TWENTY-SEVEN
EMMA
A loud groan escapes my lips, and I curse whoever is at my door, thus denying me a much-needed orgasm.
“Hey, don’t frown, babe,” Jack breathes on the skin of my neck. “We’ll continue this later.” And with one last scorching kiss, he removes his hands from underneath my clothes and pushes me off the couch.
With another groan, I walk to the door, still cursing. When I buzz my visitor in and they round the corner a minute later, I freeze. My eyes widen, and my breath hitches in my throat. “Mom!” I gasp. “What are you doing here?”
“Emma, darling!” She flicks her gaze to the ceiling. “I wanted to see you. I’m sorry for showing up unannounced,” she says with a hint of reproach in her voice. “You never returned my call from the weekend, so your father and I decided it was time for another visit.”
I blink at her. “Dad is here too?”
“Yes, he’ll be up in a minute; he had to answer an important call. Now, are you going to let me in?” Without waiting for a response, she steps into my apartment and turns to me.
Little drops of cold sweat form on my forehead, my palms are clammy, and my heart pounds against my ribs. Shit, as soon as she takes a good look at me, she will notice my baby belly. This is not how I wanted my parents to find out, and I am, without a doubt, not ready yet to tell them.
I close the door and keep my back turned to my mom, trying to buy myself some more minutes before the imminent confrontation. I need to think of something fast, but after the activities I just engaged in, my mind is a complete blank.
“Sweetheart, is something wrong?” my mom asks when I don’t turn around. For a split second, I imagine hearing a hint of concern in her voice. But when I turn around, she proves me wrong. Her expression shows anything but concern—just the usual stony demeanor.
“No, nothing’s wrong, Mom,” I tell her and tug at the hem of my shirt. “I’m just surprised to see you.”
That’s when she eyes me up and down, and her gaze lingers on my belly. Wearing this tight shirt tonight was a genuinely dumb idea.
A gasp escapes her, and she covers her parted lips with her fingers. “Emma Louise Knight! What is this? Please, tell me you’ve just gained weight!”
“Mom—” I give her a pleading look. I wish she would, for once, act like a loving and supportive mother, but I hope in vain.
She groans and covers her forehead with her hand. “Don’t tell me you were stupid enough to get pregnant! Is this why you have been avoiding me? Why you refused that excellent job offer?”
“Mom! This is exactly why I haven’t told you yet. I knew you would freak out instead of being understanding.”
“Understanding?” She snorts, crossing her arms over her chest. “Emma, you can’t be serious! Wait until your father finds out. ”
Before she goes on, she notices I fix my gaze on something behind her. She spins around and gasps, her hand flying to her chest when she spots Jack, who walks past her with pure disgust on his face. He comes to a stop next to me, and I relax instantly. His soothing presence gives me the strength I need to face my mother.
I grab Jack’s hand and intertwine our fingers. The tension leaves my body when I glance at him and he shoots me a reassuring smile. We both return our attention to my mother when she clears her throat. She eyes Jack up and down, and her gaze falls on his tattoos. The look of unappreciation on her face makes me groan.
As expected, she draws her conclusions and doesn’t hesitate to inform us about her displeasure. “Emma, darling. Are you serious?” She glances at our joined hands before her gaze meets mine. “Why not Robert? He’s such a sweet young man. And he’ll be able to provide for you … both.” She points to my belly with a frown.
I try to keep calm with every breath I take, but I’m getting angrier with every hurtful word that leaves my mother’s mouth. I’m nearly crushing Jack’s hand, but he doesn’t flinch. “I can’t believe you’re saying this,” I tell my mom through clenched teeth. “I don’t choose a man because he can provide for me or out of convenience. I’m an independent woman who can care for herself—and a baby when that time comes. The only reason I choose a man is that I love him.”
A knock on my door stops me from saying more, and for a few moments, my mom and I stare at each other. Jack nudges my side to get my attention. I gaze at him, and he tilts his head toward the door. I nod and let go of his hand to open it.
