When You Least Expect It
A/N: It's been too long lol hopefully it won't be like that again. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own!
Reconnecting
So is this going to be how it is every time you get scared?
I didn't know what to say when I opened the text from Jacob this morning, and the words had been running through my mind ever since. What was there to say really? He had me spot on, and so far there was nothing I could say to prove him wrong. Every time there had been even the littlest issue, I resorted to ignoring his calls and texts. Albeit, our relationship hadn't been very long at two months, but whenever I was in doubt.
The whole encounter with Garret had really shaken me up, and I wasn't sure how to deal with it. I know that Jacob had tried his best to assure me and calm me down after everything; I was too embarrassed and stunned to even really feel comfortable around his family. We made quick excuses and left the house shortly after a somewhat awkward meal and haven't really talked since I asked him for a night to myself for time to think. From there my insecurities and everything else seemed to just get the best of me and I wondered if I would be able to handle being with someone that had a connection to the man that had made me this way; and really, I wasn't too sure if I could.
So that brings me to today, Wednesday—a week and three days since I'd seen or spoken to Jacob Black.
Rachel didn't press for information but I assumed she knew about what had happened and understood my situation. My days were filled with work and my kids and seemed to pass in a blur of responsibilities and unanswered calls and texts. Peter and Brady had asked about Jacob on a few occasions but I had made excuses about why they hadn't seen him.
A large part of me wondered why he even bothered to continue trying to get a hold of me when all I seemed to do was cause trouble and bring drama into his life. If I were him, I'd have washed my hands of the situation in the beginning. And yet he was calling me again.
I looked at the screen of my phone, alerting me of his incoming call, and eventually flipped it upside down and returned my attention to the kids practicing their shoe tying skills under the weight of Rachel's gaze as she sat next to me on the couch.
"He deserves an explanation at least." She said finally, her tone even, unbetraying of any emotions she might have felt about the situation.
"I don't…I don't know if I'm ready."
"No. You're just not ready to be honest and admit that you're falling for him, that he means something to you. You're not willing to accept that he won't run out on you the same way the other one did, and I understand that. I really do. But what signs have you received from my brother that he is anything like Garret?"
None.
But I wouldn't dare answer it aloud, because it would only make the war in my mind all the more frazzled and crazy.
Just then, my phone vibrated on the couch next to me a single time: a text. I didn't even have to check to see who it was from, I already know, felt it in every bone of my body.
"Sort out whatever it is you need to sort out today; the kids will be fine with me until I bring them back in the morning. You just get yourself situated, alright?"
A single nod was the only form of answer I could give around the lump that had formed in my throat and I smiled as the twins both accomplished the tying of their shoes and a pain settled in the pit of my stomach. Jake would've loved to be here to see them doing it one their own.
With long hugs, kisses, and promises to call if there were any kind of emergency, Rachel was off with the kids for the day and a sleepover at her apartment, leaving me alone with my thoughts and a mission to clean my own apartment.
Plugging in the headphones of the iPod I'd borrowed from Rachel, I went to work, pushing all thoughts into a closet and locking the door. I managed to ignore my phone for the entirety of the time I spent cleaning the house, running up and down to the apartment laundry room, folding and hanging clothes, scrubbing things with more force than necessary, and humming along to the songs I knew.
It was only later when I was leaning against the kitchen counter, waiting for my dinner of leftovers to heat in the microwave, that the knowledge of the unread text taunted me. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore and stomped from the room to pick up the offending electronic, opening the message before I lost my courage, but promptly tossed it away before I could read any part of it.
"Okay, get a grip Paul!" I chided myself and took a few deep breaths before reaching for the phone and letting it all out in long sigh
If you're going to break up with me, just tell me. I can't take this waiting anymore. It's driving me crazy. Please.
Is that what I wanted? Did I want us to break up? Did I want to be the cause of his distress?
No. I really, truly didn't.
