Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
JAKE
Jake was going on a date.
A date with Gia.
She’d left his place before lunchtime, claiming to have a date with her nieces. A soft kiss at his doorstep punctuated their farewell. He’d watched as she’d gotten into her car and driven away. It wasn’t until her taillights disappeared around the corner that the anxiety set in.
His stomach churned. Self-doubt and restless energy plagued him for the rest of the afternoon at the prospect of finally taking Gia out for their first official date. He prayed nothing would go wrong tonight.
After checking in with Marley, who claimed she wasn’t interested in going to the annual fall festival and would rather stay home with a very pregnant cat, Jake left to claim his prize.
Already he knew he was in trouble, judging by how attached Marley was to the cat.
There was no way this cat was going to leave without a lot of tears involved after all was said and done, but that was a problem for another day.
He hoped the walk to The Lotus would help release the tension.
He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous, only that this was a tremendous step in the right direction.
After Gia left his house to work at the restaurant, he headed into the office to finish some paperwork.
He shouldn’t have bothered, given how distracted he had been.
When was the last time he’d gone out on a date? Did he even know what to do anymore?
And even worse, what if he fucked up the whole thing?
So instead of staying at the office, he’d rushed home to freshen up.
He worried about what to wear for the better part of an hour before deciding on his outfit.
His old hair putty was in the back of the drawer.
It had been years since he’d styled his hair, but the paste was still sticky as he worked it through his hair and styled it.
The last time he’d been this concerned about his hair was in high school, when he was trying to get Gia to notice him.
Apparently, some things never changed.
On the way out, he sprayed on some cologne, giving his body a sniff to assure himself he smelled irresistible. He winced. Maybe he’d gone overboard with it.
Good enough.
It was unseasonably warm for an autumn night.
The sun was setting over Mount Luna. The streetlights blinked on as Jake made his way down the sidewalk.
Dressed in dark jeans and a flannel, he was comfortable without the light jacket he’d shrugged on at the last second.
Just in case. He didn’t want to miss an opportunity to make sure his date was comfortable.
The walk to Main Street took him about ten minutes.
It didn’t matter that he’d been living on this side of Willowbrook for the better part of the last decade—it still took his breath away.
It was a far cry from his childhood home, which was on the outskirts of town.
Far enough away to almost forget about his lonely childhood and the house that never quite felt like home.
He’d done his best trying to breathe life into the house he built.
Initially, he focused on the bones, ensuring their perfection.
Then came the interior, which he’d painstakingly designed.
But what really gave life to his home were the memories he’d made with Marley.
And if things went according to his plans, maybe a certain movie star would move in, too.
What he wanted to build was a place where happy memories existed.
Not one with pain and regret that reeked of loneliness, stale beer, and cigarettes.
Memories of his neglectful parents had confronted him more often than he liked in the past couple of weeks.
Gia’s return to town had awakened his ghosts, too.
Absentmindedly, he wondered where his parents were now.
Once Jake turned eighteen, they’d packed their bags and left town.
They’d half-heartedly tried to take Jake with them, but it made little sense for him to go since he was headed off to college, anyway.
He never understood why his parents couldn’t love him the way the Liens loved their children.
Weren’t parents supposed to care about the people they brought into the world?
His parents were overjoyed when they learned his mother was pregnant, because they had suffered from infertility and hadn’t thought they could conceive.
Unfortunately for the Wests, a string of bad luck followed shortly after.
His father, once a respected mechanic, lost his job when a big chain auto shop moved into the city, forcing smaller shops to shut down.
What was meant to be a thing to celebrate became a burden instead. With money tight, his mother became the breadwinner. She worked double shifts at the truck stop diner while his father drowned his sorrows in booze.
Between their crippling debt, hospital bills, another mouth to feed, and an absent husband, his mother cracked under the pressure.
There were no nighttime stories or birthday parties. Instead, Jake learned to avoid being noticed by a father who had a tendency to become volatile when drunk—which was all the time—and a mother who barely left the house most days.
