CHAPTER 16 - LETTING ME IN

I sat there for what seemed like forever, dazed and confused. Jake had told me we would meet his biological father and my mind could not wrap itself around the words.

His biological father had left his mom pregnant and broke. It was his current father who raised him, gave him everything he had and made him the man he was today. How was I supposed to respond? What was I supposed to say?

Not sure where to start, I let my thoughts spill out. I couldn't help but notice that Jake had become tense ever since he dropped the bomb on me. His eyes stayed fixed straight ahead, his face void of any expression. He was holding his breath, waiting to see what my response would be. He had told me I was about to get a front-row seat to one of the most vulnerable moments of his life.

I was a little hesitant, "Jake, do your parents know?"

"My dad doesn't, but my mom does."

"What did she say about it?"

"It upset her when I first brought it up. After I explained my reasons and begged her not to tell dad, she agreed."

"She told you what you wanted to know, no questions asked?"

"She gave me the basic info, told me she understood why I had to do this but said she wished that I wouldn't. Then she begged me to never tell my dad because it would hurt him too much."

This was such a sad situation. Jake had to hide everything from everyone. No one should have to live that way. My next question made me nervous. I looked away, not able to bear seeing his expression when he heard it.

"Jake, why do you need to meet him?" There was a long hesitation before he responded. I reminded myself to be thankful that he was opening up, letting me into his world.

"My dad has given me everything I could want. He has loved me and been an amazing father to me. I know that should be enough, but there hasn't been a single day that has gone by that I have not wondered. It crushes me to think my real father took off and left me like he was taking out the trash. He never even looked back, he never cared and I have to know why I wasn't good enough. I have to know if I look like him, if I laugh like him, if I have any part of him."

My heart was aching. As he spoke, I could hear the pain in his voice even though he was working hard to keep his composure. How could anyone hurt such an amazing human being? He has such a beautiful soul, I didn't understand how anyone could "throw him away" as he referred to it.

After a few more moments of silence, he continued, "I have to know if I have the part of him that left me. What if there is a cold-hearted person hiding inside of me waiting to escape?"

That was his true fear, the force that was driving him to find this man at all costs. The thought probably kept him up at night. No longer able to restrain myself, I unbuckled myself and moved over to him. I pulled his hand into mine and rested it in my lap, laying my head on his shoulder. If I contributed nothing else to the journey he was on, I would make him understand how special he was.

I wasn't sure how I would convey that, but the one thing that kept coming to my mind was what Jenny's mom told me. That was weird, I know, but when I was at my lowest, somehow it was her words that brought me a little piece. With my head still on his shoulder, I tried to explain what was in my heart.

"Jenny's mom once told me that each of us has a purpose. She said that when I was still in my mother's womb God knew me and before I was born he set me apart, do you think that's true?"

Jake thought for a moment before responding, "I'm not sure Sky, I hope it is though."

"Well, I have thought about it for a while and I think it is, I think it's true for you too. No matter how your life started, it started for a very specific purpose. You had to get here, by whatever means necessary because you are amazing and you have so much to bring to this world."

"That sounds awesome Sky, but it doesn't sound like me," he replied. That he didn't see how amazing he was, frustrated me. How could he not see?

"Jake, you have brought so much to my life. I have felt invisible and useless my entire life, but you make me feel like I am special. You are always there to save me, you have changed my life and I am just one person," I continued to encourage him.

Jake didn't respond, but I felt his body relax as his grip on my hand seemed to pull in tighter. In some small way, I hoped that had brought him some peace too. Either way, I was glad he had chosen me to be part of such a special experience and I would see him through it.

After a couple of hours of driving, we pulled up to a gorgeous hotel. It was so tall and the exterior boasted mirrored panels. It was sleek. A valet took our luggage and Jake's keys.

My mind was spinning and I couldn't help but ask, "Jake, we can't check in here, we are not eighteen yet."

He smirked a bit and responded, "Sky, my parents have a lot of connections, it's already arranged, we are fine."

