Jackie Draws A Straight: The Journey Series Book 5 (18 page)

The kiss got deeper and she moaned into his mouth and rubbed her body against his. God how he wanted her. He had a fleeting image of pulling her into the SUV and taking her in the backseat. The
notion
was swiftly squashed, though. He'd have to wait. It was right to wait.

"You're hard," she pointed out, her lips millimeters away from his, and she rubbed her belly against his erection harder.

"You shouldn't do that, Jackie."

"I like it."

Grumpiness bit him
as
he stepped back away from her. Teasing him was only making him want her more and he had to fight himself. "I'll see you at work tomorrow, Miss Journey."

She smiled and Pete's bad mood started to
fade away in the light of her
sexy eyes. When the time came, the satisfaction was going to be worth the wait. "Okay, Dr. Kaminsky. Sleep well."

He had a date with his right hand first
. S
leep would
come after he did
.

Chapter 8

In many ways, t
hree weeks passed way too fast for Jackie. There were so many wedding preparations to make. The weekends were completely full. She saw Pete at work, when they met with Father Roskovy, and at church on Sundays.

Their time together after the marriage counseling sessions was full of heated kisses and old-fashioned petting through their clothes. In some ways, Jackie felt daring and sophisticated, but mostly she knew there was a lot more she could be experiencing. Holding back and waiting was frustrating
. She wanted the excitement of Pete teaching her things she'd heard about from girls at school but never done herself. The nights of anticipation were exhausting.

And she wanted to hear that he loved her. It seemed like every time she thought he'd say the words, something stupid would happen and the moment was lost. It was cowardly of her not to say
it
first, but it was too scary. She tried to do it, but kept getting shy. She'd never told anyone but her family that she loved them. It was
such a risky thing to do, putting your heart on your sleeve like that.

Eventually, though, the day dawned when she would wear her special white gown and walk down the aisle.
The wedding was to take place at the church, on a Friday afternoon. There would be guests from all over the county, as well as family from all over Texas, including her brother Deuce and his girlfriend, Pilar; Trey's wife Liv, who'd have to attend by herself because Trey was in Afghanistan for a few more months; Aunt Betty, Leo's sister, who lived in College Park; and several cous
ins from around the state.

The only guests who made Jackie nervous were Pete's family.
She'd met his parents for the first time the night of the rehearsal dinner. They were kind people with pronounced Polish accents, but excellent English. Pete's father, a chemist, was conservative and full of old-world charm. Pete's mother was warm, round, and sweet as sugar cookies on the surface, but Jackie detected a fist of steel under the velvet glove. It made Jackie wary and sure that if she screwed up,
Wisia
would make sure she knew about it.

Case, James and Penny, Pete's siblings, were friendly and happy for their
older
brother. James had a wicked sense of humor and used it to keep peace among his brothers and sister.
Case was a lot more laid back. Penny was a bit of an airhead, but they might be friends over the years.

She'd taken Jackie aside between the rehearsal and the dinner and gushed a little about how excited she was for Pete.

"Petey is going to be so happy. He needs someone like you who'll make him lighten up. You're so perfect for him."

Jackie was flattered.
"Thank you. I'm going to try to be what he needs."

"Oh you'll be so much better than Laurel was."

"Laurel?" A little stab of jealousy shot through Jackie. She didn't like to think about Pete with other women, though she knew he had been with others.

"Pete's high-school sweetheart, you know. Everyone thought they'd get married, but she was such a bitch. I was thrilled
that
they broke up. She'd have been nothing but a lead weight."

"Um…sure.
"

Penny
leaned in conspiratorially, her blonde hair falling forward into her face. "I think it was all sex anyway."

Geez. She really didn't want to hear this, but it was fascinating nonetheless. "You do?"

The young woman
nodded. "I caught them together once in the garage." She must have seen something on Jackie's face, though
Jackie
tried to keep a neutral expression. "Oh, I probably said too much.
I'm always blathering on.
I'm sorry."

Jackie touched her soon-to-be-sister-in-law's arm. The woman's expression showed embarrassment. "It's okay. I know Pete had other girlfriends before me. I'm kinda glad he did." It was true, she realized. There was a lot about relationships that Jackie would have to learn from Pete, even more than the sexual aspects. He'd grown up with both parents living and there was a kind of connection there, nuances that Jackie didn't understand.
Furthermore, h
is experience with other girlfriends was part of him and Jackie was crazy about him the way he was. He was a little older and a lot more mature. That maturity included past relationships. So long as they didn't come back to haunt her, they simply made Pete richer.

"You're glad?"

"He wouldn't be who he is if he had a different past."

