14. Jacob

Chapter 14

Jacob

T onight's the night. I'm finally going on a date with my girl. The one I've been in love with for years. I wish I could be more like Ford and not be jealous of the time she spends with him, and soon the time she'll spend with Matthew. I need to accept her heart is big enough and has enough love for the three of us.

But that all ends tonight. I'm no longer going to allow them to fester, eating away at my mind until I push the love of my life away. Life's too short to live with regrets and fuck if I'm going to have any with Pickle.

The whole ride to her house I've been bouncing in my seat, my body feeling like it's on a rollercoaster ride and I'm getting the thrill of my life. The only thing I'm thankful for is that her mother thinks the world rises and falls around me, and she agreed to allow Dylan to go out with me tonight. There are stipulations, like an eleven PM curfew, but I can deal with that just to be with Pickle.

Pulling into her driveway, my heart is pounding so intensely a small part of me fears it's going to explode from my chest, like that monster in the Alien movie. I don't see her mom's car, but it doesn't mean it's not in the garage. My heart sends up a silent prayer that she's not here. I don't want to pretend or be fake with her mother tonight. That would be too much of a tainted omen on what's going to be an amazing evening spent with my girlfriend.

Taking a deep breath, I pick up the colorful bouquet of carnations. There are green, pink, orange, yellow, and purple blooms. Their smell, a mix of a subtle warm vanilla with a hint of a soft, earthy quality, creates an inviting and comforting aroma in my car. I hope the scent lingers until Dylan gets inside.

I make my way up the driveway to the porch, the crunch of small, loose rocks underneath my feet adding to the pit building in my stomach. Reaching the door, I take a breath and ring the bell. I can hear the tones sounding inside and I rock on my feet to dull the nerves. It's just a date, and it's not like I haven't been intimate with Dylan. Why am I so fucking nervous?

When I don't hear anything from the other side of the door, I ring the bell again. A few moments later, I hear the thud of footsteps getting louder the closer they get to me.

It has to be Dylan. No way in hell that's her mom or future stepfather. Maybe my prayers have been answered and I won't have to face her witch of a mother. Dylan opens the door, a beaming smile on her face, and my whole body relaxes. She looks so beautiful. Her hair is up in a high ponytail, the ends of it dancing along her shoulders and back. She's in a cute denim skirt and a form-fitting green top with the tiniest of straps on her shoulders. Her perky breasts are on display and her pebbled nipples push through the fabric.

"They're gorgeous!" she exclaims as her face lights up. "Are they for me?"

"Yes." I hand the flowers to her as she steps back, allowing me to enter.

"Just let me put them in water so we can go."

"No rush." I follow her into the kitchen. She rummages beneath the sink, pulling out a vase, and adding water before placing the flowers inside.

"They're so beautiful and my favorite. They remind me—"

"Of Mrs. Winchester's garden."

"You remember." A small tear teeters at the corner of her eye, on the verge of falling.

"How could I forget? It's where we were when I realized I was in love with you."

She steps from behind the counter, making her way to me with swift, but graceful movements, until she's right in front of me. Her arm's slip around my neck as she rises up on her tiptoes, kissing me deeply. An earthquake could be happening around us and I would be oblivious.

"Mmm," I moan into her mouth before I break the hold she has over me and pull away. "We need to go so we can be back in time for your curfew. If you're not and I get in trouble, we both know we'll never hear the end of Ford's bitching."

"Let me get my purse and keys and I'll put these in my room. My mom's such a raging dick at the moment she'd probably throw them away out of spite."

While she's gone, all I can think about is that in just a couple of months, we will be at college and won't have to worry about the stress her mother puts on her life. Dylan can finally be happy and carefree.

"Ready?" Her soft, sultry voice cuts through the air, pulling my mind back to the present.

"I am."

"What are we doing tonight?" She quirks an eyebrow as I let out a laugh. She's trying to catch me off guard to reveal my plan.

"Nope, you gotta wait, Pickle."

I slip my hand around her waist and guide her out the door to my car. I open the door and wait for her to sit down, being a gentleman. Dylan gently lifts her legs into the car, giving me a tiny flash of her black underwear. It's enough to make my cock twitch. I skillfully shift my leg, trying to reposition it.

She talks nonstop during our drive, but I don't care. I love hearing her voice after spending too many years not having it in my life.

When I pull into the parking lot, I don't even have to look at her to know her face is lit up with excitement. There are not many cars here, but that's okay. I guess miniature golf isn't considered the cool thing anymore, but Dylan and I spent many nights playing it, and I knew it was the perfect place for our first date.

"So, you like it? I was nervous, not sure if you would think it was too childish."

"It's perfect. I love it. Now, let's go so I can kick your butt like I used to."

"We're awfully confident. I may have been practicing and learned some new skills since the last time we competed against each other," I state boldly with a smirk.

"Then put those skills where your mouth is." She takes off at a jog, heading straight for the door, and I fall in step behind her.