When we got to the front desk, the clerk addressed him as "Mr. Stephenson." We finally got to the hotel room and there was a large basket waiting on us full of snacks and drinks. The card read, "It is a pleasure to have you as our guest, Mr. Stephenson."

I had always known his family was loaded, but that was a whole new level. They treated him like royalty. After we finished reading the card my eyes turned to survey the room. Everything was so spacious and gorgeous, not a single expense was spared.

The front area held a living room, a freaking living room inside a hotel room. There was a high-end bar, a well-appointed desk and off of the living room, a luxurious bathroom. Once we entered the bedroom, my eyes settled on the king-size bed in the middle.

Jake noticed the look on my face and reassured me. "Don't worry Sky, I will be a perfect gentleman, my limit is a good snuggle." I rolled my eyes at him.

"We are meeting him at 8:00 for dinner so we have some time but I guess we better get ready. We will need at least half an hour for traffic," he informed me.

As he was filling me in, I couldn't help but notice his body language. He was so tense, like every muscle in his body was standing at attention.

I walked over to him, my body facing his, "Sit Down Jake."

He looked at me puzzled, "What, why?"

"Sit down," I instructed him again.

He sat in the desk chair and I walked around him, "Close your eyes," I whispered. Surely, he thought I had lost my mind, but I didn't care, my entire focus was on easing some of his tension.

He did as I asked, not at all sure what was going on. I loved that he trusted me that much. With his eyes closed, I placed my hands on his shoulders and began massaging them slowly and firmly. After a few minutes of rubbing his shoulders, I placed my hands on the sides of his neck. I rubbed my thumbs up and down the back of it and he let out a low grown. I could feel his body relaxing with every passing moment. When I finally felt my mission was a success, I walked around him and kissed him on the forehead, "Feel better?"

"Mmmh" was all he said with his eyes still closed. He would have loved to stay that way for a while longer, but we were unfortunately on a time limit. It wasn't long before we were ready and headed to the restaurant.

He was right, traffic made our drive time about half an hour. I was honestly kind of glad it did. It gave him a chance to steady himself before one of the most important meetings he would ever have.

When we pulled up in front of the restaurant and parked, he stayed in his seat. I could see his wheels turning, hesitation showed on his face. I leaned over to him and placed my hand on his chest, nuzzling my face into his neck.

"I'm right here, we'll get through this together," I whispered. He opened his eyes and looked into mine. I reassured him one last time, "Whatever happens in there, you are still Jake, you are still mine."

I held his hand all the way inside, no way I was letting him go. The hostess showed us to the table where his biological father was waiting. I trailed behind him, his hand still in mine. When he first caught sight of his biological father, his grip tightened. I knew his nerves were standing on end.

My first glance at him stopped my heart. Jake was a mirror image of him, same brown hair, same blue eyes, same athletic build. The man had a few more wrinkles but the same charming smile. The nervousness behind it did not escape me.

As we reached the table, Jake stood there, his entire body stiff and rigid. His eyes fixated on the man in front of us. There was no doubt he noticed the resemblance as I did. His biological father finally broke the awkwardness, standing to his feet to greet us.

"Jake, I am Ross, it's nice to meet you. This must be Sky, how are you, my dear?"

"Fine thank you," I responded in a bit of daze, trying to grasp all that was unfolding in front of me. We took our seats, and he informed us he had ordered water and some appetizers. As we both perused our menus, Jake's hand was holding mine under the table and his grip was tightening. He was tense.

Ross was strikingly handsome but visibly nervous. He was trying to keep his composure. I could tell he was squirming in his seat, unsure how the night might end. I rubbed Jake's hand with the side of my thumb, trailing circles on it. It seemed to soothe him a bit and he never let go of my hand. Ross opened his wallet while he spoke.

"Jake, you have grown into a young man now." Placing a picture of Jake that looked to be from about a ninth-grade on the table, he continued. "This is the last picture I have of you, I couldn't believe it when you walked in tonight."

Jake's jaw fell open. His biological father had been keeping up with him the entire time.

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A/N

Thank you for continuing to follow Jake and Sky's journey. I enjoyed writing their story and hope you will consider voting if you liked this chapter.