Chapter Ten
“So sexy was out of the question, and now you’ve got me blindfolded. You know this surprise is kind of freaking me out. I don’t know what to expect,” Rebecca said. She touched the silk, and wondered if it was kinky. “Are you taking me to some weird kink show where you’re going to spank in front of a load of men?”
Jackson laughed. “Babe, your imagination is running wild. I mean it. No. This has nothing to do with sex, or anything kinky. Everything will become clear.”
She sighed, and dropped her hand into her lap. “Bella called me yesterday. I’ve been invited to dinner.”
“Alaric stopped by the office. I accepted.”
“Me, too.”
Silence fell between them, and she wondered what he was thinking. It had been a week since they had been away. She wished they could go back to Italy and forget everything else in their life. Of course that would never happen. There was so much she wanted to do, and first she had to tell her parents that she quit. They would do that disappointed act, which would upset her, and she didn’t want that. They were her parents, and as much as she hated them, she also loved them.
They were her parents, and she hoped they wanted her happy above everything else.
“I told Alaric.”
“You told him about us?”
“Yes. He’s not going to tell Bella. Not yet anyway. I should be pissed that he even threatened to tell my daughter about us until I’m ready.”
“He loves her, and he wants the best for her.” She still hadn’t told Jackson how she felt. They had long gone past sex and fucking. It had been a couple of months since their first time together. He didn’t ignore her when she on her monthly cycle. In fact, Jackson was so sweet. He’d make her hot chocolate, feed her ice cream, and even rub her stomach if she was in a great deal of pain. He was sweet like that.
The car turned, and she didn’t have a clue where they were or even where they were going.
“You know this is kind of kinky right? Men blindfold women and have their wicked way with them all the time.”
“I know, but I don’t need to blindfold you to get that.”
She burst out laughing. “Are you telling me I give in too quickly?”
“Not at all. You make me work for it.” He took her hand, and the first touch made her jump.
“Don’t do that. Blindfolded person here. I can’t see.”
“It’s a good job we’re not going to a place that is infested with spiders.”
“I wouldn’t speak to you for the rest of the year.” She hated spiders.
“That is a long time to be angry at me.”
She blew a raspberry. “I don’t like spiders, okay? They creep me out. They have long legs, small bodies, and some of them are furry. What is that all about? Furry? I don’t get it.”
He laughed, a deep throaty laugh that warmed her up inside.
“You are a hoot to be with.”
The car slowed down, did a couple of turns, and then stopped. “Hold on.”
A door opened, and she was going by sound now, and nothing else. Listening for him, she waited. The door beside her opened, and he helped her out.
“I don’t want you going through life hating what you do. I think you have so much potential, and so much to share with the world.” He moved her straight ahead.
“Do I still need the blindfold?”
“For now. Hold on.” He released her, and she heard the jingle of keys. She had no idea where she was or what he was doing. His hands were on her arms, and they were moving forward. “The moment I saw this place, I knew it would be perfect.”
“A perfect place? Please, tell me more.”
“There will be more.” He put her somewhere, and told her to stay. She didn’t get her blindfold removed, and there he was, opening stuff once again, and she waited, arms by her sides.
Finally, he was behind her, and the blindfold came off. Blinking away the bright light, she stood, frozen.
“Where are we?”
“Well, I was thinking ‘Rebecca’s Place’ would be a nice fit? What do you think?”
Glancing around the main room, she was shocked by what she saw. Everything she saw was nearly accurate to the drawings she had done for him, the plans she had.
“You got me my dream place.”
“Actually, I got you a dream location. I’ve been getting this place up to how I think it should look for you. It has been tough. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise. It has been a lot of planning, a lot of secrets. Some of the nights I’ve been late to your place or picking you up is because I’ve been here.”
“I can’t believe you’ve done this.” She went to move forward. “Can I have a look?”
“Yes. This place is all yours. You’re not obligated in anyway.”
The kitchen was exactly as she designed it. The storage room was empty, but she could already imagine it fully stocked.
