“Hi, Julia. It’s me, Jake. I just wanted to say goodnight and that I can’t wait until our date tomorrow night.”
I smiled because I couldn’t wait either. I dried off my hands and quickly responded.
“Hi, Jake. I’m very excited for our date. I can’t wait to see you again.”
I stepped out of the tub and changed into my pajamas. I looked at the clock and it was two a.m. I walked downstairs to get a glass of water and I saw my dad sitting on the couch in the living room.
“Dad, it’s late. Why aren’t you in bed?” I asked as I sat down next to him.
“I’ll be heading upstairs soon, Princess. Shouldn’t you be in bed? You’ve had a long day.”
“I just came down for a glass of water,” I said as I sat down next to him.
“I want you to know that I like Jake and I approve.” He smiled as he put his arm around me.
“I like Jake too, and I’m glad you approve. But you do know that even if you didn’t approve, it wouldn’t have mattered.
“I know,” he sighed. “The women in my family are very defiant.”
“That’s because we don’t like to be controlled, Mr. Black,” my mom said as she entered the room. “There’s only one place where I let you control me.” She winked.
My dad got up from the couch and put his hands on my mom’s hips. “Would you like me to control you right now?” he asked with a smile.
“Oh my God! I’m going to bed!” I exclaimed as I got up and ran up the stairs before I could hear any more.
****
I couldn’t sleep, so I got up and started making our family Sunday breakfast. My mom and dad walked into the kitchen just as I started to make the eggs.
“Good morning, Princess. What’s all this?” my dad asked as he kissed me on the head.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I thought that I’d make breakfast today.”
“Morning, baby,” my mom said sleepily as she kissed me.
“Morning, Mom. Can you go wake up Collin?”
My dad poured some coffee and sat down at the table. “Why couldn’t you sleep? Were you thinking about Jake?”
I turned to him and smiled. “Maybe.”
Collin and my mom walked into the kitchen. Collin looked so tired. “You look tired,” I said as I poured him some coffee.
“Gee, maybe if I wasn’t kept up all night, I wouldn’t be so tired. Let me tell the two of you something,” Collin said as he looked at our parents. “I can appreciate how much you two love each other, but you’re old and you have sex like you’re in your twenties. When you bought this house, you obviously didn’t consider the bedroom situation because my room is right next to yours and you don’t seem to care whether I can hear you or not. I’m asking you to please add on another bedroom to the house, preferably way on the other side of where my bedroom is.”
I stood there, with the spatula in my hand, in shock at what my brother had just said to our parents. My mom and dad looked at each other and then at Collin.
“Okay, son. We’ll add on another bedroom,” Dad said.
“That’s a great idea, Collin. I’m surprised we haven’t thought about it before.” Mom smiled.
“You know, Ellery, the family will only grow, so maybe we should just expand the house with more than just a bedroom. Think about it. Julia and Collin will get married someday and have kids of their own, and we’ll want them here in the summer to visit, so we need to make sure we have the room.”
“I agree, Connor, and I think we should do it.”
“Oh, Dad,” I said. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. It’s about that scholarship I won. We don’t need it, and there are students out there that do. Can we give the scholarship to someone else? To someone who really needs it?”
“I already thought of that, and I left a message for the dean. I don’t see why not, and if we can’t, I’ll just match the scholarship and give it to someone in need.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I smiled as I got up from the table.
I started to clean up, but my mom told me to go and get dressed because she was taking me shopping for a new outfit for my date with Jake. It was unexpected and I was so excited. She and my dad cleaned up, Collin went back to bed, and I went to my room and got dressed. As I was brushing my hair, my phone beeped with a text message from Jake.
“Good morning. I hope you slept better than I did. I can’t wait to see you later. Have a great day, Julia.”
“Good morning, Jake. I didn’t sleep at all. I just got done making breakfast for my family and now me and my mom are going shopping.”
“You cook? You’re even more perfect than I thought.”
My heart melted when he said that I was perfect. This feeling that had overtaken me was something I couldn’t describe. I’d never felt anything like it.
“Don’t put me on that pedestal yet. I can only manage to cook breakfast foods.”
“I’ve already put you up on that pedestal, Julia. I’ll talk to you later, my dad is calling me.”
“Bye, Jake.”
My mom and I went into the city and shopped all day. She told me that it would make the day go by faster for me and she was right. As we were leaving Starbucks, I ran right into a guy as he was coming in.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you,” I apologized.
“No, it’s—Ellery?” he asked.
“Kyle?” She smiled as she gave him a hug. “It’s nice to see you. Wow, it’s been what? At least ten years?”
“Yeah, I think so. It’s good to see you, Ellery. This beautiful girl must be Julia?”
“Yes, this is my daughter, Julia. Julia, this is Kyle. We used to date.”
“I would call it more than dating. We lived together for four years.” He smiled.
It suddenly hit me. This was the guy my mom had talked about. He was her ex-boyfriend. “It’s nice to meet you.” I smiled.
“Oh boy, Elle, she has your smile.”
