Chapter 21
Jenna’s heart sank when she pulled into Mr. Zarin’s driveway. Jack was sitting on the front steps with his elbows on his knees and his head between his hands. When her headlights fell on him, he didn’t lift his head right away. The hunch of his shoulders still remained.
She knew she was later than she said, but she’d been pulled over for speeding in her haste to get up to Port Townsend.
The officer had thankfully given her a warning instead of a ticket.
Still, Jenna had been embarrassed about the whole affair and knew that Jack would scold her further for speeding.
Not because of the risk of a ticket but because it meant she wasn’t driving safely.
But now… She didn’t know what to expect.
Jack sitting morosely on the front steps of his house was not the reception she’d been expecting the weekend before her wedding.
He continued to sit as she got out of her car. She didn’t open her trunk to get her suitcases or the back door to get her garment bag that held her wedding dress.
Jack waited for her to approach the stairs instead of coming down to greet her or coming to get her bags. Her heart sank even more when he didn’t reach for her once she was within arms’ reach.
“Your father stopped by this afternoon.”
Jenna felt a cold sweat cake her skin. “What did he want?” She hadn’t even known he was back in the country. He was still doing his world tour of shaking hands and kissing babies to make up for the scandal of his wife going to jail for manslaughter.
“One last ditch effort to get me to walk away from you.”
Jenna didn’t laugh—because Jack wasn’t laughing.
He wasn’t standing there cockily as he told her about how he turned her father away again or what ridiculous thing her father thought he wanted over her…
No, he was standing there as stiff as a board and had yet to touch her, to smile at her. “What did he offer this time?”
“He found out that I’d signed up with the Marines. I didn’t realize he had contacts in the military but I guess that makes sense. Your dad has a lot of reach.”
She did not like how emotionless his voice was. Hard. Unyielding. “What did he do? Did he somehow get you kicked out before you started?”
“No, he offered to get me into MCU, the Marine Corps University. Then I’d be an officer. Higher pay, higher rank, better benefits… I’d have a safer military career too, depending on what I majored in. Possibly even less or no deployments.”
Jack had talked about being a Marine but not wanting a long career.
She knew the difference between being an officer and enlisted as having a college degree, but she didn’t know what sort of college degrees mattered to the military.
More than that, what college degree mattered to Jack.
That had been the point of both of them going to community college, because neither had their hearts set on a specific career path yet. At least, until he’d enlisted.
“He offered to pay for Lilly’s education. Get her into the same academy as you in Seattle or whatever private institute I wanted to send her to, really. He gave me a list. Her entire college education would be covered by him too.”
Jenna was barely able to hear Jack’s low voice over the heavy drumming of her heartbeat. Her father had found the one thing that would tempt Jack: his sister’s education and future. Had he…? Would he…?
Was this it? Was Jenna about to have her heart broken into a million pieces? After all they’d been through, all they’d fought for, was she going to lose him four days before her wedding?
“And then there’s this.”
Jack reached behind him on the stoop. His body had been blocking a large duffel bag or maybe she’d been concentrating so hard on him that she just hadn’t noticed. He tossed it down the steps. It landed heavily at her feet.
Part of the zipper was undone. Cash, a lot of it from how full the bag was, poked its way out of the zipper. Jenna had an immediate flashback to that day in the library years ago when Jack had shown her the holey sock he’d once kept his life savings in.
Jenna’s entire body started to sway. She didn’t want to know, but she had to know. What was his price? After all this, what had his amount been?
“How much?” She didn’t even recognize her own voice. Was she even still standing?
“Twenty-five thousand.” He stood up and started walking down the three steps.
So much and yet so little. To Jack, she could understand how twenty-five thousand dollars could mean so much. And yet, she knew how small an amount it had been to her father.
Jenna’s chin trembled. She wasn’t sad, per se.
Maybe that would come later. The longer she stared at that duffle bag at her feet, the angrier she got.
Twenty-five thousand dollars? That was what she was worth to Jack?
Or not worth? She didn’t even know which way was grammatically correct and she didn’t care.
The bastard! After all this, all his promises and vows, it had taken twenty-five thousand dollars to get him to walk away from her.
