Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Iroll over, my arm reaches across the bed to find cold emptiness, and my heart sinks. It’s like prom night all over again. Sitting up, I scan the room. It’s dark, other than the small light peeking out from the open bathroom door.
Then I hear something banging around. Pots and pans. I get up and head to the bathroom. After freshening up and running my fingers through my hair, I walk out to the kitchen, following the sound and the smell.
I smile when I find Jake standing at the stove. Shirtless and wielding an egg flipper. This is a sight I could really get used to.
“You’re making pancakes?” I ask, not being able to keep the joy out of my tone. I love pancakes. If I could eat them for three meals a day, I would.
“Chocolate chip and blueberry,” Jake confirms as his gaze settles on me.
“Delicious. They smell so good.” I walk over and peek into the frying pan. There’s already a stack of each on a plate. “Are you expecting visitors?”
“No.”
“That’s a lot of pancakes, Jake,” I tell him.
“They’re your favorite. I wanted you to have enough,” he says.
I wrap my arms around his waist. “Thank you. Can I do anything to help?”
“You can go sit at the table. There’s a coffee already there for you.”
“If you’re trying to be perfect, you’ve succeeded.” I laugh and head over to the dining table.
I pick up the very familiar coffee cup. It’s the one his mom bought for me when we were thirteen. She said I needed my own cup in their house because I was family.
My eyes tear up at the memory. “You kept my cup.”
“Much to my mother’s dismay. She looked for it for months when… Well, I never told her I took it and hid it in my closet.”
“Why?”
“Because she would have wanted it back, and I wanted to keep every piece I could.” Jake places a large stack of pancakes on the table.
“I remember the day your mom gave me this,” I tell him.
“So do I. She loved you. Probably more than she loved me.” He chuckles.
“I know. We kept in touch.”
“What?”
“When I went away to college, she wrote to me, and we just continued to keep in touch after that. Once a month, we’d have a phone call or a video chat.” I thought he would have known about that. “We didn’t talk about you—don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried. I’m jealous that she got to talk to you and I didn’t,” he groans.
I don’t tell him that it was his choice. I don’t want to ruin the good mood we both seem to be in this morning. I slept better last night than I have since I’ve been back from New York.
“Eat up before they go cold.” Jacob loads my plate up with chocolate chip pancakes.
After pouring a healthy dose of syrup on top, I cut into the fluffy stack and bring my fork to my mouth. I moan as the flavor hits my tongue. Jake is staring at me.
“What?” I ask him.
He shakes his head and smiles. “Nothing.”
“You should eat,” I tell him.
“I’ve eaten.”
“What did you have?”
“Muesli.”
My nose scrunches up in disgust. “Muesli isn’t breakfast. Pancakes are breakfast.” I shovel another forkful into my mouth. “When did you learn to cook pancakes this good?”
“I took lessons a few years ago,” Jake says, looking away.
“You what?” I sputter. “Why?”
“In case I ever got the opportunity to make you breakfast, I wanted to be able to do it well.”
Cue the butterflies. How can he say all this to me?
How can he be so sure of how he feels and yet he left me alone on prom night?
I know he said he didn’t have a choice, but he still hasn’t told me what it was he did that was so bad he had no choice but to join The Court or whatever that secret society crap is.
I’m about to question him, ask him what he actually did, when the doorbell rings out through the apartment.
Jake stands and then looks at me. “You should put some clothes on,” he says.
I look down at the shirt I’m wearing, my nipples poking through, then at my plate of food. “Don’t touch my pancakes. I’ll be quick.” I jump out of my chair and run to the bedroom. I have no idea who is here, but I don’t really want to be caught practically naked.
I throw on the dress I wore last night, and by the time I make my way back out to the table, my brother CJ and cousin Alfie are standing in the kitchen.
“What are you two doing here?” I ask them, sitting down and grabbing my fork.
“Picking you up,” CJ says, a disgusted look on his face. “How the fuck did you get Dad to agree to this little sleepover?”
“Stop eating my pancakes,” I tell him.
