Love Never Fails Page 11

  Jake holds onto the crescent door handles and turns to her. “Can I open these doors?”

  “Yeah.”

  Jake opens the doors, and clean brisk air hits his face. He looks over the water and the velvet sky lines up perfectly with the bay. He steps onto the patio, sits on the swing and invites her to sit with him. She sits there enjoying the beautiful view and moment. The man she loves is right there with her, and the reality of not being able to be with him shots pain through her heart. The agony of knowing she is fixing to lost the love of her life. She knows he wants nothing of her if she tells him she’s pregnant with another man’s baby. Jake turns to face her, and for the first time, she can see the truth in his eyes, the sincerity.

  Jake’s question cuts her heart open because she already knows what he’s going to ask. “Can I ask you something?”

  She’s dreads having to answer him. “Sure.”

  There’s so much emotion in his eyes. Grabbing her hands, he squeezes while rubbing his thumbs. “Do you think you can give me another chance?”

  “Jake.” She pauses for a minute trying to find the right words to say. “I can’t right.”

  The hurt is so deep he has a hard time swallowing the lump in his throat. “Why not?”

  “I just can’t right now.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Please let’s not talk about this right now. When the time is right, I’ll let you know I promise.” Tears form in the corners of her eye.

  He doesn’t keep pushing the question, so he wraps his arms around her shoulders, holds her close and they both look out into the bay. A tear rolls down her cheek, but he doesn’t notice. She nonchalantly wipes it off. When night fell, they go back inside; he creeps up to her, pulls her chin up, and kisses her on her cheek. Him leaving is tearing her heart apart. Her phone starts to ring, and her heart skips a beat when she answers.

  “Hey. How are you doing?”

  “I’m ok. What about you? “

  “I’m missing you. I wish you were by my side.”

  “Please don’t do this. I don’t need this right now. I don’t think I can handle it.”

  “What is going on with you that you’re being so secretive?”

  “Jake please just give me some time to process it in. Don’t ask me anymore questions that I am not ready to answer.”

  “Ok promise me one thing then.”

  “What?”

  “That you’ll still be friends with me. I’ll take whatever you can give me.”

  Monica wants more from Jake, but she knows she can’t commit to him right now, especially since she’s pregnant. She needs to put her baby first, before anything else.

  “Yes we can still be friends.”

  Every day after school and football practice, Jake stops by to check up on Monica. He eats dinner with Monica and her parents every night. Her morning sickness only happens during the mornings and early afternoons, so by the time he comes it has already stopped. She knows he will know eventually find out, especially since he’s been coming by every day. He will notice her growing belly. But so what if he does start to notice. They’re just friends right? So he can’t really expect much from her.

  Every Friday, he invites her to watch him play football. Her parents comes watch with her. Monica sees Clint, and her heart starts beating fast. She’s hyperventilating. Her mother rubs her back trying to calm her down. She hopes he thinks she already got an abortion. Monica has to keep this pregnancy from him. But what will happen if he finds out she didn't go get it done? Will he harm the baby like he threatened her in the car? The thought of Clint hurting her baby worries her. She doesn’t want him to know that she didn’t go through with it. She can’t kill her baby. That’s a part of her, and that’s enough. Enough to love forever, take care of forever, and hold on to forever. No one can take her baby away, not even Clint. She doesn’t want anything from him. She will never ask him to support their baby, because she has more money than Clint will ever have in his whole lifetime. And with her taking over the family business, her baby will still have more money than Clint will ever have. She has a choice, like any other woman in her situation. And her choice is to love her baby unconditionally.

  Jake breaks the tie with a touchdown and their school wins the game. The cheers and chants get louder to the point where Monica covers her ears.

  “Dear are you ok?”

  “Yes mom. It just got really loud there for a minute.”

  Her father pats her leg. “Sweetheart are you ready to leave?”

  Sweetly smiling at her parents. “I promised Jake I’ll wait for him.”

  “Ok. We’ll wait with you.”

  “Ok daddy.” Monica locks her arms with her dads, she leans her head on his shoulder, and they wait for Jake at the bleachers.

  After getting dressed, Jake walks up, and asks Monica for a hug since he won the game. She shyly gets up tucks her loose hair behind her ears, smiles while staring into his beautiful blue eyes and they embrace each other. He inhales her wonderful scent not wanting to let her go.

  John holds out his hand, “You did an excellent job son.”

  “Thank you sir.” Jake accepts John’s praise.

  Jake promises to bring Monica home safely, so John and Lauren leave.

  13

  Jake invites Monica to go eat at Richies but Monica turns down his offer. She’s afraid to see Clint. Afraid he might call her out in front of everyone. She doesn’t care what people think, but she doesn’t have to put herself through that.

  “No you go ahead. I’m not really in the mood to go there tonight. I can call my parents to come get me.”

  “Oh. We can do whatever you’re in the mood for.”

  “I just want to relax at my house.” There’s an apologetic tone in her voice. She doesn’t want him thinking he’s stuck doing what she wants to do.

  He’s standing so close to her as if they’re dating. “Do you think your dad will mind if I come this late?”

