20. Twenty
Twenty
Tessa
“ H ey, come on in,” Jake greets me, swinging the door wide before leading the way to the kitchen, where a delicious aroma hangs in the air. He gestures for me to take a seat at the table, and I watch in fascination as he continues with his dinner preparations.
I know Jake is often responsible for the meals in the Nelson household, but up until now, I always assumed his culinary skills were limited to cold-cut sandwiches or frozen pizza.
Watching him cook an actual dish—and expertly so—is a rather jarring sight.
The angry bruise sitting high on his cheekbone where Shane had gotten a lucky hit in is already beginning to fade, and I’m glad he’s gotten off the hook fairly easily.
Initially, I was upset with him for not taking the high road that night, but given the fact that Jake threw the first punch to defend my honor, I simply hadn’t been able to stay mad for long.
“I’m sorry our plans fell through, baby.
I know you’ve been wanting to check out that new Italian place, but my dad is MIA again.
” It’s obvious he’s upset with his father for—once again—preventing him from following through on his own plans.
I don’t want him to feel worse than he already does, so I wave off his apology and do my best to hide my own disappointment.
“Don’t worry about it. You can’t let the little ones fend for themselves. I understand. Besides, you inviting me over and preparing me a home-cooked meal is actually much more romantic. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
Jake throws me a cursory glance over his shoulder while he gives the tomato sauce a vigorous stir. “Who do you think does the cooking around here? My father?” he snorts. I don’t tell him that, in most cases, that would be the norm and not nearly as ridiculous as he makes it out to be.
I’ve been tiptoeing around the issue surrounding his home life since the beginning of our relationship.
Jake’s situation has gradually progressed from difficult to unbearable, and I’m not oblivious to his struggles.
The evidence is right there. After all, we’re physical often enough to make hiding the frequent marks on his body impossible, even though he certainly tries.
I’d first gotten suspicious when he refused to take his shirt off during intercourse, something that’s happened several more times since.
He always plays it off, making up some feeble excuse about how he’s too impatient because I drive him crazy, and I don’t have the heart to call him out on his lies.
When the person you love shuts down and distances themselves whenever you push for answers, well, guess what? You stop asking questions.
His pride is one of the few things he still desperately clings to, and I don’t have it in me to take that from him.
Instead, I’ve decided to focus all my energy on being the best damn girlfriend there is, hoping I’ll gain his trust enough for him to confide in me when the weight on his shoulders eventually becomes too much for him to bear.
So far, that day hasn’t come. Jude and Anna save me from an awkward reply, skidding into the kitchen in a flurry of activity as they yell and shove at each other.
“Jake, she took my markers again, even though I told her a million times not to touch my stuff.”
“You left them out on the living room table, and you’re not using them, anyway.”
“That’s no excuse to take my shit— ”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Jake cuts in, shooting Jude a warning look. “Watch your mouth and mind your manners. The least you can do is acknowledge our guest.”
“Hi, Tessa,” they both mumble, barely even sparing me a glance.
I stifle a smile. Watching Jake play house never fails to amuse me.
Seeing him in big brother mode is just so different from the way he acts around his friends.
He seems so put together when he’s dealing with his siblings. More mature and much more serious.
“Anna, give your brother his markers back and stop touching what doesn’t belong to you. Jude, don’t leave your things all over the house if you don’t want others to use them. Now, go wash up. Dinner is ready in ten.”
“What’re we having?” Jude asks, his little spat with his sister forgotten at the mention of food.
“Spaghetti and garlic bread.”
“Again?” Anna whines, and I can’t help but cackle. The corner of Jake’s mouth tugs up, the only outward sign that he’s as affected by Anna’s cuteness as I am.
“Listen up, Missy. You’re lucky you’re getting a warm meal at all because I had plans tonight. Plans I had to cancel because I couldn’t find anyone to look after you on short notice. So how about you show a little gratitude and stop complaining?”
“Where is Dad, anyway?” Jude asks, extending a finger toward the bubbling sauce on the stovetop.
“Hot,” Jake barks, slapping the back of his hand to keep him from burning himself.
