Summer had come and gone and no one was happier than Jacob. It seemed that he'd waited his entire life to make Jenna his wife and finally in two months she'd still ask his opinion and ignore it but he'd be her husband; not her long suffering boyfriend. His mother, who still wasn't fond of Jenna, never missed an opportunity to tell him that his picture was next to the definition of both waiting and back burner.
Jacob had long ago written his parents off as the people who gave him life but didn't care about his life. His normally supportive mother did not like Jenna and pretended that she didn't exist which strained their relationship until they rarely talked. The first time he met Mara he felt more motherly love than his mother gave him. His relationship with Sam took a lot longer to forge. After all, Sam viewed him as an older man trying to make the moves on his little girl, which was the complete opposite. Jenna took one look at him and decided she wanted him and she had been in control ever since. As Jenna made herself more comfortable in his arms and went back to watching the Labour Day fireworks, Jacob thought back to the day his life changed for the better.
He'd missed the last two steps at home and broken his right forearm. He was waiting in GW's Orthopedics Clinic for his first check up. He was bored and was reading War and Peace as it was assigned summer reading. He was minding his own business until he heard her voice.
"An excellent novel, though some of its brilliance is lost in translation. You really should take the time to read it in the original Russian, as it was meant to be read."
Jacob looked up and his eyes got lost in a pair of stunning blue eyes. He blinked and she bit down on her lower lip suppressing a smile. She looked to be his age, with shoulder length light brown hair, a nice body and she was dressed for the heat in a cute floral sundress and matching ballet flats.
"You've read Tolstoy in Russian?"
"A few years ago. I just finished Voskrasenia about a month ago."
"You read this for pleasure?"
"Sure. I read my way through the Library of Congress's Classic Literature holdings in less than two years."
"Wow, and I thought I was an overachiever."
"Brilliance and a passion for words run in my family. You didn't even like the war part?"
"I liked Anna Karenina better. Hi, I'm Jacob Hepler."
"Jenna Leveille."
Jenna, a pretty name for a very pretty girl, Jacob thought before she asked him if he was related to his dad, Senator Richard Hepler Wright. He answered her while making note of the fact that she was more than book smart, which was refreshing.
So what did you do to your arm?" Jenna asked.
"I broke my forearm," he replied happy that she seemed as interested in him as he was in her.
"Ouch. Try a compound radial fracture of the wrist, then you'll understand true agony."
She was talking with her hands, which made him notice her wrist, "Is that why your left wrist is fatter than the right?"
"Yes, I broke it in July and I'm still in PT."
"Did it hurt?"
"I'd say excruciating agony would start to describe it."
They both confessed how they injured themselves then Jacob just has to ask her why she was there, "Do you regularly hang out in hospital waiting rooms?"
Jenna laughed, "Mara just gave birth and I was being ignored in favour of my new baby brother."
"Are you dealing with a step-monster?"
"No, it a long story. Take me out for pizza and root beer and I may give you the Cliff's Notes version."
A wide grin spread across his face. There was no way he wanted this to be their first and last meeting and she seemed to agree. "It's a deal. My cell phone is in my backpack. Would you program your number into it?"
"Sure." Jenna found the phone easily and plugged in her cell and home numbers.
"Jenna, what on earth is going on here?" A man who looked very familiar demanded.
"Hey Uncle Josh, I'm just chatting with my friend Jacob."
"Jacob? Oy, he's too old for you."
"Josh!"
"Don't 'Josh!' me, young lady, I'm pretty sure I'm taking this better than Sam would. You know, he has spots reserved for you in two convents for situations just like this."
"Mara knows where I am."
"Really? Somehow I don't think she gave you orders to wander around flirting shamelessly."
"Matthew still doesn't like her nipples. I think me physical breathing is all she cares about right now."
"Young man, do you realize you are taking to a mouthy minor? Jenna, if you aren't upstairs in twenty minutes I'm sending an agent down to collect you," Josh added confident he'd put an end to that budding relationship.
"How old are you Jenna?"
"Fifteen. How old are you?"
"Seventeen. I'll be eighteen in March."
"So, should I leave you alone?"
"No, you're the most interesting person I've talked to in ages. This complicates things..."
"A little complication insures things are never boring."
"That was Josh Lyman, right? President Bartlet's Deputy Chief of Staff and host of Capital Beat?"
"Yes."
"So who is your Dad?"
"My parents are both deceased. I call Sam Seaborn my dad because he's acted like it since the moment we met. Mara is actually my cousin and legal guardian. I occasionally call her 'mom'."
"Mara Whitford, the Canadian Ambassador to the US? She freaks my dad out. He says that of all the diplomats she's the toughest nut to crack."
"She'll be happy to hear that. Do you drive?"
"Of course, but I won't be doing any driving until my arm heals."
"I don't think you'd be allowed to drive me anywhere. So, what school do you attend?"
"Sidwell Friends. What about you?"
"I do all my courses online through a Catholic girl's school in Toronto. I'm doing grade 12 courses but I'm not allowed to graduate until I'm sixteen."
