Chapter Seventeen
Jake wasn’t supposed to drop Kristy off until noon so Charlie figured she’d have a lazy Sunday morning and sleep in. That plan however, was ruined when the persistent sound of the doorbell cut into a blissful sleep.
Charlie raised her head just long enough to glance at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It was 7:30. “Go away,” she muttered, grabbing an extra pillow before putting it over her head to block out the sound. It was obviously someone who had the wrong address because she didn’t know anyone who would visit her this early in the morning unless…
She sat up with a groan. Maybe it was her parents. They sometimes dropped by unexpectedly and perhaps they were ready to forgive her after their last strained visit. She’s spoken to them a few times on the phone, but they’d mainly called to see how Kristy was doing. She threw on her robe and slipped into a pair of fuzzy socks before heading to the door.
When she looked out the peephole, she was surprised to see Jake holding their daughter in his arms. With a frown, Charlie unlocked and opened the door. “Jake, what are you doing here so early? I didn’t expect you until later. Is everything all right?” She stepped back enough to let them entrance.
“Hi, Mommy. I missed you!” Kristy greeted with her arms out.
Charlie gladly took her daughter and rained kisses on her little face. “I missed you too.” She then looked at Jake again as she placed Kristy down. “What happened?”
“Nothing, we’re here to take you to breakfast. Get dressed.”
She raised a brow at his presumption that she’d go out with him at the drop of a hat. “Jake…”
“Before you argue, I’d like to say that it was Kristy’s idea. I had planned on taking her to this diner around the corner from me which makes the absolute best pancakes and waffles. Kristy wanted you to come with us. Right kiddo?” He glanced dotingly at his daughter.
“Yes, Mommy! Let’s eat pancakes!” The little girl jumped up and down enthusiastically.
Charlie shot Jake a narrow-eyed stare. She didn’t doubt that Kristy wanted to dine with both of her parents for breakfast, Charlie was just as certain that Jake had planted the idea in the little girl’s head. But seeing her child’s happiness at the prospect of a pancake breakfast with Mommy and Daddy, Charlie didn’t have the heart to upset Kristy.
“I need to shower and dress first. Why don’t you two watch cartoons in the living room while I get ready.”
“Thanks Charlie.” Jake approached and gave her brief kiss on the cheek. During that exchange, Kristy’s eyes were glued to them, taking everything in. Charlie had a pretty good idea, what Jake was up to but she wasn’t going to allow him to have his way. She refused to succumb to his charm.
“I have to admit, these are the best pancakes, I’ve ever eaten,” Charlie said between bites of her apple and cinnamon stuffed flapjacks. She’d been more than a little annoyed by Jake’s unexpected appearance. She didn’t like the fact that he’d basically manipulated her into agreeing to go out with him by using their daughter. It wasn’t like she would say no once he’d recruited the little girl into his scheme.
On the way to the diner, Charlie had been silent, allowing Kristy to go on about her day at the zoo but by the time they arrived to their destination, she’d relaxed. After all, what was one breakfast? It wasn’t like she planned on changing her mind about her future with Jake.
Jake gave her a smug grin. “I told you so. I don’t know what they put in them,” he said cutting into his pecan and brown sugar stack. “I taste cinnamon and nutmeg and maybe a little cardamom but I can’t figure out the other ingredient. I tried to replicate this recipe at home based on the flavors, but it was a complete fail on my part. It was edible, but nowhere near as good as these.”
“Oh? I didn’t realize you knew your way around a kitchen.”
“Well, I’ve been a bachelor for all of my life so it was either learn how to cook for myself or live off take out which by the way, gets old really fast. Besides, my mother was big on teaching all of her children to be self-sufficient. By the time I was fifteen, my specialty was homemade pasta sauce. I’ve perfected it over the years, by the way.”
“Mmm, sounds yummy. I love anything pasta and spaghetti is Kristy’s absolute favorite food.”
“Sketti!” Kristy joined in the conversation with a mouthful of chocolate chip pancakes. Her mouth was smeared with chocolate sauce and whipped cream but she seemed to be getting most of the food in her mouth.
“Is that so kiddo?” Jake smiled fondly at his child. “Spaghetti and meatballs is my absolute favorite food in the world too.”
Charlie sighed. “And here I thought Kristy got her love of spaghetti and meatballs from me.”
“When I was in college, I lived off of the stuff. It was a pretty inexpensive meal to make and I would prepare batches large enough for me to get by on for at least a week. I’d eat it morning noon and night.”
“And you never got tired of it?” Charlie was actually intrigued to hear about this side of Jake. He always seemed so urbane to her. She saw him as someone who dined on filet mignon and lobster.
A giggle escaped her lips.
“What’s so funny?” he asked with a grin.
“I can’t imagine you living off of spaghetti. It’s such a simple meal for a man of your means.”
