59. Chapter 59 Jack
Chapter fifty-nine
“I don’t understand why we are obligated to attend yet another shower for your child,” Henry says as Ledger opens the door to welcome us.
Henry was already in New York for business, so he flew Margot and me down to LJ’s baby shower, and he’s been a sourpuss the entire trip.
As much as he grumbles, I know he would never miss anything concerning his nephew.
And in his defense, he’s never been wild about babies.
In fact, I’m pretty sure Margot is the only baby he’s ever even held, so it’s pretty adorable to watch him try to hide his obvious excitement where LJ is concerned.
“Ugh, I don’t know, man. Ask our mother,” Ledger responds, clearly on the same page with baby parties as his brother. “I was able to talk her down from one of her notorious soirees, where she invites everyone she’s ever known, but…”
“But we’re celebrating that child, Ledger Sinclair, whether you like it or not.” Blanche interrupts to give Henry, Margot, and me a hug. “But you’re probably correct to spare Sloane from having to greet so many strangers when she’s a month away from giving birth.”
“Annnnd?”
“And we’re more than capable of purchasing everything LJ could ever want or need without accepting gifts from others.”
“Because?”
“Because it would be a bunch of things that you didn't really want, and Sloane would either feel obligated to use it or feel terrible that she was wasting it if she didn’t.”
Ledger finally smiles down at his mom and pats the top of her head. “Very good.”
“Nevertheless,” Blanche says, leading us all into the den where Sloane is sprawled out on the couch.
“We’re still going to have a ball celebrating our little guy as only we Sinclairs know how.
And just so you know, Henry , the last one was a gender reveal.
It’s completely different. It’s like you didn’t grow up in society at all. ”
“Well, he sort of spent most of his adolescence in England,” Margot says in defense of her brother. “I certainly recall him being absent more than present—”
“Now that everyone is here, let’s go over the agenda for the day,” Blanche announces, cutting her daughter off.
“We’re going to begin our activities with a cooking challenge.
Ledger has picked out a couple of recipes that Sloane has been craving, so we’re going to team up and see which she likes better.
After that, we’re each going to paint a ceramic gnome.
While those are in the kiln Ledger had installed, we are all going to sit around and plan LJ’s first Disney trip.
Then we’re going to lounge around with our mom-to-be and watch whatever movies she’s in the mood for. ”
I’ve barely been paying attention to the itinerary, my mind fixed on how Margot’s ruffled powder-blue blouse brings out the light in her eyes, until the mention of ceramic magical dwarves brings me out of my trance. “Um, why are we making the baby gnomes?”
“For his garden of course,” Sloane replies matter-of-factly.
“Right…right…makes sense.” My initial reaction is to make fun of this preposterous idea, but from the corner of my eye, Ledger is sizing me up like prey, and I know that any jokes will be dealt with in blood.
Sloane laughs, thankfully, not oblivious to the ridiculousness of the idea. “Look, I just wanted to eat popcorn and play Monopoly.”
“No!” I yell, along with the other four Sinclairs.
“We aren’t allowed to play Monopoly,” Margot admits. “Mom banned that after Ledger and Jack got into a knock-down, drag-out fight because Ledger wouldn’t trade Boardwalk for all three of the red properties.”
“If I remember correctly, I put ole Jackie here in the hospital for a night.” The man himself grabs me in a chokehold and ruffles my hair like it was an adorable bonding moment between us as adolescents and not like he broke my nose, fractured my ribs, and caused enough bruising to have the doctors concerned with the risk of internal bleeding.
“I absolutely remember,” Margot responds, giving her brother one of her famous stare downs.
For once, I’m not jealous not to be the object of her attention.
“Because I was only seven at the time and thought he was going there to die, so I stayed the night with him and had to sleep in that horrible hospital chair.”
“No, Princess, your mom was the one in the chair. You were starfished belly down, on top of me in the little bed and kept messing up my IVs all night.”
Sloane’s contagious laughter has us all coming undone at the memory. “Ohmygod stopit, you guys. I pee when I laugh now.”
Blanche is the first one to pull herself together enough to rein us all in. “Alright, alright, let’s get this show on the road. Ledger and Henry will be on a team, and then Margot with Jack. Sloane and I will judge.”
After a full day of activities, including Margot and I almost starting a fire in the kitchen trying to make pierogi from scratch, Ledger almost leaving our baby gnomes in the kiln long enough to burn them to a crisp, and Henry getting so exhausted from planning the Disney trip he offered to rent the whole park out for the day, we’re all exhausted.
“With the renovations going on, I’m afraid I only have three guest rooms ready, so you’ll have to draw straws,” Blanche says, after we all decide it’s time to call it quits for the night.
