Chapter 16
16
J obe walked into the apartment, the smell of dinner cooking immediately hitting him. It dawned on him what he had been missing where he lived. Home . It had been a place to crash. A place to eat. A place to sleep. But now with the woman he loved here with him…it was home.
An idea had been forming in his head, but he was uncertain how Mackenna would take it. Is it too soon? Is it something that she wants? He had mentioned it to Penny when he dropped by his parent’s house.
Rounding the breakfast bar, he stopped as he saw Mackenna in the kitchen with her mother as they both worked around each other seamlessly preparing dinner. Mackenna’s reddish-gold mane was pulled on top of her head with some curls escaping and falling down her shoulders. Her gorgeous ass was shimmying in yoga pants as the music from her phone played. Penny was laughing at something her daughter had said as they worked side by side. Smiling, he felt the uncertainty of the day slide away, leaving a warm place deep inside. One he wanted to keep alive. And safe.
“Sweetie!” Mackenna called as she turned and saw him standing there. He was leaning against the bar, one tree-trunk leg crossed in front of the other. His thick arms mirrored his legs, as they were casually crossed over his chest, pulling his black polo tightly across his body. His dark hair, just long enough for her to run her fingers through when they were— whoa, time to shut down those thoughts.
She peered up at his smiling face, seeing his twinkling eyes. Damn, he knows exactly what I was thinking .
And he did, having to adjust himself when Penny turned back to the stove. Narrowing his gaze at Mackenna, his expression promised retribution for giving him a hard-on in front of her mother.
Giggling, she pranced over to him, rising on her toes to press a kiss on his lips. “Hey, sweetie,” she repeated.
Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her tightly against his chest in welcome. “Hey yourself, doll.”
“We thought we’d eat early and then take you up on your offer to let mom try out your pool if that’s okay,” she said.
“Absolutely,” he enthused. “I think that’ll do you a lot of good, Mrs. Dunn,” he said, winking at her over the top of Mackenna’s head. He knew Penny was perfectly happy with his parents, but he wondered if she was amenable to the idea that he had mentioned.
Mackenna noticed that he was introspective during dinner but was afraid to ask him why. She so wanted to stay with him but did not know how to bring it up. Her mom had to take priority and they could not continue to rely on the Delaro’s kind offer, nor could she possibly ask Jobe if he wanted them to stay.
The meal finished, the three of them headed to the pool where Jobe assisted Penny into the water and worked with her in using her weaker limbs. Mackenna swam laps for a few minutes and then moved over to where they were. She watched the expression on her mother’s face as Penny floated with weightless ease in the water. It was so nice seeing her mom enjoying herself again.
The trio made their way back upstairs where they quickly changed into dry clothes. Walking out into the living room, Jobe said, with what he hoped was enough casualness to not be obvious, “You know, Mrs. Dunn, if you lived in this building, you could have the pool, hot tub, and sauna whenever you wanted.”
Mackenna shot him a strange look, wondering where that comment had come from. Does he want mom here? Does that mean he wants me here too? I don’t want mom to think I don’t wish to live with her.
“They have the elevators so there are no stairs to deal with. And on the second floor they have smaller, one bedroom condos that are affordable.”
“Jobe,” Mackenna admonished. “Mom needs to live with me. I admit that our landlord is afraid for us to come back, but I was going to start looking for a new place.”
Penny chuckled as the two walked over to her. Reaching up with her good hand to cup her daughter’s cheek, she said, “I can see tha wheels tu-ning in ya mind. It okay if you wan ta be with Jobe.”
“Mom, I never minded sharing a house with you,” Mackenna proclaimed.
“I know. Bu thi way, I can be close bu have ma own place too.”
“You’re considering living here?” Mackenna asked with a smile.
“Maybe. I don wan to be in ya way,” she said with a wink.
Jobe rushed to say, “Mrs. Dunn, like Mackenna, I don’t want you living somewhere else. I’d like you to live here. If you wanted to stay with me that’d be fine.”
Penny saw the uncertainty written on both of their faces and shook her head. She took Mackenna’s hand in hers and walked her over to Jobe. She struggled to take his hand in her left one, but he made it easier by placing his hand on hers. Smiling, she brought their hands together. Looking at them both, she said, “Tha time is o-va for not say-in wha is on ya mind. Ya par-ens are pick-in me up, so I nee to get downstairs.” With that, she kissed them goodbye and left the apartment.
Mackenna glanced down at her hand, still holding his, and said, “I think we’ve been dismissed.”
Jobe chuckled and pulled her along before tugging her into his lap as he sat on the sofa.
“Penny’s right. The time is over for us to keep things inside, even if we’re afraid,” he said, holding her gaze. “Mackenna, I know everything has happened fast…or so it seems. But the honest to God truth is that I never stopped loving you for the past five years. And I have fucking loved having you in my house.”
He watched her carefully, but so far nothing that he had said seemed to have her running for the hills. So far, so good.
