* * *
With a hand on her shoulder, Gabe led Jenny to the car, opened the door, and tucked her inside. She settled into the seat and put her seatbelt on, thinking she should’ve been thrilled her fiancé stood up for her instead of being consumed by this uneasiness.
Gabe was vehemently opposed to a prenup. Jenny would’ve signed one, and she wouldn’t have been insulted or hurt. It made sense that if a marriage didn’t work out that what each person brought into the marriage left with them. What was earned while they were married should be joint property, but before that...that was each person’s. A prenup wasn’t a barrier to trust and a good, solid marriage. But to Gabe it was.
The pride in his voice rang loud and pure when he claimed they had complete transparency between them. Jenny’d had to stifle the impulse to wince and mentally whispered, almost, as she reassured herself that nothing in her past affected her and Gabe’s future.
Gabe stood outside the driver’s side talking on the phone a minute before getting into the car. He tossed his phone onto the console between them. “Pizza okay with you?”
“Sure.”
Actually, how well could one really know another person? After all, they’d both been around several decades; that was a lot of living and experiences to cover. It’s impossible to know everything about another person. And wasn’t that part of the fun in a relationship? Finding out new things about your person? Growing together? It kept things fresh. Well, that and sex. She smiled.
“What’re you smiling about?” Gabe asked as they drove home.
“Nothing. Just happy.”
“That was fun for you?”
Jenny cast him a sideways glance. “Hardly. I’m pleased you guys worked it out.” She ran a hand along his well-muscled arm. From biceps over forearm, she enjoyed the definition and strength beneath her fingertips. “I’m glad the man I’m marrying has a forgiving heart. That makes me happy. I’ve chosen well.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Absolutely.”
“Well...when we get home...” Gabe slid his hand beneath her hair to massage her neck a minute before, running his hand over the crown of her head, past her sensitive ear and shoulder, slowly grazing her breast with his knuckles, to tug on the end. “I’ll show you exactly how well you’ve chosen.”
“Is that so?” Jenny reached over the space between their seats, and rested her hand on the top of his thigh. With slow, deliberate movements, she traced the crease from his hip to groin. On the second pass, she let her hand linger teasingly over his swelling erection.
“That, sounds like a promise,” she said in a low, sultry voice, “I’m going to have to collect on next week.”
“Next week?” Gabe raised an eyebrow and gave her a cocky look as he turned down Mt. Vernon. “I can do better than that.”
“Don’t think so.” Jenny nodded to the car in Gabe’s driveway. “Alex is with you until then.”
His brashness vaporized into disappointment. “Well, shit.”
“Poor baby.” Jenny chuckled. “Only two more weeks of setting a good example and then we’ll be free to frolic all we want behind closed doors.”
“I knew we should have sent that kid to boarding school.”
What, no protest? She’d thought for sure Gabe would take exception to her word choice, claiming that he’d never “frolicked” in his life. Poor guy must be really annoyed to pass that up. “Don’t take your frustration out on your poor daughter.”
He pulled in the drive and turned off the car. “You’re enjoying this.”
Jenny tried to keep a straight face, then gave in to a slow grin of feminine satisfaction. What woman didn’t enjoy evidence that she had the power to get her guy all hot and bothered? “A little.”
“A lot,” Gabe groused as he got out of the car.
“Whatever.” She linked an arm through his, lowered her voice, and growled, “Now feed me, man. I’m starving.”
“So demanding. So this is what life with you’s going to be like?”
Jenny turned and stood on the porch step above him so they were eye-to-eye. God, he had beautiful, intelligent pewter eyes. And she loved it when they were focused completely on her. Gorgeous man.
Resting her hands on Gabe’s shoulders, Jenny pulled him close for an open-mouth kiss full of promise. Her hand cupped his stubble-roughened cheek as she leaned into him, tasting and teasing until their hearts raced and she couldn’t tell his hot breath from hers.
With a growl deep in his throat, Gabe’s arms tightened until her body was plastered against every millimeter of his strong torso, leaving no room for even air between them. The heat of his body warred with the pounding of his heart against her breast in a distinctive, primal calling that had Jenny’s eyes drifting shut and her breath coming in short bursts.
Gabe’s arms trembled slightly as he easily lifted Jenny off the stoop, and slowly slid her down his body to the tip of his erection. The friction pebbling her nipples and electrifying every nerve ending made Jenny want to fling her legs around Gabe’s hips, bringing her closer to the fulfillment she craved.
A car in desperate need of a new muffler loudly rumbled by. Jenny’s eyes popped open, and she frowned, stifling her own rumble of frustration.
Dirty Pool, Harrison; teasing me like that when we’re on the front porch and your daughter’s on the other side of that glass front door.
Jenny broke contact with his lips to bury her face in his neck and inhale his sexy cologne. With a quick nip to his neck, she squirmed against his erection and wiggled out of his arms. Oh, yes, this teasing followed by combustible chemistry was exactly what she intended their life to be like. She pulled out of his arms, pleased to note his unfocused gaze and the perspiration-beaded forehead.
