Jake walked in from the bedroom when he heard the front door open. Jackie put her purse down on the coffee table, not noticing that it tipped over and half the contents spilled onto the floor. Her cheeks were pink and her hair windblown.
"Hey gorgeous," he smiled, tucking his white dress shirt into gray slacks. "Are you running late? We need to meet my folks at the restaurant in an hour."
She ran a hand thru her hair. "I guess I am a little late. It's no problem. When you're working with a face like this it doesn't take long to reach perfection." She threw him a flirty glance but Jake just smiled and turned back to the bedroom. Steven would have responded with a snarky comment or a raised eyebrow. "Jake, wait!" she called after him and he turned back around, waiting patiently. Steven never waited patiently. Then again, neither did she.
"What is it, Jackie?" Jake's voice broke in on her wandering thoughts.
"What? Oh, nothing." She felt a rush of guilt and crossed the room to hug him. "You are so good to me. I don't deserve you."
He looked down at her, squeezing her gently. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"
"Yes, it's just that my mother said something that-oh, never mind. She can be difficult, you know?"
Jake smiled. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Don't worry. If she's anything like you she'll charm the pants off my parents."
A laugh caught in her throat. He had no idea! Steven was wise to Pam's wiles but Jake wouldn't know what hit him. He'd find out just how charming her mother could be but would he see the cunning behind it? "I'd better get ready," she stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek and hurried into the bathroom.
Noticing the contents of her purse on the floor Jake bent over to pick it up, shaking his head. Jackie had been a little scatter brained lately. A little distant too but he wasn't worried. Just pre-wedding jitters, he told himself. He scooped up the photos that had fallen out and found himself staring at one of his fiancée and her old boyfriend. He didn't like to snoop but curiosity got the better of him and he looked at the photo closer. He could tell it was a few years old because Jackie was wearing her cheer uniform and they both looked younger, their arms wrapped around each other. He had never seen Hyde look that relaxed or happy. Something about the look on Jackie's face bothered him and even after he shoved the photo back in her purse he couldn't stop thinking about it. She had never looked at him with such utter adoration. He was still standing in the living room when she came out of the bedroom, struggling with the zipper on her dress. She turned her back to him. "Could you zip me up, please?"
Her skin was soft and warm against his fingers as he slid the zipper up. He bent down and kissed her neck where she held back her thick dark hair.
"I love you, Jackie." He said into her ear.
She threw him a flirtatious smile over her shoulder as she stepped away. "How do I look?" She tugged the dress into place and wiggled her hips.
"Jackie, I said I love you." He frowned, something he seldom did. Her glance darted away for a second then came back to him with a little smile. "You are so sweet," she said and wrapped her arms around him. She kissed him long and deeply. It wasn't until later that he realized she hadn't said she loved him too.
Hyde had just finished eating and started gathering the empty dishes. Mrs. Forman had insisted he eat with her and Mr. Forman and although he didn't have much appetite lately he appreciated that she made his favorite lasagna.
"You don't have to do that, honey. Red will clear the table." She smiled at him but he noticed her hands were clenched in her lap. A sure sign she was upset about something.
"I will?" Red's balding head shot up and seeing the frown on his wife's face he said in a warning tone. "Don't do it, Kitty. The boys' old enough to manage his own life, even if he does the occasional dumbass thing." The grin he gave Hyde was malicious. "Like marry a stripper."
Hyde just nodded and headed for the stairs. What could he say? The old man was right. Mrs. Forman called after him and he turned around. He didn't feel like talking but he never could say no to her. She was the mother he'd never had and the fact that she was worried about him said a lot.
"Let's go in the living room, honey. We can talk in there while Mr. Forman does the dishes," and she gave her husband a glare when he grumbled. She pulled Hyde down on the couch next to her and directed her kind blue gaze on him. "Now Steven, is there anything you would like to talk about?"
"Not really, Mrs. Forman." He shrugged. She tilted her head and took one of his hands in her own small one. "Are you sure? 'Cause I kind of think you do." Her voice wasn't sing songy like it had been back on that Veterans' day when he denied he liked Jackie but it reminded him of how stupid he had been to deny his feelings for her. He was about to do it again when he saw the sympathy on his foster mothers' face. He heaved a big sigh and fell back against the sofa cushions, closing his eyes. Mrs. Forman rubbed his arm. "It's okay to have regrets, Steven. We all wish there was something we had done differently in our lives."
He opened his eyes. "Yeah but how do you live with it?"
"As cliche as it sounds, time really does heal all wounds." Her smile was sad. "You'll meet someone else someday. Someone you'll love…"
He stood up and started pacing in front of the sofa. "See, that's the thing, Mrs. Forman. I won't. I don't want to. Jackie is the only girl I ever-that I want to-argh!" He pulled at his hair and sat back down. His fists were clenched and she felt so bad for this boy-this man-who had lost so much in his life already. It didn't matter that the blame was mostly his this time. It was still hard to see him in pain. When he raised his head she had to swallow the gasp that rose in her throat. She hadn't seen him look this devastated since his mother left him all those years ago.
"Oh, Steven. I'm so sorry," she pulled him into her arms.
"If I had just told her I loved her," he mumbled into her neck. She was patting his back when Red stuck in his head in and she waved him away. Steven would be embarrassed if anyone else saw him so upset. She wasn't exactly sure what zen was but she knew it wasn't this outpouring of grief her second son was experiencing.
He pulled away from her after a few minutes and cleared his throat. He stood up and she saw him wipe at his face when he turned his back to her. "Sorry about that, Mrs. Forman. You're right. I'll be okay."
She patted her lap like she did whenever she had an idea. "Oh, I know! You could swoop in and kidnap Jackie at the wedding. Just like in that movie "The Graduate"." She laughed. "Now if there was ever a girl who would appreciate such a grand gesture it would be Jackie!"
Steven stopped his pacing and stared at her. She was right. He remembered when all she had wanted from him was a sign-a gesture that he cared –when her Dad went to jail. So he had shaved his beard off and she'd been so happy. It had always been easier to show her he loved her. "Thanks, Mrs. F." he said and kissed her cheek. Kitty could have sworn she saw a light bulb go off over his head and she popped up from the sofa as is she was on springs. She tried to grab his arm but he was already across the room and reaching for the door.
"No, wait! Steven! I didn't mean it! I was just kidding!" She ran after him but by the time she got to the door he was starting up his car. "Steven! Don't you dare kidnap Jackie!" she yelled as the caminos tail lights faded down the street. She spun around when she heard Red come in from the kitchen, a dish towel slung over his shoulder. "Oh, Red! I think I just made things worse!" she wailed. He opened his mouth but then snapped it shut before he went back to doing the dishes but she could have sworn she heard him mutter "dumb ass."