Page 49 of Jobe

She peered up at his smiling face, seeing his twinkling eyes.Damn, he knows exactly what I was thinking.

And he did, having to adjust himself when Penny turned back to the stove. Narrowing his gaze at Mackenna, his expression promised retribution for giving him a hard-on in front of her mother.

Giggling, she pranced over to him, rising on her toes to press a kiss on his lips. “Hey, sweetie,” she repeated.

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her tightly against his chest in welcome. “Hey yourself, doll.”

“We thought we’d eat early and then take you up on your offer to let mom try out your pool if that’s okay,” she said.

“Absolutely,” he enthused. “I think that’ll do you a lot of good, Mrs. Dunn,” he said, winking at her over the top of Mackenna’s head. He knew Penny was perfectly happy with his parents, but he wondered if she was amenable to the idea that he had mentioned.

Mackenna noticed that he was introspective during dinner but was afraid to ask him why. She so wanted to stay with him but did not know how to bring it up. Her mom had to take priority and they could not continue to rely on the Delaro’s kind offer, nor could she possibly ask Jobe if he wanted them to stay.

The meal finished, the three of them headed to the pool where Jobe assisted Penny into the water and worked with her in using her weaker limbs. Mackenna swam laps for a few minutes and then moved over to where they were. She watched the expression on her mother’s face as Penny floated with weightless ease in the water. It was so nice seeing her mom enjoying herself again.

The trio made their way back upstairs where they quickly changed into dry clothes. Walking out into the living room, Jobe said, with what he hoped was enough casualness to not be obvious, “You know, Mrs. Dunn, if you lived in this building, you could have the pool, hot tub, and sauna whenever you wanted.”

Mackenna shot him a strange look, wondering where that comment had come from.Does he want mom here? Does that mean he wants me here too? I don’t want mom to think I don’t wish to live with her.

“They have the elevators so there are no stairs to deal with. And on the second floor they have smaller, one bedroom condos that are affordable.”

“Jobe,” Mackenna admonished. “Mom needs to live with me. I admit that our landlord is afraid for us to come back, but I was going to start looking for a new place.”

Penny chuckled as the two walked over to her. Reaching up with her good hand to cup her daughter’s cheek, she said, “I can see tha wheels tu-ning in ya mind. It okay if you wan ta be with Jobe.”

“Mom, I never minded sharing a house with you,” Mackenna proclaimed.

“I know. Bu thi way, I can be close bu have ma own place too.”

“You’re considering living here?” Mackenna asked with a smile.

“Maybe. I don wan to be in ya way,” she said with a wink.

Jobe rushed to say, “Mrs. Dunn, like Mackenna, I don’t want you living somewhere else. I’d like you to live here. If you wanted to stay with me that’d be fine.”

Penny saw the uncertainty written on both of their faces and shook her head. She took Mackenna’s hand in hers and walked her over to Jobe. She struggled to take his hand in her left one, but he made it easier by placing his hand on hers. Smiling, she brought their hands together. Looking at them both, she said, “Tha time is o-va for not say-in wha is on ya mind. Ya par-ens are pick-in me up, so I nee to get downstairs.” With that, she kissed them goodbye and left the apartment.

Mackenna glanced down at her hand, still holding his, and said, “I think we’ve been dismissed.”

Jobe chuckled and pulled her along before tugging her into his lap as he sat on the sofa.

“Penny’s right. The time is over for us to keep things inside, even if we’re afraid,” he said, holding her gaze. “Mackenna, I know everything has happened fast…or so it seems. But the honest to God truth is that I never stopped loving you for the past five years. And I have fucking loved having you in my house.”

He watched her carefully, but so far nothing that he had said seemed to have her running for the hills.So far, so good.

“I ran by to talk to Penny, the day after she went to stay with my parents, to let her know that we had a great place in this building that was affordable. We got to talking and she admitted that she loved being with you, but wished that she had her own place too.”

Mackenna nodded, knowing it was the right thing to do for her mom. She reached up and cupped his jaw in her hand, feeling the stubble underneath her fingertips. “You’re so amazing, Jobe. You saw something that I hadn’t even seen…her need to feel more independent.”

“Oh doll, you don’t need to thank me. If I hadn’t been in such a fucked-up state of mind, I’d have been here all along when you needed me.”

She sighed, thinking of the past.

“Babe, if that sigh is any indication, I’m still fucking things up.”

She lifted her eyebrow, confusion written on her face. “I…I’m not sure I understand.”

Jobe pulled her over so that she was straddling his lap, one hand on her waist and the other cupping her cheek. “Mackenna, for the past week, we’ve lived in my apartment as a couple. But I knew that it wasn’t home to you. Hell, it wasn’t much of a home for me. Just a place to hang. But I want you to move in with me. Bring your stuff so that we can put it all together. Make it our home.”

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