by Allie York
“Jacob, nice to meet you,” He pulled back and tucked his hands in his pockets. The guy thought he was getting off with just a hug. Mom looped her arm with his, dragging him to meet everyone and I retreated outside to find some moral support. Jacob deserved to be rattled a little. That morning, curled in our little bubble, a relationship with him sounded great. It sounded like just the thing I needed, but in the real world, it was different. We had just reconnected, I had just been screwing someone else, and we should have been focused on Ollie, not each other. More than anything, though, I wasn’t ready to trust him not to run away again.
I found Jovie and Reese and they were the closest thing I was getting to support. They fussed over my neck and jaw with Jove giving me her classic “I told you so” look. Know-it-all little bitch. She told me from the first time she saw Torin that he gave off a bad vibe. She and the twins had met me after school for dinner and Torin was hanging around after picking up Carly. I thought maybe it was the way he looked, all beefy and tattooed, but she swore it was his presence, not his appearance.
“Well, Mr. Teller. You are just as sexy as you were back in the day,” Jovie teased, shaking Jacob’s hand. Ewan yelled an “oy” from across the porch and she giggled. Jacob was not amused.
“Jacob is fine.” He rested his hand on my waist again and my sisters’ jaws nearly hit the floor. I wasn’t ready to wave a relationship flag, but it was out there and there was no taking it back. I wasn’t really liking the idea of all the public affection, either, but then I noticed why Jacob had done it. Jovie did too. My uncle had some asshole guy who liked to tag along with him everywhere. We called him Creepy Shane. He was a groper to say the least and the three of us were his favorite targets. Shane was eyeing us like prime steaks and I shuddered. Ewan immediately stalked across the porch to be near Jovie and introduced himself to Jacob. Then the baseball conversation started. Julian picked up on the conversation with his baseball radar and the girls were left to talk about more entertaining subjects. Like my sex life.
“So, he thought you were sleeping with Jacob and lost it?” Jovie took Ruby from Amelia, bouncing her lightly. I nodded. “Are you? That didn’t take long.”
“No, I’m not. I almost did this morning, but I was literally with Torin last night. I feel like a whore. I go my whole life being nearly celibate and now I have the man of my dreams and a jackass fuck buddy in a very short time frame. How did I turn into such a skank?” I rolled my eyes, taking Norah from my aunt as she passed. I cuddled her close, inhaling her intoxicating baby smell.
“Torin was just a good lay. Everyone needs a few bad decisions and some good sex.” Reese shrugged. “You and Jacob, though, that is some serious chemistry. Just move past it and give it a try. He looks so proud to be with you.” She winked in her teasing way. At least they made me feel like less of a slut.
The party progressed casually, with everyone just enjoying the company and eating the masses of food my mom prepared with my aunts. After enough baseball and sex talk, I stole away to the bathroom to inspect the marks on my neck more closely. The bruising had gotten worse as the day had worn on. I was leaned over the counter, cocking my head to see the side of my neck when Jacob stepped in, closed the door behind him, and locked it.
“Am I being overbearing?” He reached his hand out for me, and I took it so he could pull me into him. I shook my head against his chest. Jacob was a little overbearing, but I kind of liked it, and no one seemed to question us being together. “Good. I don’t want to overstep, but I can’t help it.” Jacob moved my hair to kiss down my neck. “You are killing me in those shorts, Lyd.” He grabbed my ass to pull me into his raging erection. The move sent every sensation right between my legs and I shuddered.
“We’re in my parents’ bathroom.” I tried not to sound so breathless, but failed miserably. Jacob nodded against my neck then licked up to my ear. “People will notice we’re missing,” I whimpered against his collarbone. His tongue was doing awful things to me and he knew it. He tipped my head up and slammed his mouth to mine, taking me in a scalding kiss as his hands roamed me, sliding under my shirt. He rubbed my nipple through the lace of my bra, grinding his cock into me, and kissing me like he needed me to survive. I was screwed.
Before I could process what I was doing, I had his pants undone and my shorts were in the floor. “I don’t have a condom,” he groaned against my mouth, picking me up.