“How have you been?” she asked him.
“I’m okay. I’m VP of the accounting firm and I’ve just ended my second marriage.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Nah, don’t be. I just haven’t found the right woman to spend the rest of my life with yet,” he said as he looked at her with sad eyes.
She put her hand on his arm. “You will, Kyle. She’s out there somewhere.”
“I think I already lost her,” he said as he stared into her eyes.
“Mom, look at the time. We need to get going.”
“You’re right, sweetie. It was good seeing you, Kyle. Good luck with everything.”
“Thanks, Elle. It was great seeing you too. It was nice to meet you, Julia.” He smiled.
As we began to walk away, Kyle called my mom’s name.
“How’s Connor?” he asked.
She turned around and gave him the biggest smile. “Connor is wonderful.”
“Good. Tell him I said hi.”
We continued walking down the street, stopping into one more store before heading home.
Chapter 12
I sat down at my vanity and put on my makeup. There was a knock on the door and my dad asked if he could come in.
“I just wanted to let you know that I spoke with the Dean of Columbia and he said it wouldn’t be a problem to give the scholarship to someone else as a donation.”
“That’s great news, Dad. Oh, by the way, mom’s ex-boyfriend, Kyle, said to tell you hi.”
“What?” he asked. “When did you see him?”
“Today, while we were in the city. I ran smack dab into him as we were leaving Starbucks.”
My dad sat down on my bed. “What else did he have to say?”
“Not much. He said he had just ended his second marriage. I’m pretty sure he still has a thing for Mom because he said he thinks he already lost the girl he was supposed to be with or something like that. I don’t know; he seemed kind of weird.”
“He never
got over your mother, and I don’t think he ever will.”
“Why did they break up?” I asked as I was putting on my eye shadow.
“Because your mom was sick and wouldn’t get the help she needed, so he left her. Which I’m thankful for, because I never would have met her if he didn’t.”
“Sick, how?” I asked in confusion.
“Your mom’s cancer had returned when she was twenty-three years old, and she refused to get treatments because she didn’t want to go through it again.”
I stopped what I was doing and turned around. “What? So you mean she was going to let herself die?”
“Yes, and when Kyle found out, he left her.”
“It was because of your dad that I ended up getting the treatments I needed,” my mom said as she walked into the room and sat down next to my dad. He grabbed her hand and kissed it.
“Mom, what the hell were you thinking?!” I exclaimed.
“I wasn’t thinking clearly, but your dad helped me with that.”
“We helped each other.” He smiled.
“Listen, Julia, you finish getting ready for your date. We’ll discuss this another time,” she said as she got up from the bed. She took my dad by the hand and led him out of my room.
I was stunned by what my father told me. I knew she had cancer when she was sixteen, but I had no idea that it came back when she was twenty-three. There was so much about my parents that I didn’t know and it bothered me. I finished putting on my makeup and curling my hair. I put on the cute maxi dress my mom had bought for me, and I headed downstairs.
“Now that’s the kind of dress I like to see on you.” My dad smiled.
“Very funny, Dad!”
“No, seriously. That dress looks beautiful on you.”
Collin came running down the stairs. “Hey, sis, you look great! Dad, we need to talk about that car you said you’d buy me.”
“I know, Collin, and we will.”
“But I need one now. I can’t even pick up Hailey for a date because we’re here at the beach house and I have no way to get to her,” he said.
My dad reached in his pocket and threw his keys to Collin. “Take the Range Rover. Your mother and I aren’t going anywhere tonight.”
“Thanks, Dad!” Collin exclaimed as he turned around and quickly ran out the door.
“Connor, I thought we were going out to dinner?” my mom said as she looked at him.
He walked over to her and whispered something in her ear. Suddenly, she started grinning from ear to ear. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I’m sure it had something to do with sex since they were going to be home alone.
There was a knock at the door and my mom said she’d answer it. I walked out of the kitchen with my dad following behind, and smiled when I saw Jake standing there. He looked at me and I pretty much stopped breathing. His face lit up when he saw me and, when I walked over to him, he took my hand and kissed my cheek. My heart was pounding so fast, there was no way he couldn’t have heard it.
“You look beautiful, Julia.”
“Thank you. You look amazing.” I smiled.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes.”
My dad walked up to me, kissed me on the cheek, and then shook Jake’s hand. “Have fun, you two.”
“What time should I have her home?” Jake asked.
“She doesn’t have a curfew and just a reasonable time is fine,” my mom said as she pushed us out the door before my dad could say something. “Have fun and be safe,” she said and quickly shut the door.
He opened the passenger door to his Range Rover and I smiled. It was just like my dad’s, but his was white. “Is this yours?” I asked him when he climbed in.
“Yeah, my parents gave it to me as a graduation present.”
“Very nice!” I grinned.
“Is there anything special you want to do? Because I’ll do anything you want. That is, after we grab something to eat. I’m starving.”
I didn’t care what we did. As long as I was with him, it didn’t matter. We could sit in the Range Rover all night and listen to music and I’d be happy. “It doesn’t matter to me what we do,” I said.