  “You want to come over to my house? Tonight?”

  “Yeah. Do you think your dad would mind?”

  “I don’t think he will. But why would you want to come to my house tonight when all your friends will be at Richies?”

  Jake’s lip slants to the side. “You’re my friend right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So I want to spend time with my friend.” Jake winks.

  When they pull up to her house, Jake rushes to her side and open the car door. He holds out his and escorts her out. Monica opens the front door, and John and Lauren welcomes them with a smile while they sit in the living room watching the news. John doesn’t mind Jake coming over so late. He actually thinks it’s best for Monica. She needs the company. Kelly visits whenever she can, but that’s not enough. She has school, cheerleading, and Josh to worry about. Monica needs more people around.

  “Do you know how to play pool?”

  “You’re asking me if I know how to play pool? I’m a guy. We all know how to play pool. Well we should know how to.”

  “Believe me, not every guy knows how to play.”

  “Do you know how to play?”

  “No, we just have a billiard in our house for decoration.” Monica says sarcastically.

  “Hey you never know. Some people might just have it for that reason.”

  “Do you want to break, or should I?”

  “Be my guest.” Jake waves for her to start.

  She breaks, and the red solid ball banks in the corner pocket. Monica glances over Jake while she’s still bent over the table, giving me the “I told you so” look. Jake nods his head, impressed. As she tries to make another shoot, watching her lean over the billiard with her butt cheeks peeping through her short shorts, brings a throbbing sensation all over his body, causing him to have goose bumps. She notices the hairs on his arms sticking up.

  “Are you cold? I can turn the air conditioner up?”

  “Oh no. It’s probably best the ac is on high.” J
ake tries to reposition himself on the stool. “It’s getting very hot in here.”

  They play four rounds, and Monica beats him all rounds. Jake wants her to believe he let her beat him, but she knows the truth. Getting tired of beating him, she asks if he wanted to watch with her parents. They walk in the living room; he sits in the round sofa, while she tucks herself between her parents. Jake glances over at Monica and her parents. He notices how great they are to her. The reason she quit school still bothers him. What’s the reason? That question is bugging him, and he hopes Monica tells him soon. Once the movie was done, her parents grab something in the kitchen, and heads upstairs to their bedroom.

  Monica decides to make hot tea. “Do you want some?”

  “No I’m good. If you have any bottled water that will be great.”

  Monica opens the fridge, and pulls out a bottle. When she turns around, Jake is checking out her butt. She giggles, and hands him the water. After she makes her tea, she goes to her room, opens the French doors, sits on the swing, and Jake sits by her. They talk as they watch bubbles form in the bay, crickets chirping, and they look into the sky trying to name stars they’ve learned in junior high.

  This magical moment, brings lingering emotions they’ve been holding back. Jake sets his water bottle on the floor, lightly touches Monica’s arm and motions her to stand. She’s facing him, staring into the man she loves. The man she wants to spend the rest of her life with. He eyes her, admiring her beauty, and wants to express his deep love for her. Without holding back, he inclines to her lips, and salutes her with a long, passionate, prurient, desirous kiss. She purchases his head with her hand, and returns the love he’s showing her. They stand there as the world spins around them. Monica starts to giggle, and Jake copies. She purses her lips together embarrassed, but grateful he did what he did. Jake decides it’s time to head home. Monica walks him to the door and he gives her a peck on her lips.

  Jake licks his lips. “I had fun today. Thanks.”

  “Thanks for hanging out with me and my parents.”

  He winks. “Anytime.”

  After Jake left, she lightly knocks on her parents’ bedroom door. They’re on the couch watching a movie. She squeezes between her parents and her father wraps his arm around her while her mother pulls Monica’s legs over her.

  “Sweetheart, he’s a good guy.” John bops his head up and down.

  “Yes dear he is. How many of your friends from school came and visited you since you started home school?” Lauren tries to agree with her husband.

  Monica thinks of their kiss, “Yeah he’s really great.” She’s in cloud nine right now. Someone needs to pull her back into reality.

  “What are you guys doing tomorrow?”

  “What makes you think he’ll want to do something tomorrow? He has other friends and he has a life.”

  John and Lauren sits in silence, but they both know what Jake is doing. He really cares for Monica. And if being friends is all she’s willing to give him, then he’ll happily accept, hoping and praying one day she will want more.

  She smells her mom cooking breakfast. As the aroma enters her room, it makes her sick to her stomach. She storms to the bathroom. Barely making it to the toilet, she releases everything she ate last night. How can women do this more than once? Going through it the first time, should stop people from trying it the second time. This is a horrible feeling to experience. Her phone rings and its Jake.

  “Good morning.”

  “Hey. Good morning.”

  “Are you alright?”

  “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be alright?”

  “You’re breathing heavy. Like you just ran a marathon.”

  Monica doesn’t want him knowing she was empting her stomach and without thinking, Monica burst out the first thing that came into her mind that involves a toilet. “Yeah I was taking a shit.”