With time and perspective, he recognized his mother likely suffered from untreated postpartum depression. The knowledge didn’t make it hurt any less.
He’d only been a burden to them. While they had never hurt him physically, the lack of affection had a lasting impact on his psyche.
It made him more desperate for control. Jake learned to only depend on himself, until the fateful day when Thao sat next to him in first grade and took him under his wing, bringing him into his family like Jake was meant to be there.
It was with the Liens that he learned what family was supposed to feel like.
Even when Mr. and Mrs. Lien had been strict with their kids, there was an undercurrent of affection running through every gesture.
He’d been lucky to have been on the receiving end as an extension of being friends with Thao and Gia.
His thoughts sobered him, quelling the anxiety forming a knot in the pit of his stomach. By the time he showed up at The Lotus, his mood had dampened.
In the distance, he could see the festival lights blinking merrily. Laughter and delighted screams echoed in the valley that made up Willowbrook. This year, the event was being held in the space between the town hall and the community center.
From where he stood beneath the streetlight, he saw Gia moving between tables and charming the guests. She had a way about her that made people want to be around her.
And right now, all he wanted to do was be around her every second of every single day.
Starting right now.
His legs jolted into motion. The smell of freshly cooked egg rolls welcomed him when he entered the dimly lit restaurant. His eyes found Gia across the room.
His heart threatened to leap out of his chest at the small smile she offered him.
It was hard to believe a couple of weeks ago she was spitting venom his way for looking at her.
He flashed her a lopsided smile as he made a beeline for her.
A thrill shot through him at the way her slender throat bobbed.
Her eyes widened with surprise, like a deer caught in headlights.
Or more like prey having been spotted by the predator. And like a hunter, he went in for the kill. She stood frozen, rooted to the ground. He would have chased her if she ran away.
His cock stirred at the thought of chasing after her. Maybe another time, when they didn’t have witnesses. Jake doubted her parents wanted to watch what he would do to their daughter once he caught her, so for now, he aimed for sweet.
When they were alone, though… it would be a completely different story. There was no shortage of woods behind his house for some role-playing. He had a feeling it wouldn’t take much convincing, either.
Once he was standing toe to toe with Gia, he wasted no time wrapping his arms around her. His lips found hers with expert precision, as if he’d been kissing her for years. Her sharp intake of breath sent a thrill straight to his cock.
When he pulled away, he realized the crowd had erupted in cheers at the display. It was straight out of a cheesy romance movie where the hero gets the girl. And like in the movies, he ignored everyone but the woman in front of him.
“Hi,” he breathed when he found his voice.
Her pink tongue peeked out between her swollen lips. “Hi.”
“I missed you.”
She tilted her head, a shadow of a smile crossing her lips. “You just saw me a few hours ago.”
He sighed, hanging his head. “I know, and it was way too long.”
Her eyes twinkled with laughter.
“You ready to get out of here?” Jake asked, looking up to find her parents. He spotted Mrs. Lien at the booth in the back. She offered him two thumbs up, which he took to mean they could handle things without Gia for the night.
“We’ve got it covered, Jake,” Minnie shouted from the cash register.
Gia looked at her mom, then her sister. “Are you guys sure?”
“Go, go. Make me a grandbaby already.” She made a shooing gesture before turning away and heading into the kitchen.
“Mom!” Gia sputtered, her cheeks turning an adorable shade of pink.
“You heard your mother. Let’s go make her a grandbaby.” He winked.
“Oh my God.” Gia covered her face with her hands.
Jake laughed and tugged her along, only letting go when she insisted on taking off her work apron.
When they got to the sidewalk, he shrugged off his jacket and pulled it over her shoulders. He pulled her to his side and kissed the top of her head.
He rejoiced when her hand found his back, the other arm wrapping around his torso.
As far as first dates went, they were off to a great start.