I could NOT believe that I got 26 reviews for the last chapter! That's pretty amazing, and thanks so much for all of your encouragement! For some reason, that was probably one of my favorites that I've written. Please continue to leave your feedback and I'm curious about what you'll all think at the end of this chapter...
Name It…
"I can't believe I had to find out from your mother that your birthday is on Friday!" Kate had yelled at him when he opened the door. Her hands were on her hips and she was giving him a glare he'd found only women could pull off.
Sidestepping the actual statement, he replied. "Well hello to you too. You're talking to my mother?" He held the door open wide and she walked in, immediately sinking down into the cushions of the couch. "Since when?"
"She likes to check up on you…" she admitted guiltily. Their conversations were innocent enough, but Kate never had the intention of Jack finding out.
He waved her off. "We'll talk about you and my mom later. But what's the big deal about my birthday?"
Kate's head cocked to the side and a grin stretched out on her face. "Okay… so you're one of those people." She continued on his confused look. "Someone who claims not to care about their birthday? Is that right?" She was twirling her long hair through her fingers, but still staring straight into his eyes, and Jack found himself distracted by it all.
He shrugged his shoulders, but might as well have just said yes. He sat down next to her on the couch. "So… 35, huh?" she teased him, raising her eyebrows up and down in his direction. She squealed on the inside when he looked embarrassed.
"It's not a big deal," he countered. "You want something to eat?"
Jack stood from the couch and went to the kitchen, and despite his efforts to change the subject, she followed. "Okay, so I take it you don't want a party?"
Kate watched him nod and saw that half smile form on his face. "Old man," she muttered, taking the bottle of beer he held out and turning on her heel out of the kitchen.
"I am not old," he yelled after her. He returned to the couch with a beer of his own. "I'm not old," he repeated, as if he was trying to prove it to himself as well. Picking up a large pillow he hit her with it playfully.
"Then why not throw a big party and prove it?" That devilish look leaked into her eyes and it pushed him. "Or I'll throw it for you. Either way, you're getting a party."
Jack laughed loudly at her confidence. "Well when you put it like that…" Before he'd finished his sentence Kate had leaped up off of the couch and raised her arms in victory. Kate exuded happiness and freeness; she was the type of person he'd always wanted to be but somehow never could.
"This wasn't my idea though you know," she hinted at him, sitting close to him and turned toward his body.
It clicked in his mind that the party was probably his mother's idea. "So she's using you to bribe me?"
Kate giggled at his automatic correct guess. "I think that's a safe assumption." She paused. "She's a very intimidating woman, Jack!" she told him, as if she couldn't help but follow through on Margo's suggestions. "Plus, it could be fun."
"How?" he asked incredulously. "She'll have it in some snotty country club with a bunch of people I don't really like and who don't really care about me… just impressing my mother enough to get her to sponsor their next fundraiser…" he babbled, until Kate put her hand against his moving mouth jokingly.
"Jack," she said slowly, "that's where I can help you here. Your mother is giving you a party whether you like it or not, but I know that she'll take my suggestions," she smiled.
He shifted in his seat, feeling his leg tingle. Kate's hand was still resting there, naturally almost. They both noticed it and she moved it away awkwardly. "Umm, have you ever met my mother? In case you didn't notice, she doesn't exactly take suggestions well." He rolled his eyes. Jack loved his mother, but she was a handful. "I'm not promising any miracles…"
"Why are you doing this for me?" He was sincere, she could tell, because the previous amusement in his eyes had faded some. He leaned back into the couch, maintaining eye contact with her, with those piercing dark orbs.
Ever since their run around in her classroom the previous week, Kate had had a hard time even being around Jack. Every time he smiled at her, she had to cover up how she was affected by it; she had to try not to blush every time he said something remotely complimentary. After all, she knew what his lips felt like against hers and how he had responded to her… what could have been.
"Because I don't want you to have a miserable birthday…and something tells me you probably haven't celebrated it in awhile."
They'd made plans to go running that night. Jack had practically insisted, since he wasn't crazy about Kate running alone at night, especially as she was new to the city. He sat in the lobby, waiting for her, nervous like he always was. He'd been having to deny his feelings even more than normal as of late- somehow he'd begun falling for her, even after he'd pulled away from her physically to prevent that from happening.
A ding rang through the large marble lobby and the silver doors to the elevator opened, revealing Kate. He waved quickly and murmured a greeting or two, desperate to tear his eyes away from her legs, which were on display in the running shorts she was wearing. They set off on a light jog.
"So I called your mom today," she spoke, glancing over at him quickly as they ran.
He laughed. "And how did that go?"
Their feet pounded the pavement in the balmy evening. Kate was thankful she'd moved to a warmer climate. "She listened to me, I'll have you know." She teased him, squeezing his bicep in the process.
He stopped in his tracks, pulling her back with him. "Really?"
Grinning and nodding, she bragged. "Left it up to me, basically."
"So when's this party going to happen?" He shook his head, mostly in disbelief that someone had somehow gotten through to his mother.
"I'll just tell you when you should show up," Kate joked with him and took off into a run again, but somehow he knew there was a hint of seriousness in her voice. He knew better than to argue with her.
A big cake was drawn on a slip of paper when he awoke late Friday morning. Underneath it, the words It's tonight! were written. He laughed when he saw the note. He'd suspected that the party would be the night of his birthday, but no matter how much he'd pestered Kate she wouldn't tell him anything. As endearing as it was, it also made him nervous.
