JACQUELINE's POV
I decided to ignore both Martin and Kaitlyn's coffee invitations. I just wasn't in the mood to hear more lies 17 years later. It would be easier if they would stay away from me! I shook off the thought of even considering to meet any of them for coffee when Mr. Washington approached my desk.
"Ms. Monroe, can you file this with the Brown and Willis' cases from last week?" Mr. Washington asked. "Absolutely sir. Would you like me to remove the Armstrong case files for your meeting tomorrow as well?" I asked while organizing the files on my desk. "Yes, that would help tremendously. Thank you" he said turning to greet his girlfriend that just walked into his office. "No problem, Mr. Washington," I said as he continued to walk away.
He's been in charge this week with my boss, Mr. O'Donnell out on vacation; one he rarely takes.
"Did you see his ass?" Katherine walked over and asked. "Oh goodness! Horny much?" I rhetorically asked. "I'd take a piece of him with a side of biscuits any day" she retorted. "Is she daydreaming about Mr. Sexy Joel again?" Veronica asked. "You know she is" I replied rolling my eyes. "I don't know why she wastes her time when Mr. Sexy Pants clearly has eyes for Jacq" Marie interjected. "No, he does not! No offense" Kat said lifting her hands. "None took" I scoffed. "I didn't mean it like that. What I meant is you wouldn't give him the time of day" she said shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not a complete prude. The right guy just hasn't approached me. Besides, I'm more so focused on repairing my relationship with my daughter. She's coming home for the holidays and I've asked her to have dinner with me" I said changing the subject. "Well, I think Little Koby is getting more than her momma. Loosen up a bit" Veronica joked. "Haven't I been faithful to our Thursday night rendezvous? I've loosened up quite a bit" I said laughing. "You have just not in the right places," Marie said slapping my ass. "I take care of myself just fine," I said playfully pursing my lips. "Nothing is wrong if you want Mr. Joel to help you loosen up a bit more" Kat teased. "He has a girlfriend who looks like a supermodel. How the hell do I compete with that? Not to mention, I'm not interested in dating my boss" I said rolling my eyes. "Well, if you won't give it a go I sure as hell plan on it," Veronica said throwing out her hip.
I laughed at their theatrics until they left. They didn't bother to stick around long after that. They knew I would be there long after my core hours.
"You're here late again?" Mr. Washington asked. "Yes, sir I am just about every night" I replied. "Why?" He asked leaning on my desk. "I have nothing to run home to but unopened boxes that still need unpacking Mr. Washington" I chuckled walking away to file some papers. "Please, call me Joel," he said grabbing two coffees. "You don't have to fix my coffee sir, I mean Joel. I am leaving soon anyway" I said starting to gather my things. "Sorry, you just look stressed and I for one know I am" he smirked. "I promised the girls I would meet them tonight. I can't be late or they will swear I flaked on them. No plans with your girlfriend?" I asked. "Colleen?" He asked choking on his coffee. "Is that her name?" I asked with a smirk. "She is not my girlfriend but she definitely stops by to ensure I never get one" he laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry" I smiled. "No worries, Ms. Monroe. Enjoy your ladies' night out" Joel said turning to head back to his office. "Jacqueline but my friends call me Jacq," I said waving goodbye to him.
I had those same butterflies in my stomach that I had when he started working here 6 months ago.
Before I got too wrapped up in my own lust, I received an unexpected text from Koby.
"Hey, mom. I'm at your front door. Kiki knew wheeze you lived" Koby texted.
"Koby! I'm so glad you made it"
"Is it okay if we talk?" Koby texted.
"Of course! I'll be home in 30 minutes. Are you hungry? I can pick us up something"
"No, I just ate. Thank you" Koby texted.
"Okay, there's a key under the rock by the flowerpot. Let yourself in"
"Sounds good" Koby texted.
My heart was doing leaps. My daughter decided to finally see me. We hadn't spoken fluently in months. I understood she needed her space and independence but it made me sad. I've worked harder every day to make up for the lost time. I want her to be as proud of me as I am of her.
"I'm so happy you decided to stop by!" I exclaimed pulling her into a hug. "Me too. It's been far too long" she said easing herself on the loveseat. "Have you been getting the money your Uncle Eddie and I've been putting in your account?" I asked sitting across from her. "I have but I haven't touched it. I just let it hit my savings" Koby replied shifting in her seat. "Well, you look really good but something is bothering you," I said observing the obvious. "Mom, what's with you and Noah's family? Please don't give me the watered-down version?" She said with pleading eyes. "I'm glad you asked because I have no intentions of watering it down for you. It's long overdue I suppose and you deserve to know" I replied. "Okay, thank you" she replied. "First, let me make us some hot chocolate and s'mores and we can talk about it then. "Sounds delicious," Koby said following me to the kitchen.
I noticed she was taking in her environment. I only hoped she was pleased with the upgrade I had made. Eddie found this place for me and I ended up getting it for a steal.
