Falling In (16 page)

“Goodnight, Jake.” I repeat before turning around and walking to the front door. I’m almost there when he speaks again.

“Oh, and for the record, I wouldn’t regret
anything
,” he says with the utmost conviction.

I think my heart actually skipped a beat. Yes, this is what I’ve become…corny as hell. I watch him take every single step back to his house. Once he reaches his door, he waves at me. I wave back, and we both go back to our homes and back to reality.

Evangeline

I don’t know what time Cole got home last night, but when I wake up in the morning, he’s pressed up against my side with his leg swung over both of mine, trapping me in bed. I attempt to twist my body around, but his legs are like tree trunks.

Finally after about the fifth try, I magically maneuver my body out from under his without waking him. And like the nerd I am, I fist pump the air,
Breakfast Club
-style. Leaning over the bed, I give Cole a soft kiss on the cheek before I scurry quietly around the room. I quickly grab a sports bra, a loose fitted black tank top with a picture of Tupac on it—
one of my faves
—and some cheetah print yoga leggings.
I know my style is badass, right?
When I make it downstairs, the kids are already on the couch watching cartoons.

“Good morning, guys!” I greet while coaxing my unruly hair into a side braid.

“Morning.” They mumble in unison, completely absorbed in whatever they’re watching.

“Well, my little sunshines, you stay here and relax while I make some pancakes! Okay?”

“Pancakes!” they howl together, as Ben and Dyl high-five each other.

I walk into the kitchen and go straight to my phone charging on the counter. I unlock the screen and notice a text waiting to be answered. I smile to myself, already knowing before checking that it’s from Jake.

Jake: Good morning beautiful. Are the kids up yet? I’m a growing boy. Need food now. ;-)

My smile gets even wider. That was about thirty minutes ago.
Someone was up early this morning
. I text him back.              

Evie: Good morning early riser! Yes the kids were awake when I came downstairs a few minutes ago. I’m just putting the kettle on the stove and there is a pod in the Keurig with your name on it. Hurry. Cole is still sleeping by the way.

The kettle goes off just as I hear a knock at the door.
Damn, that was fast.
I run through the hallway, pausing at the mirror by the front door, making sure I don’t look too haggard. I did have an awful lot of wine last night. But for someone who hasn’t had any caffeine yet, I look surprisingly good. Not that it matters—I’m not trying to impress anyone.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Evie.

The kids don’t even budge or glance my way as the knocking persists. Shaking my head, I open the door on a ginormous exhale. I’m met with my favorite kind of Jake.
Morning Jake
. His hair is always a bit tousled, like he just rolled out of bed, ran his fingers through it once, and called it good.
And damn, is it good.
He’s wearing Nike basketball shorts, a Huskies tank, and Birkenstocks. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but I am pretty sure this man can make anything look good. And again—
damn
.

“I hate your shirt.” I say, scrunching up my nose in disgust. He laughs.

“But I wore it just for you.” He teases with a smirk. Then nods at my thug life tank, “I love yours.”

“Of course you do. Now c’mon, I was just about to make my tea. Mama needs caffeine, Jake.”

I pull him into the house. He stares at his arm for a long moment until I realize I’m still holding it. I drop it like a hot potato, giving him an apologetic smile that he returns. He then walks over to Ben, pulling him into his arms for a hug. He whispers something in his ear and Ben does the same, while tightening his hold on his uncle. Then Jake sets him down, ruffling his hair before walking back over to me. Ben’s already locked back into the cartoon zone. We head to the kitchen—or
our
spot, as it seems to have become.

“What did you whisper to him, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He looks bashful for a brief second before answering me. “I told him that I missed him like crazy last night. He said he knows, and that he missed me, too.”

“You’re an amazing uncle, Jake. He loves you so much.”

