Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Five
In the kitchen, Annette, Melissa, Rakell, and two of Jake’s aunts quickly loaded the dishwasher, his aunts pebbling Rakell with questions about her modeling and acting career. Finally, Aunt Linda asked the question Rakell could tell she’d been dying to ask the whole time, about why Rakell had cheered Jake on from the San Antonio Lone Stars’ owner’s box. Annette shot her sister-in-law a side-eyed look, but Rakell said it was okay. Laughing to dampen the tension, she told the story, explaining how she and Jake had met at the gym, then hung out a few times. She went on to describe how they weren’t in a place to have a committed relationship, but that he had still been on her mind, so when she was watching him play, she’d gotten caught up in the moment and was silently praying for him to win. When he made that touchdown, it had been an automatic response for her to cheer because she was so excited for Jake, and she knew he’d earned it. His aunt clapped like a giddy schoolgirl watching a sappy romcom. “Ah, that’s a great story, so romantic.”
“Yes, it most certainly is.” She heard his deep voice behind her before she felt his large hands on her shoulders. “So you never stopped carrying a torch for me?” he asked, mirth dominating his tone as he turned her toward him. “Same here, never stopped thinking about you.” He bent, kissed her lips quickly, then locked his eyes with hers when he added, “Never.”
“Wow, it’s hot in here,” Aunt Dolores squealed, throwing a dish rag down on the counter, making the other women burst out in laughter.
“Um, I, I need to use the restroom,” Rakell blurted, desperate to get out from the spotlight of his family.
“Don’t use that one,” Melissa said, pointing to the bathroom door right off the kitchen. “Cameron was just in there.”
Melissa scrunched her nose, and Annette nodded her head in agreement. “Jake, show her the restroom down by your room. It’s clean, and no one ever uses it,” Annette instructed, gesturing toward a long hallway.
“Is that your room? Is it the same as when you were in high school?” Rakell pointed to a door at the end of the hall just past the bathroom.
Jake nodded, dropping her hand. As his eyes skittered to the door, she thought he seemed nervous, as if he were running through the inventory of what might be in there that he didn’t want her to see. “Ah, yeah, um, well, my mom added an extra bed and changed a few things, but she left my posters… how about you use the restroom and meet me behind that door?” He winked. “I’d love to show you…my trophies.” As she put her hand on the knob of the bathroom door, she heard him scramble to his room. Then she could hear a commotion, like he was taking something off the wall.
When she entered his room, she found him sitting on the edge of a bed that didn’t look like he could ever have slept in it. It was too small to have been the resting place for this six-two, large-framed guy. “Wow, you’ve got a lot of awards in here, Mr. Skyler.” Her eyes caught on a wall of shelves filled with trophies, ribbons draping from them. “Very impressive, Mr. Skyler,” she ribbed, stalking toward him.
He patted his thigh, then said, “Sit right here, little girl, so I can show you my most prized trophy.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to see your biggest trophy.” She giggled, straddling his thighs on the bed.
“So what are you saying, this is my best asset?” he asked, pulling her on his lap, his eyes focused between his legs as he helped her wiggle herself onto him.
As she worked her hips on his lap, the apex of her crotch rubbing against the hard bulge beneath his jeans, his fingers snagged the zipper of her jumpsuit, yanking it down, then he quickly slipped his hand beneath the sheer black lace housing her large breasts, his fingers finding the engorged nipples. He alternated between them, rolling the hard tips between his thumb and first finger. She arched, begging for stimulation. It had been too long since his touch had made her explode. Too many days of foreign fingers touching her skin, adjusting swimsuits and lingerie, helping her change into cultured gowns, strangers' eyes taking her in, deciding her best angles, rotating her hips, rubbing lotion on her, spraying her body with a watery oil sheen to make it glisten for the camera. It had been sensory stimulation overload with no outlet.
She’d spent too many nights with her lipstick between her legs thinking about him inside her, the way he rotated his hips, putting pressure on her clit. At the same time, his cock would go deeper, or she imagined his tongue lavishly licking her lips before dipping into her, then suckling at her hard nub until she exploded. Now a whispering moan leaked from her mouth as she vigorously rubbed her pelvis against the rock between his legs, her torso shifting back, allowing him open access to her tits. “Oh, God, no, Jake, I’m…” she hissed into the air before grabbing onto his biceps to stabilize her shuddering body. “Oh, oh…God, it came on so quickly,” she hushed, her tone bordering on apologetic.
