We Were Free

Chapter 41

Jake got his house completely ready and Chloe was close to being there. He was excited and kept kissing me and he kept seeming like he had to tell me something, but ended up not telling me. It was honestly confusing me.

"What?" I asked as he kissed me again.

"Nothing. I just love you and I'm excited for you to get to know chloe." He said.

"Are you going to tell her what really happened?" I asked.

"Yeah. I trust her." He said and the doorbell rang across the house. He grabbed my hand and walked with me to the door and he opened it to her and anabelle standing at the front. Anabelle looked so cute. She was all dressed up, and Chloe looked beautiful.

"Hi!" I said and hugged her and I squatted down in front of anabelle after. Jake was talking to chloe and anabelle went to hide behind Chloe but Jake grabbed her and pulled her up into his arms. She was so shy.

"Don't be shy. You look adorable, sweetheart." He said softly and pinched her cheek gently. It melted my heart. She buried her face into his chest to "hide" herself and we both backed out the doorway so chloe could walk in.

"Your house is beautiful." She said and Jake smiled.

"Thank you." He said.

"I hope you like Chicken Alfredo! We made anabelle chicken nuggets and Mac n cheese because we weren't sure what she would want. We also have red or white wine too. The best wine I've ever had." I said and Jake smiled weakly and he looked down at anabelle with her head on his chest.

"I love Chicken Alfredo. Its one of my favorites, and you didn't have to make that for ana! Geez you didn't even have to make dinner. I would have been fine with a pizza and Ana could have dealt with it." She said and I chuckled and so did she.

"You know we would make sure you didn't leave hungry." Jake said and Chloe smiled weakly at him. He put Ana down in the dining room after walking with her to it and we let chloe and her both sit.

"I'll grab the food and be right back. I'm excited to catch up on things with you." Jake said and I nodded.

"I'll help." I said and followed him into the kitchen. I grabbed the food and he stopped me and put his hand over mine.

"Hold on." He said.

"What?" I asked.

"Can I drink tonight? Not a lot-just wine. That's it." He said and I looked up at him.

"You don't need to ask me permission. You're a grown man and can make that your own call." I said.

"I know. I just wanted to tell you that it wasn't going to be a lot. My limit is two glasses. If I go over stop me." He said.

"Okay." I said and he kissed me.

"I love you, Blaire." He said.

"I love you too. I want to cuddle with you tonight." I said and he wrapped his arms around me and held me for a second without saying anything. He let me go after and grabbed the food he had originally had, and I grabbed the rest along with the red wine we he grabbed the white. I didn't want him to drink. I knew he'd have more than one glass and not listen to me even if I tried to stop him from drinking more, I just couldn't control his decisions.

* * *

Jake was on glass four. I glanced at him multiple times, I tried motioned you him to warn him to stop, and he ignored it even after acknowledging what I was asking. He knew exactly what I was talking about.

"Hey Jake?" I asked.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Can I try your wine?" I asked and he nodded and handed me the bottle and I put it next to me. I didn't make it obvious that I was basically taking it away from him, especially in front of chloe-but I poured myself a glass and finished it so he couldn't have anymore. I could tell he was already buzzed and I was mad at myself for letting him go over what he told me to stop him at. He hadn't drank or done anything for two months and it was affecting him a lot quicker since he had been sober.

"Jake!" Anabelle said excitedly.

"What?!" He asked asked back in the same tone and she giggled.

"I'm full. Can we play?" She asked and Chloe chuckled.

"We can play. What do you want to play? I don't have much here but we can play hide and seek." He said.

"Okay!" She said and Chloe looked up at Jake.

"Can I ask you something? I haven't really asked because I don't want to upset you-but everything in the media lately-is it true?" She asked and looked to Jake and he looked over at me and I nodded slowly.

"The media says a lot of shit that isn't true-" he paused and he glanced to Anabelle and Chloe looked down at her and smiled.

"Hey...sweetheart. Can you go in the living room and watch TV? We're going to have grown up talk." Chloe said.

"Can we play hide and seek after?" She asked with a poured lip and Jake nodded.

"Of course, sweetheart." He smiled and she got up and ran down the hall into the living room. Jake took a sip of his wine and I wanted him to just stop.

"A lot of what was said was true though-" he paused.

"I was addicted to coke for a while and that's true. Everything that's been said has basically been true. Blaire and I are okay now, but we did fall out, I went down hill fast, I overdosed, and I had to go to rehab for over a month. I've been clean since and I've been okay. I'm healthy and happier and me and her are back. The feeling of losing her was the worst feeling I had ever felt and I felt sick to my stomach every day I was in rehab because I thought I ruined my last chance. I'm happy now. I'm home with her and I'm okay now. It was just a really bad dark place." He said.

"When did you start it?" She asked.

"I was on it since college. I was on and off throughout the years-but I know I'll never let myself go back to where I was. It was just a stupid thing I did that will definitely catch up with me later on in life. I'll probably have a lot of health issues from it, but I'm okay right now. I feel good." He said and her eyes softened.

"You were on it when you helped me?" She asked.

"I was-but not as bad as I had recently gotten. I also tried not to because of Ana and I didn't want to scare you or anything-I don't know. It never changed how I was to people. I just liked the feeling it gave me." He said and I put my hand on his knee under the table. He put his hand over mine and she nodded slowly.

"I'd never look at you any less knowing that. Jake I'll always genuinely care and love you so much-Blaire I don't mean it like that. I just mean as someone I genuinely care about. You two could both call me if you ever needed anything and I'd be here to help you." She said.

"I completely understand and hope you know we would do the same." I said.

"Absolutely." He said and she shook her head.

"You've done enough for me. You're the reason I don't live in fear anymore and that I have a happy and safe life for my baby girl. You never charged me anything for the case and let me keep the money I got from it. All of it. You never wanted anything from me and that there is everything to me." She said and Jake smiled weakly.

"I just care." He said.

"I know-and I'd never judge you for that reason." She said and he smiled weakly. He looked down at his hands in his lap and I rubbed his knee.

"Look-I say we play hide and seek with Ana. She'll be happy." Jake said to change the subject and Chloe and I chuckled.

"Ready or not! Hear we come!"