Chapter 26
Twenty-Six
The next day, Jack went to his parents’ rental home, alone. He stood on the porch and took a few deep breaths before knocking on the door.
Eileen answered, wearing a big smile. Then she glanced behind him and said, “Where’s Kayla?”
“What? Can’t your son visit by himself?” Jack teased her.
“Of course. I just assumed she’d be with you,” Eileen explained. She opened the door wider and motioned him inside.
John was sitting on the couch doing a crossword puzzle. “No Kayla today?” he asked.
Jack was happy that his parents liked Kayla so much, but what would happen once he told them the truth?
“She went to lunch with her friend Josie,” Jack said. Kayla had repeatedly offered to accompany him, but Jack insisted on going alone.
“Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?” Eileen asked.
“No. I’m good.” Jack was anxious to get this over with.
“You look like you have something on your mind,” John observed.
Eileen sat down across from Jack and eyed him with concern. “Is everything okay?”
Suddenly, Jack felt like a little boy who was about to confess something he’d done wrong. You’re an adult. It’ll be fine. He sat up straighter. “There’s something I have to tell you. It’s about me and Kayla.”
Eileen’s eyes widened. “Oh my God! You’re getting married!”
“What? No,” Jack said.
“Slow down, Eileen. Let the boy talk,” John said.
Boy. That was exactly what he felt like. “Anyway, it’s kind of a funny story.” Jack often used humor to smooth things over, and he hoped it would work now.
“Tell us,” John prompted him.
Jack inhaled deeply. “I know you two have been wanting me to settle down—get married, have kids, and all that. So, I came up with this idea.” Jack paused and took a deep breath while his parents looked at him expectantly.
“I asked Kayla to pretend to be my girlfriend while you were here, so you would think I was on the right path. It took some convincing, but Kayla agreed to do it as a favor for me. Plus, she was irritated with her roommate at the time, so that made the decision to move in with me easier.”
John frowned. “You’ve been lying to us the whole time.”
“How could you do such a horrible thing?” Eileen blurted out.
“Wait. I’m not finished,” Jack pleaded with them.
“As if that isn’t enough? You deceived us and made us look like fools,” John said.
“I bragged about you and Kayla to all our relatives. Everyone was so happy for you,” Eileen added, looking forlorn.
Jack forged ahead. “The good news is, Kayla and I are truly together now. We’re in love.”
His pronouncement fell flat as his parents stared at him with expressions of disappointment and disbelief.
“What started out as a fake romance turned into real love,” Jack said, desperately trying to convince them.
John shook his head, and Eileen’s shoulders drooped. “True love doesn’t begin with a lie,” Eileen stated.
She’d spoken quietly, but her words hit him like a hammer to the head. Jack went silent.
“She’s right. That’s no way to start a relationship. How can you even be sure that it’s real?” John questioned him.
“Kayla and I have always been close, but living together made me realize that I felt more than friendship for her,” Jack insisted.
“Does she feel the same way?” Eileen asked. Her voice was flat.
“Yes. We admitted our feelings to each other a few days ago.”
“A few days ago? What else have you been hiding?” John said accusingly.
“Nothing. I promise,” Jack said.
“Who else was in on this ruse?” Eileen asked.
Jack squirmed uncomfortably, expecting things were about to worsen. “Only a few other people know.”
“What people?” John asked.
Jack sucked in his lower lip. “Ryan, Josie, and Kayla’s parents.” The second he said it, he realized how horrible it sounded.
Eileen sniffed. “Kayla’s parents knew about this too.”
“Well, aren’t we the fools,” John muttered. He rose abruptly and started walking away.
“Where are you going?” Eileen asked, sounding distraught.
“I’m not going to sit here and listen to any more of this,” John said.
“I came here to apologize,” Jack said.
“It’s a little too late for that.” With that, John stalked down the hallway. A moment later, a door slammed.
Eileen sighed. “How could you do this to us?”
Jack hung his head. “I’m sorry, Mom. I really am.”
“I can’t believe you thought we were that desperate for you to get married and have children. All we ever wanted is for you to be happy.”
“I am happy!” Only now, his parents didn’t share his happiness. Lying to them was the biggest mistake he’d ever made.