“Well, I didn’t always have money. Sure, my dad made a decent enough living so that our family never wanted for anything but trust me, me Carl and Helen all had after school jobs and learned the value of hard work. You’ve met my parents. They’re pretty down to earth people.”
“Yes, they are very nice. I really like them a lot.”
“And they like you too.” Jake reached across the table and took Charlie’s hand in his. “They would love it if you visited them sometime. All of my family really liked you.”
Charlie felt a warmth spread throughout her body from his touch. The way he looked at her with his intense blue gaze sent a shiver down her spine. In that moment she could actually see herself sitting with Jake and the rest of his family for Sunday dinners, laughing and having a good time, and just being a part of a cohesive family unit. She could even envision a couple siblings for Kristy. But just as that thought crossed her mind, she pushed it away. That was just a silly fantasy that had no place in reality. Her intense love for Paul had consumed so much that when she’d lost him, Charlie felt like she’d lost a little bit of herself. She’d found herself in a dark place she never wanted to go to again.
She snatched her hand out of his grasp. “Well, not all of your family liked me. Your sister doesn’t seem to be my biggest fan.”
“Helen can take some getting used to but she’s not so bad. She’s extremely protective of her family and I guess it may take her some time to get over how I found out about Kristy’s existence.”
“That’s me!” Kristy interjected when she heard her name.
Charlie pushed a loose curl from her daughter’s face. “That’s right, sweetie. Finish your pancakes.” She then returned her attention to Jake. “I understand what I did was wrong so I can’t exactly blame her.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it, okay?”
“I’ll try not to, but I’d hate for there to be any animosity between me and any of your relatives.”
“Give it some time and she’ll get over it, okay?”
Charlie could only nod in response.
“So anyway, as I was saying, my mother especially would love it if the two of you could get together for lunch in the near future.”
“I’d like that but it doesn’t mean—”
“So it’s okay if I give her your number?” He cut her off.
She shrugged. “I guess that’ll be all right. Jake—”
“I have an idea, why don’t we head to the market after this so that I can get the ingredients for my famous spaghetti and meatball dish. I make my meatballs with Italian sausage and ground veal with my own secret seasoning.” The earnest gleam in his eyes almost made her want to say yes but they were already heading down a slippery slope. Charlie had already made it clear that a physical relationship was all that she could handle from him, but Jake didn’t seem to take the hint or at the very least, didn’t want to.
“Jake, I don’t think—”
He turned to Kristy. “What do you think kiddo? How about Daddy make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight.”
“Yummy!” Kristy’s whose face was now a mask of chocolate sauce and pancake bits bounced in her high chair at the mention of her favorite meal for dinner.
Charlie was trying to keep her temper in check but Jake wasn’t playing fair and it wasn’t like she could point it out to him with Kristy listening in. The delicious breakfast that she’d enjoyed only moments before no longer held its appeal but she stuffed her mouth with the culinary concoction anyway to keep herself from saying something she would regret. She had a feeling that this would be an even longer day than she had anticipated.
Jake didn’t care that he’d been pushy to get his way or that he’d had to use his two-year-old to accomplish his goal because he was fighting for his woman. He had to make Charlie see that they belonged together as a family. As she’d already pointed out to him earlier, it had been his idea to invite her along to breakfast with him and Kristy this morning. It had only taken subtle suggestion to the little girl to get her on board and he let Kristy’s cuteness do the rest.
He realized it wasn’t fair but he saw no other way to get her to agree to come out with him. He figured if they went out together as a family, Charlie would see that this was the way things were meant to be. After the stunt he’d pulled at the diner, Charlie had visibly cooled toward him. She answered him whenever he asked a question, but her responses were short and there was a gruff undertone to her words. He could tell she was pissed but he pretended that everything was okay for their daughter’s sake.
Her iciness toward him fortunately didn’t last throughout the day. They’d gone to the specialty market to purchase the items for dinner later on, and then headed back to Charlie’s place to store the groceries. He then suggested they take Kristy to the playground. Afterwards, they’d gone to the duck pond to feed the ducks. Seeing Kristy’s joy made Jake realize that he was doing the right thing. Their daughter’s happiness must have had the same effect on Charlie because after a while, she’d thawed considerably, even laughing at some of the corny jokes he’d made.
When they all headed back to Charlie’s house, Jake went to work in the kitchen while Charlie and Kristy assisted him. The day had been pure magic for Jake. He got to spend time with the two most important people in his life.
Dinner was a hit. Kristy really liked the food he’d prepared. She’d cleaned her plate and asked for seconds. Charlie moaned as she ate, reveling in each bite. It was difficult to get through the meal watching her take so much pleasure in her food. By the time they were finished eating, Jake had a huge hard on. He was thankful that the table concealed his erection because things would have gotten awkward really quickly, especially with Kristy’s presence.
“Well, I think I should get little miss cleaned up and put her to bed. I have work tomorrow and she has preschool.”
