Chapter 33
Jake
I sit on the couch, my thumb hovering over Jenny’s contact on my phone. Besides fantasizing about what I’m going to do to Kelly tonight once I get her all alone, I’ve been thinking a lot about what she said at Adele’s party about her friend who had an eating disorder, and her worry about Adele.
I’m hesitating, and not because I’m worried about Jenny’s reaction. She’s never been the type to panic, and Adele’s well-being matters more than anything else to Jenny. She needs to know. It’s just that this is way out of my comfort zone, which is probably even more reason to speak to Jenny.
Mind made up, I hit call, and after a couple of rings, she picks up. “Hey.”
I can hear her boys shouting to one another in the background. “Sorry to interrupt. Look, I wanted to talk to you about something. It’s about Adele.”
There’s a pause on the other end. “What’s going on? Is she okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, she’s fine,” I say quickly. “It’s just, Kelly noticed something at the party. Adele wasn’t really eating, and she hid her portion of cake in a napkin before throwing it out, and she kept adjusting herself in photos… you know, sucking in her stomach and all that.”
Jenny sighs softly. “Yeah, I’ve noticed her picking at her food lately, too, and being overly worried about how she looks. I figure it’s just a phase. I mean, she’s a teenager, she’s concerned about her appearance and fitting in. Add to that the hormones and whatever she’s been going through at school. But Kelly’s right, we should definitely keep an eye on her.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “I don’t want to freak her out by making a big deal of it, especially if it’s just a phase, but we’ve got to stay on top of it.”
“Right,” Jenny says. “Keep a close eye on things for now. These teenage years can be brutal, especially for girls. I’ll talk to her this weekend, too, and keep it low-key, you know, just a chat about how important it is to be healthy and strong instead of skinny.”
“Thanks,” I say, glad Jenny’s taking the lead on this. “I appreciate it.”
“No problem. I’ll see you later when I pick her up.” She pauses, then adds, “And Jake, don’t stress too much. Adele’s a good kid. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“Yeah,” I reply. “See you later.”
I end the call, still mulling over the conversation as I head into the kitchen, glad that Jenny is such a loving and caring mom. She takes care of the more messy things, so I can focus on doing what I do best: making sure everything else is running smoothly. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t also play my part.
Adele comes downstairs a few minutes later, her phone glued to her hand, earbuds in. I watch her for a moment before picking up a box of chocolates on the counter—a gift from my Mom at the party—a kind of test popping into my head.
“Hey, Adele,” I call, tossing one of the chocolates in her direction. She catches it mid-air.
“What’s this?” she asks, but she doesn’t open the wrapper.
“Just thought I’d share,” I say, leaning back against the counter, trying to sound nonchalant. “You always used to fight me for the peppermint creams. Look how generous your old dad is these days.”
“Thanks anyway,” she says, shrugging and tossing it back to me. “But I’m good.”
I study her for a second before blurting out, “You know you’re beautiful, right?”
She freezes mid-scroll and shoots me a look like I’ve grown two heads. “Uh… thanks, Dad? Where’s this coming from?”
I swallow, and I’m walking through quicksand. “I was just thinking, with all the social media stuff, you know, filters and airbrushing. It can mess with your head, make you think you’re supposed to look a certain way.”
Adele squints at me. “Oh my God, Dad. Stop being so weird.”
I want to push further, but she’s giving me that classic teen stare—the one that says drop it or I’m going back to my room. She’s been spending less time there lately, which is progress, so I decide to let it go.
“Alright, alright,” I say, hands up in surrender. “Just making sure you know you’re perfect the way you are.”
She rolls her eyes again but flashes me a smile before heading into the living room.
I follow her and find her sprawled on the couch, her phone balanced on her knee. She doesn’t look up as I sit down in the armchair across from her.
“Can we talk for a second?”
Her eyes flick toward me. “Is this about social media filters?”
“No. Something else.”
“What’s up?”
I clear my throat, a weird nervousness in my chest. “So, you know Kelly’s coming over for lunch today, right?”
“Mm-hmm,” she says, looking around the room.
I rub my palms against my jeans. “Well, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about before she gets here. It’s about Kelly and me.”
That gets her attention. Adele’s gaze meets mine with curiosity. “What about you and Kelly?”
I take a deep breath. “Kelly and I used to date, a long time ago, before your mom and I got together. We were high school sweethearts, actually.”
“Seriously?” Adele raises an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah. It was before you were born. And, well, things didn’t work out back then.”
Adele sits up a little, sliding her phone onto the couch beside her. “So are you guys, like, dating again?”
“Yeah, we’re giving it another shot,” I say. “It’s early days, but Kelly is really special to me. And I want you to know that we’re taking things slow, but we’re both serious about seeing where this goes.”
Adele watches me carefully but doesn’t say anything.
I rest my elbows on my knees. “I also want you to know that no matter what happens, you’re always my number one priority. I love you, Adele. That’s never going to change. Whether Kelly is in my life or not.”