“I can’t believe Kayla was in on this. We really liked her,” Eileen said, sniffling.
“She likes you too, Mom. She hated lying to you, but she did it for me. It sounds terrible now, but her heart was in the right place.” Jack might as well be trying to convince the walls.
Eileen shook her head. “I agree with your dad. A relationship that starts out with a lie is like building a house without a solid foundation.”
“Mom—”
Eileen stood. “I think you should leave, Jack.”
“But—”
“I’ll call you when we’re ready to talk again.” Eileen left the room and went down the hallway to join her husband.
Baffled, Jack sat there for a few minutes.
Any hope he’d had of using humor to diffuse the situation had vanished.
His parents were truly disgusted with him.
Even worse, they blamed Kayla, too. He hated that the most. Finally, Jack left, realizing there was nothing more he could do until his parents were ready to talk.
As he drove away, his head spun with negative thoughts. He hated the hurt he’d caused, and that he’d roped other people into his deception. Ironically, if he hadn’t confessed, his parents would still be happy right now. Instead, his honesty had hurt the people he loved the most.
Instead of driving straight home, Jack went to Ryan’s apartment. Since Josie was with Kayla, he figured Ryan might be home, and he was right. Jack pulled up next to Ryan’s truck and went up to the apartment entrance. In the vestibule, he pressed the buzzer for Ryan’s unit.
“I don’t want any,” Ryan grumbled over the intercom.
“It’s me,” said Jack.
“I know. I saw you pull in. Come on up.” Ryan buzzed Jack inside.
Jack climbed the stairs to the second floor, and when he reached the landing, Ryan was leaning out his apartment door, waiting for him.
“I interrupted your workout,” Jack said, noting Ryan’s athletic apparel and sweaty forehead.
“I just finished,” Ryan said. “What brings you by?”
Jack followed him into the living room and slumped into a chair. “I screwed up.”
“Seems to be a common theme lately,” Ryan joked, sinking into another chair.
“It’s really bad this time.”
“What happened?”
“I confessed to my parents about my fake relationship with Kayla.”
Ryan raised his eyebrows. “Why?”
“I thought it was the right thing to do, but I made things worse.” Jack shoved his hands into his hair.
“They’re returning to Florida in a couple of weeks. Why did you tell them now?”
Jack sighed. “Things have changed between me and Kayla, and I’m tired of lying. I was hoping they’d laugh it off, but now they hate me.”
Ryan shook his head. “They might be pissed at you, but they don’t hate you. You’re their only child.”
“They might disown me after this,” Jack muttered.
“They’ll get over it.”
“I don’t know, man. Maybe this is a sign.”
“A sign of what?”
“Maybe I’m not meant to be in a relationship. I never should have dragged Kayla into this, and none of this would have happened.”
Ryan shook his head. “What’s done is done, and you love her.”
“According to my parents, it can’t be true love if our relationship started out as a lie. What if they’re right? What if this was doomed from the start?”
“You’re panicking for nothing.”
“I’m serious. Kayla and I were only meant to be friends.”
Ryan shook his head. “You two were bound to get together. It was only a matter of time.”
“Well, the timing couldn’t be worse. Now, my parents hate me, and Christmas is next week. I should tell Kayla to move back in with Josie for a while. Just until this blows over.”
Ryan scowled at him. “Don’t do it.”
“Why not?”
“That’ll just make things worse for you and Kayla.”
“She’ll understand,” Jack said, but he didn’t really believe it.
“I wouldn’t risk it if I were you.”
Jack narrowed his eyes at Ryan. “You don’t want Kayla to move back in with Josie, because it’ll infringe on your privacy.”
“It’s not that. We hang out here too,” Ryan argued.
“Oh. So you’re just looking out for me, then?”
“Yes,” Ryan insisted. “I think you need to cool off before you make another stupid mistake.”
“Stupid. Right. Thanks for the talk.” Jack rose and started walking out.
“Wait,” Ryan called after him.
Jack was already at the door. “I shouldn’t have come here.”
Ryan gazed at him with a mix of frustration and sympathy. “You need to calm down. Go for a run or something. Just don’t make any rash decisions that you might regret later.”
“It’s too late for that,” Jack muttered. Then he turned and stalked out the door.