The issue of their future expanded with every breath as they walked back the way they’d come, their path illuminated by the moonlight, the porch lights of Pete’s house beacons of their destination.
The house was quiet, save for the curtains billowing around the living room windows. They went into the bedroom, and Jenna set her sandals beside a pair of her flip-flops in the bottom of Pete’s closet. She went to the dresser and squeezed a dab of her body lotion into her hands, then set the bottle beside Pete’s cologne. The room instantly smelled like Jenna. With one hand, Pete reached over his back and pulled his shirt off. Thinking of Jenna, he laid it carefully over the chair rather than dropping it to the floor. Everything he did, he did with Jenna in mind, and he liked it that way.
Jenna untied the shoulder straps of her long cotton dress, and it puddled at her feet. She crossed her arms over her chest. The thin line of her taupe thong was barely visible against her tanned skin. Jenna rarely went without a bra, but at night, when it was just them, she felt comfortable enough to do so, and the flush that crept up her neck made her sexy and sweet at once, and utterly irresistible. Pete drew her body against him.
“Love the worry away, Petey.” Her whisper brushed over his skin.
He lifted her in his arms, cradling her against him, and kissed her deeply. Her arms circled his neck as he lowered her to the bed and kissed her again, loving her with all the tenderness and all the desire that consumed him every moment they were together. He slid his lips along the smooth line of her jaw and took her earlobe between his teeth. Jenna sucked in a breath; her fingernails dug into his back.
“I love when you do that,” she whispered.
He released her lobe and kissed the tender spot.
“This isn’t bigger than us, Jenna. We’ll figure it out,” he whispered.
Jenna tightened her arms around his back and buried her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling loudly. She held him so tightly that he felt a nervous trembling in her limbs. She drew back and looked at him with wide, trusting eyes.
“It took so long to find us. I don’t see an easy answer.” She searched his eyes, and the vulnerability he saw in hers cut him to his core.
“I’ll take care of this, Jenna. I promise you, I’ll always take care of us.”
He promised over and over again as they made love.
I’LL ALWAYS TAKE care of us. Pete’s hands caressed Jenna’s cheek, his kisses trailing in the wake of his certainty. She knew he would always take care of them. He’d always taken care of everyone. His siblings. His father. Seaside. He’d fixed her pipes, her closet, her roof, and now he’d keep her heart safe, too.
Jenna sighed contentedly, and her mind drifted to his earlier question. She wanted to be with Pete. She’d always wanted to be with him. She knew family was as important to him as it was to her, and she loved that about him.
“Petey.”
Pete lifted sleepy and satisfied eyes to her.
“If you were serious before, I would definitely consider moving to the Cape full-time. Rhode Island is way too far from you, and I’d never ask you to leave your father.”
“Aw, babe. You can’t begin to imagine how much that means to me.”
A vibrating noise sounded. Muffled and short, like a fleeting thought. Jenna glanced across the room at the same time that Pete’s head shot up, his brows pinched together.
Pete groaned. “For crying out loud.”
She knew by the look in his eyes, and his angry words, that it was his father calling.
“It’s okay, Pete. We’ll clean up and go right over.”
He pushed up on his palms and smiled down at her. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Maybe this was sort of okay when it was just me, but this is definitely not okay now.” He pushed off the bed and reached for her hand. “This is going to end. I promise you, Jenna, our lives will not be spent dealing with this.”
Chapter Nineteen
SUNDAY MORNING PETE and Jenna sat on the couch drinking coffee, neither wanting to leave before the other.
“Want some toast?” Jenna’s leg bounced nervously.
“You’re stalling.” Pete kissed her neck. “You have to be at the book sale in half an hour.”
“Do you blame me?” She set his coffee cup on a coaster and climbed onto his lap. Pete was bare chested, wearing just a pair of Levi’s. His skin was still warm and moist from his shower, and he smelled delicious. Jenna nuzzled against his neck.
“I’m getting used to this whole wake-up-to-Petey thing.” She ran her hands through his wet hair and kissed each cheek.
He wrapped an arm around her and rested his head back. She knew he loved when she stroked his cheek, and she did so now. He had shaved this morning, and his face was smooth and soft. Jenna ran her thumb over his lips and then kissed them lightly, feeling the effect of her love beneath her.
“Careful, or you’ll be late.” He opened his eyes and kissed her deeply. “I’m getting used to us, too, Jenna. In fact, I never want to go back to not being us.”
PETE’S WORDS CARRIED Jenna through the chilly morning. By midafternoon the sun had burned through the clouds and crowds of people milled around the annual book sale—and Jenna was still smiling like a schoolgirl in love. Cars lined up along Main Street waiting to pull into the public parking area behind the church. The parking lot had been packed tight since eight o’clock in the morning. Churchgoers came decked out in their Sunday best, and families rode their bicycles through the quaint town, stopping to check out the titles, which were lined up three boxes deep in the alley, covering the tops of long tables and spread on blankets on the lawn.
“Everyone here is going to know you’re a dirty girl if you don’t get that stupid grin off your face,” Amy teased.
Amy and Jenna sat on metal chairs in front of Abiyoyo, a specialty shop with upscale toys, gifts, and clothing. Behind them was a waist-high brick wall with a New England garden boasting colorful flowers and verdant foliage of varying heights and types.
“You’d be smiling, too, if it were you and Tony.” Jenna handed a red-haired woman change for her purchase, and Amy bagged the books she bought for her two young children, who were tugging on her shorts.
“Thanks for stopping by.” Jenna watched them walk away and turned her attention back to Amy.
“So, anyway, it looks like I might be moving to the Cape!” She and Amy squealed and hugged for the hundredth time that day. No matter how many times she said it aloud, it still didn’t feel real.
“I’m sickeningly jealous, but so happy for you.” Amy had on a pair of shorts and a light blue tank top. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and as she spoke, she tightened the elastic band, lifting her ponytail higher. She sat back with a sigh. “I can’t get over that you two are finally a couple. And when I see you two together, it’s like that’s how it’s always been.”
“That’s how it feels to us, too.”