Brothers & Best Friends

by Rose, Ashley

  She would lose everything if she tried to fight them in court. Their accusations were completely without ground, but Janine knew that Caroline was right—with the record she had, it would be easy to make Janine look unstable, and with that foundation, Caroline could probably even get a doctor who would attest to Janine's instability with a little monetary incentive.

  Giving in to Will felt like making a deal with the devil, but what other choice did she have?

  As she yawned and curled as close as she could get to Jess, she closed her eyes and whispered, "Please, God, let this be the right choice."

  Come morning, she would have to tell Jess everything and hope that it wasn't too much for him to handle.

  ***

  That night, Janine had an incredibly intense dream. Six years into the future, she was married to Jess, and she and Will were still sharing their son, as well as working together. They were often together in the public eye, for the sake of Will's reputation. She had a beautiful daughter with Jess, but it was not enough to save their marriage. Jess had grown tired of working around Will and his schedule and his demands. He told Janine he wanted a divorce, and he left her.

  Janine woke drenched in sweat, finding it difficult to breathe. Turning her head to look over at the clock, she stopped short when she saw Jess sleeping soundly on the pillow next to her. Her heart skipped a beat and then began racing as she reached out to touch his face and make sure he was real.

  His nose twitched.

  Suddenly Janine's hand flew to her stomach and landed on a large bump. She closed her eyes, so relieved that she thought she might start crying.

  Janine reached out and grabbed Jess by the shoulder, shaking him awake.

  He groaned, struggling to open his eyes.

  "Wake up," Janine said urgently.

  "No," he said, trying to close his eyes.

  "Jess, please, open your eyes."

  His eyes shot open at the sound of her voice and he quickly started to sit up. "Are you okay? Is it the baby?"

  "No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "No, nothing like that."

  Squinting, he looked over at the clock and then back to her. "It's 4:30 in the morning," he groaned.

  "I know," she said. "But I need to talk to you."

  "At 4:30 in the morning? Can't it wait?"

  "No," she told him, shaking her head. "I haven't been honest with you."

  He frowned. "Huh?"

  Sighing, Janine said, "Jess, you know how I told you earlier that I had to go meet with the florist because my bouquet got messed up?"

  He just looked at her.

  "I didn't go to the florist," she said quietly.

  "Well…where'd you go?" he asked.

  Swallowing, she said, "I went to meet Will."

  Instantly awake, Jess's face first fell and then hardened and he pushed himself up and away from her.

  Grabbing his hand, she said, "It's nothing like what you're thinking right now."

  "Explain, then—quickly," he said, his tone not very friendly.

  "Okay. But first you have to promise me that you aren't going to try to do anything stupid."

  "Like?"

  "Like beat Will up or tell John."

  Frowning, Jess said, "If it's nothing like what I'm thinking, then why are you afraid Will's going to get beat up?"

  "Because I'm in trouble, Jess. I'm in trouble and I thought that I could take care of it myself, but I can't. I need your help."

  After a pause, he said, "I'm listening."

  "The other night when we were at Will's apartment, I found a picture in his room…a picture I was in…from the night I was raped."

  "But you didn't know Will yet…"

  Swallowing, she said, "I didn't think I did. Before I go any farther I need you to promise me you're not going to go after him."

  "I can't promise that," Jess said.

  "You have to."

  "Janie, are you saying Will is the one who raped you?" he asked, throwing back the comforter and climbing out of bed, bending down and grabbing his jeans off the floor.

  Jumping up off the bed, Janine ran over to stand in front of the door with her body against it. "If you leave this apartment and so much as lay a finger on Will, he is going to make sure you go to jail and I lose custody of my son."

  His jaw fell open at first, and then he said, "That's the most fucking ridiculous thing I've ever heard, Janie! If he raped you, he's the one who needs to go to jail."

  "Please, please, sit down and I will tell you everything."

  He stood there for a second, looking torn, but eventually he sat down on the edge of the bed.