“You can’t eat all this,” he deadpans.
“Wanna bet?”
“Sure. How much?” My brother smirks, knowing he’s right.
“Never mind. You two can wait outside. You didn’t need to come in,” I grumble.
“Actually, we did,” Alfie says, also shoveling my pancakes into his mouth. “I could smell these from the hall. They’re good.”
“I know, and they’re mine.” I pout.
“Come on, Jazzy. I know your folks taught you to share.” He laughs.
“I’m sorry,” I mouth at Jake, who just shrugs.
“I have to go to my parents’ will reading today,” he says.
“So do I,” I tell him.
“You don’t need to come with me. It will be boring as hell.”
“No, I do actually. Your parents’ lawyer called me and said I was mentioned in the will and should be there,” I explain. It’s odd. I have no idea why they would leave me anything. Whatever it is, I’ll just give it back to Jake anyway.
“I’m not surprised they left you something. I told you they loved you,” Jake says.
“Whatever it is, I’ll just give it back to you,” I repeat what I’m thinking.
“No, you won’t. If my parents left something to you, it’s because they wanted you to have it. It’s yours.”
“What if they left her the entire Westmead fortune?” CJ asks.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I huff.
“I’d be happy to let her have it,” Jake replies, his tone serious.
“That’s not happening, and I don’t want it,” I tell him.
“I’ll take it.” This comes from Alfie.
“You guys are idiots. Jake is obviously inheriting his family’s shit. I’m sure your mom just left me a trinket or a painting or something to remember her by. We were close,” I say.
“I don’t care what they left you, Jazzy. When we get married, it’s all going to be yours anyway.” Jake shrugs.
I start choking on the pancake stuck in my throat. He did not just say that out loud. In front of my brother.
CJ glowers at him. “You’re dreaming if you think my dad is ever going to let you marry my sister. You’re not even close to being good enough for her, Westmead.”
“I know. But I’m going to marry her anyway.” Jake’s clearly not bothered by the anger radiating off CJ.
“I’ll be in the hall. Hurry up, Jazzy. I have shit today that doesn’t involve babysitting you.” My brother storms out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
“I’m sorry about that,” I tell Jake.
“It’s fine. If you were my sister, I wouldn’t want you marrying me either,” Jake says.
“You were America’s most eligible bachelor for the last five years. Any woman would be lucky to marry you.” I’m not sure if that woman really will be me, and I’m not going to allow myself to dream yet. “I’m going to grab my shoes and bag.” I stand and push my chair in. “Wait… I’ll tidy up first.”
“Leave it. The cleaner will be here soon,” Jake tells me.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” He stands.
“Don’t mind me,” Alfie says, still digging into pancakes as if the conversation about marriage didn’t just happen.
Jake follows me into the bedroom. Reaching out, he grabs hold of my arm and spins me around until I’m facing him. “Thank you for coming over. Everything seems to be… easier when you’re around.”
“Thank you for letting me sleep in your bed. I didn’t have a single nightmare.”
“Good. And Jazzy?”
“Yeah?”
“You can sleep in my bed any night you want,” Jake says.
“Really?” My smile is wide. “What about the society thing?”
“I have a plan, but it’s going to take a while before all the pieces fall into place. We just need to be really careful and you need to promise you won’t go anywhere alone. Always take the security your father has given you.”
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“No, promise me, Jazzy.” Jake holds out his pinkie finger.
I follow suit. “I promise.” If it helps put his mind at ease, I’ll do it. I don’t want to cause him anymore pain than he’s already in. “But just so you know, I still haven’t forgotten or forgiven you for prom night.”
“Good, you need to remember how much of a fuckup I am,” he tells me right before his mouth slams down on mine.
The moment our lips touch, I’m gone. I used to dream about what it would be like to kiss him, and then he finally kissed me on prom night and I thought I was the luckiest girl in the whole school.
Because I had Jake. I finally had him the way I wanted him.
Not just as my best friend, but as more.
And right now, having his arms around me, his tongue circling mine, it feels like a lot more.