It’s my dad who greets me with a wide smile, which falters immediately when he sees my expression. “Sweetpea!” he says, and at once, the corners of my lips lift. “What’s wrong?” He loses no time and wraps his arms around me, enveloping me in a warm and loving hug. “Aw, I missed you so much,” he adds, and I let out a long, shuddery breath when he strokes my back.
My relationship with my dad has always been the complete opposite of the one I have with my mom. He’s the calm one who would reassure and support me in making my own decisions—contrary to my mom, who was always demanding and told me what I should and shouldn’t do. Nothing has changed until this day.
“Sweetpea,” he repeats, and his voice and the nickname he’s had for me ever since I was a little girl have the same soothing effect on me as Jack’s presence. He hugs me tight before stepping back to eye me up and down, just like my mom did a moment ago, but his gaze is soft and affectionate when it lingers on my baby belly. His eyebrows shoot up before a huge smile spreads across his face. “Emma, is this what I think it is?” He strokes the bump and lifts his eyes to meet mine. “Are you making me a gramps? Why haven’t you told us?”
He looks past me at my mother and furrows his brows. “Mary, what’s going on here?” He places his arm around my shoulder and moves me to the side to close the front door. Then he spots Jack, who grabs my hand. My dad’s eyes widen. “Oh, hi. Didn’t see you there,” he says, stretching out his hand with another big smile. “I’m Charles. ”
Jack lets go of me, takes my dad’s hand, and returns his smile with a genuine one. “Jack,” he responds. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
My dad snorts and waves him off. “Please, drop the sir. Any friend of my daughter’s is a friend of mine. What did I miss?” He blinks at me. “What’s that look on your mother’s face?”
“Charles!” My mom throws her hands up. “I can’t believe this. It’s just—this is—”
“Mary,” my dad interrupts her in a voice that you would use to calm down a child with a temper tantrum. “Our Emma here has found a man that makes her happy, and she’s giving us a grandchild. So this is wonderful!” He turns to Jack and me. “Congratulations, you two!”
“Oh, I’m not—” Jack starts, but my father cuts him off. He already has his opinion on the nature of the relationship between Jack and me.
“I’m thrilled!” he says. “This calls for a celebration. Do you have plans for tonight?”
I laugh when he gives me a joyous smile. “No. No plans.”
“Good. We’ll invite you to dinner then. You can tell us everything we want to know. Mary?”
My mom takes a deep breath and pinches the bridge of her nose. “Fine. Dinner it is.”
My dad checks his watch. “Shall we say half past seven? Your mom and I will check into our hotel, and we’ll meet at our favorite restaurant in an hour.”
“Sure,” I say with a nod.
Before my mom can spit any more venom, my dad grabs her hand and pulls her after him out of my apartment. “Bye, Sweetpea. See you later, Jack. ”
Okay, wow. That was—something. Stunned, I stare at my closed front door.
“I like your dad.” Jack chuckles, and my lips stretch into a smile.
“Yeah, he’s great.”
Jack pulls me into his chest. He wraps me up in a hug and plants a kiss on my forehead. “I’m proud of you for standing up to your mom. She’s even scarier in person.”
I bury my face in his shoulder with a laugh. With Jack’s arms around me, the last bit of tension leaves my body. My heart beats slowly and steadily, and I breathe calmly and evenly.
We stand like this for a few moments before Jack releases me from our hug and rests his hands on my shoulders. “Um, will you tell your parents that this is not my baby?”
I fist his shirt. “No.”
“No?” He arches his brows.
“Jack,” I start, but what I’m about to tell him makes it hard to talk. I meet his eyes, which stare at me expectantly. I tighten my grip on his shirt before finally saying, “I wish this baby were yours, Jack, so much. Can we pretend it is?”