“Shh, are you kidding? I love it. You’re amazing,” he whispered into the crook of her neck as he pulled her against his chest, absorbing the orgasm that gently washed over her body. “I’m going to do this all night long, don’t care if I ever sleep again, just want to hear that every fucking night,” he growled.
“Uncle Jake, Uncle Jake.” A young girl’s voice traveled from down the hall. Rakell jerked back, scrambling mentally to adjust herself. Shit, she was in Jake’s childhood bedroom with his family down the hall; what the hell had gotten into her?
“Where are you? Open your presents so we can eat cake.” Rakell recognized Cassie’s high-pitched voice.
“Um, shoot,” he said, his mouth opening in surprise. “Cassie,” he whispered, his eyebrows arching as he looked at Rakell hastily smoothing her jumpsuit and swinging her legs off his lap. “Okay, Cassie, be right there, meet me outside,” he yelled toward his bedroom door. He grabbed Rakell’s hand and said, “I swear this will be the fastest gift opening and cake eating ever in the history of birthdays.” He chuckled, squeezing her hand before readjusting himself.
She smiled. “You go, I’ll follow. Don’t want to be too obvious.”
“Yep, your face is flushed. They’ll know you took advantage of me.”
She huffed, making him laugh as he walked out of the room.
Rakell slinked down the hall, hoping to escape out the back door, but she ran into Melissa instead. She wasn’t sure if Melissa’s small, upturned smile and cock of her head was because she suspected something or if she was grateful to see Rakell as she was trying to arrange candles on the large yellow cake. “Rakell, can you help me get this giant cake out?” Melissa said, signaling for Rakell to walk toward the kitchen with her. “I’ll carry it out. Can you light the candles when we get to the back door?”
Melissa’s eyes snagged on the new bracelet Jake had given her for her birthday. “Oh, I love it. Jake texted me his drawing.” Melissa wiggled her nose. “I wasn’t sure about it based on the drawing. Still, I knew if anyone could transform Jake’s romantic idea into jewelry, Lina could. She’s an amazing designer. She did a beautiful job on it.” She was referring to a young jewelry maker in Austin whom Melissa was promoting through her business, Austin for Everybody.
“Thank you, I was blown away that Jake designed this. More…” She looked away, then added, “than I can really put into words.” Swallowing the emotion that had unexpectedly crept up her throat, she amended her tone. “I’d love to go to her shop sometime.” What she was thinking was that in all the years that men had showered her with extravagant gifts, she knew there’d been no thought put into them. They were high-priced baubles they’d probably had an assistant pick out and were gifting more as a way to highlight their own status. But this bracelet Jake designed , she thought, her eyes casting back to the gold and silver around her wrist, and it had a story behind it.
“Let’s make a date for lunch and shopping. I’d love to take you to her studio. She’s opening a new store in San Antonio. If I can give her a couple of dates that work for you, she’d make sure she was in Austin to meet you. I’d also like to take you to a few of the unsung boutique finds.”
“That would be great. I’ll be in Austin a few weekends this summer, so let’s make something work. I fly back to L.A. for two weeks, working with a clothing company that’s releasing a cowgirl meets bohemian line, and it looks like I will be the featured model for them…”
“Sounds like a brand that would do well in Austin.”
“Yes, actually, it would be a perfect fit. They’re letting me help with a few considered Austin-inspired pieces. I think one of the reasons they chose me is because of my ties to the city.”
Rakell’s eyes shot to the back windows. Jake was outside wrapping an arm around his niece and nephew, clearly thanking them for his gift. “I didn’t bring Jake’s gift because he said…”
“That’s fine, honestly. He always says no gifts, but my kids insist on getting him stuff, and a few of the cousins like to give him gag-type presents. My kids decorated water bottles for him with random drawings and Cassie asked me to write Super Bowl Champ: Jake Skyler —like he needs the reminder that he’s a champion. I’m glad all the attention doesn’t seem to change him. I had kind of worried about that,” Melissa confided as she put the last candle on the cake.
