A Night with a Family

They were already devouring the delectable dishes that Madam Kelly prepared for them when they heard a high-pitched voice echoing around the mansion. "I'm home! Where's everybody?"

A cute girl with bobcat hair wearing a pink floral dress enters the dining room. "Wow, everybody's here. This is a rare event. Sister-in-law must be special." She said enthusiastically.

J looked at the lively girl and thought that she looked familiar. She tried to remember where she saw this girl but she can't seem to figure it out.

Jacob who is sitting on her left side leaned closer to her and said, "She's my younger sister. She's a famous singer." That's right, J already saw this girl on television and billboards. No wonder she is familiar to her.

"Oh, Lilybeth honey! You said you can't make it." Madam Kelly who was sitting on her right side stood up to meet the newcomer and hugged her.

"Well, surprise!" the girl exclaimed. Then she hugged everyone. Lastly, she came to J and said, "So you are my sister-in-law who, unfortunately, I mean fortunately got married to my brother? Oh, brother, you got such a gorgeous wife here. I can't wait for grandfather to find me a handsome husband." she chuckled at her last words.

Both the girls shared a hug which J finds overwhelming because she hasn't been like this. J was never the friendly type. People would get intimidated by her even before they approach her so she rarely gets this kind of approach.

"My name is Lilybeth, that's what my mother calls me but I prefer Lily." she smiled at her which J returned gaily before introducing herself.

Lily is a famous singer in the country but she is a very private person. No one knows that she belonged to a very prominent family. Since she never uses her complete name and never mentions her family or posts any pictures with them on her social media, nobody had the idea that she belongs to the Parker family.

"Okay, that's enough. Get to your seat now, the food is getting cold." It was Chairman John who spoke.

"Aye aye, sir," Lily said while saluting at Chairman John. Chairman John can't help but shake his head with a smile in the corner of his mouth. Lily was right. It was rare for the family to be complete for dinner. He looked at everyone and finally his eyes landed in J. He already accepted this girl into his family and promised her father that his family would protect her.

"All of you should stay over tonight." Madam Kelly said in between her meals.

"Okay," Leticia said instantly. Then she looked at Jacob.

"Mom..." Jacob groaned but before he could argue Madam Kelly interrupted him and said, "I'll take that as a yes. And how about you Lilybeth?"

"Hmm... if my brother and sister-in-law are staying then I'll stay," she said gleefully.

Jacob and J looked at each other. Jacob shrugged his shoulder to J while J replied with a deep sigh.

"So, Jenny. Do you listen to music?" Lily, who was sitting beside Jacob glanced in her direction.

"A lot." It was Jacob who answered before J could reply. He had noticed her about her. She seemed to listen to music more than to listen and talk to people.

Lily's eyes widened in delight. Among the family, it was only her and her niece who loved music. So, she was delighted to hear that her sister-in-law loves music as well.

"Really? So what kind of music do you listen to?" this time Jacob looked at J in anticipation. He only sees her listening to music over the earphones so he hasn't heard what kind of music she listened to.

"Country," J replied shortly.

"Really? That's my genre." Lily became more excited. "But my manager thinks that country music is not too popular in the market that's why she made me sing pop-rock instead. Which is fine with me since it's my second choice. But I still incorporated some country music in my album. You should check it out."

"Sure. I will." J was glad that she shares the same interest with at least one member of Jacob's family. Aside from Lily, everyone seems to be more interested in business and politics, which is the least of her interest. Well, of course, the kids interest her. While she wasn't sure what really interests Madam Kelly.

"Do you listen to Kane Brown?" she heard Lily ask her. So, she looked at her and replied, "Yes, a lot."

"Oh... don't you think he's hot. The tattoo and his voice, I find it sexy." Lily said that with a dreamy eye. J chuckled and said, "Yeah, I do." Which makes Jacob look at her with a furrowed brow.

"We should go to one of his concerts overseas." Lily continued.

"Sure!"

"No!"

Jacob and J replied simultaneously. Everyone including J looked at Jacob with an astonished look.

"What?" Jacob looked at them, he felt his blood rising. He stood up and said, "I'm done." then walked out of the dining room leaving everyone speechless.

After dinner, the family gathered in the family room except for Jacob that is nowhere to be found. J was playing board games with the twins. Madam Kelly, Leticia, and Dominic were sitting on the sofa chatting and Lily was playing the grand piano. While Chairman John went to look for Jacob.

Chairman John found Jacob sitting on a bench in the backyard talking to James over the phone. He wasn't able to come to the hospital since J left the apartment, so he was just checking. When Jacob saw his father approaching, he straightened his back and ended the call.

Chairman John sat beside Jacob. There was a moment of silence before Chairman John took the initiative to speak first.