  Janine hesitantly moved away from the door and sat down beside him, taking his hand in hers and saying, "It all started that night at his apartment…"

  Chapter Twenty

  "I can't believe you're getting married," Karen said with a big grin as she zipped up Janine's dress and smiled at her in the mirror. "Are you nervous?"

  Janine was so nervous that her hands were shaking, and she said, "You have no idea."

  Laughing, Karen said, "Don't be. You and Jess are going to be very happy together for the rest of your lives."

  Smiling to herself in the mirror, Janine said, "I know we will."

  "And I'm so glad that you guys decided to go on a honeymoon. I know that it would be a lot more fun if you weren't pregnant and you had more money, but a couple days away from the city will do you good, and Myrtle Beach is so nice. Just don't stay out on the beach too long, or you'll bake the baby."

  With a little smile, Janine said, "I won't."

  Smiling and blinking back tears at the same time, Karen said, "I hate weddings. They make me all mushy."

  Chuckling, Janine turned around and said, "Give me a hug."

  "Aw," Karen said, giving her friend a big hug. "I'm so glad we met."

  Just thinking about it made Janine tear up, and she said, "Me too. I'm going to miss you so much."

  Laughing, Karen absently brushed Janine's tears away and said, "You silly little pregnant woman, it's only for the weekend. You'll see me again before you know it."

  Janine nodded wordlessly, tilting her head back so that her tears didn't screw up her make-up. Then Janine grabbed her phone off the little end table and said, "Come here, I want another picture of us."

  "We already took like two million pictures."

  "Well, I want two million more," Janine said, turning the phone around and wrapping her arm around Karen's neck, smiling for the camera as she snapped a picture of them.

  "Give me that," Karen said, taking Janine's phone and slipping it into the small white handbag. "You can have that back after the ceremony, but right now we need to go get ready to walk down the aisle."

  "Okay," Janine said with a nod.

  Karen pushed the little handbag onto her wrist and smiled at Janine. "You're a beautiful, beautiful bride. Jess is very lucky."

  "I'm very lucky," Janine replied.

  Exiting the bridal room, Janine and Karen walked down the corridor toward the church sanctuary. Ahead of them, Will stepped into the hall, hands in his pockets, and glanced up with a slight smile.

  "I still can't believe you invited him," Karen murmured. "You don't even like him."

  "I know," Janine returned with a vague nod. "Hey, listen. Can you go on ahead, give me just a second?"

  Giving Janine a funny look, Karen nodded her agreement and went walking off without Janine.

  "You look beautiful," Will said politely, casually glancing over her appearance. "A blushing bride."

  "Thanks," she said, her tone strained but polite.

  "You guys are going to Myrtle Beach for your honeymoon, huh?"

  "Yeah," Janine said with a nod, careful to look him directly in the eye. "Sandy beaches and all."

  "Well, I hope you have fun," he said with a nod. "Whenever you get back we'll take care of the apartment thing."

  "That's fine," Janine agreed. "I'll show you the crib I want, too, that way your
mom can foot the bill."

  Smiling, he said, "That won't be a problem. I know that my mom may seem a little rough around the edges, but as long as you don't cross her she's actually a pretty cool woman. I hope you'll give her another chance to make a better impression. I would like for you guys to get along."

  "We'll see," Janine stated, then she glanced a little impatiently up the hall.

  "Right," he said with a nod. "I'll let you get to that." Reaching into his suit, he extracted a cream-colored envelope and handed it to her. "Just a little something for the honeymoon fund. It isn't much."

  Taking the envelope, she said, "Thank you."

  "Bring me back a postcard."

  "If there's enough in here, I might even bring a keychain," she answered.

  His smile widened slightly. "I'm really glad you made the right choice, Janine. I hate that things got as ugly as they did, but I'm looking forward to moving past all that. I believe that this will work out in everybody's best interest."

