CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX #2
“Never said I wasn’t,” he agreed. “But I’m ridiculously in love with you, so you’ll have to get used to it. You are best friends with a pig, and I am a master astronomer.”
“We’re quite the pair,” she mused, swiveling around and pressing a tender kiss to his lips. The weight of the moment, of the change in their relationship, hit Jessie right in the chest. She couldn’t run away from that sweet smile, or that warm chocolate stare anymore.
“You okay?” Malcolm asked, sensing a shift.
Jessie swallowed past a lump in her throat and said, “I’m so sorry you had to get injured for me to come back to you.”
Malcolm exhaled, his body quaking with need and raw emotions. “JJ, I would gladly fight a million fires for one chance at forever with you.”
“That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard,” she whispered as she closed the distance and kissed him hungrily. She melted into Malcolm’s hold, his arms cradling her close like she was a precious treasure.
The world was no longer calling, only Malcolm was. Jessie had never been happier to be home.
*
Malcolm savored every press of Jessie’s lips, every swipe of her tongue.
The longer he held Jessie, the more alive he felt.
He wasn’t kidding. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for JJ.
As they sat there in the meadow, the insects buzzing and the sky turning an inky black, Malcolm knew this was everything he’d ever wanted.
They likely would have fooled around like teenagers until the sun came up, but Malcolm’s phone vibrated from the depths of his shorts pocket. Seeing as how his favorite girl was on top of him, he was in no hurry to move her so he could see what all the fuss was about.
Unfortunately, curiosity caught hold of Jessie. “You should probably check that,” she breathed, resting on her elbows.
“Says you,” he scoffed. “Get back over here.” His phone whirred again, and Jessie took control of the situation. She nudged him to his side and pulled out his phone, snorting when she saw a series of texts from his parents. “Do I want to know?” He sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face.
Jessie nodded, mussed hair falling around her face as she leaned closer with his phone. “Oh yeah.” She laughed.
The first text was from his dad.
Got a hotel room. Hope you and Jessie have a good night. We’ll call for breakfast in the morning.
The next slew of messages was from Estelle.
We got a hotel.
Have fun with Jessie.
I’m so happy you’re back together! Do you think you’ll get married soon?
Jessie wants babies, right?
Tell Jessie we’re happy for you both!
Oh, and tell Jessie we love her, too.
Maybe we should leave Georgia now, give you kids more privacy?
Jessie rested her head on his shoulder, reading the messages as he scrolled. She covered her mouth as she shook with laughter. “Your momma thinks they need to leave the state now that we’re back together?”
Malcolm tossed his phone a few feet away and groaned. “It’s not a bad idea,” he mused, toying with the hem of her dress. “There are a lot of things I’d like to do with you, JJ. And none of them involve my parents.” He swatted at a mosquito that landed on his neck. “Or involve insects.”
“Want to get out of here?” she asked, already pushing to her feet.
She held out a hand and helped Malcolm up.
He wobbled slightly, but thanks to his PT exercises, he understood how to balance and steady himself better.
He still had a ways to go with recovery, but knowing that JJ was back for good took away the sting of healing.
On the drive back to his place, Jessie kept the radio off, and they chatted about everything and nothing. Malcolm kept his hand on Jessie’s leg, squeezing it every few minutes to remind himself that this was all real. When she pulled up to his place, he had a thought.
“When we get inside, I want to show you something.”
She waggled her eyebrows. “Is that a euphemism?”
He pecked her cheek and chuckled. “All right, I’d like to show you two things.” Jessie playfully punched his shoulder before hopping out of the car and scurrying around to his side. “I can handle the walk to the door.”
Jessie leaned into him, mouth set in a frown. “Never said you can’t, but I’m here and I like helping.” She swatted his backside and added, “And I like touching you.”
“In that case, I think I need help getting to the door.” He spun her around to face him, leaning down to pepper kisses from her neck to her lips. “And help getting to the bedroom,” he purred, sending goosebumps all over her exposed skin.
Jessie’s head dipped back, exposing more of her neck for his consumption. “You know what,” she breathed, fingers digging into his biceps, “I think we should skip right to the sex. You can show me that other thing later.”
