“That’s . . . ingenious? Diabolical? Offensive to feminists everywhere? I can’t decide.”
“I know, right? Neither can I. Were you just stopping by the store to say hello?”
With a glance at Tommy to make sure he was distracted and not listening in, Jenna said in a quiet voice, “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something you said at the wedding, about me not breaking Matt’s heart. I promised you I wouldn’t, and I wanted you to know that I take that seriously. He and I had a big talk and he told me about his infertility. I’m okay with it, by the way. It’s not like pregnancy was all that fun, if you know what I mean.”
She nodded. “I’m glad he told you right away. It’s only fair. He’s taken it hard. Of all of us, he was the one who always knew he’d be a father. When we played house as little kids, most of the other boys preferred to be the doggie or the baby, but he liked pretending to be the daddy, even though he was almost always the youngest kid around. We all wished he wasn’t so preoccupied with the idea, but you know how when you’re dieting, all you can think about is food that’s bad for you? And because you’re denied it, it becomes an obsession? That’s what being a father is like for Matt.”
That made sense to Jenna. She might feel the same way if she were in his situation. She certainly was that way about junk food when she was dieting. “It’s overwhelming to think that far into our future when we’re only now starting to date, but I’m going into this relationship planning on forever.”
Tara flashed a smile. “Good. I mean, I know it’s none of my business, but you’ve got my blessing, for what that’s worth.”
“Thank you.”
Tara strummed her fingers on the steering wheel. “Any word on how Jake’s doing? It’s not like he opened up to me or anything after getting the call about his partner’s death, but I could tell it devastated him. I thought I’d give him a day or so before calling to check on him.”
Jenna tried to keep her expression blank, but she was tickled by the possibility that Jake and Tara hadn’t seen the last of each other, and might even start a relationship. “Matt, Tommy, and I stopped by Kellan’s place yesterday and you’re right, he seemed pretty devastated. He’s going to stay at Kellan’s until it’s time to drive to Cheyenne for his partner’s memorial service next week. After that, I’m not sure what his plans are.”
“Mmm.”
Jenna wasn’t ready to drop the topic of Jake yet. She didn’t exactly fancy herself a matchmaker, but it gave her a thrill to have the inside scoop on a potential fledgling relationship. “Last night he and Matt went rabbit hunting.”
Tara raised her brows. “Like on horseback?”
Jenna nodded. “I didn’t get many details out of Matt, but yes, on horseback. Matt said Jake really enjoyed himself.”
“Interesting. I’m trying to picture Jake on a horse and I can’t see it. Hunting on horseback is Matt and our dad’s go-to coping mechanism for stress or whatever’s bugging them. Did they catch anything?”
“They did. Matt shot three rabbits and Jake two plus a coyote.”
“Matt saved me a lucky rabbit’s foot,” Tommy added. Maybe he was listening more carefully than Jenna had given him credit for. Sneaky kid.
“Cool!” Tara said. “Well, I’ll be darned. I’ll have to ask Jake about it.”
“Do you think you might see him again?” Jenna asked before she could think better of it. She bit the inside of her cheek as she waited for Tara’s reply.
Tara offered a coy smile. “I’m not exactly in the market for a long-distance relationship. Life’s complicated enough without trying to make a relationship work with a man who’s nine hundred miles away. But he’s, um . . .” She held up a finger and cocked her head in Tommy’s direction as if to tell Jenna that they’d need to wait because what she really wanted to say about Jake wasn’t kid appropriate. “I’ll tell you more later.”
Jenna died a little, wanting to know what Tara was going to say. They arrived at Matt’s house to find him leaning against the closed front door, his legs crossed at the boots and his arms crossed over his chest. When he saw them, he jumped upright, looking nervous and happy. Tara put the van in park but didn’t turn off the engine. “There you go—front-door service. Enjoy your night.”
Gah. Now Jenna was feeling a little panicked that Tara was going to withhold the juicy bit of information she was eager to hear. “You’re not coming in?”
