His Ever After (Love Square) (6 page)

Brooke knew I was still in love with Sam and offered to raise the child alone if she decided to keep it. How the hell could I do that to her? To my child? I couldn’t. So I told Sam to give me some time so that I could figure things out. Once Brooke decided to keep the baby, I knew there was no way Sam and I could have a real life together. Decision made, I left her alone. Until tonight, when all she wanted was one more time. And look at how easily I caved.

“We shouldn’t have done this. She’s going to be devastated.” Damn it! I’m such a selfish bastard!

“Don’t worry about me. Go ahead. I’m just going to get dressed and leave,” Sam says as she picks up her clothing from the living room and slips back into her coat.

“Oh, Jacob. It was really nice knowing you. Revenge is a bitch, isn’t it?” She calls out to me, as I head for the door.

I stop dead in my tracks while her words wash over me. Immediately, I shut the door and turn around to look at Sam. What the fuck is she going on about? Did I just hear her right?

“Revenge?” I ask confused.

“You know, for the stunt you pulled with your little girlfriend. She told me all about it. Consider this payback.” Her arms cross over her chest, and she sticks her hip out indignantly.

I don’t even recognize the girl staring back at me with a smug expression on her face, looking like a cold-hearted bitch. I’m even more confused than I was a minute ago, except now I’m pissed off too.

“What the fuck are you talking about? Do you have any idea what you just did?” My blood pressure is rising, and I can feel the heat on my face.

“Oh, I know what I did. And I know what you almost did. You disgust me… Besides, aren’t you supposed to be going after your girlfriend?”

“Get. The. Fuck. Out. Now!” I scream at her. Sam scrambles for the door, looking taken aback by my outburst. Once she clears the threshold, I slam the door in her face instead of giving a flying fuck.

I wait a good twenty minutes or so to calm down and to make sure that Sam is gone before I go out looking for Brooke. When I eventually find her, she is alone in her apartment, curled up in a ball on her bed. Sobbing.

“Brooke. I’m so fucking sorry. Will you please talk to me?” I ask as she sits up on the bed and glares a look of death at me. There are mascara streaks running down her cheeks, and her eyes are red and puffy.

“Sorry? You’re sorry? Thanks to you, I lost our baby, Jacob!” She shouts hysterically in my face.

“What are you talking about?” Please God… don’t let this be true.

“After the show you put on, I got really bad cramps and saw that I was bleeding through my clothes. I had a miscarriage! You should just leave,” she says as she pushes me away.

“No. I’m not going to leave you like this. Please. Let me be here with you.” I reach for her, but she moves out of my reach.

I’m abruptly pulled from my dream when I feel myself being shaken.

“Jacob. You’re having a bad dream. Wake up,” Brooke says in my ear.

I blink slowly, coming back into reality. My body is covered in sweat. My heart is thumping wildly in my chest, and my hand has a death grip on the sheets. I hate remembering the night I realized I had to let Sam go for good. What I hate most, though, is remembering the night that I broke Brooke.

“Sorry. I’m alright now,” I assure her before heading to the bathroom to splash some water on my face.

Brooke follows and stands in the doorway. “You were saying her name you know. You were moaning and saying
her
name. Care to explain?” She hisses at me.

I wipe my face on the towel and look at her through the mirror. “There’s nothing to explain. It’s like you said, I was having a bad dream.”

“This shit isn’t going to fly with me much longer, Jacob. You need to tell me what the fuck is going on. Do you still want to be with her? Am I just the baggage that you have to carry along out of guilt? Is that it?” She demands to know.

I bow my head and stare at the sink. Her words slice through me because they hit so close to home. I want nothing more than to agree with her, but how do you tell someone that you’ll never love them the way they love you? That you are only with them because you feel guilty and scared that they might hurt themselves?

You don’t.

I raise my head, resolved to stay my course and look at her again. “I’m never going to be with Sam again. It was just a dream, a bad one at that. Can we please just leave it alone?”

She watches me for several long minutes before letting it go. “Okay. Come back to bed.”

I follow her to bed and spend the rest of the night staring at the ceiling.