Her comment stalled his progress, and Malcolm reluctantly backed up.
“No, first things first.” He dug in his pockets for his keys, letting them inside and turning on the lights.
His place was spotless, his parents having cleaned up everything from their lunch dishes to the pile of laundry on the couch.
Even his mother’s celebrity and gossip magazines were gone, in their place a sparkling clean coffee table.
Malcolm didn’t let himself be distracted by anything though, because he was a man on a mission. “Have a seat, I’ll be right back.”
For once, Jessie didn’t ask questions, plopping down on the sofa with an unceremonious thud.
Malcolm walked as fast as he could to his closet, rummaging around until he found what he was looking for.
It was nothing of monetary value, but he hoped Jessie would appreciate the effort .
.. the thought he put into documenting their love story.
When he emerged from the bedroom, he spied Jessie on the couch, tapping her fingers on her knees. “You nervous?” he teased, not used to seeing his girl antsy in his home.
She shot him a sheepish grin. “Not really, but it still feels surreal, you know? Usually this is the part of our relationship where one of us picks a fight and the other storms out.”
“You want me to start something for old time’s sake. I’ll be happy to throw you out.” He winked, and she giggled. Now was the perfect time for this.
“I’ve been working on something,” he said, clutching the frame in his hands, the front facing him.
Jessie inched toward the edge of her seat. “Oohhh. What is it?”
Malcolm exhaled, suddenly terrified she’d find this lame ... or worse, embarrassing. “Let me say that if you hate it, we can pretend it doesn’t exist.”
Blowing raspberries, Jessie flapped her hands in front of her. “Let me see already. I’ll be the judge.” She arched an eyebrow, but he wasn’t quite ready yet.
“I started this when we were still in high school,” he said, voice low.
“I’d collect little trinkets or tokens from our times together, and I’d throw them in this old shoe box.
” She tilted her head, clearly hanging on to every word.
“Then as the years went on, the shoe box wasn’t big enough to hold all our keepsakes, so I started a real-life Pinterest board, I guess.
” He lifted a shoulder, sweat pooling under his arms. What if she hates this?
Jessie’s eyes glimmered with tears, as if already knowing what he’d done. “A Pinterest board, huh?” The question sounded like it had been run through a sander.
“But I didn’t know how to organize it, so I thought I’d make a constellation.” He swallowed, slowly turning the frame around to face her.
With a gasp, Jessie covered her mouth with a trembling hand. “Oh my God.”
The board had a black matte finish, and Malcolm had pinned everything from tickets from their first fireworks festival and flowers from their prom corsage and boutonniere to photos of them through the years.
The images spanned brace-filled smiles and lanky limbs to Malcolm at his academy graduation, Jessie proudly hanging from his arm.
He’d even saved the corks from some of their awful Moscato binges in the meadow, a receipt from Bojangles, and most recently Jessie’s visitor’s badge to the hospital.
“I made this,” he started, clearing his throat, “because I wanted to document us. No matter what happened, or wasn’t happening, with us, I knew we’d get here, JJ. I know we’re meant to be together.”
Slowly, she rose, closing the distance in a few paces.
Her fingers traced through the constellation of their memories together, the black barren space a placeholder for their times apart.
“This is beautiful, Malcolm.” Their eyes finally met, and Malcolm watched a single tear slide down Jessie’s cheek.
He swiped it wordlessly away, never blinking for fear he’d miss something.
Carefully, she took the board from his grasp and placed it next to the couch.
“I love that, and I love you, and I love your patience most of all. I don’t think most men would have waited for me, let alone kept our memories so close. ”
“I was simply keeping them warm for you, JJ.” He brought his hands up, resting them on her shoulder while she collected herself. “I didn’t do this to make you sad. I’m sorry.”
Jessie sniffed, taking his hand and looping them around her neck. She walked into his embrace, breathing him in and letting out a contented sigh. “I’m not sad. I’m happy that I’m finally here. We’re finally getting our happily ever after.”
“I love you,” he breathed, pulling her as close as he could. He kissed her, sweetly and with all the time in the world. Because that’s what they finally had now—time.
“I love you more,” she replied.
Malcolm chuckled. “And they say high school romances don’t last.”