The Wrong Way Back To You

Ch 7

She tossed and turned most of the night. No matter now hard she tried she could not relax herself enough to close her eyes and

get some sleep. She was mentally and physically exhausted but her body would not allow her to sleep. Once she knew that Dominic was out cold, she slipped from the bed and quietly went upstairs. The lights were all turned off, and it seemed as if everyone had turned in for the night.

She made her way onto the back porch and sat on the swing. Memories from years ago flooded her mind. There were many nights that she and Jake shared this swing, some nights were spent talking, other nights, they would just sit and swing, not saying a word. Things were so much simpler back then. They were just two teenagers falling in love over the summer. It was the same swing where they shared their first kiss all those years ago. She smiled as she remembered that night.

"Do you want some company?"

Allie looked up from her book and saw Jake leaning against the rail. "Sure. It's your house. It's not like I can tell you where you can and can't go."

"That's true. But I don't want to disturb you if you want to be left alone."

"It's fine." Allie marked her page and set the book next to her. "Just getting off work?"

"Yeah, where is everyone? I didn't think that anyone was home."

"They decided to all run into town. Lisa, Amber and your mom wanted to do some shopping and your dad mentioned something about having to pick up stuff from the hardware store."

"Great. Another project for him to rope me into doing."

"I think that my dad is going to help him so you might be off the hook."

"You don't know my dad. He will find a way to get me involved in it."

Allie laughed. "Well, he can't make you help if he can't find you."

"True. So why didn't you go with them?"

"A hardware store is not my idea of fun and I figured that Lisa and your mom would be shopping in stores that really do not interest me much so I figured I would just stay here, read and book and enjoy the quiet."

"Needed a break from the annoying little sister?" Jake sat down on the swing next to Allie.

"Amber is not that bad. Being trapped in a car with her for that long can be a bit overwhelming."

"I know how siblings can be. You love em but man, sometimes you wish you were an only child."

"Something like that."

"Well, how about me and you go and do something that we would like to do? Unless you want to sit here and continue reading your book."

"No, that sounds fun. What do you have in mind?"

"Are you okay with getting a little dirty?"

"Absolutely. It doesn't bother me getting dirty and sweaty."

Jake raised an eyebrow at her comment. "Really, now?"

Allie could feel her face turning red. "Yeah," she replied, barely a whisper.

"Well, let me grab a shower real quick and wash the sweat and stink off of me and we will head out on our own adventure."

Allie felt a slight flutter in her stomach. She wondered what kind of adventure that he was going to take her on. "Sounds good." she tried to keep her voice steady.

"Good, go get changed while I shower. Don't wear white." Jake leaned over and planted a kiss on Allie's lips. It completely caught her off guard but she was going to play it cool. She leaned into him and they kissed for a minute longer before Jake stood and walked into to the house to take his shower.

Allie sat stunned on the swing for a moment before she got up and went into the house to change. She changed into a sea blue tank top and slipped out of her flip flops and grabbed her tennis shoes and a paid of socks before returning to the back porch. She was lacing up her shoes when Jake emerged freshly showered sporting a pair of short and a sleeveless t-shirt.

"Ready?"

"Yeah. Do you think that we should leave a note or something for then? I don't want my dad to think that I fell off the side of a mountain."

"Already taken care of. I let Randy know. He and Julie are on their way here to do laundry and they will let them know when they get back."

"Okay, then, I guess that I am ready."

"Let's go." Jake held out his hand and helped Allie to her feet.

That was the beginning for them. After that moment, they were inseparable. They were constantly stealing moments away from the family to spend time alone and get to know each other better.

Now, seven years later, Allie was back at his parent's home, wondering how she was going to tell him about Dominic. She know that he knew the truth, just from taking one look at Dom. There was no hiding it. She was going to have to explain to everyone why she did what she did, why she kept it a secret for so long and why now, of all times, did she feel it necessary for Jake and his family to know the truth.

Once they knew the entire story, she was unsure how they were going to react. It wasn't like she had to tell them that she broke a lamp or dented a car. She had their son and grandson that they never knew existed. She kept that information from them for seven years. She let someone else be the father figure in his life. They missed out on so many years and milestones of his life because of her decision. While she did not regret that decision and would make it again if she had to, she wondered if they would understand her reasoning behind it.

She sat on the swing for a few more moments before going back inside and joining Dominic in bed. She had to try and get some sleep because she knew the next day, she was going to get grilled over every detail of the part.