"I love the house," Jakoby said eyeing the family photos I hung in the hallway. "Yeah, I do too" I replied. "How many bedrooms?" she asked. "It has 3 bedrooms and two full bathrooms. My favorite part of the house is the sunroom" I gloated. "Can I have a tour?" she asked with a smile. "I would be delighted to show you around. The entire top floor is my bedroom and bathroom. Would you consider spending the night with me?" I asked hoping she would accept. "I was hoping I could stay a little longer if that's okay," she said not making eye contact. "Of course that's okay. Stay as long as you like as long as you're not missing class. Is everything okay with Noah?" I asked. "Yes ma'am. He makes me very happy" she said with a big smile.
After the home tour, I rushed to make our hot chocolate and smores. I needed to prepare myself for the long-overdue conversation we were about to ask.
JAKOBY's POV
"These are delicious," I said taking my first bite off the homemade smores. "There's plenty more where that came from," my mom said smiling in delight. "So, why are you home on a Friday night?" I asked. "Well, I sort of lied to my boss and told him I was going out with the ladies from work but the truth is I bailed on them tonight" my mom giggled. "You actually go out?" I asked in disbelief. "Yes, sort of when I don't bail. I've been doing a better job trying to get me a life outside of work, my past, and you" she happily replied. "So, is there a guy?" I asked furrowing my eyebrows. "NO!" she quickly replied. "Maybe it's time you get back out there. You haven't dated anyone since Troy. That was like 5 years ago, mom" I said stating facts. "I'll think about it. Now, let's talk about what you really came here for" my mother said cutting to the chase.
I could see it written all over her face that she was quite uncomfortable.
"Take your time," I said placing my hand over hers. "Thanks, baby but I'm okay. It's time I came clean. "What happened all those years ago?" I asked. "Well, Kaitlyn Booker and I used to be best friends, which is why I was not so keen on you being best friends with her daughter. Maybe I was afraid that history may repeat itself. Anywho, I had the biggest crush on Matt Booker who Kaitlyn is now married to. As it turns out, Milton Sinclair and Martin Sinclair had a crazy crush on me. Kaitlyn was dating Martin at the time though. She knew about my crush on Matt so when she invited me to the party I didn't think much of it. I didn't know that it had all been a setup. Milton orchestrated it all unbeknownst to me. He begged Kaitlyn to invite me, not Matt. If I had known that I would not have attended that stupid party. When I got to the party Matt actually kept me company the entire time. I ended up having a great time. We even exchanged numbers and made out a few times. Matt got called away by his parents. He had some big recruiting interview the next day. Kaitlyn was too drunk to know what was going on around her and she agreed to be our designated driver. I was glad I didn't decide to drink, but as it turns out you can still spike someone's bottle of water" my mom said pausing.
I watched her body language tense for a split second. She started pacing the floor sort of a frantic mess. Her palms were sweaty and she seemed really uncomfortable.
"We can resume tomorrow if this is too hard" I finally spoke up. "NO! I need to do this" she replied exhaling. "Okay," I simply said. "Milton had to have been watching me the entire night. Apparently, he was pissed that Matt and I hung out all night. The moment Matt left the party I went to the coatroom to grab my jacket to leave as well because I was feeling a bit woozy. That's how I knew something was off. I promised Matt that I was leaving. Milton cornered me in the coatroom and refused to let me go. He started saying I had been ignoring him the entire night. His breath reeked of alcohol. I tried to use that to my advantage and push him to the side. Instead, he forced me on my stomach to the bed. I felt his hand rope around my neck from behind. I screamed and fought as hard as I could but no one heard me. Milton ripped my panties off while screaming that I was a tease and he knew I wanted everything he was about to give me. Martin stumbled in and saw what was happening in front of him. By that time my screams were no more and Milton had already released himself inside me. Milton somehow convinced his drunk brother that I wanted him but he had to promise not to let Kaitlyn find out. Martin flipped me over and started kissing me roughly and held on to my wrist too tight. I was too weak to fight them off. By the time Martin realized what he had done he looked horrified. I remember croaking our "help". Martin quickly fixed himself and mumbled I'm sorry at least 10 times after shoving his brother. It was odd because he really seemed confused about what he had just done to me. Martin left the room and came back with a bottle of water and found his brother on top of me yet again. He pulled Milton off of me and called him an idiot. I don't remember much after that. I blacked out and woke up in the hospital with Matt, Martin, and Kaitlyn all looking both terrified and horrified. Apparently, Matt came back because he left this phone in the coatroom. I'm not sure how much of it he had seen or not seen. Same with Kaitlyn. I've been pissed at all of them for years because neither of them spoke up when I went to the authorities. They knew what happened to me, but neither of them had the balls to come to bat for me. I was afraid that you being with Noah just seemed too coincidental. The history I have with that family is just painful" my mom said looking as if the world was no longer resting on her shoulders.
I gave her a little smile silently letting her know that I was proud of her.