“Okay, I’ll start on the dishes while you’re bathing her and then I’ll help tuck her in before she goes to sleep.”
“She’s practically falling asleep now. We had a busy day and she didn’t have a nap.” Charlie pointed to their daughter who seemed to be fighting sleep. “But you don’t have to do the dishes. You cooked this amazing dinner for us. I can do the cleaning up.”
“I insist. By the time you finish bathing her I can be done. Besides, that will be less work for you. Go ahead.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
By the time he finished with the dishes, Charlie called to him to tuck Kristy in. When he walked into the room, Kristie’s eyes were fluttering as if she was losing the battle with sleep. Every time her lids closed, she’d shake her little head. “Daddy,” she whispered, giving him a sleepy smile.
He knelt beside her bed. “Did you have fun this weekend, princess?”
“Yes. I love you, Daddy.”
He kissed her forehead. “Love you too, princess.”
“I want you to stay with me and Mommy.”
Jake stole a glance at Charlie who seemed to stiffen at the little girl’s wish. He gave Kristy another kiss on the head. “We’ll see, now get to sleep.” He barely got the words out of his mouth before Kristy had dozed off.
Charlie gave Kristy a kiss on the cheek before gesturing for Jake to follow her out the room.
“Today was perfect, don’t you think?” Jake asked as soon as they were in the living room.
Charlie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Jake, this can’t happen again.”
“Don’t do this, Charlie.”
She raised both brows. “Don’t do what? You’re the one who used our daughter to get what you wanted. You insisted on spending time with Kristy every other weekend and I have no problem with that, but you can’t just expect us to have these family outings at your whim.”
“Didn’t you enjoy yourself today?”
“That’s beside the point. We can’t keep doing this. Kristy will start getting ideas. Didn’t you hear her tonight? She already wants you to move in with us and that’s not going to happen.”
“That’s right because it would be more practical for the two of you move in with me. I have a lot more room. If anything, today should have shown you how good we are together. We are a family. We belong together.”
“It’s not going to happen, Jake. We can be friends for the sake of our child, but beyond that there can be nothing else.”
Jake was tired of her denying what they had. He was certain the connection he felt between them wasn’t all in his head. Jake was just as sure that Charlie felt it too but she was too deep in denial. At this point there was only one way he could get through to her.
‘”So, is your other offer still open?”
She took a step backward almost as if she had read his mind. “What are you talking about?”
“About us being lovers.”
She shook her head vehemently. “Obviously that’s not a good idea. You made it into something that it wasn’t. Let’s just keep things platonic.
“You love me and I’m not going to let you deny it anymore.”
“I don’t love you!” she shouted.
Something inside of Jake snapped. He closed the short distance between the two of them and grabbed her by the forearms. He captured her mouth in a hungry kiss.
Charlie pushed against his chest but he refused to let her go. Jake lifted her into his arms and carried her to the couch. “Jake no!”
“Yes,” he growled, unbuckling her jeans and pulling them off.
Her half-hearted protests didn’t fool him for a second. She wanted him too. Her body trembled and lips quivered. Her mouth told lies, but her eyes didn’t. Once he discarded her jeans he ripped off her panties and then unfastened his own pants.
Charlie shook her head. “Not like this.”
“Yes, like this. You want it. Why else is your pussy so wet?” And to prove his point he slipped a fingers inside her damp folds.
Charlie arched her back and moaned.
“See? You’re ready for me.” He removed his hand and fell on top of her. There was no foreplay necessary. Jake had to have her.
Positioning himself on top of her, he slammed his cock inside of her with one powerful thrust.
She was so warm and tight around his dick. If they didn’t belong together, why did it feel so right? An unexplainable force seemed to take hold of him because once Jake got started, he couldn’t stop. He plowed into Charlie over and over again. “Mine,” he growled.
He could hear her whimpers and moans as she grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. The little sounds she made in the back of her throat made him go harder and faster until he was like a man possessed. He didn’t stop until he spilled his seed deep inside of her.
Jake fought to catch his breath after collapsing on top of her. By the time he regained his bearings, he realized this wasn’t how he wanted things to be between them. He needed her to be honest about her feelings or they couldn’t move forward.
He grasped her by the chin. “Tell me you love me.”
Charlie’s eyes seemed bright with the suspicious sheen of tears. “I…I don’t.” She looked away from him.
She was lying, but Jake couldn’t continue to fight this battle if Charlie wasn’t willing to give even an inch.
Without another word, he rolled off of her and adjusted his pants. “I guess there’s nothing left to be said.”
“I’m sorry, Jake. I wish things could be different.”
“No you don’t because if you did, you’d tell the truth. I know that you love me and deep down you know it too, but I can’t keep doing this to myself. It hurts too much. Don’t worry, I won’t pull any more stunts like I did today. I just hope your memories of the past keep you warm at night.”
And with that, he walked away.