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“Of course, you people are family. I just wished the other two could be here. But it was great to see them in New Orleans. Both are so impressive. But if Eva ever needs a change from Bama, she needs to look into UT.” David winked.
“Well, you may get her here in a few years. After talking to Delilah, she wants to apply to medical school here in Austin,” Georgia boasted. “It would be nice if she could live with Dwayne; then I’d have at least two of my kids under one roof.”
“Well, he’s getting moved into his new place.”
“Stop, Mom, don’t be making plans for Eva to crash my bachelor pad.” Dwayne jumped in.
“It’s time both you boys quit ‘bachelor-ing’ and settle down,” Georgia declared, her eyebrows wiggling up and down while using air quotes to emphasize ‘bachelor-ing.’
Then Georgia turned to Jake, squeezing him and hitting his back. “You’re a good boy, Jake. Thanks for throwing the ball to my boy.” She pulled back, then her black eyes bored into him before cutting to Rakell. “And you best take care of this beautiful girl here. Anyone brave enough to cheer you boys on while sitting in the San Antonio owner’s box deserves extra special care,” she roared.
Jake’s eyes were on Rakell, taking in the pink flush on her face, her lips tight as if she didn’t know how to respond. “Got it, Georgia! I’m going to try…” he added, more to himself than Georgia.
Dwayne broke it up, wrapping Rakell in his arms, teasing her, calling her Jumbotron Girl before gathering some of the gifts in his arms and scooting out the door with his mom.
Rakell grabbed her phone to get an Uber, knowing that Winnie was the designated driver for Jenae and Jake. It said her Uber would be there in six minutes.
“Thank you both for the party. I had a great time,” Rakell said before hugging Jake’s mom.
Annette smiled. “We loved having you. Thank you for cheering Jake on,” she said gently, knowing Rakell wasn’t comfortable with being called Jumbotron Girl.
Rakell hugged Jake’s dad, David, thanking him.
David looked at her. “You riding home with Winnie? Don’t want you driving.” His dad spoke with a sweet authority, and she couldn’t help but hear her own father’s voice.
“No, I’m not driving. I just ordered an Uber, should be here in five minutes.” She looked down at her phone, confirming the time.
David’s eyebrows furrowed, his eyes flicking from Rakell to Jake. “Excuse me, but Jake, you’re not letting that happen, are you? Son, you know how I feel about a woman getting in an Uber at night by herself.” He glanced back at Rakell. “Sorry, Rakell. Jake knows better than to let…”
“Please, Dad…I didn’t know she ordered an Uber. Not planning on letting that happen.” Jake’s tone didn’t hide his irritation, his jaw tightening. “It’s a bad habit we’re trying to break. Cancel it, please,” he said sternly, his eyes boring into her.
She felt like a child being scolded in front of her friends. Her face felt hot as her stomach pulled in tight, “I just thought…”
The veins in Jake’s neck were popping. “You thought what? As if we haven’t been through this…”
Annette jumped in, her hand going to Rakell’s shoulder. “Sorry, Kells, these boys are a pain when it comes to protecting us. All these years later, I can’t decide whether to love it or roll my eyes at it, but I’ve just learned to go with it because I know it means they care.” She offered a small smile as she tried to ease Rakell’s embarrassment.
Hearing his mom call her Kells brought him back to Penny Lane, to the night he’d heard her sing, her table chanting, “Kells, Kells…”That was her nickname?
“Sorry, Jake knows the rules. It’s his responsibility to make sure you get home safely,” David said gently.
“I understand,” Rakell responded, looking down at her phone, canceling the Uber that was three minutes away, welcoming the conversation about a family brunch tomorrow, filling the air around her.
Rakell and Jake crawled into the backseat of Winnie’s rental car. Everyone was tired, so the conversation between the four of them was limited. Jake looked to the side, taking Rakell in…her profile, lips, cheeks, breasts… wishing he didn’t know what he knew, or better yet, that it wasn’t true. Then the image of her, of her sobbing, her tears streaming down her cheeks as they said goodbye at the end of the Best Day Ever. How her mood had changed when he said,“No, I would rather go without than pay for it or be with a woman who sells herself.” What if he had answered that question honestly? Would she have told him?
Cautiously, he put his hand palm up on the seat between their legs.
Rakell felt his eyes on her and heard him shift on the seat. Seeing his hand, almost like a white flag between them, she wove her fingers between his, putting her head back, looking to the side, taking his face in with the dim light from the street. His hand gently flexed, gripping her fingers in his.
Jenae whispered to Jake as he got out of the car to walk Rakell to her apartment, “Make it fast, and not a word.” Jake and Rakell moved through the lobby into the elevator, both standing with their backs against the rear wall, a foot between them.
Jake reached toward her, taking her hand in his again, not saying a word, just being. The elevator door opened, and they walked down the hallway, hand in hand.
She opened her door with Jake behind her, her heart beating faster, feeling him not knowing what to say. The ache to touchhim vibrated through her body as her mind pictured the other night, him making a meal out her as she stared at the Austin skyline.
“Um, I should go,” he uttered as they walked into the living room, watching her put her purse on the coffee table. He moved past her to the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking at the sparkling lights of downtown Austin. “As much as I’d like to stay and enjoy this view.” Turning to look at her, he noticed her chest moving up and down, her face flushed.
“I know, I…” She shut her eyes, trying to pull together her thoughts, to stop herself from ripping at his clothes again. “I just know we have some things to talk about before we jump into the whole fucking-like-rabbits thing we seem to be prone to.”