We should talk. Can you come over?
I sent my response before I lost my nerve and waited anxiously for a response.
Be there in 15
It was just past seven o'clock and I'd lost my appetite so I left my plate sitting in the microwave and sorted out exactly what I wanted to say to Jacob, what I could say to have him understand why I am the way I am.
Fifteen minutes seemed to serve as a blink of an eye and far before I was ready, I was opening the door to reveal Jacob. He looked tired, if the bags under his eyes were anything to go by, and unsettled. It was strange to see his mouth set in a tight line rather than the warm, wide grin he usually wore; to have his body set in a stand-off-ish rigid tenseness rather than the relaxed, confident, and sexy way he usually held himself. He wore a simple set of mesh shorts and a hoodie with a pair of Nikes. His hair was probably the wildest it could be with its short cropped length, looking as though he had run his hands through it more than a few times.
I knew I probably didn't look any better in my old cut-off jeans and tank top, but I didn't want to linger on thoughts of how crappy I looked. If I did, it would only make me feel more self-conscious and I didn't need to feel any more insecure than I already did.
"Come in." I stepped aside, closing the door after he walked in silently. "Please, sit."
When he did, he sat on the edge of the seat, elbows on his knees, fingers fidgeting together in his first nervous gesture of the night.
I sat at the other end of the couch, plucking at the loose strings at the cut hem of my cut-offs, biting my lip, unsure of how to get the conversation rolling the way I needed it to.
"So," He broke the tense silent after another moment or so, "this is it, huh?"
I didn't know what to say. The thought of him leaving me, never seeing again, never kissing, touching, or holding him again had my heartbeat stuttering and my stomach churning. So I stayed quiet.
"There's nothing I can do to fix this? To fix us?"
Still, even as he asked, he didn't look at me, simply stared ahead.
"No, there's nothing you can do to fix this…because you didn't do anything wrong."
That caught his attention as he finally turned his head to look in my direction with a shocked expression.
"I messed up Jake…again. I got scared; I let my insecurities get the best of me. Honestly, I need you to tell me if there's anything that I can do to make things right again."
"Oh, baby." He sighed, his whole demeanor relaxing visibly as he scooted to be directly next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, "We need to work on our communication skills."
I let out a bitter chuckle, but agreed with him nonetheless, "It was just…seeing him…after all that time…"
"I know, I figured, but…I just wish you would've let me know that it bothered you so much. Instead you just went about as if you were fine and then all the sudden you're ignoring my calls and texts…it felt like the best thing to have ever come into my life was slipping through my fingers and I couldn't do anything but sit back and watch."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
"I know, baby, I am too. But we're moving on. I just…"
"What?" I asked, pulling back slightly to meet his gaze.
"I think it's time you told me what happened with Garret."
Garret
I'd never been as embarrassed as I had been on that god-forsaken Sunday. It was ridiculous how that family reacted about something that they really had no idea about. So Paul had told his new little boyfriend that I was his ex, fine. But exactly how much of his past did he divulge to this new guy. Probably not much, or at least not much that he could blame me for I'm sure. Give him another month or two and he'll probably be packing up and heading out as well. It's not a man's dream to help raise someone else's accidents.
If it weren't for those damn kids, I might not have left Paul. Might not, being the key words here. All in all, he only had those little fuckers to blame for my walking out on him. And soon, he'd be in the same situation all over again.
Serves him right for having me thrown out of that house.
But now, here I was, a week and some days later, and I simply couldn't get Paul out of my mind. I'd already decided to look him up before to see if he would want to hook-up now that I was back in town, but the fact that I'd seen him, and he looked practically the same if not better, had me reeling. As I said, we had some good memories.
And then of course there's that new guy, this Jacob, he wouldn't last. I knew that much. He looked too young to want to be tied down by some guy with kids. And fuck if that group wasn't a needy bunch. A good piece of ass could only make a man stick around a sinking ship for so long before he jumps-ship. So I just had to bide my time I guess…or I could simply speed along the process. Help the guy out with a little nudge…or a shove.
