Love Realized (21 page)

Once the heaving started to calm down, a wet hand towel appeared in front of him and pressed against his face, and he felt the bed dip from the weight of someone gently sitting down. Fortunately, it didn’t make his stomach revolt. He cautiously rolled to his back with the hand towel covering his face as his embarrassment set in. He groaned out loud at the thought that he just puked in front of the woman he wanted to be with.

“Now that your stomach is empty, take these and drink this. I’ll be right back.” He felt her hand place the pills in his, but he quickly grabbed on to it and gave it a squeeze.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I figured you would need them after Ryan told me you were sleeping in your clothes and shoes. Then I saw the half empty bottle on the counter.” Jake pulled the towel half way down his face to look at her as he realized Gillian had just told him that his son witnessed him in this condition.

“Don’t worry, I told him that you didn’t feel very well last night so you must have fallen asleep with your shoes on. He didn’t see the bottle, I put it away.” She finished her sentence off with a smile, knowing exactly what he had been thinking. He settled back down, and she gave his hand another gentle squeeze before slowly standing up from the bed. As she leaned back down to remove the trashcan, Jake put his hand out to stay her.

“Oh dear God, please do not take that out … this is already humiliating, I don’t need to add you cleaning up after me to the list.”

She just shook her head at him. “I seem to recall a really cool friend of mine holding my hair back a few months ago when I was puking. Was that you, or did I just repay the favor to the wrong guy? Because that would really suck. Besides, I do this for a living, and I'm a mom … it means nothing to me.”

But he truly thought that was totally different since she was only getting sick because she was so upset. She had managed to cry so much that she had made herself sick. All he did was hold her hair back and pick her back up off the floor when she was done. She had needed him. He was getting sick because he acted like an idiot and didn’t handle something very well. Although he didn’t agree that it was a favor she needed to pay him back for, he relented on the topic and just nodded his head at her.

She accepted his nod with one of her own, ending the conversation on that topic before she made her way toward the hall. Jake couldn’t help but watch her as she walked. She turned and looked at him, gave him one of her smiles and said, “And when I get back, you can tell me what the hell happened to your hand.” Then she walked out of the room, trashcan in hand.

His hand?
At the mention of his hand he automatically flexed it, and the pain that shot through his knuckles gripped him. He lifted it up from where it had been holding the wet towel on his face and took a look at it. It was just as he had expected. There was some dried blood, a moderate amount of swelling and broken skin. Thankfully, though, he didn’t think any bones were broken. He quickly popped the pain medication in his mouth before taking a cautious sip of the sports drink. When his stomach seemed to handle it well, he drank half the glass. His body was clearly dehydrated from his evening activities, which, unfortunately was not how he had planned to spend it.

He remembered the events from last night that led to him punching a wall in front of Allie, which was something he regretted doing, simply because he shouldn’t have lost his temper like that. He tried to come up with a way to ask Gillian how her night went. He clearly needed to come up with a backup plan. Should he just tell her? Confess his love? He quickly decided that was a bad idea, especially in his current condition.
It probably wasn’t the best way to go about revealing things. He decided to get up and shower, to wash the night off of him, and maybe clear his head a bit. He slowly stood and assessed his ailments: headache... yes; stomach ache … not so bad anymore; throbbing, swollen hand … absolutely.

Shower and icing his hand were first and foremost on the to-do list, followed by something simple for breakfast. Gillian had brought Ryan home, and he wouldn’t want his son to see him like this. That was unacceptable. He took a hesitant step toward his bathroom, fearing that his stomach might revolt again. Fortunately it didn’t, so he pressed on and made it through his shower with minimal issues. Well, excluding his hand, because that made things a little difficult as far as washing his hair and everything else was concerned. Oh well, you usually pay hard when you make dumb ass decisions.