Jack stepped over the bag of cash like it was nothing to him. It might as well have been her heart he stepped over so casually.
She looked up at him—and froze. He was smiling. Her heart started hammering for a different reason. But she had to know. She couldn’t get her hopes up, only to have them crushed so quickly. That really would break her.
“Jack… You took the money?”
He nodded, looping an arm around her waist. “I did.”
She looked down at his hand on her hip. Still unsure. “He paid you to break up with me?”
Jack nodded again. “He did.”
She was near hyperventilating. “But you aren’t.”
He leaned down, his mouth just above hers. “Never.” Conviction rang in his declaration.
“I don’t understand. You took his money.”
“I did. I believe it was you who once called me a fool for not taking it before because it could have paid for our wedding.” Jenna blinked; she had said that, hadn’t she?
It seemed so long ago now. “Once he finds out that I’m not letting you go, he’ll take back his other offers.
But cash?” Jack shook his head. “Can’t take that back and it’s not like I signed a contract stating what the cash was for. ”
Jenna shook her head. That didn’t sound like her father. He was a businessman. He got contracts for everything. But she supposed he also didn’t want a transaction like this in writing. Especially when he was still cleaning up the scandal of her mother’s actions.
“Why would he do that, Jack?”
“Well,” Jack pulled her tight against his chest, “he thinks I’m an honorable man.
That I’ll do as I say I will with only a handshake binding my words.
Turns out, I’m not honorable when it comes to you, Jen.
I’ll burn the world down to keep you at my side and fuck what anyone else says or thinks.
Your father tried to pay me to keep me from you.
Now, he’s going to pay for our wedding so I can make you mine. ”
That said, he kissed her.
4 DAYS – 0 DAYS
After Jack brought Jenna into the house Friday night, they discussed their options with the cash.
Mr. Zarin had taken Lilly out for a movie to give Jack and Jenna time to process and talk.
They’d gone round and round with the possibilities of what twenty-five thousand dollars could mean for them starting out as a new married couple, but the end decision had been simple: they wanted a marriage, not a wedding.
None of their plans were changing and the money would give them a decent nest egg.
Jenna would still be applying for financial aid for school but it also meant she did not have to get a job to help make ends meet.
They talked about Jenna coming with him to South Carolina and getting an apartment too, but they ended up talking themselves out of that decision.
Jack would have to stay on base regardless and the limited time that he would have would not be worth the expense of Jenna getting a furnished apartment for thirteen weeks.
She would remain in Port Townsend with Mr. Zarin and Lilly over the summer.
Once they learned where Jack was being stationed, they would make further decisions then.
On Saturday they went down to the courthouse to register for their wedding license. It had been a bit of a hassle at first because the clerk was confused about Jenna not yet being eighteen, but they finally got all the paperwork in order and filed.
Sunday was spent downtown with Lilly picking out a dress.
Originally, Jack wasn’t going to go with them, but decided to because he didn’t want to risk Lilly and Jenna running into Mr. Scanlon alone.
Jenna was staying at Mr. Zarin’s house and had no idea if her father had left town or not.
Jack had told Mr. Scanlon that Jenna wasn’t arriving in town until Saturday morning, so there was the possibility that he’d left to see her in Seattle.
Either way, after Saturday, it hadn’t mattered. The three day waiting period had started and they would be married on Tuesday with or without the courthouse ceremony.
Monday night, Jack and Jenna went their separate ways.
Since neither of them wanted the traditional bachelor/bachelorette party, the Cunninghams had offered up an alternative.
The ladies, Lilly, Jenna, and Mrs. Cunningham, would have a gathering at the Cunningham house with baking and getting their hair ready for the next day while the gentlemen, Jack, Chief Cunningham, and Mr. Zarin had a poker night at Mr. Zarin’s house.
Both Jenna and Jack were happy with this version of a stag party, plus any other type of event wouldn’t be appropriate since Jenna’s Maid of Honor was only nine years old.
Jack was grateful for Mrs. Cunningham’s assistance. Jenna’s mom was in jail and her sister had vanished without a trace. With Mrs. Zarin gone, Jenna didn’t have an older woman that she could lean on and help her with the ‘woman stuff’ that honestly just went over Jack’s head.