The irony isn’t lost on me as I ring the doorbell after being let through the gates of the Mason family estate. Last time I was here didn’t go so well for me, and I’m expecting today to be even worse. The butler lets me in and shows me to the same office I sat in last time. And just like that time, it’s Liz Mason waiting for me inside.
“Nice dress, Isa.”
“Thank you, Ma’am. I like it.”
Her mouth quirks up into a little smile at the small dig I just managed. “Please sit down.”
“I’d rather stand.”
“Okay. I…well, I need to apologize to you.”
“For?”
“Everything that has happened since I met you. I meant what I said about you being worthy of my son. I just never planned on letting you be with him. I blamed you for him being in danger because I didn’t want to admit that I actually shouldered much of that blame myself. When he came to me, I shouldn’t have been so encouraging to him about playing along. I know he would’ve done it anyway, but if I’d objected, he might have been more careful.”
“Or he would’ve done exactly what he did with your support and encouragement.”
“There’s always that. But I blamed his love for you, when I should’ve been celebrating it. He loves you so much, Isa. It scares me because I never want my son to put himself in a position where he could lose his life because he’s sacrificing it for someone else.”
“And that’s what he did with me.”
“Yes. Then you saved him, and I just wanted you gone. You’re a strong woman, Isa, and I didn’t like that. I didn’t like that you’d stand up to me.”
“But you like it now?”
“If I’m being honest, it’s going to take some getting used to. But like I said, my son loves you. And I like you very much. You’re one hell of a woman.”
“Your husband might hate me.”
“No. Jake talks about you non-stop. He has his father thinking you’re the greatest thing since Google.”
“You told me he didn’t really love me,” I say.
“I lied.”
“And the ex? Vicki?”
“She’s no one for you to worry about.”
“Can I see him? I need to hear all this from him. I believed you once, and it kind of destroyed me. Forgive me if I can’t trust you again.”
“There’s nothing to forgive on my end. I really am sorry, and I hope we can be friends one day.”
“Maybe one day.”
“Jake is in the sunroom. Just go straight down the hall and you’ll run into it.”
I nod and head down the hall. I push open the door and stop short. I knew I couldn’t trust Liz. Because Jake has his arms around the girl she just told me not to worry about. I don’t even realize I’ve made a noise until they quickly break apart and look towards me.
“Isa,” he says as he stands suddenly. “This…it isn’t…it’s not what it looks like.”
“It looks like you were holding your ex-girlfriend.”
“Well, yeah. But it was nothing.”
“I guess our definitions of ‘nothing’ are a little different.”
“Are you going to introduce me to the great and wonderful Isa, or do I have to do it myself asshole?”
Well that’s different. I hold out my hand. “Hi. I’m Isa. Not great or wonderful, just Isa.”
“I’m Vicki. And honey, you need to own the adjectives because from what I’ve been told, there aren’t enough in the English language to describe your awesomeness.”
“He shouldn’t talk about me like that when he’s dating you.”
“’He’ is right here, and Vicki are I are definitely not dating. She’s my best friend. Has been since we were five.”
“You never mentioned your best friend.”
“I didn’t tell you a lot of things I should have. I’d like to remedy that if you’ll believe me when I say my mom lied to you. I never doubted my love for you. And I never will.”
“She told me she lied, but I wasn’t sure what to believe.”
“He loves you. Like fall on his sword loves you. Which he apparently already did, or tried to do before you saved his sorry ass,” Vicki tells me.
“My ass is very nice, and it doesn’t appreciate you disparaging it.”
“Your ass speaks for itself now?” she asks him with a laugh.
“I’ve never heard it talk, but it is very nice,” I say.
“On that note, I’m going to leave the two of you alone to compare asses or whatever. I’ll also find another date for the ball tomorrow, since I’m expecting you to take my new friend here.”
“Ball?”
“It’s torture, Isa. Save me from the torture.”
I look at Vicki with an eyebrow raised. “They do tend to be pretty awful, but we’ll make it fun for ourselves. I love your dress, by the way.”
“Thanks. I wore it in honor of my favorite teacher.”
The dress is a blank tank style that goes past my knees. It’s covered in what looks like chalk drawings, words, and equations. It really does remind me of the man who’s now sitting in the chair in front of me. I wore it because I will always remember our time in Vegas, even if things don’t work out here. Which I now think maybe they could.
* * *
Jake
She’s here. Thank God she’s here. When my mom called her guy and he said there were guns on her, I almost stopped breathing. If we’d called even five minutes later, this extraordinary woman in front of me would be dead.
“I wouldn’t necessarily be dead, Jake.”
“What?”
“I can see on your face that you’re thinking about what would’ve happened if you hadn’t called. Yes, I might’ve died, but I wasn’t going down without a fight, so I might’ve lived.”
“You shouldn’t have ever been in that position.”
“No. I shouldn’t have. She’s very beautiful.”
Huh? Who? Oh fuck. My mom needs a new hobby. “Just a friend, Isa. My best friend, but that’s it. I swear.”
“I saw her leaving the hospital with you, holding your hand.”