But for now, I'd have to focus on my afternoon jog through the park.
Just as I had begun pouring all my attention towards my breathing, my eyes landed on a familiar woman sitting on a bench near the playground, flipping through a magazine, glancing up towards the kids running around the jungle gym wildly every now and again. Then it hit me, how I knew this woman, and my lips curved in a mischievous grin as I slowed to a walk and parked myself on the other end of the bench.
"Hello, Rachel."
Looking over, I noticed immediately how her gaze went from curious to frigid and deathly when she realized it was me calling her attention, "Oh, for a second I thought it might've been someone with a soul."
I threw back my head and let out a laugh, "Still quite the comedian I see."
"Are you still an asshole? I'm thinking yes, but who knows? You might be even worse now."
"Oh, Rachel, you wound me."
She turned to show me a wide grin as she said, "Thank you so much. That's the best news I've heard in a while."
Just as quick as the smile came it went with a roll of her eyes as she returned to her magazine.
"How have you been, Rachel?"
"Go. Away."
Another laugh passed my lips, "Where would the fun be in that?"
"You'd get to keep your balls. If you stick around, pestering me, I can't guarantee anything." She said cooly.
"Ooh, feisty."
"Fine, I'll bite." She said with exasperation, "What do you want?"
"Just wanted to say hello to an old friend."
She raised her eyebrows and looked around, searching before turning back to me, "What friend were you saying hello to?"
"Well, since you've asked…"
"Not a chance. I'm not telling you anything about Paul. Don't even bother." She smirked, "Your mistake to let him go, live with it. He's moved on."
"Oh Rachel, you and I both know he could never resist me. So let's skip all of the games and tell me how to get in contact with him. Save us all some time."
"Oh but the games are half the fun, Garret. Plus, I don't believe in cheating. Unlike some people…" She trailed off, her voice never changing from her cold tone.
I ignored the jab at my unfaithful ways and stood from the bench, "Well, if that's how you want it Rachel. You'll have to excuse me; I've an ex to find."
Third Person POV
The elderly couple gazed down at the pictures placed before them, one at a time, gazing at each image, memorizing every detail of the main focus in the images.
"So you've found them?" The man asked the younger male sitting across the dining table from him and his wife.
"Yes, I know it took me a bit, but I've got them." He answered with confidence.
"That's Paul alright…little bastard." The man cursed under his breath.
"Thank you." The woman spoke up now, her voice shaking slightly, and the man across from her simply nodded.
"I'll send you the bill." He announced as he stood from the table.
"Of course, let me show you out." The husband answered, gesturing for the investigator to follow him to be led out of the couple's home.
The woman simply stared a single image and ran her finger tips over the faces of the two boys in the image, a single tear rolling down her cheek, "Peter and Brady." She said the names, testing how they felt coming out of her mouth.
"He found them, Charlotte." Eleazar Santos said, returning to his seat next to his wife, staring at the children in the same picture.
"Our grandchildren." She breathed, "They have Maria's nose, and her eyes."
"Yes, they do."
"Is this enough?" She wondered aloud, "To just know they're okay, Eleazar? I don't know if I can go without meeting them. Maybe turning Maria away when she was pregnant wasn't such a good idea."
"I know," he agreed solemnly, "but we can't go back. We have to work with what we know now. And right now, I'm sure if I want our grandchildren living with their faggot father any longer."
A/N: Yay! I finished! Haha hopefully you guys like it! I'm really pushing the drama and the new twists and everything like that! How do you guys feel about the twins' grandparents coming into the picture? And Garret? Oh and you guys will finally get to know what happened with Garret in the next chapter! So review and lemme know what you think! They really inspire me to write quicker and I'm only 20 away from 300! Haha yay!
Notoriously Yours,
GoinnGaGa