Rakell took the lighter from Melissa. “I think you guys help keep him humble.”
Melissa’s blue eyes lit up, her brows arching. “That’s what we say about you. Glad he met you. Okay, ready?” She tilted her head toward the door as she picked up the cake.
Her statement hit Rakell. She followed Melissa toward the door. She hadn’t intended to keep him humble and wasn’t sure how she was doing that, but she knew she loved being with him and his family. The feeling tonight was something she wanted to experience over and over again. Familiarity dominated this gathering, with loved ones all whirling around amidst the outdoor celebration dinner, as if everyone knew their parts.
After helping Melissa pass out the cake, Rakell nestled in beside Jake on the other side of his dad, taking a moment to absorb the evening. The setting sun pulled in the cool air, along with the dusky hue on the horizon, creating a stage for the crowd of stars waiting behind the sun's curtain to make their entrance. The expansive backyard burst with excitement, fueled with music, laughter, and people talking over each other. Yet there was something present that she couldn’t describe, an unspoken energy that only the love of family and friends can fuel.
As she took it in, her chest tightened. She grabbed her water, gulped, washing down the sense of loss that unexpectedly surged through her. Coming to terms with her family being wiped away didn’t mean she could always stop the panic that gripped her when she felt the warmth of Jake’s family, knowing this wasn’t hers. She was an interloper here, welcomed in as a Jake sidekick. That thought was counter to how they made her feel, though… like she’d always been a part of them. The odd thing was that she didn’t feel like there wasn’t a place for her here. It was as if her part had been left open, and she could just slide into it, no formal lines or role to practice; she could just be herself and it would work with the show that had already been in progress for years.
She felt Jake’s eyes on her, sensed him register that she’d been lost in her thoughts. “Hey you, you good?” he whispered, leaning into her.
“Yeah you, more than good. This is just so nice,” Rakell said, grabbing her water again. “I’m glad I made it back for your birthday,” she added looking at her glass, contemplating what it meant to make someone else’s life a priority.
“Hey, Sweets, I know how busy you are, so it means a lot that you’re here.”
“Rakell, Jake says you went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London,” David, Jake’s dad, said as he took a swig of beer. “Pretty impressive. Annette tells me you're making some solid strides in the acting world. Are you still working at Austin Heat Energy? With the Waterman company?”
She swallowed hard, wondering how much his family really knew about her. Jake put his hand on her thigh, squeezing it as if to say, go on . "I work part-time, sort of, as needed, mostly consulting on international deals because I’ve studied languages. I’ve learned from working there and now enjoy investing and looking at the energy markets.”
Overlapping conversations crisscrossed the picnic tables as David and Rakell plunged into a conversation on international markets and opportunities outside the US for investing. She explained to him that because of her exposure to the international markets, she’d started looking at opportunities abroad. She’d put money in a couple of international real estate funds that would be vested over time, detailing why she chose the funds she did, elaborating on other investment prospects she wanted to explore. David told her about how he’d encouraged Jake to invest in real estate since beginning with the NFL but mostly in tangible local assets both in Austin and now Sacramento but thought it might be worth a look at some broader real estate funds for both him and Jake. “Jake,” his dad said, pulling his son away from his conversation with his cousin, “Rakell is a wealth of financial investment information. I think you could learn a lot from her.”
“Okay,” Jake said, smiling at Rakell as she looked up at him sheepishly, fighting back a grin at his perturbed expression.
“Seriously, Rakell, maybe you could teach Jake what variables to consider before investing in real estate funds. He should invest more next year, diversify a bit.”
“Um, sure, I could educate him,” Rakell teased, her eyes gleaming, goading Jake playfully.
She saw him take the bait, then adjust his features to something lighter, as if he hadn’t been provoked by his dad’s insistence that Rakell knew more than he did about investing.
Her lips dove-tailed into a smug smile.
David nodded and said, “Anything you can teach my boy here would be greatly appreciated.”
Jake's indifferent mask fell, his features contorting. She suppressed the inward laugh bubbling beneath the surface at the nonplussed look on his face. “Dad, I’m not an idiot. Think I’m doing a pretty good job investing. Oh, by the way, I read too, and I also look at markets.”