“Pill,” I could barely get the word out as I wrapped my legs around his hips and his dick teased my clit. He nodded, backing us into the far wall and thrusting himself into me. Jacob swallowed my moan, letting out a groan of his own and slammed into me mercilessly. One hand braced on the wall and one hand clasped my ass, all I could do was cling to his shoulders and try not to cry out when he drove me to an Earth-shattering orgasm. His mouth crashed into mine as I came and Jacob found his release right behind me. He dropped his head into my neck, panting as hard as I was, and kissed me gently.
Once I caught my breath, I climbed off of him and stood on shaky legs, nearly sliding down the wall. “Fuck, Lyd, that was not my plan when I came in here.” he shoved off of me, shaking his head. His face was red but it was adorable.
I immediately kissed him, taking his face in my hands. “Oh, you didn’t follow me in for quickie in my parents’ bathroom?” Jacob breathed out a laugh, handing me my shorts and retrieving his pants from where they were pooled at his ankles. “Get out of here before you get us in trouble. I’ll be out in a second.” He kissed me again, checked his appearance in the mirror and slid out the door. I cleaned up, trying to fix my “just fucked” hair and washed my hands, wiping cold water on my cheeks. Shit. The man knew exactly how to get me where I needed to be. I didn’t intend on having sex with him yet, especially not in my mother’s bathroom, but he just looked at me and it was over. My lack of self-control was sickening.
I came out of the bathroom looking like a bank robber, checking both ways before my exit, and was immediately hit with salsa music from the back deck. Mom and Ollie were mid-dance while the rest of the party goers watched. Mom kept stopping Ollie to fix his foot work and Amelia jumped in, grabbing my hand and spinning herself into me to dance. I hadn’t danced in years, but I had helped her with some steps recently that she struggled with. I was sweating and leading her through a pretty impressive salsa in a matter of minutes. Someone changed to something jazzier and we switched gears. I caught Jacob talking to Jovie and Ewan, but his eyes were locked on me, smiling like a moron. Mom and I switched partners, spinning Ollie into me in time for a new song. The dancing went on until my feet hurt and we needed to serve cake. At least my kid wasn’t too old to dance with his mom yet.
The next thing I knew, my arm was in a vice grip and I was being jerked back into a squealing Mara. I knew my best friend was going to show up eventually. Jude and Oliver turned red, hiding their faces while Mara and I shook our asses on the make-shift dance floor. Mom switched the music again, playing an upbeat jazz song. Once we were both too out of breath to keep going, we stopped and fell into a bout of school girl giggles. Mara always made me feel like I was a teenager again despite both of us having teenagers. When Mara noticed Jacob grinning at us, she laughed hard enough to snort and jerked me over to him. Ewan and Jovie took our place on the dance floor, each holding a little fat baby.
“Holy sexiness! Mr. Teller, you grew up nice.” Mara put an arm around my waist and squeezed. “No wonder Lyddie kept you a secret.” Jacob cocked his eyebrow at Mara’s lack of filter.
“Yeah, can’t figure out why I kept him from you.” I bumped her with my hip, “The way you’re mentally undressing him makes me super secure.” Mara bit her lip to keep from laughing and Jacob’s olive complexion tinged pink. “Anyway, Mara, this is Jacob.” They shook hands and Mara immediately started grilling Jacob about what he had spent the last thirteen years doing. Then she started asking about our sex life and I ended the conversation. Mara and I could talk about the bathroom experience later, but not at m
y son’s party.
“Fine, I’ll hush,” my best friend grumbled, “but I better get some babysitting from him, and a girls’ night with you really soon.” Her demands were met with a nod from Jacob and a hug from me before Mara kissed me and winked at him.
“I’d be more than happy to keep the boys.” Jacob popped a piece of gum in his mouth and smiled his half-smirk thing that made me all swoony.
Reese and Mom brought the cake out, singing, and everyone joined in. Mara, Jacob, and I were pulled from our conversation, but Mara leaned over to whisper to me, insisting I had picked a good one. Her only definition of “good” was that the man be remotely attractive. Ollie’s red velvet cake was iced to perfection by his grandmother with thirteen red candles. Jacob slid behind me across the table from our son as he blew his candles out and we all cheered. With a giant smile, Ollie looked up at my teary eyes, then at his father’s hand on my shoulder, and winked at me. Smart kid.