“No. This is between you and Matt. And I need to get back to my shop in time for the after-work rush.”
Jenna opened the door for Tommy. He ran to Matt, who squatted and collected him into a hug. Jenna walked around to the driver’s side of the van and crooked an elbow through the open window. “What were you about to say about Jake? He’s what?”
Tara gave a throaty laugh. “Jake Reed might not be long-distance boyfriend material, like, at all, but—forgive me for being crass—”
“Crass works for me.”
“—let’s just say he’s welcome in my bed anytime.”
They shared a smile. “So it’s like that, is it? Good for you. We moms deserve some good loving as much as the next girl, as my friend Carrie says.”
“Damn right we do.”
They hugged through the window. “Speaking of good loving, have a great time tonight.”
Matt’s house smelled of baking cheese and marinara sauce. Jenna detected it wafting through the open windows before she’d hit the porch. Dinner was a wonderful surprise. What a sweet guy he was. “Did you make us lasagna?”
Matt was in front of her, his hand on the doorknob to open it. “Good nose you’ve got there. I must admit, though, I didn’t make it. I mean, I can cook. I’m pretty good at it, but I didn’t have time today. This is from Ciotta’s, down the street from my office.”
“So then, is that the surprise?”
She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him smile so big. “Not even close.” He turned the knob, then stopped and stepped aside, taking Tommy with him. “Why don’t you go in first?”
The door was already unlatched so she pushed it open. The interior of his house matched the modern-day log cabin look of the exterior, with wood-paneled walls, exposed beams, and photographs of bears and other wildlife on the walls. Straight ahead, on a decorative foyer table, sat a mammoth yellow and purple flower arrangement. That must’ve been the reason for Tara’s visit.
More flower arrangements dotted the living room, from end tables and the coffee table, to the thick wood mantel above the fireplace, adding a nice contrast to the blue plaid sofas and window dressings. “Flowers,” she breathed. “A lot of flowers.”
“Keep looking,” Matt prompted.
She turned toward the right, the direction of his kitchen. On every horizontal surface sat a vase of flowers in every shape, color, and size. She couldn’t help but touch and smell every arrangement she passed, paying special attention to the shabby-chic arrangement divided into three mason jars on the kitchen table, with a big blue ribbon tying the jars together—her favorite arrangement by far.
Matt came up behind her, threaded his arms around her waist, and kissed her neck.
“They’re all so beautiful,” she said, rubbing his arm. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
He brushed his lips along her earlobe. “You said you’d never been surrounded by flowers. I wanted to be the man who did that for you.”
She turned in his arms, searching his eyes. She probably should have felt worse about the heartache he’d endured in his other relationships that hadn’t worked out, the pictures of the kids in his wallet that still brought him grief, but all she felt was gratitude to the other women who hadn’t had the good sense to hang on to him.
“I don’t know how to express what that means to me. Thank you.”
He kissed her. “Notice that there aren’t any stargazer lilies in the arrangements. I told Tara specifically not to use any.”
All she could do was gape at him, awed. “You remembered about Philomena a
nd the stargazers?”
“I might be a guy, but I’m also a lawyer.” He tapped his temple. “Details.”
“I’m sure your extraordinary memory for detail will come back to bite me someday, but right now, I’m extremely impressed.”
“There’s more upstairs!” Tommy called. In her surprise at the flowers, she’d forgotten to keep tabs on his whereabouts.
“We’ll be up in a minute. Did you figure out which room is yours?” Matt called.
“I think so,” Tommy called back. “Is it the one with two beds?”
“That’s the one.” He kissed Jenna’s hair. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted Tommy to know we were sharing a bed yet, so you have the option. The room he’ll stay in has two twin-sized beds. I keep it like that because the only guests I ever have stay over are my nieces and nephews.”
She splayed her hands over his chest. “Thank you for being so amazing. I don’t know what I did to deserve you. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.”
