CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Jessie rubbed her sweaty palms on the front of her dress, carefully not to wrinkle it too badly.
She had a very lovely plan on how to share this news with her family and friends, and in particular Malcolm.
That plan did not involve stealing the thunder of her mother and Paul’s announcement, but here she was.
“I, um, got a full-time job today at Hog Hollow. Richard and Gladys are liking what I’ve accomplished, and they’d like to expand.”
Daisy nibbled her lip and asked, “Expand what, sugar?”
Jessie swept her arms out, encompassing the whole room. “Everything. They want to start events, get the petting zoo back up and running, and I’ll still tend to the gardens and my buddy Oinks.”
Malcolm interrupted with, “Oinks?”
Jessie’s grin took over her face. “He’s a pig, and—” but her annoying brother cut her off.
“He’s basically Jessie’s best friend. It’s become ridiculous,” Trevor replied, rolling his eyes.
Paul smirked, but chastised Trevor. “Now, son, it’s good Jessie found a job she likes.”
Jessie blew a kiss to Paul, causing the older man to flush. “Thank you, Paul. You’re officially allowed to marry Momma if you keep this goober in check.”
“Real nice, Jessie,” Trevor groaned, until Whitney nudged him and pursed her lips.
“So no more Peace Corps?” Malcolm asked, his voice barely a whisper. “What happened with your promotion?”
Jessie hazarded a glance around at everyone, but she wasn’t going to get into the details with an audience. “I’ll fill you in later, but long story short,” she exhaled, still disbelieving what she was about to admit, “I’ve left the Peace Corps.”
Whitney took the opportunity to squeal and yank Jessie into an embrace. “I’m so glad we’ll get to see each other more.” Whitney sighed into her hair. “More girls’ nights out.”
Trevor joined their huddle to pat her head like a dog. “That’s freaking amazing, Jessie. I mean it.”
Paul nodded his approval as well. “You did good, kiddo.”
Jessie was never one to savor being the center of attention, so she gestured toward the rear of the house. “Can I, um, borrow Malcolm for a minute?”
“Oh man,” Javi whined. “I don’t want to miss this. I’m invested now.”
“Stand down, Ortiz,” Paul ordered, although there was no bite in his tone. “Help me find a bottle of champagne in this house. We need to celebrate.”
Javi followed the older man into the kitchen, and Jessie snatched Malcolm’s hand and tugged him toward freedom ... also known as the deck. Gus followed them out, curious about all the excitement.
When the trio was on the deck, Jessie kept hold of Malcolm’s hand and led him toward a pair of chairs on the fair side.
She was no fool, knowing full well her brother and the rest of the house would be looking out the window, but she wanted the illusion of privacy.
She loosened her grip, and all too soon Malcolm’s hand dropped away, and Jessie nearly wept with the loss.
This last week had been hell, plain and simple.
She’d missed him more than all the years combined on the road.
All of their goodbyes were nothing like this now, stilted and awkward.
It wasn’t how they operated, and she couldn’t take much more.
She needed answers, and this was as good a time as any to start asking questions.
“You never responded to my text,” she blurted, squeezing her eyes shut so she couldn’t see his reaction. Of course, that plan melted faster than a snow cone during the Fourth of July fireworks festival. She couldn’t not see him, couldn’t not see his reaction to her question.
“I know.” He sighed. “I ... I ...” His words faltered, but he refused to sit in one of the chairs.
Jessie couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, until he gave her an answer.
Malcolm closed the distance between them.
His head dipped low, their foreheads touching.
She smelled his familiar citrus scent, and she could have whimpered at his proximity.
“JJ.” Her nickname was a whisper on her skin, her hands came up to cup his face, his whiskers tickling her fingertips.
“Malcolm.” She swiped along his bottom lip, earning a low grumble for her efforts. She knew that sound, intimately, had it memorized along with all the other details that made Malcolm hers.
His fingers tensed on her hips, her belly warming the longer they embraced. “JJ,” he repeated, nuzzling her ear with his nose, sending goosebumps cascading over her. “When I saw your text, you know what I did?”
“No.” Her response was so quiet, she feared he didn’t hear her.
“I smiled,” he said plainly, and Jessie deflated.
“That’s nice,” she said, not meaning it. She wanted more than smiles and simple reactions; she wanted passion, grand declarations ... a future. She’d reopened communication with the man she loved, and he cracked a smile?
Malcolm pressed closer still, steadying himself in her arms. “Do you know how freaking good that smile felt? It was the first time a text from you floored me, JJ. I saw that text just as I was leaving for Trevor’s, and I didn’t know what to do with myself.