“Thank you,” Jacob’s whisper hit my ear. “Thanks for letting me be here. Thanks for him.” I had to close my eyes at his words, making the tears spill over my lashes. I reached up and squeezed his hand and Jacob returned it. Maybe I wouldn’t have to share Ollie after all.
Ollie tore into his gifts, tossing paper aside to reveal the present inside and being overly gracious to the gift givers. I couldn’t have been more proud even if being the mother of a teenager was an insane thought. Jacob took pictures with his phone, having as much fun as Ollie through the whole process. When the kids got in the pool, he turned his sights on me again and crossed the porch to lean next to me. Jacob bumped me lightly like I didn’t know he was there. I could feel his presence without any help.
“How long has Ollie been calling you dad?” I moved my attention to Jacob.
“Uh, just today. Amazing, right?” Jacob chuckled, slipping his arm around my waist. “Can he stay with my dad tomorrow evening? I want to take you out.” I jerked to attention at that one. We had a kid together, but had never been on an actual date. Yeah, pretty ass backwards, huh?
“Okay.”
“Don’t sound so excited, Lyd,” He tugged me a little closer, leaning down to my ear. “Then when we get home, I’m going to worship your body the way it deserves.” Jacob kissed my forehead and went back to watching the pool. His promise made my body tingle in the most delicious way and I had to grip the railing. Maybe it was the fact that we had just fucked in my parents’ bathroom, or it could have been the less-than-satisfying sex I had been caught up in with Torin, but I was like a horny teenager. I hadn’t even realized that Torin wasn’t all that great until Jacob got his hands on me in the bathroom.
“I think we hosted another successful party.” Mom squeezed between us, making Jacob laugh when she nudged him away from me with her hips. “Wasn’t it?”
I kissed my mom on the head. “Thank you, Mom. It was wonderful. You always throw amazing parties.” Throwing parties was her specialty. Mom was a nurturer and felt the constant need to feed as many people as possible then refuse help when it came time to clean up.
“Glad to help. Now, let’s talk about you two.” I groaned but Jacob looked like he was up for the challenge. “I don’t know you, Jacob. I have no idea what kind of man you are, but I do know you left my daughter pregnant and afraid to tell us who you were. I also know that if you were the one who put those bruises on her …” I opened my mouth, but Jacob cut her off. The last thing I needed was my mother defending me and her accusation was way out of line.
“Hold on.” Jacob threw both hands up. “We can talk about what happened years ago later, but let me make something crystal clear. I have never and will never lay a hand on any woman, especially not the mother of my son. If I ever do come across the spineless creature who did, the police will not be needed because I will kill the bastard.” Jacob set his jaw, daring my mother to accuse him of more.
“This is not the time or place for this conversation, Mom.” I felt my face go red under Jacob’s stare. He was pissed and I couldn’t blame him.
“Fine, but just know if you two jump in bed together, again, it’s not just two of you. It’s Oliver too, and you better make sure it’s going to last or end it with you two able to put him first.” With that, my mother pulled her eyes from Jacob and stormed off. On one hand, she was right. If our attempt at a relationship failed, Oliver would be the one hurting. On the other hand, what would be better for our son than his parents actually being together?
Chapter Ten
JACOB
I was still reeling from the bullshit her mother had gone off about at our son’s party. It wasn’t her place to step into our relationship, but that part wasn’t what pissed me off. How dare she insinuate that I would ever lay a finger on Lydia? The very idea made me sick. The whole incident, her fucking someone else made me livid, but I could let it go. I couldn’t let the bruises go. I couldn’t let go of the fear she showed every time it was mentioned at the party. Everyone there seemed to buy her lie, but even when telling it, Lydia looked ready to vomit.
The party. It was beyond wonderful. Her family was loud and slightly insane, but loving and surprisingly welcoming, even her mother. Her grams was a hoot, talking about her granddaughters and their hot men. At least the old woman found me up to par with Ewan and Julian considering I was a bit older. Hell, I had nearly twenty years on Julian and a decade on Ewan. Not being one to have male friends, I actually liked both of them. Both were baseball fans and fiercely loyal to their own personal Reed sister. Once I got my ring on Lydia’s finger, we could go watch Julian play for the Smokey’s, the local minor league, or go out for beers. I had to make nice with the men in the family.