He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger, glanced behind them as if making sure the coast was clear, then put his lips close to her ear. “If you feel like that now, just wait until tonight when I can pamper you in the manner in which I want you to become accustomed.”
Oh, she liked the sound of that. She pressed her lips to his in a brief, enticing kiss, to leave him craving more.
He crooked his finger, tugging the lock of hair still wrapped around it. “And by that, I mean I want you naked.”
“I figured as much.” She laid another kiss on him.
He released her hair and trailed his finger down her chest, tugging the V-neck of her shirt down until he saw cleavage. “And on my bed.” He settled his roving finger into her bra between her breasts. “And on the floor. Then on that chair in the corner of my room. And possibly on the balcony.”
She closed a hand around his pectoral muscle, letting her thumb trace its curve. Damn, she loved his body. “Definitely on the balcony.”
His mouth quirked into a charming smile. She rolled to her tiptoes and pressed the tip of her tongue into his dimple. This was going to be a great week. One thing was for sure: she may have had to wait eight months for Matt to gather the courage to tell her how he felt, but he’d been worth every single minute of waiting and wanting.
Chapter Fifteen
Matt loved that Jenna and Tommy were staying with him. The flower idea had come to him in a burst of genius first thing that morning during his shower. It’d been a long time since he’d felt inspired to orchestrate a grand romantic gesture and he couldn’t have been more pleased with the result or Jenna’s reaction.
From the kitchen table, he listened to the murmur of Jenna’s soothing mommy voice as she tucked Tommy in bed. He loved the sound of a woman and child in his big, drafty house where before there had been only silence and emptiness.
He wanted to be in that room with her when she tucked Tommy in, he really did, but he couldn’t. Not quite yet. Old fears died hard, apparently. Tucking kids in was his specialty, a skill honed with his nieces and nephews, Brandon, Stephy, and Jordy, but he’d have to build up to the idea that he could let his guard down around Tommy without too great a risk to his heart.
In front of him on the table were the transcripts from two depositions he’d meant to get through that day at work but had been too distracted with excitement over Jenna and Tommy’s arrival to concentrate on. It worked out perfectly that Jenna needed to study tonight before they enacted their balcony fantasy. Her computer was already set up across the table from him and he’d been warned against interfering with her and her friend Carrie’s webcam-assisted study session. No problem there considering the ream of paperwork he needed to plow through in time for work the next morning.
Jenna snagged a soda from the fridge, then assumed her seat across the table from Matt.
“Did Tommy settle in okay?”
“He’s still pretty amped about being here, but he’ll settle down fast. He’s been keeping me on my toes since the day he was born, but one thing I’ll say about him is that he’s an excellent sleeper.”
“That’s a great attribute for a kid to have. Tara’s always struggling to get her kids to go to sleep.”
Jenna wrinkled her nose. “That would cramp my style. After Tommy’s asleep is my prime study time.”
“Speaking of which, hi there,” said a woman’s voice through the laptop speaker.
“Carrie, hi. You’re right on time,” Jenna answered.
“I e-mailed you a copy of the notes from last night’s study session so we can go over them, but before we get started, I want to meet him. Is he there?”
Jenna smiled hopefully at Matt over the top of the laptop screen, but he was already setting his pen down and standing. Though he’d met a lot of Jenna’s acquaintances at Amy’s wedding, he’d gotten the distinct impression that she’d erected an invisible wall between herself and the people of Catcher Creek, probably in preparation for her move. He was curious about who her real friends were and welcomed the opportunity to meet Carrie, if only via webcam.
Standing behind Jenna’s chair, he waved into the webcam.
Carrie was a tousle-haired brunette with an easy smile, cute. He could only imagine the stir she and Jenna would cause if they walked into a bar together for a night of letting off steam and dancing.
Carrie steepled her hands and studied him. “You have designs on my best friend.”
Straight to the point. Matt admired that. “I do. Big designs.”
Carrie gave up the stern father look and grinned. “I liked your style today with the flowers.”