"How's your marriage going?" he asked without looking at Jacob.

Jacob sighed then stretched out both his arms before placing them behind his head. "She's tricky, lots of secrets. Weeks ago, I bumped into her at Lantana Province driving a luxurious sports car. A car that only elites can afford. I wonder how she could afford that. She doesn't have any relatives in the elite circles." Chairman John didn't speak although he already had an idea as to how J got a luxurious car.

"Then she went into an orphanage, if I didn't insist, she wouldn't let me come. She brought a lot of supplies to that orphanage. And today she also went to a home for the aged to bring them supplies. It seems like she spends all her monthly salary to buy all those supplies."

"Yesterday she sneaked out of the apartment. She's not answering her phone. I couldn't find her anywhere. Guess where I found her?" he paused to look at his father then but answered his questions afterward. "Lotus City Motor Speedway, driving a race car in the speedway, wearing a racing suit and helmet!"

"And she is using an alias! She keeps her identity in everything she does. She is so peculiar." Jacob slouched on the bench with one of his elbows on the armrest while he rested his chin on it.

Chairman John nodded. Although he is very much aware of J's identity and why she keeps it a secret he cannot tell it to Jacob yet.

"As her husband, it is your responsibility to keep her safe and protected. She might be peculiar but you should treat her like a precious gem as all wives should be treated like that. Although you didn't want this marriage in the first place, protect and defend her like she is your intended wife." Although Chairman John said that with a staid look on his face, Jacob listened to his father earnestly.

After hearing his father's words, he finally felt the weight of responsibility that has been passed on to him but he won't back down. He felt a strong sense of responsibility towards Jenny.

After a couple of minutes of chatting the father and son went back inside the mansion to meet the others in the family room.

"Ah, there's your possessive husband!" Lily exclaimed looking to Jacob and then to J.

"Shut it, Lily!" Jacob was getting irksome at Lily who is now laughing beside J. J glared at him.

One by one they started to leave the family room and went to their respective rooms. Madam Kelly already prepared Jacob's bedroom for them. Jacob opened the door and let J enter first.

J was amazed at Jacob's bedroom. It was a minimalist modern contemporary bedroom. The ceiling is painted white while the walls are gray. There were only a few things to be seen in the bedroom. A purple accent chair in one corner, besides it, is a black ottoman while at the center of the room is a brown velvet queen-size bed with a couple of fluffy white and brown pillows. Beside the bed is a circular bedside table with a lampshade on top of it. Behind the bed is a wall, more like a division accentuated with wall sconces that cover a passageway towards the bathroom and walk-in closet.

There's only one window which is a floor-to-ceiling window that is as wide as half of the bedroom's wall. It was draped with a brown curtain that when parted, a breathtaking view of a big tree while behind it is a golf course and man-made lake could be seen.

"You liked it?" J was startled. She forgot that Jacob was standing behind her. "Unfortunately, we'll be only staying here for the night." Jacob continued, then he walked towards the walk-in closet.

J sat on the bed and looked outside the window. It was dark outside but the lights around the country club made it possible for her to see the whole place. Not long after he heard Jacob call her.

"Uhm... Jenny?" Jacob called out her name.

"What?" J replied in a dull tone.

"Since when did you bring your clothes here?" Jacob asked.

"W-what clothes?" Out of curiosity, J walked towards the walk-in closet only to be surprised to see Jacob standing in front of a closet wearing only a towel on his waist with both his arms in his waist.

"Ahhh!" J was embarrassed to see Jacob almost naked. His body is too sexy and hot for her eyes so she covered her eyes with her hands and turned around. The image of his perfect abs, chest, and biceps made her blush. "Damn it! Could you put on some clothes first?" J scolded him angrily.

"What? I didn't tell you to come." Jacob said casually but with a teasing smile on the corner of his lips while looking at J.

Yeah right. Stupid, how can you just come here so casually. J thought to herself.

"But since you're already here, look at this." Jacob pulled her. J tried not to look at Jacob's naked body. "Is this yours?" Jacob asked her looking at a bunch of female clothes hanging in the closet.

J looked at the clothes in front of her. She thought for a while then said, "These clothes are not mine. Probably one of your girls left it there." She said annoyed at the thought of other girls sleeping in Jacob's bedroom before her. Then she started to walk out of the closet, but before she could get out, she heard Jacob say, "I don't bring girls in my bedroom, not even letting them inside my house."

J didn't realize it but she was smiling when she heard Jacob's word.

"Oh wait, let me ask mom." Jacob hurriedly followed J out of the closet still with only a towel on his waist. Picked up his phone and called Madam Kelly.

J couldn't stand it so she turned around looking outside the window to avoid looking at Jacob.