“Not as much as I love him.” He goes quiet again for a minute, most likely thinking of his sister. Goodness, I couldn’t imagine not being able to see my babies grow up. I put my hand on top of his and squeeze. He looks at me with a sadness that is buried so deeply, the only reason I am able to see it is because I have some of my own buried in the same way. “I think he loves you, too. Yesterday, the way you were with him, so gentle but not at all condescending—you were perfection, Evangeline. You
are
perfection. I don’t know how I’ve gone through life without you in it.”

“Jake.” I say, shaking my head. I’m at a loss for words.

“So, I thought you were making me pancakes, woman.”

I bark out a laugh at that, filing that little compliment to the back of my mind. Those serious and seriously heart-wrenching words will have to wait for dissection later. Now is not the time. Instead, it’s pancake time. I pull out my organic pancake mix, cinnamon, and blueberries. I can feel Jake’s eyes on me, observing every movement and action my body makes. Heat washes over my skin from the intensity of his stare, causing me to flush practically all over. In the corner of my eye, I can see him smirk. He knows what he can do to me just with those damn piercing green eyes on my body.

Smug bastard.

Well, if he wants a show, I’ll give him a show
. I subtly knock over the cinnamon onto the floor then bend over to pick it up with my ass in the air, in full view of Jake. When I hear him groan, I stand up with a huge smile spread across my face.

“Now that was just mean.”

I wink at him before I get back to making breakfast. I get tired of him watching my every move so I put him to work, ordering him to cut up apples, sauté them, and set the table with silverware and cups of orange juice while I finish with the pancakes and turkey sausage. The kids come in complaining about hunger just as I finish heating up the syrup. I instruct everyone, including Jake, to sit at the table while I get all of the plates ready. 

I arrange the kids’ pancakes into smiley faces using the sausages, apples, some bananas, and whipped cream. I make a plate for Cole and put it into the oven to keep warm. Then I bring over plates for Jake and I. He’s sitting next to Ben, who’s sitting next to Cady, then Dyl. There are two empty seats, one next to Jake and one across. I choose the one across from him, handing him his plate before I sit down. He mouths a
thank you
, then dives right in, letting out a loud moan after he takes the first bite. We all burst out laughing.

“Holy hell, woman, these are so good. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better pancake,” he says through a mouthful of food.

“I told you. Badass.”

“What’s badass?” I hear from behind me, scaring the bejeezus out of me. I turn to see Cole in the hallway, practically glaring at Jake.
Oh shit
.

“My pancakes, babe.”

“Oh, they most definitely are.” He walks up to my chair and leans down, kissing me upside down. “Good morning, beautiful. Morning Jake. I didn’t know you were coming over for breakfast today.” He walks over and kisses Cady and Dyl on the forehead, marking us all as his. I can almost feel Jake tense up, and I see his jaw clench, but he recovers quickly.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Evangeline was kind enough to invite me over since Ben was already here. And well, I just couldn’t pass up free breakfast—or the company that comes with it,” he says with a cocky grin.

Cole just stares at him, trying to figure him out, I suppose, while Jake stares back with that complacent look he has down pat. I look back and forth between the two, as does Ben. Cady and Dyl are completely oblivious to the tension emanating in this room.
Oh lord, this is ridiculous
. I grab a napkin, crumple it into a ball, and throw it at Jake. It hits him right between the eyes. He looks so completely shocked. We all laugh at him, including Cole, cutting the tension in half. I cross my eyes and stick out my tongue, and he smiles a genuine smile at me before throwing it back, missing me by centimeters after I hop out of the chair and run around the counter, hiding behind Cole.

“You’re lucky you’ve got the guard dog.”

I snicker behind Cole’s back before peeking over at Jake. He and Cole are both shaking their heads like I’m crazy. Maybe so, but at least Cole isn’t about to rip Jake’s head off.
Eesh. So much testosterone
. I step out from behind Cole and grab his plate from the oven.

“Your breakfast, your Grace.” I say with a curtsey. He snorts.

“Nerd.”

