Chapter Twelve
Jake
June
We didn't make it to the finals, which was a huge upset, but we'll just have to work that much harder next year. Emily has been working out with me, and that's been decent. She's gotten back into running, so we run every morning at the gym before moving on to other exercises. I barely know she's there, really. Emily puts her earbuds in place, turns on her workout music, and that's it. We're together, but we don't talk. I actually like that she's my silent partner in sweat. She'd die if she knew that's what I call her. But she's losing her weight like she wants, still looking great, so I'm happy that she's satisfied.
“Are you going to be okay without me this weekend?” I ask her as I hold her in my arms in our bedroom.
“Of course. I'm babysitting Sophie for Helen, so I'll be fine. You go have fun with your brother.” She gives me a quick kiss, but when she goes to pull away, I place my hand on the back of her neck to bring her back towards me. “Mmm,” she mumbles at the end of our kiss. “What was that for?”
“Aside from the fact that I'm going to be gone all weekend? We have one month left until you go from being my Sweetness to my wife.” I grin and she returns it.
“I can't wait. I love you, you know.”
“I know and I love you too.”
“Jake! Let's go already! We're going to miss our flight!” Drake yells from the living room.
“Go. I'll see you when you get back,” she says.
I give her one more kiss, and then she sees us out the door. We're going to Toronto to the Hockey Hall of Fame. We're pretty excited about it, and it'll be the first time that Drake's been out of the country. Emily was bummed when I told her where we decided to go, but it's a guys-only trip for me to hang out with Drake before all the wedding craziness starts. I'll have to take her one day though.
Sitting on the plane as we fly through the clouds, I run the palms of my hands down my thighs to my knees.
“Are you ready for this wedding of yours?” Drake asks.
“I've been ready for a long time.” I smile at the thought of a smiling Sweetness walking towards me in a white dress and I add, “I can't wait to see her in her dress and to show her our house.”
Drake glances down at his hands in his lap. “Yeah, she's going to love it,” he murmurs.
Something doesn't sit right with how he said it. “Everything okay, Drake?”
He looks out the window, staring at the vastness of the sky. “Yeah, sure.”
“Drake.” It's all I say because I'm hoping I won't have to force it out of him. These past few months have been great, but it's obvious that he's struggling with something right now. He has a good relationship with Emily, and we've reached a point where he'll call or text me any time he wants to talk if I'm not home.
He quickly glances at me before looking down at his hands again. Softly, he says, “I've been thinking a lot with the wedding coming up, moving into a new house, and going back home. I've thought about Dad and how I ever ended up in another state to start with. It's just that with you and Emily moving on in life, and with Dad gone, I realized that y'all have to drag me along too.”
I'm dumbfounded and speechless before I understand what he's talking about. “Drake, you are my brother.-”
“I know,” he starts.
Turning towards him in my seat, I keep talking. “You are not and have never been a burden. I took care of you in a lot of ways after Mom died and Dad started drinking. I didn't mind because we're brothers. Brothers are supposed to be there for each other, no matter what. Then Dad died, so you were with me for good. I'm your big brother, Drake. I'm supposed to take care of you and it hasn't bothered me once. Not ever. And don't even think that Emily minds either. She loves you just as much as I do and she would do anything for you in a heartbeat.”
“But you didn't ask to be the one who had to take care of me.”
Where is all of this coming from? “No, but if I had the option of taking care of you or not, I would choose to take care of you and have you with me. Drake, listen to me for a second. Your room at the new house?”
He nods, his eyes on me now.
“Emily told me to make it the best room because she's already thinking about when you turn eighteen and leave for college. She doesn't want you to go because she's scared of losing you. She's scared of you leaving home and never coming back like we did. You are part of her family. The how doesn't matter to her. She would choose to take care of you too. We both are part of Emily's family and we wouldn't change a thing.”
Drake smiles a little. “Okay, okay. You didn't have to give me a speech, Jake. I wondered about it, that's all.”
“All right then. Just remember that Emily's going to have a fit if you choose a college that isn't close by. I mean, wherever you want to go is fine, but she's going to have a hard time with it either way.”
He laughs and we make small talk for the rest of the plane ride.
* * *
“This has to be the coolest place on Earth,” Drake tells me, completely mesmerized as we walk around the Hockey Hall of Fame building.
“I think I have to agree.”
We've already been here for two hours, but we have been taking our time, spending minutes looking at each and every thing possible. It's fascinating to see the best of hockey all around us. We end up spending the entire day in or around the museum. Spending time with my brother is wonderful, and it feels good to hang out with him. Later that night, we're out eating supper when I start talking about the main reason I wanted this trip.
“Things are going to get a little crazy with the wedding. We're leaving that Sunday before to spend the week down there and then Emily and I are leaving afterwards for our honeymoon.”
“You don't have to tell me, Jake. I know that it's going to be busy.”
“Okay, but keep the lines of communication open, all right?” When he nods, I bring up the next topic. “As of right now, the plan is for you to stay with Mike while we're gone. You'll fly home the day after we get back. That okay with you?”
“Can't I stay with Riley and his family instead? It'll be more fun.”
I tell him that I'll think about it. A little over a week with someone else and their family? I'm not so sure about that. It probably would be more fun for him, though. I'll talk it over with Emily and see what she thinks. When we get back to the hotel, Drake takes a shower, and I call Emily.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Sweetness. How are things there?” I ask.
“Good! Just getting home from watching Sophie. I'm thinking that since this may be the last time I have the house to myself for a while that I should walk around naked. What do you think?”
Laughing, memories of when we stayed at the cabin that one weekend surge to the surface. “I'm thinking that if you're going to walk around naked, I should be there to see it.”
“You're the one who chose to go to the freaking Hockey Hall of Fame without me. The thought of teasing you with proof of my streak around the house has crossed my mind, but I'm not going to do that.”
“What kind of proof?”
“Doesn't matter now, love. What time does your flight come in tomorrow?”
“Six,” I answer, but my mind is lost with images of her naked body beneath mine. I am so ready to get home. Better yet, I'm more than ready to make her my wife.