He gives me a soft smile, places his hand on my cheek, and runs his thumb over my lips. “I’ll make it mine, Peach,” he whispers as he lowers his head.
But before his mouth touches mine, I murmur, “There’s something else.”
Jack pulls back and raises one eyebrow. “Hmm?”
“What I told my mom—about the reasons I choose a man—”
“Yeah? ”
My poor heart beats frantically again, and I can’t breathe. Is this the right moment to tell him? But I get my answer when I look into his eyes, and I realize how my feelings for him have changed into something much more than just a crush. I gather all my wits and find my voice at last. “I love you, Jack.”
He stares at me silently for a moment—the most agonizing moment of my life. Why doesn’t he say anything? But then he smiles—really smiles—and I let out the breath I was holding.
He cups my face and strokes my cheeks with his thumb. “I love you too,” he finally breathes, pressing his lips on mine for a short but sweet kiss. “And I love that goofy grin on your face,” he adds.
“It can’t be goofier than yours.” I chuckle before his mouth is back on mine, and he loses no time to deepen the kiss.
I remember how he kissed me at Ben and Amy’s wedding. I thought that was the best kiss I had ever experienced, but I was dead wrong. This right here, this is it. I could think about so many things. About Jack’s remarkable progress, how he worked on his issues just because of me, or how ecstatic I am to be here with him like this. But the fact is, I can’t think at all. I can only feel. Feel his lips on mine, feel my body tingle when he runs his hands over my skin, eliciting sounds I’ve never heard coming from myself. With every second that passes, this kiss becomes more heated, turning into a continuation of our make-out session from earlier, right here in my tiny hallway.
“Oh, Jack.” I moan when his lips wander along my neck over to my earlobe. “We need to—stop—leave soon. Jack!” I call out when he slides his hand inside the waistband of my shorts.
“We still have one hour,” Jack breathes on my skin. “Enough time for me to bend you over something.”
“Damn, Jack!” I pant as his hand finds its way inside my panties. “Yes, please, bend me over something.”
A very low growl slips out from deep within his throat, which vibrates through every fiber of my body and makes goosebumps erupt all over my skin. Desire rushes through my veins, and the need to feel him grows more intense with every stroke of his tongue against mine and with every touch of his hands on me. Especially the one hand that strokes along my wet heat and that one finger he slides inside me. “Oh, Jack!” I moan again and again. “Yes, right there!”
I’m so close to the release I need so badly that I groan in frustration when Jack removes his hands from my body and grasps my arm. But it doesn’t take long until we’re in my bedroom, where he stops next to the dresser. He turns to me, kissing me with a passion that, once again, leaves me breathless. He opens my shorts and pushes them down my legs, along with my panties. With the next swift movement, my shirt and bra go flying, as does his shirt. Luckily, Jack is just as much in a hurry as I am, so after caressing my breasts for only a moment or two, he turns me around and bends me over the dresser. He drops his pants, and I open my legs for him. I’ve never been more ready to feel him deep inside me, and I gasp when I finally do.
“Damn, Peach, you feel so good,” Jack mutters as he grabs my hips and starts his steady thrusts. I pant and moan while I hold on to the dresser and meet his every thrust with one of my own. My entire body is electrified; all my senses take him in: the sounds he makes while he buries himself deep inside of me, his delicious scent, the sensation of his hands on my skin. I even remember his taste on my tongue and his heated expression before he kissed me.
With all the sexual tension from earlier, and certainly also because we declared our love for each other, it doesn’t take long before Jack pushes us both over the edge. I scream his name in a powerful climax that is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. One thing is certain: Jack has captivated me in so many ways, like no man before him and probably no man after him ever will. I love him with my entire being.
Once we catch our breaths, Jack slides out of me and turns me to him, and instantly, his lips are on mine for a kiss so tender that it makes my heart race all over again. “I love you,” he says with a satisfied smile.
“I love you,” I respond with the same smile.
His smile widens. “Now, let’s get ready to face your mom.”