David reached for his beer. “Son, just saying you’ve got a good teacher on your hands.”
“Got it, Dad.”
“So, Rakell, why did you choose London? That’s quite a hop from Australia,” his dad asked, his tone infused with genuine interest.
Jake turned back to Cassie, who was talking about Dolly. “Hey, Cassie how much do I owe you for watching Dolly while I was in Sacramento?”
“Mmmm…” she said, putting her index finger to her chin. “I think since she’s been staying with me a lot…maybe like…a million…”
Jake snorted, “A million dollars?”
An incredulous expression took over her face as she shook her head. “No, silly, a million trips to Whataburger.”
“Okay, sure that seems reasonable.” He chuckled, making Rakell smile as she turned her attention back to Jake’s dad. Rakell cleared her throat, as though her answer was something she had to consider, thinking about how to answer this simple question that held so much pain for her.
“Well, my dad is from London. He went to LSE, so when I knew I wanted to pursue acting, I decided I wanted to return to the place where he had lived, where I was born. He really pushed for me to have a profession, not just a dream. That’s why I focused on learning new languages. It came easy to me, and my dad said I could probably work internationally.” She smiled at David and then at Annette, who was listening to the conversation.
“That was some sound advice. Does your dad work in finance?” David questioned. She noticed Jake had turned back to his cousin, who was asking about next season’s schedule, but she felt his gaze dart toward her, then back, so she knew he was waiting for her answer. He really only knew that her family was in Australia. She had always found a way to shift the topic from any mention of her parents when Jake brought something up. She knew he sensed there was something there, but whenever he’d opened the door for her to elaborate, she’d redirected the conversation. She’d made it clear she wasn’t close to her mom, and she had been closed off about her dad.
She hesitated too long, then said tentatively. “Uh, no, I mean not anymore.”
She felt Jake shift beside her as if he registered her choppy, unsure answer. But he was forced to readjust his attention when his cousin asked him a question, turning his head to answer.
“Is he retired?” David asked before taking a bite of cake.
Annette looked at Rakell, puzzled, as if she had picked up on Rakell’s change in posture. She laid her hand on David’s shoulder, and said, “David, what’s with the twenty questions? Let Rakell enjoy the cake.”
“Oh, sorry, I just appreciate anyone in the numbers game like me. Does he continue to invest?” David prompted. That’s where Jake gets his unceasing question-pecking from…even if Jake’s probing felt more prying and forceful, his dad did the same with a gentler approach. She worked to assemble the splinters of what had happened to give him a functional answer without going into detail.
“Well, we moved to Australia to take over my grandparents' ranch, so he stopped working in finance, but he still kept up on the markets and…”
“Oh nice, Jake did say you grew up on a ranch and that you ride well. Sounds like your dad moved on from finance to ranching life?”
Rakell half-smiled, her eyes flicking up to him, then down to her plate before forcing them back up to David, coaxing herself to tell the truth about her dad. It’s a fact in your life… say it. You either lie or tell the truth; there’s no other choice. Just say it! she begged herself, digging her nails into her thighs, willing this moment to be gone. “Um, actually—my dad is dead, um…he…” Her voice cracked as she gulped back the flood of agony that always seemed to be resting just below her fa?ade. No please, don’t cry, do not cry, it’s over, you’ve moved on . “He um…well…he passed away…he…”
Annette’s hand gripped David’s forearm as if to say, stop.
His eyes shut painfully before pouring over Rakell.
Rakell gulped in a breath, her ribcage closing in on her lungs. Her eyes dropped as she moved her fork around the plate, trying to slow time. She blinked, then opened her eyes wide, her hands gripping her knees. Fixed on David, she became acutely aware of the gazes sliding in her direction. She turned her shoulder away from Jake, unable to look at him.
Crinkling his soft blue eyes, David seemed to consider her, his hand cupping her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, so sorry,” he whispered.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, wishing she were anywhere else. She purposely cleared her throat and tried to sound light. “It’s fine. It was a long time ago. I was in high school.” She took a quick sip of air to control her breathing, then forcefully added, “Seriously, it’s okay.”