"How did Mrs. Booker end up with Matt Booker?" I asked. "Oh, that was the icing on the cake. She started dating him two months after the incident which pissed me off even more. Matt was dropping by to check on me after it all happened. He called and comforted me often until one day he didn't. Kaitlyn never checked on me and she was my supposed best friend. I later discovered that she possibly set me up. It wasn't supposed to lead to me being raped. She was hoping that I took a liking to her boyfriend at the time brother, Milton. Kaitlyn had her eyes on Matt but I was an obstacle because he liked me. I couldn't believe it" she said smirking.
My mom paused and shook her head in disbelief like she was loving it all over again.
"That's messed up," I said shaking my head too. "Yeah, it really was. I actually ran into Matt at the grocery store about 7 months after it happened and he seemed so happy to see me. That's when he told me what he suspected with Kaitlyn. They broke up after our conversation, especially after the two brothers only got 6 months in prison and that was after Eddie damn near beat them to death. Matt stayed my friend. He even gave me money to make sure you and I were okay. I actually had a relationship with him. I never told anyone that. We were in love. A year later, Kaitlyn's parents actually arranged for those Matt and her to be married. They said it was a good business move. Not to mention, the rapist brothers came with the business deal since all of their parents were stockholders in their company" my mom said standing from her feet. "So, that's why you feel indebted to Uncle Eddie? You feel like because he went to bat for you that he lost his chances in the real world when he went to prison?" I asked trying to put everything into perspective. "Basically, Eddie was the only family that came to my side out of any of my family. It almost seemed like my mother had hinted if I hadn't gone to that party this would have never happened to me. My mother said I blew up their quiet life. Eddie lost his shit after that. He's always had my back since I was a kid. Eddie has always looked out for me when our mother didn't dare bother to. Apparently, she hated our dad. When she started having kids with her new husband my brother and I took a backseat in her life" my mom said shrugging her shoulders. "Where's your family now?" I asked. "I'm looking at part of it and Eddie is at work. He will finally be done with the Giovanni's. Oh! That reminds me, Smoke went missing from the hospital after what he tried to do to you. I'm assuming they killed him but there was nobody so we can't know for sure" my mom said looking overjoyed. "I meant, where's your mom and other siblings now?" I asked trying to get back on track. "Did you not just hear what I said about Smoke?" She asked baffled. "Yes, and that's great but I don't want to relive that right now" I replied. "Fine, I thought that would put you at ease a bit. All I know is they live in Holly Oaks. I haven't seen any siblings other than mine in years. Other than Eddie, I have two other brothers and one sister. There's Bobby, James, and Lauren" my mom said pulling out her phone to pull up their social media accounts. "You have a beautiful family. Is that your mom?" I asked pointing at the older lady with salt and pepper hair. "It is. Her name is Gwendolyn" my mom sadly said. "Well, I'm sure she will be so proud of you now. I'm proud of you mom" I said giving her a hug.
I'm glad I finally know the truth. It makes it a little easier to put things into perspective now.
"Do you still love Matt?" I asked almost regretting it. "I never stopped loving Matt. The night of his wedding he came running to me saying how he was miserable. He actually stayed the night with me. You were too small to remember" my mom said feeling embarrassed. "What about Neal? Isn't he the Booker's oldest son?" I asked confused with the timeline. "Yeah, they adopted him when he was about 5 years old when they thought Kaitlyn couldn't have children," my mom said shrugging her shoulders. "That explains a lot. He's not like them in the best way" I admitted. "Just be careful. Matt isn't any better. He fell into the business world and started thinking too highly of himself too. I stopped him from coming to my doorstep years ago. I waist about to be a mistress to a man who had every opportunity to choose me. Instead, he befriended my rapist and married my enemy. I love Matt but I am not in love with him" my mom said taking a huge bite out of her s'more. "Do you think that Maddie and Beale friends by chance or that I won that essay contest?" I asked starting to question everything now. "In a lot of ways I don't think it's a coincidence. You're smart so you would have gotten into that academy without their help. You and Maddie immediately took a liking to each other just as I and her mom did all those years ago" my mom pointed out. "Just like Mrs. Booker backstabbed you her daughter did me the same and over a guy too!" I exclaimed listening to the irony. "That's pathetic" my mom scoffed before laughing. "Right" I agreed. "Just keep Noah honest. He reminds me a lot of the younger Matt" my mom said standing to take our empty hot chocolate mugs. "It's hard but I'll try. His family is quite persistent" I said looking down at my shoes. "Well, you push harder or let it take its course" she bluntly said. "Dang! Remind me not to get relationship advice from you" I said laughing. "Sorry, honey. I don't have much practice as you know. The ladies at the office are convinced this guy that's filling in for your boss has the hots for me. I have no clue" she confessed looking embarrassed.
We laughed as she told me about her new job and how she was starting her masters in the spring. She even told me about one of the rapist brothers, Martin had been asking her out for months.
Even Uncle Eddie dropped by and brought us holiday cupcakes from some new woman he was courting that owned a bakery in the city. Even he seemed to be living the good life. He promised to try to find me an affordable car too. I was excited to get out of Noah's truck. This seemed like family.