Chapter Four

We pull up to Emma’s house, and I give Brooke a reassuring pat on her knee before getting out of the car. She isn’t wrong when she says Emma doesn’t like her. She thinks Brooke is cold and callous. She’s only met her a couple of times, but they weren’t under the best circumstances. Whenever Emma tried to engage Brooke in conversation, she was short and rude with her. It didn’t help matters when Brooke was clingy with me either. I know Emma tries for my sake. However, she still wishes I had ended up with Sam. They clicked the first time they met and even talked to each other on the phone a few times after that. Emma had high hopes for my future just like I did. Unfortunately, hers came crashing down right along with mine.

To say Emma was disappointed when I told her the whole sordid affair that happened between Brooke, Sam and me is an understatement of the century. She was beyond pissed at me for being so careless with Brooke and also for sleeping with a married woman. I received the lecture of a lifetime from her. She even threw in how disappointed my mom would be with my behavior. That’s digging the knife in right there – using my mom against me. I already felt bad enough about the situation. I didn’t need her making me feel worse.

I really couldn’t bring myself to flip out on her for being so judgmental, because I deserve all the shit she flings at me for it. One wrong choice changed the course of my life – and not for the better. If I had never given Brooke the in that I did, I’d still be with Sam. She would have left Aiden and discovered just how perfect things could be between us. I just needed to have been patient a little while longer. I still kick myself whenever I think about it.

Thankfully, Emma and I can’t stay mad at each other for long, so all is forgiven and forgotten at this point. No hard feelings. That’s the beauty of our relationship. I know she’s looking out for me and vice versa.

Stepping out of the car, I’m a little sad when I’m not instantly run over by the little munchkins. It’s our thing. I look forward to it every time I visit. The girls don’t like to come out and meet me when Brooke’s around. Just another thing that makes this whole situation suck. They know she isn’t fun to play with. Brooke looks at them like they are some sort of strange species she is studying. It makes me wonder what she would have been like had we had our child. I know they say a mother’s instinct typically kicks in, but I’m having a hard time picturing it.

As Brooke shuts her car door, I push my seat forward to let Kara out from the back before getting our suitcases from the trunk.

Brooke recruited Kara to come along for moral support. She didn’t want to be left alone with Emma when I go off to do “guy things” with John. I’m sure Emma will appreciate the buffer as well. There is nothing more awkward then spending time alone with someone you don’t care for. At least, this way Kara will be able to bridge the gap. Or so I hope.

“Thanks, Jacob. I really appreciate you letting me come along for the weekend. What girl can pass up a shopping trip?” Kara says in her sweet way, trying to make it seem like it was her idea to tag along, in an effort to make Brooke look better.

“Kara. I told you already, it’s really no big deal. I’m glad you’re here,” I reply, putting my hand on her arm. Her skin feels soft and smooth to the touch. And… I better stop thinking of her like that. Nothing like playing with fire.

“Jacob! Let’s go and can you at least try to keep your hands to yourself,” Brooke snaps at me loudly from the sidewalk.

I pull my hand back, as I give Kara a small smile and roll my eyes at Brooke’s insinuation. I reach into the trunk and finish getting the suitcases out. When I look over, Kara has a slight blush on her face, and she’s chewing on her lip. Interesting.

Once inside, Emma sets Brooke and me up in her guest bedroom, while Kara is going to stay in Grace’s room. Candace looks ready to rip Grace’s hair out at the prospect of sharing her room for the weekend. It’s actually rather comical watching Candace’s face as Emma blows up the air mattress and lays out blankets. All the while, Grace is dancing around the room, dressed as a fairy and pretty much oblivious to the tension radiating from her sister.

After dinner, we all settle in the living room to watch the animated movie
Brave
. If John were here, I’d be downstairs in the room he’s dubbed his man cave, drinking beer and watching ESPN. Instead, I’m sitting on the floor with Grace and Candace’s heads resting on my lap, while Brooke glares daggers at me from across the room. This is of course because I didn’t pay her enough attention during dinner. She can’t be any more obvious about her displeasure. If I didn’t think it would make things worse, I’d laugh at how ridiculous she is being right now.