Coming out of the bathroom, he made his way over to the night table to finish off the sports drink and noticed his phone sitting there. There were a few notifications there when he opened the screen, but one that really jumped at him. There was a text from Gillian from last night telling him she was thinking about him. Once again, his heart picked up in pace a little at the giddy feeling that gave him. Even though she had just gone on a date with another guy, she was thinking of him. Hope bloomed inside him while he finished getting dressed so he could get his day started.

When he walked out of his bedroom, he could hear the sounds of Dylan, Ryan, and Gillian in the kitchen. It sounded like they were setting the table. Jake walked out to see all three of them doing just that while the boys debated over who was going to sit where. “Where do you want to sit, Aunt Gillian?” Ryan asked. Jake noticed that his son looked excited to have Gillian there. Of course, he saw her all the time, but on most occasions, it was Jake and Ryan going over to her place. It was rare that she was here to eat a meal; she always seemed to be feeding them.

“I can sit anywhere you want me to, buddy. You decide,” Gillian replied as she busied herself, pulling some kind of takeout from a brown bag. She placed items on everybody’s plates and turned to see Jake.

“Hey you, how are you feeling?” she asked him as she made her way toward the freezer where she reached in and grabbed an icepack for him. Motioning for him to sit down, he took his usual seat at the table and the boys took theirs, leaving the seat next to Jake available. He noticed that his son took the seat on the other side of Gillian, and he once again picked up on his enjoyment of having Gillian there. Other than Jake’s mother, Gillian was the closest thing Ryan had to one. Although it made him a little sad to think his son may have been lacking something, he wouldn’t have it any other way, considering his biological mother would never have paid him any attention. Once seated, Gillian reached over and grabbed Jake’s injured hand and placed the icepack on top of it. He quickly winced from the tenderness and the cold as she expertly used an ace wrap to secure the pack in place, allowing him to still have some function of his hand.
  

“Serves you right. I'm pretty sure I know what you did to it, but what I don’t know is why. And I expect the full story later,” she said to him in a low tone with a pointed look.

A little embarrassed that he acted like a child, he just responded with a nod and said, “Thanks.”

She smiled back at him and said, “I ran out while you were in the shower.” Then she gestured to his plate. “I figured beans would be a bad idea this morning, but I got you the breakfast burrito and some rice instead.” Then she handed him a stack of cups containing hot sauce, and he almost melted. He loved that she knew his preference of hangover food. He loved that she was taking care of him. He loved having her here in his house. He loved
her …
bottom line. As he sat there and saw her interacting with the boys, treating them both the same, he knew that she loved Ryan as one of her own. It was perfect; they would be perfect together. He just needed to make her see it.

“Hey, you’ve got that
faraway look in your eyes again... you okay?”

Jake snapped his attention back over to Gillian. The concern he saw on her face was heartwarming, and it only spurred him on. He was going to do this, and he was going to make this happen. The anticipation that overwhelmed him yesterday and then turned him into a crazy man when things fell apart was back. He reached over and gently laid his injured hand over hers, then gingerly wrapped his fingers around hers, as best as he could with the wrap on. He gave her hand a tiny reassuring squeeze before smiling at her and saying, “Couldn’t be better.”

When he probably should have let go and moved his hand back into his own personal space, he left it there. He hoped her perception of this move would be curiosity, and not awkward contact, as he glanced down at the sight of their hands. Aside from the bulging icepack and bandage, the sight of their joined hands thrilled him. He chanced a glance back up at her and found her watching him. Not being able to control his smile, he let her have it. The responding smile of hers was exactly what he had hoped for.

He kept his hand firmly in place, but he looked over at the boys. Ryan was looking at him inquisitively, and Dylan was busy stuffing his face. Jake gave his son a small nod to acknowledge he was aware he had questions, and that they would discuss it later. Ready to move on with the day, Jake asked, “So what’s on the agenda today, boys?” He proceeded to take a big bite of his burrito.

Both boys, who apparently shared a brain, said in unison, “We want to go to the batting cages today.” Jake and Gillian laughed at the boys. It was clear they had discussed this and planned a unified front to present to the adults.