She blinks at me, processing my words, and then she shrugs. “Dad, I know. It’s cool.”
I stare at her for a moment, relieved. “You’re okay with it?”
“Yeah.” She picks her phone back up. “I mean, it’s about time you put yourself out there again, right? Mom’s happy with Bill, and you deserve to be happy too. Plus, Kelly’s really pretty.”
I laugh, relief flooding through me. “She is, huh?”
“Totally.” Adele shrugs.
“Thanks, sweetie.”
She waves a hand dismissively. “I’m not a little kid anymore. I want you to be happy. And if Kelly makes you happy, then I’m good with it.”
I lean back in the chair. “You’re pretty awesome, you know that?”
“Yeah.” Her eyes are already back on her phone.
By the time Kelly pulls up to the house, lunch is ready. The house seems different today—warmer, despite how cold it is outside, more alive—and I realize it’s because of her. When she steps inside, her smile is bright, and that energy she carries fills the entire room. I press a kiss to her lips, and the way she melts into me makes my pulse quicken. For a second, I forget that we’re not alone.
“Hey,” I say softly, pulling back just enough to look at her.
“Hey,” she replies, her eyes sparkling. “Smells amazing in here.”
“Don’t get too excited. It’s just sandwiches, soup and salad.”
Kelly laughs, and even that sound shifts something inside me. “I’m sure they’re gourmet,” she teases back, slipping off her coat. I take it from her and hang it up, letting my fingers brush hers.
We make our way to the kitchen, where Adele is already seated at the table, her phone in one hand, tapping away as though she’s writing the next great American novel.
“Hey, Adele,” I say, ruffling her hair as I walk past her to grab the sandwiches. She swats my hand away. “Phone away during meals. Say hi to Kelly.
“Dad, seriously. I’m too old for the hair ruffling.” She looks at Kelly. “Hey.”
“You’ll never be too old for it,” I say.
Kelly slides into the seat across from Adele. “How have you been?”
Adele finally puts her phone away. “Good, thanks. Just texting my friend Emma. She’s helping me figure out what to wear to a party next weekend.”
“Well, I’m sure whatever you pick will be perfect,” Kelly says, the corner of her mouth lifting. “You’ve got great style.”
“Thanks,” Adele says, unable to hide her own smile.
I place the sandwiches on the table. “She’s got more fashion sense than I ever will.”
“That’s not hard,” Adele says.
Kelly’s laughter fills the room as I bring the pot of soup and some bowls over.
“Ouch,” I say, pretending to be wounded. “And here I thought you were going to go easy on me with Kelly here.”
“Oh, no. Kelly needs to know the truth about what a geek you are if she’s going to be your girlfriend,” Adele replies.
Kelly smirks, her eyes glinting as she reaches under the table to squeeze my knee. It’s subtle, quick, but enough to send a thrill right through me. Her eyes meet mine for a brief second before she turns her attention to Adele.
The three of us fall into an easy rhythm—mostly Adele and Kelly teasing me. Adele is quick with her jokes, reminding me a lot of how things used to be, before puberty and middle school made everything so much more complicated, and Kelly laughs a lot.
It’s great how natural it is, the way the two of them have clicked, and there’s this weird swell of contentment in my chest. I find myself smiling more than I have in ages. Both of them pick at their food, but maybe neither of them is hungry.
After we finish eating, Kelly and I clean up together. The kitchen is cozy, the afternoon light spilling through the windows. She stands beside me, passing plates as I load the dishwasher.
“Lunch was really nice,” she says, her voice soft.
She leans just a little too close, her shoulder brushing mine as she hands me a plate. Her touch is casual, but I catch her glancing at my mouth. My fingers graze hers as I take the dish, and the air around us practically hums. My dick twitches in my pants. Not yet.
“It was nice, wasn’t it. You and Adele seemed to get on really well.”
“She’s a great kid. It’s easy to like her.”
“Thanks. It’s actually surreal having you here. After everything we’ve been through, I don’t take it for granted.”
There’s a knock at the door, and I glance at the clock on the wall—it has to be Jenny. “Adele, your Mom is here.”
I kiss Kelly quickly, her eyes darkening as if she doesn’t want to let me go just yet. It’s only a brief kiss, but it’s charged, and I’m already counting down the seconds until we’re alone. I go and open the door, Adele right behind me, her bag over her shoulder.
“Ready?” Jenny asks, smiling at Adele before giving me a nod.
“I’m ready. See you later, Dad.” She looks down the hallway behind me, and calls out, “Bye, Kelly!”
“Bye, Adele,” comes Kelly’s voice from the kitchen.
Jenny catches my eye briefly and smiles, then the door closes behind them, and it’s just Kelly and me. I head back to the kitchen, a massive grin on my face. “Finally, I’ve got you to myself.”
Kelly leans into me. “Finally,” she echoes.
I’ve been wanting her all day, wanting to taste her, to be inside her, to fuck her like we’re the last two people on earth, and I push her up against the kitchen bench, arms bracketing her and I’m never going to let her go.