“That should’ve been you. I wanted it to be you.”
“You didn’t call.”
“My mom kept all the phones from me. I threatened her into giving me one yesterday.”
“I-I thought you didn’t care.”
“Never. There could never be a time when I don’t care. When I don’t love you. I’ll love you until the day I die.”
“You almost did.”
“Until my sexy, badass girlfriend rescued me.”
“I wanted to keep you around a little longer.”
Just a little? “How long?”
“I was thinking about forever.”
Oh yeah. We’re on the same page. “I love your dress by the way. Not as much as I love what’s underneath it, but I had to tell you that.”
“I want to kiss you, Jake.”
“Good. Because I might die right here in this chair if you don’t.”
She takes those precious steps over to where I’m sitting, and I pull her down onto my lap. Her arms go around my neck, but she pulls back when I lean in. I rub her hips with my thumbs as I wait for her to be ready.
“This is okay, right? I mean, you’re okay with me on your lap?”
That’s why she’s waiting? I almost laugh out loud. “My ribs are still healing, and I’m a little weak, which is why I didn’t run to you when you walked in here, and why I had to sit down again. None of that is going to stop me from kissing you now. Or taking you up to my room to ravish your hot body in a little while.”
“Not in your parents’ house.”
“They won’t care.”
“You’re funny. Not.”
“Fine. My mom would care. We’ll go to my apartment instead if it makes you more comfortable. But I will be inside you today.”
“Will you now?”
Oh. I shouldn’t have assumed. “Um, maybe. Or I guess no. I should’ve
asked if you wanted that, too.”
She leans over and sucks lightly on my neck. “I want it. But first let’s have that kiss.”
I use my hands on her waist to pull her against me as she leans down and takes my mouth with hers. It’s little kisses first, but there are some tongues and teeth involved as we play with each other. Those little licks and nips set me on fire and I move my hands higher as I finally deepen the kiss.
I don’t know how much time has passed, but my shirt is off and my hands are inside her dress when a throat clears. I remove my mouth from her long enough to say what I have to. “Go away.”
I reclaim her mouth and hope they listen. I’m not stopping if they don’t. Let them have a fucking show. I don’t care. I need Isa. Our two weeks apart felt like two lifetimes.
“Isabelle! Stop this now.”
She practically jumps off my lap and turns toward the unfamiliar voice. “Father?” she asks shakily.
“This is why you should still be at home. You could be working at the university and dating a nice boy. One your mother and I approve of. Not behaving like some shameless hussy. Come with me.”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” I warn him.
“I’ll speak to my daughter however I see fit. Now let’s leave, Isabelle.”
Shit. This isn’t going to go my way. What she’s told of me of her parents has shown me that they take pleasure in controlling her. And she’s always let them.
As I watch her, I realize that maybe she’s not going to listen this time. She straightens her spine and adjusts her glasses before speaking.
“I love my job. I’m not going with you. As for Jake, he’s the nicest guy I know. I can’t make you approve of him, but that’s your problem, not mine.”
“That foundation and those women who work there did this to you. I’ve heard about Matthew Corrigan. Have you slept with him, too?”
She bursts out laughing. “Slept with Matt? No?”
“You don’t have to laugh so hard about it, Double G,” the man in question says, walking into the room.
“Yes I do. You’re like a brother to me, and you’re marrying one of my best friends.”
“When you put it that way, it is pretty funny. You know how much you mean to me.”
“Yet you call her by some demeaning nickname,” her father tells him with a sneer.
I’m not letting this go one much longer. I want her to stand up for herself, but I also need to give her my support. Once I’m not walking around with a steel pipe in my jeans, of course. That’s the real reason I’m still sitting.
“Girl Genius is an insult?” Matt asks.
“I-I thought you were joking about…well, her less than stellar assets.”
“Thanks for pointing them out to everyone, Father.”
I do stand then. Hard-on be damned. “I find your assets wonderfully stellar, babe.”
“We all saw your hands in her dress, so I don’t think that was in question, Son.”
My dad is smirking at me. His eyes are twinkling, too. I know he’s happy for me that Isa’s here. I’ve told him all about how amazing she is. I need to introduce them properly.
“Isa, this is my dad, Bill. Dad, this is Isa.”
“Hello, Isa. It’s nice to finally meet the woman my son can’t stop talking about.”
“It’s great to meet you, too.”
“I’m sorry about my wife. She takes the mother lion thing a little too far sometimes. But she thinks you’re pretty great. Even if she doesn’t show it.”
“A little is an understatement, but I can handle her. Oh, and Father, this is my boyfriend, Jake. Jake, this is my father.”
“You may refer to me as Mr. Carlton. I can’t say it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I hope to change your mind. I don’t think I can totally change to be what you want, but there’s got to be a compromise we can make.”
“No,” Isa says. “You’re not going to be anything but who you are, Jake. You helped me realize that being the person I am is okay, and I won’t let you do anything but be yourself. You don’t need to impress my parents.”
“Isabelle, once you’re back home, you’ll realize how wrong this young man is for you.”
