Rookie Playing For Keeps #Wattys2015 #NewAdult

Chapter 1 Part 2

"You look a little wound up, Rookie," he whispers in his low, raspy voice. "Maybe I should help you with that." I feel my nerve endings tingle, begging for him to touch me. It has always been like this for us, excitement and passion from the moment we first met.

"Jackson, stop," I mumble, a little flustered, but it only makes him chuckle and he runs his palm up my side, stopping just short of my breast.

"For now." He winks at me and then reaches for my hand, tugging me along to the front door of my dad's house. I follow, realizing that no matter what happens at dinner, the most important thing is that I'll be leaving with him. He may not be the one my family wanted for me in the beginning, but he's fighting hard to prove he can be the one that's right for me.

The table is set and Angelique, my father's housekeeper, has prepared a nice meal. Since my mother passed when I was young, my father has always tried to find staff that can help compensate for what we lost. Of course no one can take her place, but Angelique isn't trying to. She's worked hard to earn my father's trust and my siblings and I have learned to appreciate what she does for him.

Ben has not arrived, but my other brother Brandon is already inside, wrestling playfully with Caleb in the living room as my dad tries in vain to get them to settle down. As twins, Caleb and Brandon have always been close, and even as grown men, they still hold onto a few of their childhood habits. It feels like home. I smile up at Jackson and take the lead, pulling him over to shake hands with my father. I can feel my shoulders start to relax and I let go of Jackson's hand so I can say hello to Angelique.

The sound of the screen door creaking open makes my heart stop in my chest and then start again with a more rapid rhythm. It's Ben. I can tell by the way the atmosphere in the room has changed, growing thicker with tension. I turn and watch Jackson extend his hand to Ben and then I wait with baited breath to see what Ben will do. After a very tense moment, Ben's lips curl into a smile and he shakes Jackson's hand and pulls him into a hug, patting him a few times on the back.

"Dinner is ready if you'd like me to serve it," Angelique offers and my father nods. We all make our way over to the table and Jackson pulls my chair out for me, something that is usually Ben's job. The men chat about business-Jackson's family, like mine, is in the hotel industry-and of course about football as we eat. When his plate is empty, Jackson sets his large palm across my knee under the table. My fear that this will erupt into a complete Jerry Springer moment dissipates and I am filled with an overpowering feeling of relief.

I clear my throat, hoping to loosen the knot I feel tightening there, but when I'm not successful I excuse myself from the table and head to the bathroom. The men stand as I leave, a gesture that I know isn't typical in this day and age, but all of them have been raised to respect a lady. Jackson's eyes meet mine and I know he sees the shimmer of tears in them but says nothing. From my hideout in the bathroom I hear the clatter of the table being cleared and I realize that while this is only one of many firsts, I've survived it.

The way things ended between Greg and me was disappointing for my family. He and I met when I first started college and he fit right in with us. I think the problem was probably that he fit in too well. There was no excitement or even curiosity about him because he was so much like us he almost felt like family already. We dated for a while, and he soon started working for my father. I watched as our relationship snowballed, my family investing more and more in his future, thinking that it was also mine.

Finding Jackson was an accident, but falling in love with him was the best thing that could have happened. He made me look at the path my life had taken and see that I was giving up control of my future and possibly my happiness in order to make my family proud. I fell for Jackson, walking away from Greg and the safe, predictable future he could offer me. Ironically, while I was dreading the thought of hurting Greg, he was falling for another woman, someone who would make him as happy as Jackson has made me.