"You're well protected, that's refreshing. The parents of a classmate I dated last winter left on a 30-day cruise and left her home alone. My parents are pretty old fashioned, too. If they hear a girl's name more than a few times, an engraved invitation goes out."
"Really?" Jenna giggled.
"Not quite, but close. My mom always says that concern means love. While it annoys the crap out of me occasionally, I can't argue with the idea."
"Mara is very cool. She trusts me implicitly, knowing that I'd never do anything stupid. I love Sam so much but I think he liked me better before I became a teenager. He always says I caused his few gray hairs."
"My mom is pretty cool; all my friends think she's great. My dad, honestly, has very little time at home. An aide brought me in when I broke my arm. It sort of sucks, but I've learned to deal with it."
"Jacob, they are ready for you. Jenna, Lucy will be right out."
Jenna got up and lightly placed Jacob's backpack over his left shoulder. She gingerly picked up Jacob's injured arm and pressed one of his fingers against her bottom lip. She looked him straight in the eye and smiled.
"Call me tonight around nine."
"Sure," Jacob replied quietly as he traced the outline of her lips and smiled at her.
He didn't actively listen to the doctor; he was too busy thinking about Jenna to care about his arm. He looked at the clock on the wall and counted the hours until nine. He thanked the doctor and nurse and headed back to the waiting room to call for a car to pick him up. In the middle of the empty waiting room his backpack decided to slip down his left arm and clattered to the floor. He was looking down at it and swearing until he heard that sweet voice.
"Allow me."
"Thanks. How come you're back?"
"Mara told me it was bad form to not have at least a brownie on a first date."
"Great, but I only have about five bucks on me."
"I'm a fun, fabulous, fearless female. I'll treat this time."
"I wouldn't have pegged you as a Cosmo girl."
"Guilty pleasure I share with Ainsley. How about we walk over to Cocoa Latte?"
"They make great blondies."
"Yeah, but you haven't lived until you've tasted Mara's caramel brownies. If you are good maybe I'll ask for the recipe and make you a batch."
"Do you want to go to the movies tomorrow?"
"Evening maybe, the day is set aside for my tea with Mara."
They spent nearly two hours at Cocoa Latte talking and drinking coffee. When Jenna mentioned the time he walked her back to the mansion to spend an extra twenty minutes with her.
"Earth to Jacob, come in Jacob." Jenna giggled as she turned in his arms.
"Hey, can I have a kiss?"
"Of course." Jenna smiled and leaned in sliding her tongue over his bottom lip to gain access to his mouth. Once there she started a slow French kiss that only ended because they both needed air. "You were a million miles away before. Where were you?"
"Thinking about the luckiest day in my life."
"Ah, the day I said I'd marry you."
"No, the day we met in the Ortho Clinic at GW."
"Aww, I had so much confidence at 15. Your right arm was in a cast from your knuckles to your elbow. You were such pleasing eye candy I knew I had to talk to you to see if you had a brain. I was standing there looking at you in the mirror at the reception desk. There was this guy with short dark brown hair, stunning green eyes, long muscular jean clad legs and a short sleeve navy blue golf shirt that fit snugly across your broad chest. I wanted you and I didn't even stop to consider that I might not be able to have you. No thoughts of you being taken just Jenna likes, Jenna wants, Jenna gets."
"The story of your life Hon, Jenna likes, Jenna wants, Jenna gets."
"Thank you for putting up with me all these years and for being all I really wanted. God, I kept you waiting for so long. You have the patience and devotion of a Saint."
"No, I wanted to kill you a few times. There is only so much a man can take."
"I know I've said it before but thank you for not leaving me when I went from Oxford to Sam's campaign."
"Well you gave me that week but it was Mara who stopped me from telling you that I needed a commitment or a clean break. She told me a lot of things about how you were thinking at that time and convinced me that you weren't running from me. Mara said you had to find yourself before you could be devoted to me."
"You never told me that before nor did she. I love you Jacob."
"I love you too Jenna."
"I remember the day we met like it was yesterday too. I also can flash back to our first kiss and the first time we made love and I'll never forget the day you proposed to me."
"Have to admit getting down on one knee in the surf while you were topless made it a little hard to remember what I wanted to say."
"Are you sure you want to honeymoon on Anguilla? We could go to Fiji or Bora Bora."
"No, I'm perfectly happy with Anguilla. I have very fond memories of the beach house."
"It's also so much easier security wise but I don't ever want you to feel like you have to do everything I suggest."
"I know you picked out what you were going to wear under your wedding dress in Paris but I'd like you change into what I bought you before we get on the plane."
"How about we change together so you can see what I bought and take it off me and then you can dress me."
"I like the sound of that. In fact, I'd like to here those sounds you make right now."
"Back to our room stat, the fireworks will mute me and I can be a little louder than normal."
Jacob let their agents know they were retiring for the night and the happy couple found Mara and Sam making out in the pool. "God, I hope we are still that horny at their age," Jenna whispered to Jacob.
"Me too," Jacob laughed.