“Hmm… that’s gratifying to hear, son. I’m glad you’re taking care of Cora. Now, back to the college question.”
“Mrs. Weston… Susan, I can’t let Jake pay for school!” Cora sounded absolutely scandalized.
“Why ever not? That’s what couples do. They support each other, in good and bad times.” She looked at Cora suspiciously. “Unless you plan to break my son’s heart by leaving him to go back to MIT. Don’t you care about Jacob?”
“No! I mean, yes! I care about him!” Poor baby didn’t know what was up or what was down.
Of course I knew she cared about me. She wouldn’t have given herself fully to me unless she felt something, but it was a relief to hear her say it out loud.
Round four: Mom.
My mom beamed with happiness. “I’m glad to hear it.” She leaned over and whispered theatrically. “I can’t tell you how I’ve longed to have a daughter. And you’re just perfect for my Jacob.”
Ignoring Cora’s dumbfounded expression, my mom turned to me with a mock frown. “I hope you realize how lucky you are to have found such a treasure, Jacob. Don’t do anything to screw it up.”
“I know, Mom.”
“Good.” My mom turned back to Cora. “As for getting your education, I firmly believe it’s best for you to get your degree when you’re young.” She waved her hand casually. “You know, before you start having babies.
“Eeep.”
My poor baby was back to chirping again. She looked pale at the thought of having kids with me and I frowned. That was too damn bad because I wanted at least two kids…maybe three. Two boys and a little girl who looked just like her mom. Or maybe two girls and a boy. Hmm… no definitely two boys because they’d have to keep an eye on my little girl when she started dating… at age thirty.
“Because I can tell you, once you start having a family, you won’t have time to do anything. Or course, Geoffrey and I would be so happy to look after the little ones anytime you needed!” She peered at Cora with concern. “Oh, did you not want to have a family?”
“No! I mean, yes, I want a family some day.” Cora darted a glance at me.
I squeezed her hand and smiled. “You’re going to be a great mom. You could still have a career, baby. I won’t make you stay home if you don’t want to. We could always hire a nanny.”
“I don’t want some stranger to raise my kids.”
My mom winked at me and I almost lost my composure. “Whatever you want, baby. I’ll support you. I’ll delegate my work to Troy or another manager when that time comes.”
“Wonderful! You two will have such adorable little ones. I can’t wait. Maybe you should look into starting school this fall. I’m sure we know someone at the school who could make an exception for a late application. Jacob, maybe you should call Merrill Anderson. I think he’s the president at University of Chicago now.”
“First thing on Monday, Mom.”
“Oh, silly me. I’ll have Geoffrey talk to him on Sunday. They’re playing golf together.” Smiling, my mom sat back and folded her hands in her lap. “Oh and of course, you should look into getting her an apartment that’s closer to the school. It’s not safe to be commuting at night when she has to study late.”
“Of course, Mom.”
My poor baby looked shell-shocked.
And knockout.
Match: Mom.
Chapter 17
Jake and Troy were joking and laughing with Marcus while I sat quietly in the back of the car. My brother was soaking up the male attention like a parched plant in a rainstorm. Troy, being Troy, had made Marcus feel immediately at ease.
We were on our way to their parents’ house for dinner and somehow Susan had convinced us we should stay overnight. I stared at the pecan pie I baked and wondered how I got to this point.
Lunch yesterday had been… the only other time I felt so discombobulated was when I went to an amusement park and sat in a spinning teacup that jostled my insides so hard, I came out walking crooked. That was how it felt after I came out of lunch with Susan and Jake.
Did I agree to let Jake pay for school, get me an apartment, and father my babies within the span of an hour? This was not how I imagined the course of our affair.
I looked at the two brothers bantering with each other in the front seat.
I definitely didn’t expect to meet his parents and be invited for a family dinner. And when did Jake talk to his mom about us? We’d only been dating for a week. What the hell was happening to my life?
I pressed a hand to my temple and tried to massage some of the cobwebs out of my head. In the rearview mirror, I caught Jake looking at me with a twinkle in his eyes.
“You okay, baby?” he asked, reaching back with his right hand to touch my knee.
I nodded and blushed when Troy smiled slyly at me.
Marcus wrinkled his nose in disgust, but he knew better than to complain out loud.
Troy on the other hand had no restraint and griped teasingly, “Ew… is this what I have to deal with all through dinner. You two calling each other ‘baby’ and ‘sweetheart’ and ‘honey?’ It’s bad enough with mom and dad doing that lovey-dovey stuff.”
“They also kiss each other all the time,” reported Marcus.
I scrubbed my little brother’s hair, making him laughingly lean away from me. It made me smile. Just a few weeks ago, we would not have felt so comfortable horsing around with each other.
Grinning, Troy turned around to give me a wink. “Oh, the things we have to put up with.”
Without taking his eyes off of the road, Jake smacked Troy.
“Ow!” Troy rubbed at his arm exaggeratedly.
I rolled my eyes at their childish antics. Away from the office, they did not resemble wealthy businessmen. They were like toddlers.
“You’re just jealous,” said Jake with a trace of smugness.
“I actually am. Cora, do you have any friends you could introduce me to? My brother stole you from under my nose. You threw yourself at me on the first day and then before I knew it, Jake had claimed you. So it’s only fair that you help me find someone to alleviate the loneliness.”
I snorted in laughter at his outrageous claim. “I didn’t throw myself at you. And the day you need me to help you with your love life is the day you need to look out for flying pigs.”
“Oink. Oink.”
“Your parents really are saints,” I declared laughingly.
“You’ve already won over Mom. Dad will topple like a row of dominoes, especially once he finds out you bake,” Troy said with satisfaction.
The reminder of their parents silenced me and I was back to being a nervous mess. Again, Jake shot me a sharp glance in the mirror, but I looked out the window to avoid giving away my agitation.
“The house is just around the bend.”
Jake’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked in the direction he pointed.
“That’s your parents’ house?” Marcus asked in awe.
The two-story house was lit up like a Christmas tree, the reflection in the pond doubling the wattage. It looked like a fairy-tale structure with arched windows and majestic columns flanking the front entrance.
“Yup. Dad had it custom built to Mom’s specifications. There are six bedrooms and four baths. I thought it was too big for the two of them, but Troy and I visit almost every week and we sometimes stay overnight. Besides, Mom said she wanted the extra bedrooms for when she would have grandkids to spoil.”
I choked on my own spit and went into a coughing fit. Being with Jake and his family was a health hazard. Marcus started thumping on my back a tad too enthusiastically, making me cough harder.
Troy took one look at my red face and laughed uproariously.
“What’s so funny?” Marcus asked, thankfully forgetting to whack my back.