After a while she heard Jacob speak, "She said the clothes were for you. I knew it, she planned all of this. She was sure that we'll be staying the night here so she prepared those clothes for you to wear."

J turned to look at Jacob but after a couple of seconds she dropped her head and scratched her forehead then said, "Could you please put on some clothes first?"

Jacob who was unaware of the emotions that J has been wrestling inside said, "Okay." then walk towards the closet.

J let out a sigh and shook her head.

After a couple of minutes, Jacob went out of the closet wearing a white shirt and gray pants. Then he lies down on the bed with his back on the headboard. J saw him take out a remote control from the drawer of the bedside table and push a button. Suddenly the wall across the bed opened up to reveal a wall-mounted flat-screen TV. Wow! She did not see that coming.

With J's family background, she could've gotten used to such luxury, but she is not. For twenty years, she chose to live in simplicity. She chose to live as a normal person does.

When it was her turn to take a shower, it took her thirty minutes like she always does soaking in Jacob's bathtub that though she is unfamiliar, she didn't feel strange. She walked towards the closet wearing a bathrobe.

Jacob was already used to J's long shower ritual so he didn't find it unusual. But after an hour he started to worry. So, he called her out to check if she was doing fine. "Hey, Jenny? Are you okay in there?"

J heard Jacob call her out, she replied, "Yeah." casually but in fact, she got a huge problem. J couldn't find a pair of pajamas in the closet but mostly satin and lace nightgowns. She's not used to wearing these kinds of clothes, what more wearing them in front of Jacob. She can't find any clothes in the closet that are comfortable to wear during sleep because most were tight-fitting dresses, jeans, and shirts.

That is why she is taking too long inside the closet.

She got no choice, she found the most decent nightgown to wear.

J takes a deep breath before she walks out of the closet. She planned to walk and dive fast in the bed and cover herself with a blanket. She has to make it fast so Jacob won't notice what she is wearing. But what she didn't know is that Jacob was already waiting for her outside the walk-in closet and was prepared to knock on the door when she opened it.

They were both dumbstruck upon seeing each other. J for not knowing what to do because the person she planned to avoid is now standing in front of her. She was now frozen solid.

Jacob didn't expect to see J in a nightgown. As far as he knows she doesn't wear this kind of clothes not because she avoided wearing those kinds of clothes in his presence but he didn't find any of these clothes in her apartment's closet.

She is wearing a peach V-neck silk nightgown with lace on the sleeves and neckline. It reached up to the middle of her thigh. Although the nightgown looked decent, he still finds it arousing. He looked at her from head to toe. Damn! He never thought that she could be this hot. His heart beats faster. He felt something in him awake and it was getting hotter around him.

J blushed as she saw the look on Jacob's face. She tried to regain her composure but regained only half of it. With a shaking hand, she punches Jacob on his chest which is rather awkward.

"I-I can't f-find something to w-wear." J stuttered as she tried to explain the nightgown to Jacob.

"W-what?" Jacob was confused. He stared at J and was mesmerized by her embarrassed look. She looks cuter, he thought. Finally, he realized what she meant and gave her a comforting smile.

"Let's see." Then he walked inside the closet. J followed him and watched as Jacob scanned all the clothes that Madam Kelly bought for J. He shakes his head in dismay. His mother didn't buy pajamas for J instead she bought her sexy nightgowns. What J's wearing is the most decent of them. It is clear what his mother's intention is. He checked out other clothes to see if she can wear anything comfortable to sleep but found nothing.

Finally, he resorted to see if he got any oversized shirt that J could wear. Until he found one, but when he hung it in front of J to see if it would fit her, an image of her wearing his shirt flashed in his mind and he thought she would look more enticing.

Jacob takes a deep breath and shakes his head then says, "This won't do." then returned the shirt to his closet.

He walked out of the closet followed by J then said, "Don't worry, I can control myself." But deep inside him 'Ah... it's going to be a sleepless night.'

"W-what do you mean?" J asked but Jacob lies down in bed with his back facing J.

J lay down beside Jacob and covered herself with a blanket. There was a moment of awkwardness until J breaks the silence, "What happened earlier?"

"What?" Jacob turns to her and asks.

"You walked out of dinner and your family. That was rude." J said sarcastically.

"Hmm..." Jacob replied then turned his back again on J.

After a moment he said, "I don't want to hear the name of that singer from you again."

J looked at Jacob's back and furrowed her brows then said, "Whose name?"

Jacob turned back to look at her and said, "The name of the singer with a tattoo and sexy voice."

J was dumbfounded then chuckled, "Are you stupid?"

"No, I'm jealous." Jacob instantly replied then turned his back again leaving J frozen.

What did she just hear? He was jealous? J's heart skipped a beat. Then an involuntary smile appeared on her lips.