“I’ll take the couch,” I concede immediately, knowing there’s no way either of my brothers are giving up a bed, and there’s no way in hell I would take one from Margot.
“No way, Ledger and I will just go home,” Sloane slurs, finally coming to after passing out on her husband at the beginning of this last movie.
I wouldn’t have accepted her offer, with or without Ledger’s current death stare.
“No, I’ll be fine. This is probably more comfy than any of those beds anyway,” I say, bouncing up and down on one of the plush cushions for emphasis.
I’m not wrong either, I’ve taken plenty of naps on this couch, and it really is comfortable.
I’ve barely had time to get the blankets in place after saying good night to everyone, when I hear an all-too-familiar pitter-patter coming my way.
The outside lights flickering from behind the curtains are more than enough to see my girl looking as gorgeous as ever in a pale pink nightgown.
I’ve only seen her in black lingerie or completely nude recently, but something about the innocence of the soft hue is enthralling, so I’m not sure which I prefer more.
Especially knowing exactly how much she’s been corrupted.
Her hair is down now, framing her makeup-free face, which is somehow even more beautiful than when it’s artfully contoured.
“Jackie, why don’t you come get in bed with me? We used to sleep together all the time.” she says, sitting at my side on the edge of the couch. Her hand effortlessly finds my thigh, and fantasies of a domestic life with her threaten to pull me away from the moment.
I push myself up, my blankets falling to my waist, exposing my bare chest before tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “Princess, if I got in bed with you right now, there wouldn’t be any sleeping.”
Letting my hand fall to caress her neck, I revel in the feeling of her pulse quickening beneath it, until her hand finds mine and guides it down to her chest. When she reaches her desired destination, she tightens her grip on me, a silent request for me to do the same to the luscious breast I’m embracing, while her other hand trails up my thigh toward my hardening cock. “And would that be such a bad thing?”
This time, I’m the one who can’t control their racing heart.
In a blink, I’ve rolled her over onto her back with her face caged between my hands and my chest grazing hers with every rise and fall of my breath.
“No, it wouldn’t be a bad thing at all, baby girl.
It would be a very. Very. Good. Thing,” I say, emphasizing each word with a thrust of my hips, letting her know just how much I would, indeed, love to take her to bed.
“But your brothers would kill me for the screams I would pull from that pretty little mouth of yours. So maybe we don’t do the shared bed thing here tonight. ”
“Oh,” she breathes.
I slowly pull myself off her after kissing the top of her head, then pull her to sit up as well. “Yeah, oh . Go to bed, Princess—” I’m interrupted by the ruffling commotion of her making a pallet beside me. “Jesus, Margot, no! You aren’t sleeping on the floor.”
“Well, I’m not leaving you alone!” my stubborn girl says, crossing her arms in an act of defiance I know all too well.
“Get on the damn couch, Margot!” I sigh, giving up my comfortable makeshift bed and getting onto the pile of blankets she’s laid out on the floor.
“Jackie?” she asks as we both settle into our new “beds.”
Rolling over on my side, I’m greeted by my own goddess, glowing in the moonlight, and looking down on me with just as much reverence as I feel for her. “Yes, Princess?”
“When we get back to New York, can we maybe find a bed to share where my brothers won't be an issue?” she asks, reaching a hand down toward my own for me to hold.
I happily accept her offering and kiss the top of her delicate knuckles before threading my fingers through hers and holding on for dear life. “Whatever you want, Princess.”
Her response is a simple smile, but it’s more than enough for me.
She’s out like a light almost instantly, but I want to savor every minute of her touch.
Like I’ve said before, any scrap I can get.
The thing is, as I lie here holding her hand in mine, I realize this is way more than just a scrap.
I’d rather only ever be able to hold her hand as Jack Carter than be able to fuck her senseless whenever I want as her masked man.
And I think, I hope , she’s starting to feel the same.
If the incredible dates we’ve been on recently, the late-night text conversations like days of old, or her canceling on masked me weren’t enough to give me hope that things with us could work, spending the day with the family sure is.
As we laughed and played together, I realized something I should’ve known all along.
We are meant to be. We're already family . But unlike Henry and Ledger, who are the same as brothers, or Blanche, who’s like a mother to me, Margot has always been more.
I swear to God, I get the imprinting bullshit now because it’s like my soul has always belonged to her, but only in the way she needed from me at the time.
Whether that be someone to console her when she cries, make her laugh when she’s sad, protect her when she’s in danger, hold her when she’s scared, or put a collar on her when she needs dominating …The list could go on forever.
My purpose has always been and will always be Margot, and for the rest of my life, I’ll give her whatever version of Jack she needs. I just hope with everything that I am, that what she needs in me now is her forever.