His Mission

The Mother's Return.

It feels like I'm floating the entire drive home. How did a day doomed by darkness manage to turn into one of the best moments of my life? The simplicity of Jake asking me to be his girlfriend is the reason I can't wipe the smile from my face. Sitting in his car with fast food burgers, drenched from the rain, with a single daisy in his hand. How could I not fall in love with every little detail about the moment? "I didn't peg you down as the romantic type," I say to Jake as I twirl the daisy between my fingers. His tears his eyes off the road to look at me and a slow smile spreads across his face.

"If you tell anyone, I'm going to deny it," Jake tells me with a playful tone to his voice. He pulls into his driveway before turning off the engine. I notice his posture immediately tense up and a deep frown takes over his face. "Is everything okay?" I ask him. "No. The lights are on downstairs. The house was dark when I left," Jake mutters under his breath. "It's probably Ivory or Tobias," I tell him before unbuckling my seat belt. Jake's hand shoots out to stop me from exiting the car. His posture remains rigid and he turns to look at me with concern in his eyes. "Tobias and Ivory are both out."

I immediately pause in the passenger seat and my breathing catches in the back of my throat. "I'm going to check it out. Stay behind me, okay?" Jake tells me. I nod my head before waiting for him to exit the car. He climbs out before walking around to his trunk. He moves swiftly, silently and with purpose. I exit the car before softly shutting the door behind me. Who could have broken into the house? Jake pops open the trunk before retrieving a baseball bat from it. My eyes grow wide at the sight of it. "What are you going to do with that?" I question him. He grips onto the handle firmly before raising a brow at me.

"What do you think I'm going to do with it?" Jake asks before walking around to the doorway of the house. He gestures for me to stay behind him, so I do. My hands tremble by my side, and I wonder how he manages to remain so calm. He doesn't look scared at all. "Do you want me to call the police?" I hiss as we approach the front door. Jake turns the key in the door before pushing it open. He glances at me from over his shoulder before shaking his head in protest.

"No, I can handle it myself." Jake says before stepping inside the house. He begins searching every room with the baseball bat positioned up and ready. I follow behind him before hearing muffled voices coming from the kitchen. My heart somersaults and I gesture in the direction of the kitchen. Jake places a finger against his lips to motion for me to be quiet. I watch as he walks toward the kitchen, ready to attack. He inhales a deep breath before turning the kitchen door handle. The door slowly opens, and Jake barges in with the baseball bat above his head. A series of screams can be heard coming from the kitchen.

"Jake! What are you doing?!" A woman's shrill voice fills the air. I scurry in behind after him to find Jake frozen in place with the bat raised above his head. Two women are sitting at the dining table clutching their chests. A horrified expression crosses their faces. One of them has the exact same eyes as Jake, and the other one looks exactly like Ivory. It suddenly dawns on me that Jake and Ivory's Mom's are back from their business trip.

"Fuck. I'm sorry." Jake apologises quickly before dropping the bat to the floor. The woman with Ivory's face clutches her chest in a dramatic manner. "Good lord. You almost gave me a heart attack! What is wrong with you?" Her green eyes grow wide with disbelief. She's dressed in a form fitting blouse and skirt, and her auburn hair mixed with strands of grey is tied back in a slick bun.

"Sorry, Aunt Myra. I forgot heart attacks are common for women in your age bracket," Jake says to her with a teasing tone. She stands up before slapping his arm lightly in response. Jake envelopes her in a quick hug before turning toward his Mom. "Hey, Mom. It's good to have you back," Jake says before hugging her quickly. She brushes a quick kiss over his cheek. "You're looking well, honey." His Mom smiles while Jake mimics disgust and tries to wipe away the remnants of her kiss. The small interaction causes a stirring in the pit of my stomach, and I silently wish I could play around with my Mom like that. Our relationship is a far cry from joking around with each other.