  "You're probably right," Janine replied.

  Will smiled, pleased, and said, "Well, have a great wedding. Save me a dance."

  Nodding, Janine bent the card in half and offered a half-hearted smile.

  ***

  The wedding went off without a hitch.

  It was everything they intended it to be—small, unassuming, modest, sincere.

  Since Will was there at the wedding and the reception, it was also a little tense. Ever since Janine had confessed everything to Jess the night she woke up from that awful nightmare, Jess was having a difficult time not physically attacking Will.

  Inside the card had been a hundred bucks, so Janine tossed the card in the garbage and put the money in her little purse. Luckily, since the guests all knew of Janine and Jess's situation, a majority of the people had skipped the traditional gifts, opting instead to bring cards with money inside—exactly what Janine and Jess wanted.

  Janine's mother had wisely left Steve at home, and sat in the front row of the church, dabbing at her eyes as her son walked her daughter down the aisle. Though she kept bursting into tears every time Janine spoke to her, Janine believed that her mother truly wished her well in her new life.

  During the reception, Jess and Janine spent as much time as they could with Chad, Karen, and John. John and Karen were the people she attached herself to mostly, wishing that she could tell them everything, but knowing that doing so could potentially endanger their plans.

  Jess had made some calls after Janine came clean, including one to an old friend in Clarksville, Virginia, who had offered to let them crash for a couple nights. Jess assured them he only needed one night. Since Will was under the impression that they were going to bask on the beach, Jess wanted to get them as far away from there as he could, as fast as possible.

  Janine had never considered Colorado as a potential place to live, but Jess explained that he had a friend who lived there, in Fort Collins, which he told her wasn't too far from Denver. His friend Scott lived with his girlfriend in a three-bedroom house, and Scott told Jess that he and Janine were more than welcome to crash at their house for as long as it took them to get on their feet.

  It was quite an offer, and it meant virtually disappearing without a trace. Jess told Janine that he wanted to travel wherever they were going without stopping at any motels, where they would inevitably have to give their names and proof of identification. It was a long trip, but being with Jess made the whole situation manageable.

  Although leaving her family and friends behind was hard, Janine knew that she was doing the only thing she could do to save her family. Sometimes she would think about how her mother had called her home and she had just gone, and she realized how much she had grown since that time when she had submissively packed her bags and let someone else rule her life. Jess deserved a lot of credit for helping her learn to stand up for herself.

  Janine believed the distance wouldn't last forever. Eventually this would blow over; Will would lose interest in using her as part of his political agenda, and she would be able to contact some of her friends and family again. She had kept all their numbers when she transferred her phone to a new account, but she knew she wouldn't use them for a long time.

  ***

  Jess took a job that paid under the table working at a local pub. Janine was nearing the end of her pregnancy, and she couldn't get a job at all. Things were tight for a while, but Jess's friends were kind and Janine liked them. Alicia and Scott were grateful for all the cooking she did, and helping out around the house made her feel less guilty about crashing with them.

  When Jess came home from work on Valentine's Day, he saw Janine at the stove and walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  "Hey, wifey," he teased.

  Startled, she jumped a little, and when she turned to look at him, he saw that her eyes were all red and puffy from crying.

  "Whoa, what's wrong?" he asked.

  "Nothing," she said, shaking her head.

  Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a little candy heart and offered it to her. "Will chocolate make it better? I didn't plan on giving it to you like this, but you know how I am with tears…"

  "You've been pretty good with them before," she remarked.

  "Well…there was always a lead-up, and I understood why it was happening. Right now I'm deeply confused. Why are you upset?"

  Shaking her head, she said, "It's nothing, just me being emotional."

  "Any particular reason?"

  "It's just…I always thought John would be around when I first had my baby, and even if I didn't live around there, he would at least come visit me, you know? And now John isn't going to be here—he doesn't even know where I am."

  Sighing, Jess motioned her closer, then he hugged her, telling her he was sorry for the way things were going.