“I ran by to talk to Penny, the day after she went to stay with my parents, to let her know that we had a great place in this building that was affordable. We got to talking and she admitted that she loved being with you, but wished that she had her own place too.”
Mackenna nodded, knowing it was the right thing to do for her mom. She reached up and cupped his jaw in her hand, feeling the stubble underneath her fingertips. “You’re so amazing, Jobe. You saw something that I hadn’t even seen…her need to feel more independent.”
“Oh doll, you don’t need to thank me. If I hadn’t been in such a fucked-up state of mind, I’d have been here all along when you needed me.”
She sighed, thinking of the past.
“Babe, if that sigh is any indication, I’m still fucking things up.”
She lifted her eyebrow, confusion written on her face. “I…I’m not sure I understand.”
Jobe pulled her over so that she was straddling his lap, one hand on her waist and the other cupping her cheek. “Mackenna, for the past week, we’ve lived in my apartment as a couple. But I knew that it wasn’t home to you. Hell, it wasn’t much of a home for me. Just a place to hang. But I want you to move in with me. Bring your stuff so that we can put it all together. Make it our home.”
His words slid through her, moving into barren places, long empty and cold. A slow smile curved the corners of her mouth, as the full meaning of what he was saying penetrated her mind.
“You want to be here with me?” she said, almost afraid that he would immediately retract his sentiments.
Chuckling, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips. Chaste. Soft. “Yeah, Baby doll. I’m back in your life and I’m not about to give that up. You and me, with your mom close by…that’s home.”
“So instead of a weekend getaway, how about we get your friends to help us move? That would be the perfect thing to take my mind off of work—making a home here.”
He smiled as he pulled her back in for a kiss. This one deeper. Wetter. Hotter. And then he showed her just how much having a home together meant. All night long.
* * *
That weekend found the Alvarez crew loading furniture and moving while the women all pitched in to help unpack. Most of Mackenna and Penny’s furniture was moved to Penny’s new second-floor condo. She had signed the paperwork with the condo management and since the apartment was empty, she was granted an immediate move in.
Her furniture fit perfectly and Penny’s pleasure showed on her face. Knowing her mom was just two floors down gave Mackenna peace of mind, while knowing that her mom had gained a little of her independence back was priceless.
BJ’s wife, Suzanne, along with Lily worked in Penny’s new place, unpacking the kitchen items and getting them into the drawers and cabinets as directed. Jennifer, Annalissa, and Sherrie took care of clothes and linens. Mackenna ran between the two apartments, making sure that things were going well for her mom and chatting with her friends, before seeing that the items the men brought over for her new home were going to fit.
Jobe could tell she was fretting and finally stopped her in mid-run, with his hands on her shoulders. “Babe, slow down. This weekend was supposed to be non-stressful for you and you’re about to run yourself ragged.”
“It’s all good, Jobe, I promise. This is good stress and I just want to make sure mom’s taken care of.”
Jobe held her stare for a moment. “Seriously? She’s got four other women down there helping. My mom, Miriam, and Rebecca are bringing dinner for the entire gang. I think your mom is fine.”
She puffed some of her reddish-gold curls out of her face and said, “Well, what about here? I don’t want them dumping all my things in here and making you crazy. I mean it may not mesh with your stuff.”
Standing up straight, he lifted an eyebrow. “Mesh with my stuff? Look around, babe. Does it look like I have a style to you? Hell, bring whatever and we’ll make it work. If we don’t like something, we can dump it and buy new shit.”
By the end of the afternoon, Penny’s new apartment was completely set up with her furniture, cable, and the internet. Her books were in shelves, her kitchen was in order, and her clothes were in the closets. Mackenna gazed at her mom’s beaming face with its lopsided grin and her heart melted. Walking over, she hugged her tightly saying, “Mom, I want you to be happy.”
“Oh, bab gir. I am so hap-py,” she said, obviously proud of her improving speech.
Jobe walked over to envelop both women, kissing Penny’s cheek before kissing the top of Mackenna’s head. “Mrs. Dunn, I think you’re going to enjoy living here. And remember, we’re just two floors up.”
His phone vibrated and after glancing at the text, he announced to the large group, “My mom’s here with the food so let’s get up to our place.”
The friends moved out of Penny’s condo to go upstairs, quickly settling into his apartment. Mackenna looked up into his eyes and smiled.
“What’s that smile for?”
“You called this our place, not just your place.”
“Well, hell yeah, doll. It is our place,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. Looking around, his mom was running the show from the kitchen, bustling around and giving orders. And smiling so wide, Jobe thought his mother’s face would break.
The group pitched in and the food was laid out on the table so that everyone could grab a paper plate and get what they wanted before settling down anywhere they could. Conversation flowed as old friends and new friends mingled.
Mackenna studied the gathering as she sat on the floor with her plate on the coffee table. She had not been with this many friends since her father became ill. As her eyes moved around the room, they landed on Jobe sitting a few feet away, his gaze on hers. Smiling, she realized that she was home.