Emma and Kara seem taken by the movie and if pressed to admit it, I guess it’s kind of entertaining. But I’d have to be extremely hard pressed in order to admit that out loud, for fear of losing my man card.

“Kara, you look like Princess Merida,” Grace says as she crawls towards Kara on the floor and starts running her hands over her long curls. I have to say Grace isn’t too far off the mark. Granted the character in the movie is nowhere near as beautiful as Kara, but they do have the same long, curly, unruly, red hair. Kara’s is just lighter in shade.

Grace smiles brightly at Kara, while she continues to play with her hair. The girls seem so comfortable with Kara even though they just met her. I suppose it’s her sweet, caring personality and the fact that she really takes the time to get to their level. I’ve enjoyed watching them together tonight. It’s amazing how well Kara fits in with my family.

“Thank you sweetie, but I don’t think I’m as pretty as Merida,” Kara says demurely when she notices all eyes on her, including Brooke’s very angry eyes.

“If we gave you a crown, you’d be a way prettier princess than Merida,” Candace jumps into the conversation. I, of course, agree with her as well, but I know better than to voice that thought.

Kara’s cheeks burn with embarrassment. She looks so damn cute right now, with her blush creeping down her neck.

“She does
not
look anything like a princess,” Brooke snaps at the girls and crosses her arms in displeasure.

Emma sits up and leans towards Brooke, likely ready to give her a verbal smack down. I’m not thrilled with the way Brooke just spoke to the girls, but the last thing I want to see happen is Brooke and Emma get into a fight. I’m not sure who would win, and I’m hoping I never have to find out. Guess it’s time for Uncle Jacob to lighten the mood.

“I think she’s quite a wee lassie,” I say in my best Scottish accent making all the girls giggle. Well, all the girls except Brooke anyway.

I look over to see Kara biting her lip, seeming very unsure of how to handle the situation. She’s probably at a loss for words since Brooke practically eluded to the fact that she doesn’t think Kara is pretty. Anyone in their right minds would see Kara is gorgeous. What kind of friend is Brooke to treat Kara that way? And why would Kara take that shit? I do not understand women. It is definitely Brooke’s green eyed monster talking, because she has been nasty to Kara ever since the girls and Emma started showing her attention after we arrived.

I reach over and grab her hand in a show of support. “Hey, it’s true. You’d make a beautiful princess.” I give her hand a squeeze before letting go and grabbing Grace, putting her in my lap. That comment will surely garner me a shit storm later.

“Let’s finish watching the movie. I’m dying to know if her mom gets stuck as a bear forever.” I give Grace a little tickle before Emma presses play on the remote.

A few minutes later, Brooke gets up and storms down the hall into the guest bedroom, slamming the door after her. Emma gives me a dirty look and rolls her eyes.

“I’m just going to go talk to her,” Kara says as she starts to get up from the floor.

I reach over and grab her hand again and pull her back down to sit next to me. In my infinite wisdom, I set her
right
next to me. Her leg is practically pressed against the length of mine.

“No. Let her cool off. I’ll talk to her later.” I give her another smile and try to pull my attention from the fact that my fiancée’s best friend smells amazing, as well as the fact that her body feels fan-fucking-tastic pressed along the side of mine. These are all thoughts that are sure to get me castrated if I’m not careful.

Besides, I’m in enough trouble as it is. A raging bitch is most definitely lurking behind the door down the hall, just waiting to kick my ass. And even knowing that, I wouldn’t change the fact that I’m sitting here with Kara. She makes me feel at ease. I get a sense of peace with her that I haven’t felt in months. My fingers twitch wanting to reach out and touch her. I’m having trouble ignoring the heat radiating from her and the sweet smell of flowers surrounding her. I’d have to be dead not to pay attention to stuff like that, especially when it comes to a fox like Kara. I inwardly groan at how fucked up I am. I’m not supposed to feel this way about anyone, except Sam. She is it for me, and that’s that.

The movie ends and all the girls are sniffling and wiping tears from their eyes. I could really use some more testosterone filled males around me right now. I can feel my nuts shriveling in protest from all things girly and Disney.