“I don’t know. Now go, and for the love of God, stop fighting and try to get along. My eye’s been twitching all afternoon.” When Jude and Anna reluctantly leave the kitchen, Jake throws me an exasperated look. “Remind me to never have children.”
“But that would be a real shame since you’re doing such a wonderful job with them. Plus, can you imagine how adorable our babies would be?” Jake rolls his eyes and opens the oven door to check on the status of the perfectly browned loaf.
“Do you need help with anything?”
He jerks his chin toward the cutlery drawer before he goes on to drain the pasta.
“If you don’t mind setting the table and maybe pour us some OJ, that’d be great.” We spend the next few minutes in comfortable silence as I tend to my appointed tasks, and Jake fills the bowls.
When Jude and Anna return, bickering at each other yet again, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to have a family with Jake.
To watch him cook dinner for our own children and listen to him scold them when they don’t behave.
There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be an amazing dad someday.
Jake drops the plate of garlic bread onto the table with a resounding clatter that startles his brother and sister into silence.
“That’s enough. I invited Tessa to have dinner with us because I couldn’t take her out.
We’re supposed to be at a nice, quiet restaurant right now, but instead, she’s here, putting up with you and trying to make the best of the situation.
So, please show her you’re not a couple of animals and eat without driving everyone crazy with your incessant bickering.
” Anna looks like she feels bad about her behavior, even going as far as to apologize.
Jude simply shrugs and begins shoveling food into his mouth.
“Ow, damn, that’s hot.”
“How many times will you do that before you learn?” Jake asks, shaking his head at his little brother.
Not two minutes later, he takes a heaping bite and lets out an expletive of his own.
Everyone roars with laughter as we watch him suck in a series of quick puffs to relieve the burn.
I’m pleasantly surprised to realize that Jake’s meal is actually delicious, and I am halfway through my second serving when Anna exclaims she needs another drink.
Grabbing her empty glass, she climbs over Jude to get out of the bench seat and promptly loses her balance, tumbling to the ground in a flurry of flailing limbs .
The jarring sound of glass on tile echoes through the room, followed by Anna’s distressed cry. Jake is out of his seat in seconds, kneeling beside his sister to survey the damage.
“It’s bleeding. It’s bleeding, Jake,” Anna chants with a tremble in her voice as she stares at the large cut on her wrist with wide, fearful eyes.
“Shit. Jude, grab me a towel—a clean one. Hurry,” Jake barks while he carefully scoops his sister up to move her away from the jagged shards.
Jude is back in record time, thrusting a dish towel at Jake, and I watch in horror as he wraps it tightly around her wound.
It doesn’t take long for the blood to seep through, and Jake throws me a frantic look.
“I’m going to carry her to the truck. We have to take her to the hospital.
I need you to sit in the back with her and apply pressure on her wrist. Can you do that? ”
“Yes, I can do that. Do you need to get anything?”
“Just grab my wallet on the way out. Jude, get my phone and try to get hold of Dad.”
“Jake,” Anna whispers, looking up at her brother with red-rimmed eyes.
“Ssshhh, it’s okay, honey. I’ve got you. Everything is going to be alright. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” Cradling the little girl against his chest like she’s his most precious possession, he gingerly rises to his feet and makes his way out to the car.
The drive to the hospital feels like an eternity as Jude keeps dialing his dad’s number over and over with no luck.
“Try again,” Jake snaps, glancing into the rearview mirror to check on his sister every so often. I put as much pressure on the injury as I can without causing her too much pain, but the towel is stained red, regardless.
“He’s not answering,” Jude cries. Jake slams the palm of his hand into the steering wheel.
“Fuck. That useless son of a bitch. Goddamnit.”
“Are they going to give you trouble at the hospital if he’s not there? ”
“I don’t know,” he replies, raking his fingers through his hair. “I never had to take them before, but they’ll have to treat her, right? They can’t turn her away.”
“I don’t think so. Let’s just get her there and deal with any issues as they come.”
As luck would have it, we find a parking spot close to the emergency entrance, and Jake is already rounding the vehicle, lifting Anna from her seat and then running for the sliding doors.
He goes up to the front desk, where a nurse takes them into the trauma bay immediately, leaving Jude and me to wait in the lobby.