Page 68 of Fighting Jacob

I wait for him to sit in his favorite reading chair before replying, “A girl.” I try my hardest not to grin, but I can’t help but smile. I knew Lola would understand my gift the instant she opened it.

My dad balances his backside on the very edge of his chair. “Is it the same girl you mentioned a few months back? What was her name again...?”

“Lola.” Even saying it for over a year hasn’t dampened the sexiness of her name. “And, yes, she’s the same girl.”

“Sounds serious.” The look on his face reveals he’s moments away from giving me one of his infamous long lectures.

“Can we skip the safe sex lecture? If it hasn’t sunk in by now, hearing it for the fiftieth time this year won’t make any difference.” I’m joking—not that he’s aware of that.

“You should be thanking me. If I didn’t give you the birds and the bees talk as often as I did, who knows how many women would have come forward, announcing you’re their baby’s daddy.”

After giving me his don’t mess with me look, he slumps into his chair before picking up his latest read. As he disappears into the world of fiction, I think about what he said. As much as it kills me to admit, he’s right. His “talks” were drummed into me so often, any time I sampled a cookie jar, I always used protection. If I didn’t wrap it, I didn’t have it. Plain and simple. So, in some ways, I should thank him.

When I do precisely that, he grunts, acknowledging he heard me, but his gaze remains on his book...until I say, “Can I ask you something?”

That’s the equivalent of an untapped goldmine to my dad. Talking only comes second to lecturing. Faster than I can snap my fingers, he slips a bookmark into place, closes his book, then drops it onto the coffee table. I regret my decision for a heart to heart when he wiggles his recliner until he's sitting across from me like a therapist would a patient.

“Okay. What did you want to ask?”

I’ve come this far, so I may as well continue. “What was your relationship like with Mom at the start?”

My question catches him unaware. He thought the focus would remain on me like it did when we chatted months ago.

“I know you don’t remember much about your mom, but when she walked into the room, it was like the sun rising in the morning... but that doesn’t mean she was a pushover. She was as strong as they come. She had to be for what she endured when she was a child.” His voice falters at the end of his statement.

“Did you know right away that you loved her?”

The sadness in his eyes disappears when he nods. "From the instant I met her. Although she took a lot longer to realize it than I would have liked.” He locks his eyes with mine; they’re brimming with suspicion. “But you already know this, so why are you asking about it again?”

I only scratch my brow for half a second, but it tells him everything he needs to know. “She got to you, didn’t she? And now you can’t get her out of your head?”

“You have no idea.” I take a few seconds to figure out the best way to explain my relationship with Lola. When I’m left with only more confusion, I go with straight-up honesty. “She’s different from the other girls I’ve dated. Half the time, I want to strangle the sass straight out of her, whereas the other half, I want to wrap her in a cocoon to keep her safe and protected. She’s the most stubborn, beautiful girl I’ve ever met, but I can’t get enough of her—when she’s not lumping me in the friend's zone.”

“Is what she’s giving you enough? Because if it is, take what you can get and enjoy it while it lasts. If it isn’t, walk away. Not every love story is epic, Jacob. Some start slow; others rage out of control, and then there are the ones that dwindle over time. Every relationship is unique, so no one can dictate exactly what’s right for one couple. What works for one may not work for another. Only you can decide what you can accept.” My eyes float up from the ground when my dad places his hand on my bobbing knee. “Do you love her?”

I nod without pause for thought. I’ve loved Lola from the moment I laid my eyes on her.

"Then treasure every minute she's willing to give you, because not even the most perfect relationships are guaranteed a lifetime. My relationship with your mom is living proof of that."

Chapter Thirty-Five

Lola

Six months later...

* * *

Air rattles in my lungs before I free it into the world along with a handful of butterflies in my stomach. The atmosphere tonight is electrifying, but I can’t control the nerves tap dancing inside me. I have no reason to be nervous—Jacob is undefeated—but without fail, at every fight, anxiety gets the better of me—although it’s nothing compared to nearly getting hives when I opened Jacob’s Christmas gift a little over six months ago.

Emily watched me like a freak when I opened the envelope Jacob asked her to give me. Her eagerness switched to confusion when a gold necklace fell out. The simplicity of the packaging matched the oval pendant attached to a single-strand necklace, but the thought Jacob put into his gift couldn't be denied. He had my pendant engraved with the initials CT. Although no one around me knew what it meant, I did and was extremely ecstatic with his gift. I hate the nicknames most couples use: baby, sugar, sweetheart, but I wear Jacob's pendant with pride because I love the nickname he gave me.

After putting on my necklace, I sent Jacob a text thanking him for the gift before spending the rest of the day with my family. I was disappointed Jacob wasn't a part of the festivities, but his essence was. It was him who suggested I order Noah's leather pants two sizes too small, so he got all the credit when Noah gagged upon opening his gift.

It was only later that night as I was heading to bed did I realize my pendant was only one half of my gift. Just before I entered my room, my mom handed me the envelope I had dumped in the trash earlier that day.

“There’s a piece of paper inside. I didn’t read it; I promise.” My mom’s high tone revealed the last half of her admission wasn’t straight-up honorable.

Tucked neatly inside the envelope was a slip of paper thin enough to be hidden if you weren’t snooping. It revealed that Jacob doesn’t just know me, he also gets me.

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