“Everything is brand new, and the best in the industry.”
Finally, she came to stand where the tables would be laid out, and she looked at Jackson. He had a sheaf of papers. “It’s all in your name.”
“This was done for me?”
“You can take it or leave it. I wanted you to have an option. This is your birthday surprise.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. “I can’t believe you would do this for me. I mean, look at this. This is like the best surprise anyone could have ever given me.”
“I did well?”
Words failed her as she looked around. “How could you doubt it? This is amazing.” She finally formed them.
He chuckled. “Rebecca, I want you to have everything you could ever wish for. That restaurant, it’s sucking you down. You hate it there, and I know you will make this place so special, and I can even see that spark. I’m not going to leave you alone though. I want to be here to help you every single step of the way.” He took a step toward her. “There’s something I’m going to say now, and it may surprise you. It could even shock you.”
She licked her lips and waited. What could he possibly have to say to her that he’d think would surprise her? Was he ending things?
“I’m totally, completely, in love with you, Rebecca. I never even saw it coming, and I never saw you as where my future would be.”
Again, this was fast becoming the best birthday in the world.
“You love me?”
“Yes, I love you. I never thought I could love anyone again, but you came into my life, and you were always there. I don’t want us to end, Rebecca. I want to tell my daughter that I’m in love with her friend, and that I want a future with her.”
She couldn’t stop smiling. How could she?
“I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time, but I couldn’t find the right words.” She moved toward him, and placed her hands on his chest. “I love you, too, Jackson. Not because of this but because of you. I will risk Bella hating me because I love you. That will never change.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, and held him close. Pressing her lips to his, she laughed.
He held onto her head. “We can do this.”
She nodded. “I know. We can. We can face everything together.”
****
As expected, Rebecca’s parents weren’t happy, and had refused to talk to her until she came to her senses. Jackson was there, and they had told him that he was stealing from the cradle with their little girl. He had never expected them to be happy, especially as she wasn’t going back to the restaurant. She had told them that it was their dream when she had let them down, not hers.
Even though she told him it didn’t matter to her, he saw that it did. Her parents were a constant disappointment to her, and anything that upset her, he wanted to destroy. He couldn’t ruin her parents though, even though he wanted to.
“You’re together?” Bella said at dinner.
They were in Alaric’s penthouse apartment, the scent of chicken heavy in the air.
Jackson stared at his girl where she looked at Rebecca.
“We didn’t plan this, Rebecca,” she said. “Honestly, it just happened.”
He ran his arm across her shoulders. “I love her, sweetheart. Can you at least be happy for us?”
Bella stared at the two of them.
“I need some fresh air.”
Alaric stood, and Bella waved him off.
“This is me,” Jackson said, getting to his feet.
He followed after his daughter. Alaric’s apartment had access to the rooftop, and he found Bella pacing near a small bench.
“I know you’re upset.”
“I don’t know what the hell to think, Dad. She’s my best friend. You’re telling me that you’re in love with my best friend. Rebecca. My best friend.”
Jackson stood waiting. He knew Bella just needed time.
“I can’t process this right now. I don’t get it. Is this because I asked you not to be with someone younger than you?”
“You’re Rebecca’s best friend. You know how amazing she is. You know she’s a wonderful woman. I fell in love with her, and it wasn’t about sex.”
“Eew, gross, Dad.”
He laughed. “I want you to be happy for me. I’m not going to be gross around you. Rebecca and I waited to tell you in case this didn’t go anywhere. We’ve both been worried about upsetting you, and hurting you.”
Bella stopped, folded her arms, and stared at him. “I guess it’s a good time to tell you that I’m pregnant. I’ll be giving birth in a few months.”
Jackson paused, and looked at her stomach. He hadn’t even put two and two together. “You’re pregnant?”
“Yes. You’re going to be a granddad. I didn’t want to tell you until we were out of the problem zone, and then I’ve not seen you for a long time. Telling you over the phone was always wrong.” She placed her hands on her stomach. “You’re going to be a granddad.” She repeated the same words, and he was in shock.