Penny
looked pensive
for a moment, blue eyes scanning Jackie's face. "That's right. You're right. I hadn't thought of it that way. I guess I hate Laurel a little less."

Jackie laughed and they were enjoying their moment of connection as Pete walked up to escort them to the dinner.

Now, on the morning of the wedding, Jackie
smiled fondly at the memory. Yes, Penny would be a friend along the way.

Consuelo treated Jackie as if it was just another day
as
she made her way into the kitchen. "Mornin' Connie."

"Buenos d
í
as, ni
ñ
a.
" She offered breakfast, but Jackie was too nervous to eat. Coffee smelled good, though, so she helped herself to a cup. As she sipped, she stared out the large windows
overlooking
the backyard. Flowers were beginning to bloom and there was color everywhere. She spoke to Consuelo almost absently.

"Am I doing the right thing?"

The older woma
n's voice was soft as she responded to Jackie in Spanish. "It depends on why you're doing it."

Why was she doing it? She wanted to sleep with Pete. There was that. She wanted to have a home and family all her own. That was true too. And, it had become undeniable that as she discovered more about Pete, through the marriage counseling, working with him, and meeting his family, she was deeply in love with him. She'd been on the verge of telling him
the last time he kissed her
, but it
was
such a huge revelation. If his response was embarrassment or discomfort
, or worst of all, pity
, Jackie thought she'd curl up and die. As much as she wanted him to declare that he loved her, too, she was more willing to go into the marriage doubting that he did than to find out for sure that it was all about sex or possession or something equally short-lived.
If he didn't love her now, she'd make him love her over time. She would.

"I love him, Connie."

"Love does not conquer all, niña. Even though that is what romance tells us."

The answer was so unexpected that Jackie turned quickly, sloshing hot coffee on her fingers. "Ouch!"

"Don't be careless, Jackie. Not with hot coffee or with your heart."

She locked gazes with the woman she loved like a mother and nodded slowly. "Yes, ma'am.
I think he cares for me, too."

"He has not told you?"

"I haven't told him either."

Consuelo sighed and started wiping down the counters. "So young. Be honest with him and yourself. Don't let pride get in the way of your happiness."

Jackie reckoned it was good advice, but it was a lot harder to put in practice. "I'll try."

"Have you had sex with him?"

"Connie!" Her face flamed at the whole idea of talking sex over with Connie. They hadn't discussed anything like that since Jackie had bled for the first time and Connie had warned her to be chaste or risk getting pregnant.

Consuelo shrugged in her enigmatic way. "
Do you need to talk about it?"

"No!" There was nothing that Connie could tell her that she hadn't already heard about from the girls at college. "I think I know how it works."

"You might know the mechanics, ni
ñ
a, but there's more to it than that."

"I'll figure it out. Pete will teach me."

Connie's gaze met Jackie's. "He's a good man. I think he will take care of you."

"Yes, ma'am, he will. I know he will. I'll take care of him, too."

A smile stole over the older woman's
lined
face. "I know." She dried her hands on a towel. "Shall we go for a walk before you have to get ready for the wedding?"

Fresh air seemed like a perfect idea and Jackie put down her coffee cup. "Yeah. I'd like that. I'm
strung tighter than a clothesline on a windy day."

"Ace said Ripley was particularly fond of apples. Shall we bring some to her?"

It was a lovely, mundane, so-not-a-wedding-day occupation.
T
ime out of the house was just what Jackie needed.

* * *

Pete had a few words with Father Roskovy and then took his place at the altar and stared out at all the people sitting in the pews.
His family was there, some old family friends, and new neighbors from nearby. He was entering a new phase in his life and was doing it very, very publicly. He hoped he could live up to the responsibility. It was going to be a challenge in so many ways, but Jackie was worth it. Pete had admitted to himself that he needed what she provided.
She was bright, vivacious, fun, and gave him something to look forward to after working hard all day. Being an MD was a worthwhile and rewarding career, but you did see a lot of people who were unhappy and frustrated. It could bring you down, make you miserable right along with them. Jackie was the balance he needed in his life.

He loved everything she brought to their relationship. He loved her. It had gotten to the point, while they went through the steps needed to get to this place, that he didn't think he'd be a happy man living without her. Pete had intended to tell her. He'd thought of doing it a thousand times, but he was waiting for exactly the right moment.
The time never seemed right. His need for the perfect moment had
complicated things too much. But m
aybe it wasn't something she would want to hear. Maybe her motivations for this wedding were entirely different than his. It was impossible to tell. Sex was part of it; of that he was certain. But, in reality, if she'd only wanted to get laid, she'd have done it long before Pete came along. There was more to it. Jackie's reactions to him over the course of the past few weeks told him that she cared about him. They were friends and finding more in common with each passing day.