When I step inside, Dylan's already at the counter, in a boisterous conversation with the brunette woman behind the counter. She's older than us, but not by much, maybe early twenties. I love how carefree Pickle is. She can make friends with anyone, somehow making it seem like they've known each other for ages.

I step up beside her, my hand going to the small of her back. I pull out my wallet and hand Juliet, according to her name tag, my bank card.

"Will you be playing eighteen or thirty-six holes?" Juliet asks.

I glance over to Dylan. "You decide."

She taps her finger on her chin as she focuses her attention on some small, barely noticeable mark only she can see on the wall just past Juliet. "Let's do thirty-six. I don't want you to think you didn't have enough holes to try and beat me."

"Seems like we have a competition. It'll be thirty dollars." I nod to Juliet and she rings it up, swipes my card, then hands it back to me. "Have fun."

"We will." After I pick up a putter, Dylan and I head out the door to the first hole. This night is going to be amazing.

We play a few holes, gently ribbing each other about how we're going to beat the other.

When we reach the sixth hole, there's a bench and I decide it's the perfect time to tell her how I feel. "Can we sit for a minute and talk?" My heart's racing and I have to switch the putter between hands as I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans. My thoughts are jumbled as I try to formulate the words to convey my feelings. Let's just hope my brain and lips are communicating.

"Sure. What are you wanting to talk about?" she asks as she sits.

I sit beside her, taking her hand in mine. "About us, and the others. Just overall how I've been feeling and what I've decided."

She rubs her hands together harshly as she bites her lip and I know she's thinking the worst.

"No, Pickle, it's not bad. I thought a lot about us, and how it's been with Ford. I've always thought it was going to end up being me and you. I had planned that once I graduated high school, I'd find you and finally tell you how I felt. But I didn't have to. Fate stepped in and put you on my field."

"I think my mom had something to do with that." She shakes her head as the cutest chuckle slips from her mouth.

"Then Ford came along and swept you away from me. He's everything I'm not. He's funny and outgoing, but somehow we make it work. The three of us." I pause, knowing I'm about to bring up Matthew, a topic that is so new and fresh.

"If I've made you feel less than, tell me. I never want you to feel that way. You and Ford give me very different things and I couldn't choose between the two of you if I tried. Ford gives me wildness, allowing me to be free, while you give me security and grounding. Two very different things that neither could give me alone." She takes hold of my hand and squeezes it. "I love you, Jacob. Nothing will ever change that. My love for Ford in no way lessens my love for you."

Her words lift the invisible weight that's been crushing my soul.

"And Matthew?" I ask, needing to hear how she feels.

"Matthew is new. There are feelings, and while not as intense as what I feel for you and Ford, there's still something. He messaged me last night, and we talked for a while. I'm both excited and nervous to see where we go from here. We chatted about me coming to visit him for a weekend. He thought it would be good to spend time together away from everyone to truly get to know each other."

I sit there quietly, listening and processing everything. If I hold on to the jealousy that's been gripping me, I'm going to lose her. That's something I don't know if I can live through again.

"You love him?"

"I can't say that yet. If it turns into that, it wouldn't be any more than I love you, or Ford. He's just new and we need to get to know each other. Is that a problem?"

I sigh deeply, then give her a reassuring smile. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous. You know that. But I've thought long and hard. Since Ford and I started this relationship with you, I've never felt less than or like I've not had enough time. I trust you and your ability to love us all equally."

She leans forward, wrapping her arms around me tightly. My arms slip around her waist, melding into her body. We sit like that for a few minutes, each of us whispering our love to each other, before she pushes away.

"Hey, they have a tunnel over there. Let's go have a little fun."

I look around, noticing there's no one nearby. Standing, I take her hand in mine and lead her over to the tunnel, which happens to house our next hole.

We take one final look before we step inside, moving our way to the middle where there's a slight bend that takes us out of sight, but we're still able to hear anyone if they're coming.

Dylan's lips crash into mine with a hunger I've never seen from her, and before I can process what's happening, she's pushing me backward until my back hits the rough wall, then drops to her knees, and begins to undo my pants.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"I want you," she breathes.

The sound of my zipper coming undone is loud in the quiet tunnel, and I can barely catch my breath as she pulls my pants down, boxers and all, exposing me to the cool night air. Her hands wrap around my shaft, and I shudder, already hard, my pulse pounding beneath her touch.

Dylan looks up at me with those eyes—those fucking eyes—and slowly, teasingly, opens her mouth. The warmth of her breath hits me first, then her lips close around the tip of my cock, and my knees nearly buckle. She takes me in, inch by inch, her tongue swirling, her mouth hot and wet.

"Fuck me!" I moan, causing her to chuckle. The vibrations add to my already heightened senses

Her pace quickens, the feel of her swallowing around me driving me wild. I reach down, tangling my fingers in her hair, needing something to hold on to, something to keep me from completely losing control. She takes all of me, again and again, until I'm trembling, teetering on the brink.

This is the best date ever!!