Just Once (Book 1 in the Just Once Series)

Chapter Twenty-Five

“You fucking speak to her like that again, and I’ll rip your fucking throat out,” Jack warns darkly, in such a dangerously icy way, that makes you believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if Nate so much as dared what Jack said, Jack would follow that threat out without a backwards glance.

“You both disgust me. The pair of you are disgusting. Do you think its ok? Do you think its right?” Nate asks laughing without humour, “it’s wrong, sick, immoral!” he continues, before looking towards me mum, “Look what you’ve done to your mum, Brook, look at the pain you’re causing her, it’s selfish and cruel.”

I can’t prevent my eyes from falling to my mum’s tear stricken face and my own eyes fill up with hot tears that are suddenly tumbling down my face as a sob catches in my throat and I wrap my arms around myself.

My mum moves forwards, towards me, her eyes too filling once more with tears.

I know she’ll pull me into her arms and hold me, but it won’t help, it’ll make me feel worse. I turn towards Jack, but he’s already there, pulling me into the protection of his chest and holding my head gently against his shoulder.

“Shh, darlin’, take a deep breath, I’m here. It’s ok, Brook, I promise, they had to find out sooner or later,” he murmurs softly and I nod gently, my hand fisting in his shirt as I bury my face against his chest.

“Brook, stop crying, please, you’re breaking my heart,” he murmurs a second later, his hand tangling in my hair softly as he puts his lips to my ear and whispers gently, so softly I know only I will hear, “it’s not good for the baby either, Brook,” I nod and try to calm down, knowing he’s right, but god it hurts.

He presses a soft kiss to my forehead and I sigh.

“Brook, baby, I know you think you love him, but you don’t. You’re too young to understand what love is. Just... come here and we’ll talk, you two haven’t... done anything yet and we can fix this, it’s going to be ok,” my mum says suddenly and I look towards her, as Jack’s arms hold me still, protectively against his chest, but his eyes are watching his dad cautiously.

I shake my head softly, knowing she’s wrong. I may be young, but I love Jack, I love him with all my heart, just as much as I love our baby.

“I know I love Jack, I’m no idiot, mum. I love him and I don’t want to fix anything,” I say now and she shakes her head.

“It’s wrong, Brook, what you’re feeling is wrong, it’s not right, it’s sinful,” my mum whispers and I shrug.

What more can I say? I love him; he’s the only man I want to be with. He’s the father of our child; he’s mine, just as I am his. I fought to long and too hard to stay away from him, but no more.

I can’t fight the feelings I have for him anymore. I don’t want to.

“If you want to be together, then get out of this house. You are not welcome here. But when you come crawling back because you have nowhere to live, you better be ready to stop this sick game you two are playing!” Nate snarls at us and I felt it the second it happened, I felt it as soon as Jack snapped, his anger and pain that his own dad was kicking not only him out, but me as well.

“You think we’re playing some sort of game, but you’re wrong!” turning to me, he takes my hand gently in his and pulls us out the kitchen, past my mum and Nate without another word, his hurt too much to put into words, his fury a silently burning flame, getting stronger and stronger, hotter and hotter with each passing second.

“Jack,” I say softly and he turns to me once we’re in the hall, near the stairs.

“We need to pack, Brook, ok?” he says softly and fresh tears fill my eyes, not because we’re leaving, but because even angry and hurt, he still speaks softly to me; with love and gentleness in is tone.