That evening, she knelt over a box of clothes that she was placing in drawers as Jobe lounged on the bed. He loved seeing her things in his drawers and closet. As she reached in, her fingers touched the packet of letters that she had thrown in the bottom of the box when packing up her old house. Looking down, she saw the familiar bundle, tied with a ribbon. Letters from the past. Letters that had represented what she had…and what she lost. Now as she wrapped her fingers around them, they no longer gripped her in misery.
He noticed that she had stilled, wondering what she was pondering. Her gaze lifted slowly to his as her hand raised out of the box. She was holding the packet of letters that he had discovered weeks ago. His breath caught in his throat, fearful of what those memories might do to the relationship they were forging now. The cold dread wrapped around his heart as surely as her fingers around the evidence of their past love that he had thrown away.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, seeing the fear and anguish written on his face. “I’m not afraid of these anymore.”
He rose from the bed, walked to the closet and knelt at his locker in the corner. She watched him with curiosity, then her heart pounded as she saw him moving back toward her with his own small packet of letters in his hand. He saw the confusion on her face, knowing that he had confessed to shredding all of her letters.
Kneeling down before her, he said, “These I kept. After…I foolishly destroyed the others. These were the ones you sent me afterward.”
She honestly could not think of a response as her eyes gazed at the worn envelopes, wrapped in a rubber band. Licking her lips, she lifted her gaze to his. “What should we do with these? Mine represent who we were, but we’re no longer those two people. And yours,” she said, once more staring at the envelopes in hand, “represent the bitter end of what we were.”
He shook his head slowly, “I don’t know, doll. You tell me what you want to do with them? I kept these because they were my constant reminder of what a desperate dumb-ass I’d been to throw away the most important person in my life out of fear. I honestly don’t need them anymore, now that I have you again.”
Sucking her lips in as she moved her gaze down to the ribbon bound, tear-stained letters in her hand. “I think I’d like to keep them, just because they are a part of our journey.” She quickly amended, “But if they bother you then we can get rid of them.”
He took her hands in his as he stood, helping her up from the floor. Placing the small sheaf of letters in his hand onto the stack that were in hers, he wrapped both of their hands around the entire packet. Holding her gaze, he said, “These represent who we were. We can keep them to remember another time and as a reminder of what we never want to be again…and that is apart from each other.”
Offering him a small smile through teary eyes, she nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. We can get rid of them sometime in the future.” She allowed him to gently take the stack from her fingers and watched as he placed them in the footlocker in the back of the closet.
He walked back, stopping long enough to wrap his arms around her, pulling her in for a sweet kiss. One of promises of the future. Then he settled back on the bed as she grinned and moved on to the next box, continuing to hang her clothes next to his.
* * *
Miles away near the river, the Sixers brought in their first load of guns, delivered from Miami. The gun runners slipped in unnoticed and docked at the back of an old, unused pier. Jazzie, Waldo, Tank, and a few others were there, along with some of the River Street Kings. Tension ran as high as the distrust among the two gangs.
The ones delivering the firearms stepped off of the boat looking for the one in charge. “Jazzie?” one of them called out.
Jazzie swaggered forward, making a sign. He nodded toward the men behind him and they moved to begin unloading the boat. The wooden crates were opened as Jazzie was allowed to inspect. Smiling, he jerked his head to the Kings standing back and they hustled over to take possession of one of the crates. The others were for the Sixers and with another jerk of Jazzie’s head, his men moved to quickly load those into the vans parked nearby.
The payoff made, the Sixers jumped into the two vans and drove away. As they headed back to the rendezvous point, Waldo looked over at Jazzie.
“What the fuck you staring at?” Jazzie barked.
“You think that girl’s got Tito’s head?”
Jazzie warred between being pissed at a fellow officer questioning the leader and knowing that he felt the same. After a few tense, quiet moments, he asked, “What’s got you thinking?”
“Tonight. Tito seemed…I don’t know. Distracted. When I was about to ask if it was about the delivery tonight, he said something really random and it shocked the shit outta me.”
Jazzie spared him a glance, not saying anything.
Waldo shook his head. “Probably nothing. But he suddenly said that he wondered how far along that Gabby bitch was and when he’d know if it was a boy or not.”
“Goddamnit!” Jazzie cursed, his hand slapping the steering wheel. Trying to negotiate a deal with an international organization at the same time as having to work with the Kings and moving into a new venture was not the time for their leader to be distracted with some pregnant pussy.
They continued driving for a few more minutes in silence. Finally, Jazzie said, “Keep your goddamn eyes open and your mouth shut. Don’t say nothin’ to nobody.” He glanced over, seeing Waldo nod. “Good. I’m workin’ on how to get rid of that skank so that we get our leader back to thinking with the head on his shoulders and not on the end of his dick.”
As they pulled into the secure rendezvous location, Jazzie knew that it was time to take on Gabby…and that white bitch as well. But only when the opportunity came along. He had to play this smart.