“Yup. Get used to it.” With a little extra sway in her hips, Jenny slipped through the front door.
“Well.” Gabe raised his eyebrows and slowly nodded. “Okay, then.”
He moved to the side of the porch near a huge overgrown bush to adjust the bulge in his pants. Jenny smiled. Serves him right, the tease. He collected the mail and riffled through it before pulling his phone from his pocket. “I’m just going to check my messages.”
“Uh huh.” And give himself time to cool down before greeting his observant teenage daughter. Good idea, honey.
Alex slouched in a chair with her bent knees propped on the coffee table. She rolled her head sideways. “Took you long enough. How’s Uncle George?”
“Fine. What’re you watching?” Jenny put her purse down and sat on the couch. A pregnant girl who must have been about ready to deliver sat, arguing with her mom and sister, next to a partially assembled crib.
With the phone to his ear, Gabe’s expression darkened as he strolled into the living room.
Uh oh. What now?
“Sixteen and Pregnant.”
Sliding his phone into his pocket, Gabe glanced at the TV and tossed the mail onto the coffee table. “Turn that crap off.”
“It’s not crap,” Alex said. “It shows what it’s like to be a pregnant teenager and the sucky choices they have to make.”
“It glamorizes teen pregnancy.”
“It does not,” Alex shot back. “Right, Jenny?”
“I’ve never seen it.” Jenny cocked her head at Gabe. “You have?” Gabe watched MTV?
“I treat girls like that every week at the clinic.” He nodded toward the TV, then said to Jenny, “Gianna told me about it.”
“You’ve obviously never even watched an episode; it doesn't glamorize anything.” Alex reached for the controls and turned the TV off. “It shows how pregnant girls have to give up their youth and high school fun to make adult decisions—or live with the guilt of an abortion.”
“And some of those girls got pregnant on purpose just to be on the show and pull a paycheck. Stupid. Where the hell are their parents?”
“Gabe,” Jenny chided. What happened to my forgiving, sweet man? “Working with those girls should’ve given you
insight into their problems and extenuating circumstances.”
“Maybe the same place as Julie’s parents when she got pregnant.” Alex sprang from the chair and stomped into the kitchen.
Gabe froze. Mouth open, he glanced at Jenny.
Jenny shook her head and shrugged. “Who?” she mouthed.
“Old neighbors,” he whispered.
He stared at the doorway his daughter went through. “Julie Denton’s pregnant?” He called out.
The pantry door creaked opened and then clicked shut.
“Not anymore,” Alex said. “But don’t spread it around, it’s not common knowledge.”
Gabe dropped onto the couch next to Jenny and blew out a deep breath. Jenny rubbed a comforting hand across his back as Alex foraged through the snack cupboard. Elbows on knees and chin resting on tented arms, Gabe frowned at the floor as if collecting himself. He raised his head, then called out tentatively, “Wanna talk about it?”
“Nope. Are we having dinner tonight?”
“Pizza’s on the way.”
The refrigerator door slammed shut and Alex poked her head around the doorway. “And before you go judging the Dentons, people in glass houses...” Alex trailed off as she disappeared back into the kitchen.
What did that mean?
Gabe stiffened. “Having a baby at twenty-three is hardly the same as sixteen.”
“You both were still in school.”
“Med school.”
“Whatever. Irresponsible,” Alex trilled. “Do you want a drink?”
“Beer, please.” He turned to her. “Jen?”
She shook her head. “No, thanks.”
Gabe heaved to his feet and headed for the kitchen. He took the beer Alex handed him, twisted the cap off, and pitched it in the trash. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the doorframe. “Heard from your brother lately?”
Jenny eased past him and took a seat at the kitchen table. What was Gabe up to? His tone was a little too casual to be making small talk.
Alex glanced at her father out of the corner of her eye, before going back to pouring her soda. “We talked a few days ago.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Fine,” Alex drew out.
The doorbell rang. Jenny got to her feet and waved Gabe away. “I’ll get it.”
Jenny paid for the pizza and brought it into the kitchen. Alex reached into the cabinets for plates, then spread forks and knives next to the pizza box.
“He’s not having any trouble adjusting?” Gabe asked.
Alex hesitated, then threw the pizza lid open. “Not that I know of.” She inhaled deeply and smiled. “This looks great. Mom and Dave hardly ever let us get pizza.”
“You sure?” Gabe asked.
Alex drew out a slice and assiduously avoided looking at her father. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
Gabe pushed off the door jam and moved over to the counter. “I have, but you’d know before I would if something’s going on.”
Judging by the tension in the room and Alex’s body language, there was definitely something going on, but she wasn’t about to rat her brother out, and it wasn’t fair for Gabe to put her in that position. But this was between Gabe and his daughter. Jenny should stay out of it.
“If you want to know something, ask him yourself,” Alex said.
“I have, but he claims everything’s great,” Gabe pressed.
Jenny ground her teeth together. Stay out of it, Jenny. Not your business.
Alex shrugged. “Then it must be.”