He opened his arms, and she ran into his arms. Wrapping them around her, he held Bella tight.
“I love you, Bella. Nothing is going to change, okay? Nothing. I love Rebecca, and you know that you love her as well.”
“I know. I’m going to be doing a hell of a lot of teasing when we go back inside, you know. She can’t get away for long without it.”
He chuckled. “Still, don’t be too hard on her.”
“I won’t. Is she pregnant?”
“No. She’s not.”
“That sucks. We could have both been pregnant together. Will you marry her?”
“Yeah, I think I will.” He winked at her, knowing he would.
Jackson was a good businessman. He knew when he’d found gold, and with Rebecca that was exactly what he found.
Entering Alaric’s apartment, he saw Rebecca was trying not to freak out. She looked from him to Bella.
“Do I need to leave?” she asked.
“Of course not,” Bella said. “I overreacted, call it the hormones.”
“Hormones?” Rebecca asked. Her eyes went wide, and she was out of her chair. “Oh my God, you’re pregnant?”
“Yes. I’m pregnant.”
He took a seat, and winked at Alaric. Watching Bella and Rebecca as they cooed over her stomach felt right. He couldn’t have handled either of them not getting along, especially as he would have been the cause.
“You do know that you’ve gone from best friend to stepmom,” Bella said.
Rebecca wrinkled her nose. “I know how naughty you’ve been. Can a stepmom punish stepchildren?”
Alaric burst out laughing.
“Two can play this game, honey,” Rebecca said.
****
Later that night, Jackson was finishing up a report, waiting for Rebecca to come to bed. She entered the bedroom, drying her hair. They were at his place. He paused in reading the report as he watched her. She wrapped her hair in the towel, and stood in front of the dresser, rubbing some moisturizer on her face.
“Today went really well,” she said.
“I know. I was worried for a second though. I didn’t want Bella to be upset with either of us. Did Alaric say anything to you?”
He had noticed around his home that there were parts of Rebecca’s things mixed with his. The closet now held some of her clothes along with his. The dresser had her lotions and creams along with his own. There were some foods that she loved, and he noticed there was a constant jar of peanut butter ready with a spoon. She loved to take the jar and eat spoonfuls of the stuff. He hated it, but she couldn’t get enough of it. He found it utterly adorable, watching her.
“He told me not to worry that Bella wouldn’t stay angry for long. I can’t believe she is pregnant. She’s going to make an awesome mom. You know that, don’t you?”
“Of course. I’m going to be a granddad. When the hell did that happen?”
She giggled, removing the towel from her hair, and then brushing her hair. She left the bedroom to put the towel in the laundry basket. It was a refreshing change to have a woman who believed in picking up her dirty washing. She also put the cap on the toothbrush, and cleaned out the sink.
The only problem he saw with Rebecca was her obsession with peanut butter. It wasn’t normal.
“Your first shipment of supplies comes in tomorrow,” Jackson said.
Rebecca nodded. “Yes. I’ve got a lot to plan. Storage, and stuff. Oh, Oliver has asked if he could have a job. It would seem the new chef at Rebecca’s is not cutting it. He’s butting into other people’s business, and the name is about to be changed as well.”
“You don’t regret leaving?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Are you kidding? I love it. It has been a couple of days, and I’m feeling a million times better. I can make whatever I want. To spite my parents, I’ve even put two varieties of spaghetti and meatballs on the menu. A spicy version, and a kid-friendly version. I love this freedom that I’ve gotten.” She pressed a kiss to him. She picked up his report, and placed it on the bed. “And it’s all because of you.”
Rebecca straddled his waist, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“I wanted to give you everything you ever wanted,” he said in between kisses.
“You did that and more.” She moaned, biting his lip. “I love you, Jackson Reed. So much.”
Running his hands up her back, he grabbed her ass and pulled her close to him.
His cock was so hard, and he wanted inside her.
“I’m ready, Jackson,” she said.
“What are you ready for?”
“I’m ready for you to take my ass.”