Jenna’s skin flushed the most adorable shade of pink from her cheeks to her chest. “You’re not supposed to tell him that.”
“Word travels fast among you ladies.” He kissed Jenna’s temple to let her know he didn’t mind that she’d been bragging to her friends about his gesture.
“I’ve seen pictures and everything,” Carrie said.
“Ah, the glories of a smartphone,” Jenna muttered bashfully, thumbing through a stack of blank index cards.
“I like him, Jenna,” Carrie said. “You were right.”
Matt almost asked Jenna what she was right about, but thought Carrie might be more open to telling him. “What was she right about?”
Carrie’s grin widened. “She told me you were worth waiting for.”
Oh, man, he loved that Jenna was thinking that way, so much so that she’d told her best friend. Jenna twisted her neck to look up at him through her thick lashes. The sight hit him like a zing to the heart. That look meant she wanted to be kissed. He used to fear that look, but now he couldn’t get enough of it.
He leaned in, but before their lips touched, Carrie cleared her throat. “Okay, lovebirds. Time to start studying before this single girl gets irrationally jealous.”
He leaned in farther anyway and pecked Jenna on the lips. “Fine. I’ll leave you two to it.” He wagged a finger at Carrie. “I’m going to be here, too, getting some work done, so no funny business.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll get her on track for her midterm in no time so she can get back to making lovey-dovey eyes with you.”
With a squeeze to Jenna’s shoulder and a wave to Carrie, he walked back to his side of the table and resettled in front of the stack of deposition papers. Over the next forty-five minutes, he put a big dent in his stack of papers, which was saying something because Jenna was distracting as hell. Watching her sharp mind work intricate computer programming tasks and her luscious lips spouting complicated words and phrases of computer terminology he’d never heard before turned him on in a major way.
On a whim, when he reached a stopping point in the deposition he was reading, he swiped one of the index cards from the stack she was using to make flash cards. She watched him take it, her eyebrows bunching together in puzzlement, but Carrie was reading aloud from her notes and he could tell Jenna didn’t want to interrupt her. He offered her a sly grin
and retreated to his end of the table.
On the index card, he wrote, I never knew studying could be so sexy.
He folded it into a paper airplane and sailed it her way. Apparently, the hasty design wasn’t all that ingenious because instead of gently tapping her on the shoulder, it dive-bombed her keyboard. Carrie blinked and stopped talking.
Jenna glanced his way with scolding eyes. He mugged an innocent expression while he fake-studied the top paper on his pile.
“Anyway, back to what you were asking. I think the answer is on page two-twenty-five,” Carrie said.
All seemed back to normal until Carrie started quoting from the textbook. He watched Jenna’s hand creep to the pile of index cards and slip one off the stack. She scribbled something, a smile fighting to break free of her serious study face. Matt waited with bated breath.
Holding the card between her fingers, she flicked it in his direction.
He snapped it up and stared, a heavy heat coiling in his body. What a dirty girl.
Rather than a note in reply, she’d drawn two stick figures complete with goofy, generic happy faces going at it, missionary position.
He tried to catch her eye, but her focus remained riveted on whatever Carrie was saying. With a flourish of his hand, he reached across the table and grabbed another card.
The drawing’s wrong. When I have you under me, the look on your face is more like . . . And he added his own X-rated stick figures, doggie style. On the woman’s face he drew slits for closed eyes, a circle for a mouth in mid-moan with a trail of hearts streaming out from it to show how good she was getting it from stick figure stud. Drawing wasn’t his forte, but he had to admit he’d nailed this one, so to speak. Grinning with amusement at his own stupid joke, he folded the card into a football and flicked it in her direction. It tumbled into her lap.
Jenna had split her computer screen, with Carrie’s web video phone on one side and a black screen on the other side filled with what looked like programming code—not that he knew the first thing about computer languages. She unfolded the index card without breaking stride in her heated discussion with Carrie about something called synchronization primitives.
How to Rope a Real Man Page 20