“And proud of it, baby,” I say with a big, goofy grin. Cole drops the plate on the counter, grabs me by the waist, and pulls me into him. Then kisses me hard, leaving me breathless. When he finally releases me, he walks over to the table, plate of food in hand, with a very self-satisfied look on his face, smirking at Jake as he sits down.
Show-off
.

I steal a glance at Jake, whose pained eyes are on me, his hand gripping his fork so hard I’m afraid he’ll bend it. I try giving him a reassuring smile, but I’m pretty sure it looked more like a grimace. He quickly stands up, dropping the fork with a
clang
.

“We should get going. Ben, when you’re done eating, meet me in the living room.”

Ben doesn’t even get to answer before Jake leaves the kitchen like his effing pants are on fire. I turn to Cole, who, from the smile on his face, is very much enjoying his pancakes.

“Hey, I’m going to go get Ben’s stuff together for Jake, okay?” His smile vanishes then, and he stares at me for a while before answering with a tentative nod.

I hesitate briefly, then run away down the hall to find Jake. I slow to a walk when he comes into view. He’s sitting on the stairs by the front door with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He looks so damn beautiful and completely stressed out at the same time.

I come to stop right in front of him, the front of my legs pressing against his knees. He runs a finger up my leg toward my inner thigh and back down again. We both let out a deep and shaky breath. This is dangerous. Risky.
Too risky
. I capture the hand that is sending tingles down my entire body, making my knees buckle. He looks up at me with want, wanting to claim me as his.
But I’m not his
. I tug his hand, trying to pull him up.

“C’mon, let’s go get Ben’s stuff.”

Jake lets me pull him up this time, but doesn’t let go of my hand as we walk upstairs. I know for a fact that my palms are sweating, but he still holds on tightly. This feels so wrong.
Upstairs. Alone. With another man
.
While my actual man is downstairs, eating breakfast.
I mean, I know we aren’t going to do anything. It’s just that my room is two doors down from where we are now, and my bed is just a short distance away. I stop in the middle of the hallway, just staring at my door, my breathing accelerating. I turn to Jake, who is looking at the same door. When our eyes meet, I suck in a breath. The hunger in his gaze makes my pussy clench. I will most definitely be changing my panties when he leaves.

“You have to stop looking at me like that,” I whisper to him.

“How am I looking at you?

“Like you want me for your mid-morning snack.” I say, letting go of his hand and walking into Dylan’s room—which is a total disaster.
That boy should have been named Destruction
. I gasp as I feel Jake, all of Jake, pushed up against me from behind.

Damn, that feels good.
And
large
.

“I don’t just want you for my mid-morning snack—” he whispers in my ear, his warm breath on my skin causing me to let out a small moan. “I want you for every single meal, of every day. I would eat you out for breakfast, lunch, dinner,
and
dessert, if you’d let me. And I would enjoy every fucking second of it.” He kisses that spot behind my ear before unexpectedly letting me go, causing me to sway a bit on my unsteady legs. I stand still, watching him adjust himself, and smile, knowing that I’m not the only one affected by this attraction—
or whatever this is
.

“Don’t smile at that. I’m going to have to take care of
this
when I get home. Unless you want to shut the door and help me out. I’ll be super quick, I promise.”

“The words every girl wants to hear.” I say while grabbing Ben’s backpack, gently putting his precious bear inside. We search for his things and finish packing up his bag in a comfortable silence. Once we’re done we both walk to the door together, but before I can cross over the threshold, he grabs my arm, pulling me into him.             

“Jake. We shouldn’t be doing this here. Jesus, we shouldn’t be doing this, period.”

“I know. I just wanted to apologize for storming off like a teenage girl earlier.” He runs his finger up and down my arm. “The thing is—”

“I know.”

“It’s beginning to make me crazy. Watching him kiss you like that—I wanted it so badly to be me. What I wouldn’t give for it to be me.”

“I don’t know what to say.”
And I don’t
. I have no fucking clue what is going on with me, with us. I have never felt like this with anyone other than Cole. Shit, I don’t think I’ve even felt
this
with Cole. I have never wanted someone so badly it physically aches.