I couldn’t tell. Did you want to prove a point?
Were you inviting me to join you in those pecan groves?
Regardless, I felt like it was something real; a sign you weren’t done with me. ”
Reluctantly, Jessie pulled back enough to catch his eyes. “I was never done with you, Malcolm. I may not have known what I wanted, but I sure as hell was never done with you.”
“I’m never done with you, JJ.”
Malcolm traced over her mouth, sending shivers from her spine to her toes. His touch was tantamount to lighting a stick of dynamite, and she was about to combust. Even though all she wanted was to kiss this man, she had so much she needed to say, to confess, to apologize for.
“The promotion fell through, on that phone call our last night together.” Her admission caused Malcolm to tense, but she continued, “I wanted to say something that night, but I didn’t know how to articulate everything I was thinking.
I wasn’t sure how I felt, and suddenly one of my options was gone.
I never thought I’d fall into this job at Hog Hollow, but I’m loving it.
I wanted to tell you, really I did, but I was afraid you’d think I was settling for you. ”
“Settling?” he scoffed. “How could that be?”
Jessie’s voice was small, but she forced herself to explain. “Because I was out of options. The Peace Corps had always been there, always been a gateway to the world and adventure. I didn’t want you to think I was only staying because I was out of options.”
“Did it ever occur to you that maybe we could have our own adventures? I’d love to travel with you, JJ. I want to have a life with you. How would that not be an adventure?”
Jessie hadn’t realized she’d started crying until a breeze ghosted over her damp cheeks. “I want that, too.”
Malcolm’s hold tightened, and she was ready to kiss him when another thought intruded on their moment. “What about Lola?”
“Huh?” Malcolm pursed his lips. “What about her?”
“I saw you two at the station, and she seems really into you.” Jealousy flared in her belly, and she hated that it took from the heat of their moment.
Instead of reassuring her with words, Malcolm snorted and shook with mirth. “JJ, are you kidding me? First, you’re the only girl for me. And second, Javi is so into her, it’s embarrassing. She’s a nice person, and I enjoyed chatting with her. But we’re not dating, and I don’t want to.”
“Oh,” was all Jessie could muster. They were the words she wanted to hear, but now that she had the truth, she had no idea what to do with it.
Malcolm inched closer. “Oh? That’s all I get?”
She lifted her chin. “You still didn’t return my text.”
“Ha! We’re back to that. Because I didn’t know what to say.
” He sighed, but it wasn’t a sad sound. He collected himself.
“The second I saw that picture, my whole body lit up. It was like hopping in a time machine and waking up in my favorite place, with my favorite person. I can’t keep pretending anymore, JJ. I love you, okay?”
Jessie smiled so hard her face hurt, cheeks nearly seizing. “Okay.”
“Can I please kiss you now?” Malcolm begged, hovering his lips over hers. “You’re not staying in Pinegrove as my friend, JJ. You’re staying as my girl. I’m sorry I pushed you away, but I thought I was doing the right thing for both of us.”
“I think the right thing for both of us is you kissing me.”
Malcolm carefully cupped her face, gently squeezing the apples of her cheeks before finally kissing her.
The last thing Jessie thought before Malcolm’s lips crashed against hers was there was no point fighting fate.
They were two magnets, the pull toward each other constant.
This was the first kiss of many, and Jessie could not wait to start her new life in Pinegrove . .. with a certain fireman by her side.
*
Malcolm might as well be in a dream, because nothing had ever felt so right. He was kissing Jessie, and she was staying in Pinegrove for good. Lord, nothing could beat this feeling.
He angled Jessie’s head so he could deepen the kiss, and she made an animalistic sound that had Gus barking from the far side of the desk. “Shut up, please,” Jessie scolded the dog in between kisses. She clung to Malcolm from the front of his shirt, fabric straining in her grasp.
Unfortunately, Gus wasn’t the only one making noise. A cacophony of chaos erupted behind them. “Oh my heavens, it’s happening!” Estelle shrieked as she joined them, tears spilling in perfect lines down her cheeks.
“Estelle, for the love of ...” but his father’s voice hitched at the sight of Jessie in his arms. “Oh, hello, Jessie.”
“Hi, Craig, Estelle,” Jessie greeted as she stepped back and tugged her dress back into place.
Malcolm wasn’t feeling as welcoming. “What are you doing here?”
Instead of answering his question, his mother plowed forward with her own. “Does this mean what I think it does?” she gasped.