Take a Breath (Take #1) - Jaimie Roberts Page 0,47
to sweep under the carpet. Do you know how hard this has been for me? I don’t care about any other men, and I’m not interested in Tony. It’s only you, Jake.” I step close, imploring him with my eyes. “It’s always been you.”
He gazes deep into my eyes, and it’s like we both can’t look away. Inch by inch, he comes closer, and his body seems to visibly relax as we stare at each other.
My heart rate picks up a notch, making me forget where I am for a moment. Until Bill walks in, letting the door close behind him, that is. “Oops, sorry to interrupt, guys. I just needed another beer.”
Quickly snapping out of it, Jake glances over to Bill. “That’s okay, buddy. Help yourself. I need to excuse myself.” Without another word, Jake hurries out the door, leaving me to grab a beer from the fridge for Bill.
“Here you go, big fella.” I sit down at the table with my wine, noticing out of the corner of my eye that Bill is joining me.
“That looked pretty intense there.”
Embarrassed to look, I say, “Did it?”
I hear him chuckle. “You could cut the sexual tension with a knife.”
Smiling, I glance over towards him seeing his own smile. “Is that so?”
He nods, keeping his smirk, but then he suddenly drops it. “I hope you don’t mind me saying this.” He sighs, placing both hands on the table as if he has something serious to say. “I think I should just rip the Band-Aid off and get straight to the point. Jake loves you.”
I laugh a little, but nod. “Yes, of course he does. We are a family. We’ve been together through thick and thin for nearly a year now.”
Bill frowns at my statement. “I think you misunderstood me. He loves you, Ana. I see the way he looks at you—the way he always looks at you. It’s not hard to see from an outside perspective, and I’ve been at this game far too long not to notice when someone’s in love.”
I nearly spit my drink out. “You must be mistaken. There’s a huge difference between loving someone and being in love. He simply doesn’t see me that way.”
“Do you love him?” he asks as if it’s the easiest question in the world to answer. Still, I know that there is only one answer.
“Yes,” I sigh, feeling relief flood through me at my confession.
Bill’s expression widens in shock. “Well, that was easier than I thought.”
I feel emotionally drained all of a sudden. “I’m tired of fighting it, Bill. Tired of keeping it hidden. Tired of the constant knots in my stomach when I see him and must remind myself that he can’t be mine.”
Bill, leaning forward, grabs my hand. “Did you know I’ve known that boy for nearly eighteen years now?” I shake my head on a slight frown. Jake had never mentioned it. “I was a good friend of his father, and he was only a teenager when I met him. He was a bit of a rascal and had a very carefree attitude until he met Matthew’s mother and she became pregnant. I put him on the straight and narrow, and Mr. Sensible was born right then and there. His life was probably very simple and boring until you came into his life.” His smirk suddenly reappears again, making him look ten years younger.
I straighten up. “Me? What have I done?”
“My dear, you have brought life back into him. I’ve never seen Jake like this before. I can see it eating away at him, his obvious feelings towards you. It’s fun to watch, but he does need a good kick in the ass.”
I let out a giggle. “So you don’t think it’s all wrong, him and me?”
He shakes his head. “Of course not. Your mother was completely wrong for him. I was quite shocked when I met her and couldn’t understand why he eventually moved her in, especially as I could see Matthew wasn’t too keen either. That is, of course, until I met you, and it all clicked into place.”
I laugh at the thought. “Bill, please. Surely you’re not saying that he moved my mother in just to be close to me?”
He nods with absolute conviction. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. He’s not a predator, and his intentions were always honorable towards you. I believe he just wanted to be with you—to protect you—even if it did torture him in the process.”