758 V2 ch230 Jake POV

"Mom, are you cooking lunch..?" Noah asked as we stood in the doorway of the kitchen. On Saturdays, it was normal for her and dad to be gone all day, showing homes to their clients. Today was an exception, of course. 

Mom looked up after putting a pan in the oven. "Yes. I think Jeremy can use a home-cooked meal today."

"Is he coming back yet?" I asked. 

She nodded. "Zeke just called me to let me know that they're on their way."

"How is he?" I felt stiff. It couldn't be easy for him to see her. 

Her lips thinned. "Not sure. Zeke said Dad was going to drive him home. He said they were only in there for an hour or so. We can only wait and see."

"Don't worry, Jake." Noah slapped me on the shoulder. "Jeremy is tougher than you. He's going to be just fine. I bet he even got to relieve a lot of his childhood anger out on that woman."

"You really think so?" I frowned, not entirely believing him. Noah didn't know my birth mother. What kind of living devil she was. 

Noah nodded. "I know so!" He looked to his mom. "What's for lunch?"

"Lasagna. Salad. Maybe some mixed veggies."

Noah made a face. "What about dessert?"

Mom put her hands on her hips. "Noah James. Is sweets all you can think about?"

Noah laughed. "I'm just kidding. You know I like lasagna, Mom. I like anything you cook." He pulled me away. "Well, we have to go clean up. I'll be back to help set the table."

"Uh-huh." She squinted at us as we left. 

On the stairs, Noah pouted. "I can't help it if I have a sweet tooth."

It was my turn to pat him on the shoulder. "Maybe we can get ice cream after lunch."

He cheered up immediately. "Yes!"

I smiled and watched as he rushed up the stairs, feeling more energized.

We took turns showering, then worked on cleaning our room. Dad and Zeke had made a mess when they had planned to build us a bat rack for the closet. We got most of the stuff off our beds so we could sleep last night, but now we pushed it off to the side and reorganized it so the space would be ready for Dad when he got back. 

"You think Jeremy will play in the game tonight?" Noah asked as we watched a baseball game in the living room. 

I shrugged. "Depends on how he's feeling, I guess."

"Noah." Zeke beckoned for him to come. 

Noah went over, leaving me to stare at Dad and Jeremy alone. 

Dad had walked around the car to Jeremy, putting a hand on his shoulder and looked like he was guiding him to the garage. Once inside, Zeke had shut the garage. 

I was face to face with Jeremy, but he wasn't looking at me. Dad gave me a small nod, tilting his head to Jeremy. Then he left us alone, going inside after Noah and Zeke. 

"Are you okay?" I peered up at Jeremy, trying to catch his eye. "Did...she do something to you?"

Jeremy shook his head. "No, no. She's locked up. They kept her handcuffed the whole time."

I let out a sigh of relief. 

Jeremy scratched his head. "I...I found out that she was getting money. From Uncle Jack. They both had the idea to use me to make it to the pros...and then cashed in."

"Are you okay??" I asked, worried. 

"Am I okay?" He looked surprised. Then looked me in the eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yea..." I glanced away. "It kind of hurts knowing, but..." I looked back up at him. "It can't hurt me as much as it hurts you, right? You were raised by him and his family. You were one of them."

"Yea.." He echoed. "I was one of them." I could hear him gulp. "Not anymore though. I'm severing ties with Jack. I'm not some credit card he can swipe when he wants. I've given enough."

I felt pain for Jeremy. Without thinking, I got close enough to put my arms around him. "I'm sorry, Jeremy."

He hugged me back. "No, Jake. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving you with that crazy and never going back. I don't think I can ever forgive myself after seeing her today."

"I've forgiven you." I reminded him. "I'm happy where I ended up. Probably wasn't the best path, but the result is more than I can dream of."

He pulled me tighter. "I'm still sorry. I'll keep saying sorry. I can't see me stopping."

I let out a small laugh. "I used to say sorry a lot too. Now I don't even think about it." Feeling uncomfortable, I wiggled out of his grasps. "Let's go inside. Mom made lunch."

Jeremy hesitated. "Are you really not mad? At me?"

"At you? No." I shook my head. "Actually, after the initial shock, it's comparable to ripping off a bandaid. Hurts for a second, but then nothing." I showed a small smile. "I'm just glad you didn't know." I paused. "Though...I think that hurts you more. Sorry."

He let out a short laugh. "We do say sorry a lot." He put his arm around my shoulders and guided me into the house. "We'll get through this together."

We headed for the kitchen where the most noise was coming from. The whole Atkins family was sitting down and moving the food around. I noticed an extra chair on my side of the table. Taking the first step, I sat beside Noah and pointed at the empty chair between me and Dad. 

Jeremy sat down. 

"Are you going to play tonight, Jeremy?" Noah asked as the food was being dispersed. 

"How inconsiderate." Kyle snorted. "Why is your head only full of baseballs?"

"It's a valid question." Noah stuck his tongue out at Kyle. "If he's playing, then I know he's good. If he's not, then I'd suggest he just stay the night with us."

"I'm playing." Jeremy cut in the argument. "I have work to do. Have to prove that the big contract was meant for me." He glanced at Dad. "Plus, I have more than just work to do."

"Yea?" Dave asked between bites of salad. "Like what?"

"David." Mom scolded. "Don't pry."

"No, it's fine." Jeremy said. "It's going to be news by tonight, I'm sure. I'm going to cut relations with Jack. There's a lot of legal work that needs to be done so I have to take care of that." He scratched his cheek. "If you guys don't mind, I still have tickets reserved for you all. This wasn't the way I had planned the weekend, but I did have Rose prepare some tickets."

"Yes! A million times yes!" Noah started to shake in his seat. 

"I don't know if that's a good idea..." Mom hesitated. 

"It's going to be okay, Mary." Dad told her with a smile. 

She gave in easily. "Okay then."