  She shook her head, saying she was sorry for being overly emotional, and then she pulled out a heart-shaped pan of brownies to change the subject.

  She set the brownies on the stove, then leaned over the counter, sighing heavily.

  “Are you okay?” Jess asked.

  “I will be. My back is just aching from this darn pregnant belly. Bending over like this takes some of the pressure off.”

  “It looks pretty darn sexy, too,” Jess said, playfully running his hands over her ass. He was surprised to see Janine spread her legs a bit, but obliged by slipping his hand between her thighs.

  Janine arched her back and pushed her ass toward Jess. Her pregnancy hormones were insane. She could never get enough of him.

  Leaning over Janine, Jess pushed his arousal against her lower back as he gently licked and nibbled the back of her neck.

  “We should do it right here against the kitchen counter,” he whispered into her ear.

  “Jess…someone could come home,” she answered reluctantly.

  “That makes it more exciting,” he replied, spinning around to give her an urgent kiss.

  “Jess. I don’t need anyone but you seeing my pregnant belly,” she giggled.

  Jess rubbed her belly lovingly, then grabbed her hand. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to bend you over the desk in the bedroom. You know, for your back,” he answered, pulling her toward their bedroom.

  Once they reached the bedroom, Jess headed toward the bed. To his surprise, Janine headed toward the desk.

  “Um…babe…I was joking about the whole desk thing,” he said.

  Janine simply bent over the desk and shook her ass slightly, enticing him to sidle up behind her.

  “Well, okay then.” Jess chuckled, giving her a playful spank.

  “Jess…I need you,” Janine said. Her voice was filled with a desire Jess had never heard before. He slowly slid her jeans and panties down her hips and thighs, stepping back so she could kick them off. She bent over again when she was finished, rubbing herself against Jess’ erection. Jess didn’t waste any time in removing his own jeans and boxer briefs.

  Reaching a hand b
etween Janine’s thighs once again, he rubbed his fingertips over her most sensitive area, heightening her arousal.

  “Jess…I can’t wait,” Janine moaned. “I need you inside me now.”

  Jess didn’t need any further encouragement. Steadying himself with one hand, he used the other to hold on to Janine’s lower back. He slid his erection up and down her length several times, then slowly slid himself inside her. He knew she was impatient, but he liked to tease her.

  The feeling of Jess entering her once inch at a time was agonizing for Janine. She pushed back against him, willing him to enter her fully. Just when she didn’t think she could take it anymore, Jess slid the rest of his length quickly inside of her. Their bodies were now one, and he waited for a moment while they both got used to the sensation.

  Jess didn’t get a chance to start a pace. Janine decided to do it for him. She slowly rolled her hips in a circular motion, causing them both to groan in appreciation. Jess slipped his hand around her waist and rested his fingers against her clit, unmoving. Janine placed her own hand over his, pushing on his fingers to add pressure. She began moving her hips again, a faster pace than before. The sensation of Jess inside of her and his fingers against her was nearly enough to push her over the edge. She stopped moving completely for a moment. She didn’t want to come too quickly.

  Janine leaned back against Jess’ chest, tilting her head to one side and offering him her neck. He accepted, trailing kisses along her neck and shoulder, stopping to lightly bite every few kisses. Janine had never been so turned on in her life.

  Without warning, Janine began moving her hips again, slowly at first but picking up speed quickly. Jess began thrusting to meet her pace.

  “Oh my God, Jess. That feels…” she let out a long moan, “…amazing.” Jess began working her clit, his fingers expertly circling it as he thrust into her.

  “I want to make you feel good, Janine. I want to feel you come, whenever you’re ready, babe,” Jess whispered into her ear. His lips brushing her earlobe sent her over the edge. She began shaking almost immediately, her legs threatening to give out. Jess held her tight at the hips, moaning into her ear as he thrust. Her muscles tensed, squeezing his erection again and again.