That afternoon, after he'd returned from running errands and was putting groceries away, there was a knock at his door. He looked out the peephole to reveal Kate running her fingers through her long, shiny brown hair. She looked nervous, he thought.
"Happy Birthday!" she squealed when he opened it, throwing her arms around his broad shoulders and most of her body weight into him. Hugging her back, his arms stayed securely around her waist as their bodies pressed together all the way.
Jack rubbed his closely cropped hair nervously. "Thanks," he laughed. "So it's tonight?"
Nodding eagerly she took a step back. "You're not busy, are you?" she joked with him. He looked relaxed, in a pair of nicely fitting jeans and a t-shirt with a bit of a snug fit, to Kate's likeness. She finally tore her stare away from him before he noticed, or she hoped, at least.
Glancing around the apartment, he saw a cringe cross her face. "What?" he chuckled, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. She looked great, he noticed, and caught himself staring at the sliver of skin that was exposed when she planted her hands on her hips.
"We better clean this place up," she said absent-mindedly. "The party is here, by the way."
He couldn't help but gape at her revelation and she laughed at him. She placed a hand flat on his chest. "Jack, your place is perfect. Don't freak out about it. I'll take care of everything."
He stared at her just a little too long, and she kept her hand on his chest just a little too long, and the distance between them became too little…
By the time the guests arrived, Jack's complete faith in Kate had been restored. The place looked perfect and things were running smoothly. Between her and his mother, they'd managed to invite practically everyone Jack ever met. The apartment was crowded with minglers, each wishing him a happy birthday. His mother had just arrived and looked a little bit flustered at the crowd.
"Happy Birthday Jack," she told him sincerely and pulled him in for a quick hug. "I didn't think Kate could pull this off, she admitted. "It's going well I take it?"
He nodded and accepted the bottle of wine his mother offered him. Soon Kate was at his side. She took the bottle from him and he followed her over to the table where the others were stacked.
"I think they want to get you drunk," she offered with a laugh.
Taking a swig from his beer bottle, he agreed. "I think I'm about half way there."
She wrapped her arm around him and he let his weight lean into her. His side was warm against hers. "It's your birthday. You can do whatever you want." Kate flashed a smile at him. All he offered was a small grin in return, but he mulled over her words in his mind for quite some time. If he really acted on what he was thinking, on what he was trying to deny, Kate would probably feel it was the best thing she ever blurted out of her mouth…
After escaping his mother's endless attempts at heartfelt conversations and rounds of birthday singing, he spotted Kate in the corner, a wineglass in her hand. She was laughing loudly with a guy he recognized from the hospital, but couldn't quite place. He felt a flash of jealousy rush through him and had to fight off the urge to take her away from him.
He'd been having a good time, catching up with old friends and actually intending on keeping in touch with them. For the first time in a long while, he'd felt comfortable in a large social situation, even one in his honor. Maybe he should thank his mother for the idea, after all. The crowd had thinned in the wee hours of the morning.
"Hey," Kate said when she found him lounging on the now deserted couch. When she sat down, the last guest left, leaving them alone. "Did you have a good time?" she asked him hopefully.
A genuine grin appeared on his masculine features. "Yeah, I really did." They sat in silence for a few minutes, the night sinking into both of them. "Thanks for doing this for me, Kate. It means a lot to me," he offered, sure that he couldn't thank her enough.
"That's what friends are for, huh?" It was an awkward statement and Kate cursed herself inaudibly. Jack had turned on the cushion more, scooting closer to her in the process. "So you looked like you were having fun too." He tried not to accuse her of anything. It would've been within her right, anyhow.
She still picked up a hint of bitterness in his voice. "What's that supposed to mean?" Kate frowned slightly, running her fingers over the rim of her now empty wine glass.
"I saw you with that guy. What's his name again? He's from the hospital."
It dawned on her that he was jealous. Part of her wanted to be mad, because after he'd basically rejected her, he had no right to monitor who she was or wasn't interested in dating. Not that there was anyone other than him…
"Paul?" On his nod, she glared at him. "We were just talking. What's it to you anyway?"
They were playing their game again, where they had to put up the boundaries between them, had to pretend there weren't other thoughts going through their minds.
She dropped her hand into the small space between them and it grazed against Jack's thigh. "I didn't get you a present," she admitted bashfully, looking up into his eyes. They were warm and hazy, and something seemed different about them. His large palm suddenly, but surely grasped hers and wove its fingers between hers.
Her eyes widened. Her heart raced again and she was sure he caught on, but this time, she told herself, he didn't need a stethoscope to prove it. "You don't need to get me a present," he told her nonchalantly, seemingly staring at the wall. "You made all of this happen," he said, meaning the party she'd put together.
Finally he looked into her eyes while they spoke. "Still, I feel like I owe you something." She sat up and suddenly his hand was gone, but his body was closer to hers. "So name it," she laughed.
Jack grinned. "Anything?"
Kate rolled her eyes. "Well, almost anything…"
He was leaning forward suddenly, and he paused with his face inches away from hers. "Okay, it's settled then," he breathed. Kate shivered at the feeling but tried her hardest not to break their lock. Then his lips were on hers, softly, and she kissed him back. Her whole body tingled as he ran his hands lightly up and down her sides. His lips were soft and the kiss innocent. Kate wondered how something so simple could make her whole body hum. They pulled away a few seconds later, neither of them quite sure how they'd ended up that way.
In a hushed, nervous tone, she finally spoke. "Happy Birthday, Jack."