“What exactly do you find wrong with me, Mr. Carlton?” I ask. It may not matter to Isa, but I want to know.
He starts ticking them off on his fingers, and I almost burst out laughing. Almost. “You are much older than her. You’ve been with more women than necessary. You live off your parent’s money instead of having a job of your own. You use your fists more than your mind. And you can’t possibly have anything in common with my daughter.”
It’s my turn to tick things off on my fingers now. “I am older than Isa, but by less years than I can count on my hands. And yes, I do use my hands to count sometimes. It wouldn’t matter if I had to include my toes, though. I love Isa more than life. Literally.
“As for being with other women, yes I have played the field in the past. If Isa develops a time machine one day—or the Doctor lets me borrow his—I’ll go back and change that. Your daughter is the only one I want for the rest of my life.
“I can combine the next two of your problems with me. I don’t live off my parents and I do indeed use my brain quite frequently. I had to project that image of an aimless playboy to hide my real job, which was in military intelligence. In fact, I have a fairly high IQ.
“Isa and I laugh at the same jokes, love the same movies and TV shows, and have a few other things we both enjoy. I don’t want to be with a woman who’s a carbon copy of me, or agrees with everything I do. I want the woman who makes me work for her, and then gives me everything when I prove I’m worthy. That’s what your daughter does for me.”
I hear a sniffle, and look over to see Isa crying. I was so focused on her father that I didn’t notice. I pull her into my arms and kiss the side of her head.
“That was one hell of a speech,” Matt says in the silence that follows. “I would almost switch teams and marry you myself.”
I flip him off as he laughs. Isa’s laughing now, too as she hugs me tight. My dad is smiling, but Isa’s father is not. He’s still glaring at me.
“You have some nice words, but I still don’t see how this will work.”
“You don’t need to see it,” Isa tells him as she turns to face him again.
“Come home, Isabelle.”
“I am home, Father. Jake is my home.”
“We’ll be there when he’s done with you and tosses you aside. I won’t say I told you so, but I’ll be expecting it.”
“I guess this probably isn’t a good time to ask for her hand in marriage, huh?”
“You won’t get my blessing.”
“He doesn’t need it. He has my blessing,” she tells me.
I love that she feels this way, but I wanted her family to accept me. “You have my blessing as well,” Maggie Griffin says from the doorway. Isa’s friends all file in after her, and that’s when I realize that her family does accept me. Not the one she was born with, but the one she’s chosen.
“Thanks, Maggie.”
“Are you going to ask me then, Jake?”
“I wanted to plan something super romantic, but you know I can’t deny you anything.” I drop to one knee and take her hand in mine. “Isabelle Carlton, I love you more than I ever thought a man could love a woman. I promise to never break your heart again. I’m a guy, so I may bruise it a little, but I promise to kiss it better every time. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
“As long as you include some great make-up sex in the making it better part, then yes. I would love to be your wife.”
I stand up and pull her into my arms so I can whisper my response in her ear. “I’m going to great make-up sex you into next month once I can get us out of here.”
“Please do.”
We kiss as her friends clap and whistle. When we break apart, her father is gone. I see a glimmer of sadness pass through her eyes,
and my heart hurts. My dad pulls her into a big bear hug, and her eyes sparkle again. I mouth a “thank you” to him, and he nods.
My mom walks up behind me and squeezes my arm. “Congratulations, Jake. She’s a wonderful woman.”
“She is.”
“I’m going to make this all up to both of you. I’m sorry.”
“Just don’t try to kill me again, and we’ll be okay,” Isa tells her.
They hug as Matt motions me over. I talk to him for a few minutes and we shake on what he’s just offered me. Then, I grab my fiancée and make a run for it. We love these people, but I need to be alone with her. And a bed.
Chapter 18
Isa
Jake’s apartment is actually a townhouse in an upscale part of D.C. It’s definitely a man’s place, with leather couches and big TVs. But there’s also art and knickknacks from all the places he’s traveled to. It’s what I think a modern day Indiana Jones’ place would look like. Well, without the dangerous artifacts, but still. It’s so Jake, and sexy as hell.
“My apartment’s turning you on? We haven’t even gotten to the bedroom yet.”
“What? No.”
“Your eyes got dark, and you licked your lips a few seconds ago.”
“Fine. I like your stuff.”
“I love your stuff.”
“Is that all you can think about?” I ask, pretending that I haven’t been thinking the exact same thoughts since I saw him earlier.
“Right now, all I can think about is making love to you.”
“So it won’t be slow and sweet then?” I ask as I crook my finger to beckon him over to me.
He swallows hard before answering. “It could be.”
“No,” I tell him, pulling him down on top of me as I tumble into the couch cushions.
“The bed’s upstairs.”
“We’ll get to that later.”
“God, I love you.”
“I know. I love you, too.”
We don’t speak again until our clothes are off—or at least moved around enough to make this happen. Whispered words and promises are shared as Jake enters me for the first time in what feels like forever. I wrap my legs around him, digging the heels of my shoes into that very nice ass of his. This time is fast for both of us, taking only a few minutes before we’re yelling instead of whispering, but the words are no less sweet.
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