Jake Smiled and Glanced at Abby, Who Was Staying Behind with Her Mother as The Two Men Left to Discuss Which Restaurant They Should Go to

Jake smiled and glanced at Abby, who was staying behind with her mother as the two

men left to discuss which restaurant they should go to. As John and Terry left the house,

Jake sat down on the floor, quietly listening as mother and daughter talked on the bed, a

few feet away.

“Are you all right, Sweetheart?” asked Izumi. “Even if your father doesn’t realize it yet,

this must have been a difficult day for you. I hope you and Jake worked out whatever

differences you had,” she said, looking first to Abby and then to the ex-convict sitting

nearby.

“What frightened me the most,” admitted Abby, “was the fact that I might have to raise

the baby on my own. When Jake said he’d stand by me, I knew we could make it.”

“Then, no declarations or promises were made that night?” inquired Izumi.

“No,” answered the young woman.

“Then, why, Sweetheart?” asked the mother in concern. “Intimacy is not something that

should be taken lightly.”

“He wanted me so much, Mom,” she replied softly. “I could feel it in his touch. I never

knew it could be like that. It was as if we were one person, and not two anymore.”

Jake closed his eyes, his heart wincing in agony as he heard those words. He desperately

prayed that Abby would be able to put that night behind her. As Izumi hugged her

daughter once more, she glimpsed the look of pain on Jake’s face as he sat quietly on the

floor against the wall.

“I’m so happy, Mom,” contentedly sighed the young woman.

When the men arrived back from the restaurant, they brought the food straight into the

bedroom, so Izumi could eat with everyone else. John pulled out a breakfast tray he and

Izumi had been sharing meals on, and carefully set out her food. Terry sat down next to

Jake on the floor, while Abby remained on the bed near her mother.

“There’s not enough napkins,” declared Terry, upon discovering that they were one short.

“I’ll get it,” volunteered Jake, quickly getting up.

“This place makes the best cordon bleu in the world,” remarked John, preparing to say a

prayer before eating.

“Did you get enough croutons on your salad, Izzy?” asked Terry. “I think the chef gave

me all of them.”