  On the other end, Jake doesn’t say anything. He sits there disgusted but wants to laugh at the same time. Monica wishes she can crawl under a rock somewhere.

  “Ah ok! By the way you’re breathing; it must have been a massive shit.”

  Oh my god. Monica wish she can take that back. Why did she say that? Now he thinks she takes massive shits, where it makes her loss her breathe.

  Changing the subject. “Hey what’s up?”

  “Oh yeah I forgot why I called there for a minute. You know with shit on my mind.”

  “Ok Jake. Why are you calling?”

  “Shit I forgot.”

  “Ha. Ha. You’re so funny, I forgot to laugh.”

  Jake starts to laugh and tells her he’s just picking on her like what friends do. Monica and Kelly tease each other all the time, and it doesn’t bother her. But somehow Monica gets embarrassed when Jake does it.

  “What are you doing later?”

  “I don’t have any plans. Why what’s up?” Monica hopes she can spend it with him.

  “I just bought me a Brute Force. I was wondering if you want to come with me and my friends?”

  “What’s a Brute Force?”

  “A four wheeler.”

  She can’t ride four wheelers right now. It’ll be too dangerous for the baby. She’s so disappointed. She was really hoping to see him today. “I can’t.”

  “Why not? Do you have shit to do?”

  “You are something else do you know that?”

  “I like that we can pick on each other like this.”

  “Well yeah that would be great if both of us did it to each other, but I’m on the receiving end.”

  “What do you have to do that you can’t spare some time.”

  If he only knew that she was pregnant, it would be make it so much easier. Riding four wheelers will be very harmful for the baby.

  “Stuff.”

  “Like what kind of stuff.”

  “I don’t know. Stuff.” Monica snaps.

  “There you go again with the secrets.”

  “Well hey I have to go. My mom’s calling me to eat breakfast. You guys have fun. You can call me when you’re done and maybe we can hang out then.”

  She hangs up. Heading downstairs, the smell of her mom’s cooking makes her even sicker to her stomach. She forces herself to eat breakfast with her parents, and moments later, she runs to the bathroom, and hurls everything. Her daddy holds her hair and rubs her back while her mom comes with a glass of water and some saltine crackers.

  “Here dear, this will help.” Lauren forces her daughter to take it.

  After that horrible feeling, Monica drinks the water and chews on the crackers. “Oh my god. How can women do this more than once?”

  “Why do you think I only had you?” Lauren jokes. “You know what will help? Take your vitamins at night before bed, have a glass of water and saltine crackers by your night stand every night, so when you throw up, you have something to replenish your stomach. And you’re going to throw up mostly everything you eat the first trimester anyways. But you just have to monitor what you eat. Once it makes you throw up, don’t eat that food anymore. Find something that will stay in your system. Start off with small portions then you can increase it once you know it won’t make you throw up.”

  “Thanks mom.” Monica places both hands over the bathroom counter, waiting to see if she’s going to throw up again.

  The doorbell rings.

  “Hi sir is Monica here?”

  “Yes come on in?”

  Monica hears her dad and Jake talking, and she rushes to the mirror to check herself. What in the world is going on with your hair she thought? It looks like she stuck her finger in the electric socket. Looking down, she’s still in her night clothes. John calls Monica into the living room.

  “Hey what’s up?”

  “I was hoping you’ll change your mind.” Jake being very persistent.

  “Change her mind about what?” John wants to know what’s going on.

  Monica tells her parents to give them a minute, and she takes Jake upstairs to her room. Jake thinks she’s s
till beautiful even with her hair everywhere, no make-up, and her boxer shorts with cami looks very sexy. He inches his way next to her, grabs her neck with both hands, and greets her lips with his. He squeezes on her butt, pulling her hips against him. She pushes him off, and he tries to pull her back.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Like I said. I was hoping you’ll change your mind. I promise you’ll have lots of fun. You can ride behind me. Or if you want to drive you can.”

  “Jake I can’t.”

  “Well if you can’t drive you can ride behind me.”

  “No that’s not what I meant. I can’t go ride four wheelers with you.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I can’t”

  “But you’ll have fun. I promise.”

  “Please stop.”

  “Stop what? I’m just trying to convince you to go.”

  “Please stop now.”

  “Stop what? It’ll be fun. Go get dressed. Or if you want, you can go like that. But some of the guys might crash if they see you wearing that. Shit I might crash.”

  “Jake I can’t.” Monica whispers.

  “Why not? Why all the secrets? If you don’t want to be friends with me and I keep bothering you, just let me know and I’ll back off.” Jake steps closer.

  Just to stop him from blabbing, she takes a deep breath. “Jake I’m pregnant.”

  Jake steps back. “Pregnant?”

  “Yes. That’s why I quit school, I quit cheerleading, and I quit everything I planned for because I’m pregnant.” Uncontrollable tears gush down her cheeks.

  Jake traces her face with his thumb, and tucks the loose hair behind her ear. He lunges to kiss her. Tears flow harder. Grabbing her with both hands he shows her how much he loves her. After kissing, he continues to hold her in his arms, and she rests her head on his chest. She can feel his heart beating fast.