“Do you like Italian food?”
“I love it!” I smiled.
“I know this great restaurant called—”
“Tivoli’s!” we both said at the same time.
He looked at me with a wide grin across his face. “You know it?”
“It’s my favorite Italian restaurant.”
“Seriously? You’re serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious.” I laughed.
We pulled into the parking lot and Jake parked the Range Rover. He looked over at me and told me to wait while he got out. He walked around and opened the door for me.
“I will always open the door for you.” He smiled as he took my hand and helped me out.
“Thank you.”
We walked into the restaurant and it was packed. People were standing everywhere, waiting for a table. “Man, look at this line. Hold on; let me ask how long the wait is.”
Jake walked back, shaking his head. “They said it’s at least an hour wait. Is that okay with you or would you rather go somewhere else?”
“Come with me.” I smiled as I took grabbed his hand and led him through the line of people. We walked up to the hostess desk where the manager, Alan, was standing.
“Good evening, Miss Black. Are you dining with us tonight?”
“Hi, Alan. Yes. It’s just me and Jake tonight.” I smiled.
“Very good. This way to your table,” he said as he grabbed two menus.
We were seated at our table and Jake looked at me with a half a smile on his face. “How?”
“Welcome to the Black family’s table,” I said as I raised my hands. “My dad bought this table so we would never have to wait. He’s crazy like that.”
“That’s awesome. Remind me to thank your father.” Jake smiled. “Are you going to open your menu or do you already know what you’re having?”
“I get the same thing every time I come here, chicken parmesan. It’s the best I’ve ever had.”
“I’ve never had the chicken parmesan from here; I usually get the lasagna.”
The waitress came over and took our order. I smiled when Jake ordered the chicken parmesan.
“Don’t hold me responsible if you don’t like it.” I laughed.
“If you say it’s great, then I’m sure it is.” He winked.
I had to stop and think for a moment because suddenly I realized that I was no longer nervous around Jake. I was comfortable and felt like I could just be myself. We talked about our families and Columbia.
“What are you studying at Columbia?” I asked.
“Corporate Finance,” he said as he took a sip of his water.
I placed my hand on the table while I picked up the glass with my other hand. “Sounds interesting. You and my dad will have a lot to talk about.” I smiled.
Jake looked at me and then at my hand. “I really want to hold your hand. Would that be okay? I don’t want to overstep.”
“You’re not overstepping and I would like that.”
He reached his hand over and placed it on top of mine. His skin was soft, and his touch sent a warm sensation throughout my body. He was so polite and such a gentlemen.
“What about you? What are you going to be studying at Columbia?”
“Architecture and design with a background in marketing.” I smiled.
“That’s an excellent field.”
“I’m an artist, but I don’t want to make a career out of it like my mom. So, I opted to put my talents somewhere else. Plus, I’m hoping to work for my dad at Black Enterprises. He’s already grooming me and Collin to take over when he retires.”
“You’re an artist? Like in painting?” he asked.
“Yeah, I paint pictures. In fact, my painting just won Columbia’s Art Competition. It’s going to be hanging in one of the halls
there.”
Jake lifted my hand and interlaced our fingers. “Julia, that’s amazing. I would love to see your artwork.”
The waitress set our plates down in front of us and Jake cut into his chicken. He held his fork up and smiled. “Here it goes.” He tilted his head to the side as he chewed with a grin on his beautiful chiseled face. “You’re right. This has to be the best chicken parmesan I’ve ever eaten.”
After we finished our dinner and shared a dessert, Jake walked around, pulled out my chair, and took my hand in his as we walked out of the restaurant. Touching him, I felt connected, and being with him made me forget about everything else in the world. He opened the door to the Range Rover and before I climbed in, he gently placed his hand on my cheek. He smiled at me as he slowly shook his head.
“This is crazy.”
“What’s crazy?” I smiled.
“This feeling I have when I’m with you, when I look at you, and when I touch you.”
“The same feeling I have when I’m with you.”
“Really? You have it too?” he said as he inched his face closer to mine.
“I sure do.” I smiled as I looked at his lips.
“You’re so beautiful, Julia, and I really want to kiss you.”
“I want you to kiss me,” I whispered.
His smile widened as he leaned in even closer and his lips softly brushed against mine. His hand cupped the back of my head as his lips pressed firmly, forcing me to part my lips. He slipped his tongue inside my mouth and I just about died. Everything about him was so warm. I placed my hands on each side of his face and welcomed his passionate kiss. As he looked at me and smiled, he pressed his forehead against mine.
“Wow.”
“Wow is right.” I smiled.
“Maybe I need to kiss you again just to verify that ‘wow.’” He smiled.
“Yeah, I think you need to.”
He tilted his head and nipped at my bottom lip before locking his lips with mine. The way he kissed was magical and it sent shivers throughout my body. He pushed up against me and I could feel his erection. I never wanted to have sex as badly as I did right then. Our kiss became softer and he looked at me.