No one questioned where I had been, or why I was just then showing up, so that was a relief. Watching Lydia and Oliver dance was the highlight of my night. He smiled, laughing at his beautiful mother, dancing like a fool. And she watched our son like he hung the fucking moon. So did I. It was a reminder of her teaching me to dance in my apartment years ago. It had been the best part of our relationship. Holding her close and watching her get pissed when I purposely messed up. Oliver wasn’t getting gifts from me until his actual birthday. I had missed far too many of those to not do it up. So I went all out.
It was well after dark before we went back to their house with Jude in tow. They had some massive sleepover planned, but Lydia shut it down, insisting they could break in the new games the next day. The pair in the back groaned, but no one argued. I rolled into their driveway and parked behind her.
“Coming in?” She started to climb out but I took her hand, kissing the back.
“Yeah, of course.” I would go wherever she told me to. Hell, I never wanted her out of my sight again. It was sudden, but the thought of her and my son being in a different house made me uncomfortable. We should’ve been going home together and climbing into our bed. If things had happened differently …
Lydia instructed the boys to go to bed and disappeared into her room. I found the beer in the fridge and got two out, waiting on the couch. I was tired but had some even better news. When she came back in it took an act of god to not drag her back to her room. She had on a tank top and these short little scraps of shorts barely covering her ass, and my dick acted accordingly. Lydia snatched the beer from me and flopped back next to me, sighing and taking a long drink. In that outfit, next to me wasn’t nearly good enough. I circled my arm around her waist and tossed her on my lap, facing me. Her beer ended up on the side table next to mine and she dragged her nails into my hair and rested her hands on the back of my neck.
“Sorry about Mom. She really can’t help being that way.” Lydia rested her forehead against mine. “Without her and Dad, I never would have made it through college. She just worries.” I let my hands roam up and down her hips, barely catching what she was saying. With her cleavage in my face and her hands on the back of my neck, I was coming undone.
“It’s fine. With the way things went, she has no reason to trust me. But I’m not goi
ng anywhere this time.” My self-control slipped and I kissed along her collarbone. My reward was a breathy sigh that made me move lower. “The party was great, Oliver had a blast. And your family …” She broke out in goosebumps when I dragged my tongue up her throat.
“Jacob.” She tried to sound threatening, but it came out like a plea. A plea I would gladly answer. “Maybe Mom’s right about us, though. What if we don’t work out? Ollie will be the one suffering.” The thought had briefly crossed my mind, but there was no way in hell I would let Lydia go again.
I stared at the beautiful woman in my lap. “What do you not understand, Lydia?” I tipped her chin to make her look at me. “I’m not fucking leaving. You can run if you want, but I’ll always come find you.” She nodded in my hand and I stroked the bruise on her jaw. God, it pissed me off to see her hurt and beaten. “And while we’re talking, that coward better not touch you again. If he calls, I want to know, got me?” I sounded like an asshole, but if Lydia went running to that bastard again, I would take it out on him, not her.
“Yes, sir.” She rolled her eyes, playing off how serious I was. Lyd tried to climb off my lap, but I held firm to her ass, not letting her move, and she grabbed her beer, taking a long swig. “Finish your beer, I’m tired.” She chugged the rest of her beer, sliding off me.
“I got a call from the high school today.” She leaned into me, answering with a nod. “I have a job once school starts back.” My phone buzzed, but I ignored it. I knew it was Tera; the crazy woman had called all damn week. I signed her papers and moved the hell on. My ex and Caiden needed to do the same.
“That’s great, baby.” Her words slurred with sleep and I took her beer bottle. “Are you staying?”
“Yeah, I’m staying.” I scooped her up, carrying her back toward her room, and laid her on the bed. I couldn’t stop staring while I undressed. Her waves spilled out over the green pillows like a halo and I slid up next to her, getting as close as possible. I couldn’t get close enough. Her vanilla scent covered the bed, invaded my senses, and lulled me to sleep.