Gillian spoke up first and said, “While I think that would a great thing to do today …” she motioned to Jake’s hand for the boys to look at. “We have an injured player in our midst.” She shrugged her shoulders in an “oh well” type gesture for the boys, but Jake knew he wanted to do it. He wanted to go to the batting cages with Gillian and the boys. What better way to start off his pursuit of her than in the same situation he first laid eyes on her … when she was swinging a bat? It was perfect.

“Nonsense, I don’t recall getting placed on the disabled list. I'm not benched, Coach. A little tape, and I can do it just fine,” he said with a smile before he continued to eat with one hand. Both boys erupted in victory cheers.

“Okay, tough guy, it’s your hand. Batting cages, it is. We just need to stop by our house for Dylan’s gear.” She took her hand out from under Jake’s and started to unwrap it. “All right boys, finish up your food, then you know the drill. Different house, same rules; I prepared, you clear.” And with that, both boys jumped and got busy, knowing that if they didn’t do what they were supposed to, their plans for the day would disappear.

As the boys made their way to the sink with the dishes from the table and began to load the dishwasher, Jake reveled in the domestic feeling this scenario gave him. Gillian continued to unwrap his hand and then cautiously removed the icepack. “It’s okay … it’s numb from the cold,” he reassured her as she examined his hand.

She nodded and said, “That may be the case now, but it won’t be in the batting cages in an hour. You sure you can do that? We can just promise to take them another time.”

“No, I told Ryan we would do what he wanted today. And that is apparently what they both want to do.”

“Okay, do you need help tying your shoes?” she asked with a smartass smile. Well, considering his humiliation of her seeing him vomit, help tying his shoes should be nothing. But he was still a guy and there was some serious pride involved. Then again, she would kind of be touching him, so he considered it, but realized he had to maintain some sense of dignity.

Letting out a small laugh, he said, “No thanks, I'm pretty sure you’ve done enough for me today. I’ll be right back.” He hurried to retrieve his shoes. His hangover was under control and practically forgotten at the thought of getting to spend the day with Gillian.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gillian watched as Jake practically skipped down the hall toward his bedroom. Okay, maybe he didn’t skip, but he sure looked giddy. Even though that was a little strange, she disregarded it, because that meant whatever he was upset with Allie about last night, must not be bothering him today. Well, the boys were excited, too, so it could just be the batting cages … the male species could be so weird. She laughed to herself as she stood and retrieved her purse and Jake’s keys from where she left them. She went to check her phone for messages and send one to Allie letting her know Jake was fine, but when she reached into her purse and dug around, she couldn’t find it. “I must have forgotten it at home,” she mumbled to nobody in particular.

“Forgot what at home?” Jake asked, startling her a little.

“Where did you come from? I didn’t even hear you come up.”

He gave her a look that basically said,
duh
. “Apparently … What did you forget?”

“My cell phone must be at home. Help me remember to get it when we go there for Dylan’s gear.”

“Sure, I can do that.” She handed Jake his keys and turned and called the boys. When she turned back around, Jake was much closer to her and once again startled her. She reflexively went to take a step back, but Jake halted her with a hand around her waist. He was very close, so she had to look up to see his face. The strong lines of his jaw, and the soft look of his lips, should be a contradiction, but they weren’t. Jake was a very attractive man, and being this close to him was a new experience for her. Or maybe it was the feeling she got when she was this close to him. There was a feeling of anticipation and nervousness that had never been there before. And although foreign, she welcomed it.

Momentarily distracted by his soft lips—which she was staring at—he smiled at her and broke the spell. A little embarrassed for being caught staring at his lips, she could only imagine what she must have looked like doing that. It was almost like she didn’t know how to act around him now. She realized it was because of those two moms at the football game. They had made her wonder about being with Jake … and now she was thinking about it. And she knew she shouldn’t. Jake never gave her any indication that he wanted her … except now?