he would have me walk around naked in the house all the time.
Judging by the kinds of things that I’d done in the recent past with Blake, I would not have been surprised at anything.
But he was so worth it.
He was totally worth all the craziness and the family drama that this relationship had put us through.
22
Blake
It was Thanksgiving, and it was the first time that Jaz was hosting it.
Technically, since Freya wasn’t living in the house anymore, she felt solely responsible for the evening and rightly so. It must have been more nerve-wracking for her because of the sheer number of guests that were about to show up. No one outside of the family was invited but she’d never hosted my parents before. Sure, there had been lunches and dinners together with both our families while I was dating her sister, but nothing of this sort.
She was about to have dinner with them as my girlfriend, and that had to put a little pressure on her. But most of all, it was because of Freya.
Jaz was happy that she was bringing someone along. She didn’t know who it was but she was happy, nonetheless. It meant that Freya had moved on, or was at least trying to.
I couldn’t be happier for her if that was the case. It would also help the two sisters leave the drama behind and move forward faster.
Jaz and I had looked up recipes all week and had come up with some amazing dishes.
“Go take a shower,” I laughed, seeing some flour spread across her forehead.
I wiped it clean with my thumb and pulled her in for a kiss.
“It’ll all go fine, I promise.”
“Mom’s coming too, by the way,” she smiled and nodded with pursed lips.
“You invited her?” I asked.
She shrugged.
“I wanted to. I didn’t want her to feel left out, especially since Freya is going to be here and she could use that time with her daughter.”
I loved this about Jaz. She was so selfless and pure hearted that I could see myself spending the rest of my life with her.
It was incredible, the way I had grown to feel about her in such a short period of time, but when you know, you just know, right?
The doorbell interrupted us.
Jaz let out her pony tail and tousled her hair, then ran her hands over her clothes.
“You’re forgetting the apron,” I winked.
She groaned and sprinted towards the door. It had to be Freya because she said she would come early.
“Mom?” I heard her say, and then I saw Ruby smiling at me.
I set the half-eaten apple back on the kitchen counter.
“Dinner doesn’t start for another two hours,” Jaz told her.
“I wanted to come see if you needed any help,” Ruby said. “I know I haven’t been the best mother in the world but maybe I could start somewhere.”
I chuckled inwardly. I’d been seeing a visible change in Ruby since Matthew started putting his foot down, but she had a funny way of showing it. Ruby definitely had a quirky way of expressing her love to Jaz.
“I think I’ve got it all covered,” she said, pointing to the food and drinks neatly lined up in the kitchen.
I tossed my hands in the air when Ruby’s gaze flicked over to me. “I didn’t help her at all.”
That was a lie, of course, but I wanted Jaz to shine in front of her mother. “It was all her.”
“Impressive,” she said, and Jaz smiled like she had just won a battle.
I loved her.
She was so sensitive to her family’s affection that her chest swelled with pride. All I wanted to do was take her in my arms and shower her with a million kisses.
Ruby and I were the only ones left in the kitchen after Jaz went into her bedroom to get dressed.
“I need to look human again” were her exact words before she strutted away.
Ruby cleared her throat.
“How have you been, Blake?”
“I’ve been quite well, actually. How about you?”
She didn’t shy away from letting me know exactly how she’d been.
“Separation after spending decades together is… hard. Yeah, let’s just say it’s hard.”
“I can’t imagine,” I said, the tips of my lips turning downward. “I’m sorry you’re going through a hard time.”
To be honest, I wasn’t sorry for her. She’d earned every little thing that had come her way, but I had to be nice for my girlfriend’s sake.
The conversation quickly shifted to my work situation, and then to Freya.
I didn’t know if Ruby was aware that Freya was dating someone, so I didn’t want to say anything until she brought it up herself.
“I'm excited to meet the lucky fella that Freya is bringing,” she said.
And then there was a knock at the door.
“My little girl sure has an exciting love life.”
Freya smiled at me, even waved a little, while her mother took a while hugging her, then moved on to her new boyfriend.
I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to call him her boyfriend or what… yet.
Freya and I shared an awkward handshake, and then she gestured toward the guy.
“This is Eric. My boyfriend.”
Eric was a big guy, exactly Freya’s type. Now I could safely say that I was genuinely happy for her.
Ruby was standing by the door, looking visibly uncomfortable while we all acquainted ourselves. Thankfully, Jaz rushed downstairs soon after the pleasantries were over.
She literally jumped on Freya and we all burst out laughing.
“I’ve missed you too, munchkin,” Freya chirped, then introduced her to Eric.
Jaz turned around with arched brows. Yes, she was definitely thrilled upon seeing the new guy.
It’s like she’d read my mind.
He was perfect for Freya.
"Sorry that I'm late," a voice rang out, and we all turned to see Matthew standing in the doorway. He was wearing a stylish jacket and a new pair of leather shoes, looking sharper than I had ever seen him in my life.
Forbidden Neighbor: A Contemporary Romance Boxset (Forbidden Saga Book 2) Page 13