“You guys know you can tell me anything, right?”
“I know.”
Geeze, let her off the hook. It’s the sibling code. She’s not going to talk. Jenny picked up a plate. “One or two pieces?”
“Two. Thanks.”
Jenny scooped up two slices of pizza and shoved them at Gabe. He took the plate and followed Alex to the table. “If either of you had a problem, I’d help.”
Alex crammed more pizza in her mouth, as she raised her eyebrows. “Mmm huh.”
Oh for God sake! Enough already. Jenny turned to Alex. “I’m going dress shopping with my mom tomorrow and then out to lunch. Want to come? She’s all concerned about getting something that won’t clash with your dress.”
“Sure. Sounds fun.”
“Great.” Jenny and Alex chatted about wedding plans, never giving Gabe the opportunity to turn the conversation back around to Ted. After dinner, Alex excused herself to do homework while Jenny and Gabe cleaned up.
After he dried the pizza cutter and put it away, Jenny took Gabe’s hand and led him out onto the back deck, the farthest she could get from Alex’s bedroom. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why were you so mean to Alex? The show. Pumping her for information on Ted. That’s not like you.”
“I know.” Gabe sighed. “I don’t know. The thing with Uncle George, then I had a message from a friend who said he saw Ted in court today.” He turned his head sideways to look at her. “Apparently he got written up for trying to buy booze from an undercover cop.” He frowned. “Alex knew about Ted—I could see it in her eyes, but she just wouldn’t admit it...”
“So you took it out on her? It’s called loyalty, Gabe. She was protecting her brother. You should be proud.”
“What about her loyalty to me?”
Jenny rolled her eyes at him and gave him a look that let him know how childish he’d sounded. “You’re the parent. He’s her brother. Siblings bond together. That’s a good thing. It means you raised them right.”
“I wasn’t that mean.” He scowled. “It just makes me so mad that my kids would lie to me. Am I that unapproachable?”
“You’re a parent. Yes.”
“It’s not like I expect them not to screw up. They’re kids. Was I shocked that Ted had a fake ID? No. I had one at his age. I did dumb things in college. I don’t expect my kids to be perfect, but I do expect them not to lie to me.”
“He didn’t lie.”
Gabe frowned at her. “By omission. We talk every week, and he said everything was fine. We talked about his classes, his roommates, the food—”
“And you really expected him to tell you about an alcohol ticket and court appearance?”
“Hoped.”
“Why? He’s protecting you. Apparently he manned up and dealt with it on his own. He didn’t want you to be disappointed in him. I get it.”
“It’s dishonest. That’s not how I raised my son.”
“People have a right to their privacy—even your son. You don’t need to know everything.”
“Everything important, I do. And it’s not a matter of privacy, it’s a matter of honesty and trust. I want to be able to trust my kids, is that so bad?”
“No. No it’s not.” Jenny could sympathize, but with her recent growing pains with her own parents still fresh, she identified with Ted’s decisions, too. “But you have to balance that with letting them make their own mistakes, deal with the consequences, and become their own person. You need to sit back and relax, and trust that you raised them right and that they’ll come to you if they get in over their heads.”
“They can do all that and still be honest with me. You’ve never had children so you don’t understand the...” He frowned as he searched for the right word. “...incredible weight of responsibility for another person that comes as soon as that baby’s born—even before. It’s up to you to protect that child with your life and teach and guide him to be a loving, good person and productive member of society.” He sighed. “No matter how old they get, that feeling doesn’t seem to lessen.”
“You don’t have to be a parent to understand that.”
“Yeah, you really do.”
Jenny wasn’t about to argue with him but thought back about the evening’s conversations. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Anything.”
“You didn’t choose to have kids in med school. Ted was an accident, was
n’t he?”
He shook his head. “We learned in med school that sperm and eggs are at optimal health around age twenty-five. After that, a man’s sperm quality and the woman’s eggs begin to degrade.
“Since we were in a financial position to hire a nanny, we decided to optimize our chances of having healthy, intelligent children.” He pursed his lips. “Just so happens, Judith was twenty-five.”
“So you lied to your children?”
Gabe frowned, and looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure it’s ever come up, actually. But they’re smart kids. I’m sure they’ve figured it out.”
Jenny raised her eyebrows.
“Fine. Point taken. One could make an argument that we lied by omission.” He put an arm around her waist. “Well, now that you’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Still want to marry me?”
“Aw don’t be so hard on yourself. That wasn’t your best effort earlier. We barely got started,” she teased.
He frowned at her attempt at humor. “Interfering uncle and delinquent son. You’re really willing to take us on?”
More than ever, now that she’d seen the man actually had a few flaws. Thank God. It’d be hard living with a saint—even a sexy one. So they disagreed on a few fundamental issues? She could respect his need for complete honesty, but he also had to respect loyalty. Hmm, if push came to shove she wondered which he’d put above the other. She’d choose loyalty.
“You’ve met my mother, yet you still proposed.”
Gabe tipped his head and winced. “Still say I’m getting the better end of this deal.”
Chapter 9