Page 91 of Steel & Jenna
Jack ducked his head to kiss her. “Much.”
They pickedup burgers and fries on the way to their hotel room. Jenna had paid for it with her father’s credit card but had booked under Jack’s name since he was the adult of the two of them. Still, when the hotel took the manual imprint of the card, she was the one to sign so her father couldn’t come after Jack for credit card fraud out of spite.
Once up in the room, they took a moment to organize the bathroom before heading to the bed for their little picnic. Jack laid out towels before they put down the paper wrapping just in case there was a spill. Jenna had also put a hotel bathrobe on to protect her dress while Jack had taken off his suit jacket, cummerbund, shirt, and bowtie, leaving him in his dress pants and undershirt.
Jenna did not mind the lack of clothes on him in the slightest.
“What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”
Jack munched on a french fry for a moment before answering. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot. After what happened with Mrs. Zarin, I pushed it aside and figured it just wasn’t good timing or it was a sign that I was needed at home.” Jenna cocked her head in confusion, because whywouldn’the be needed at home. “But then a recruiter came to our high school last week to talk to the seniors and…” He hesitated, but he didn’t look away from her. “Jenna, have you ever had a moment where you look at something and feel like you’re holding your destiny in your hands?”
Still not entirely sure what he was getting at, she nodded. “You know I have. That’s how I feel about you.”
But he shook his head. “No, not romantically. That’s different. I mean,career. Beyond you and me.”
Slowly, she shook her head. “I mean, I want to help people but I’m not sure I had an epiphany about it. What are you getting at, Jack? What recruiter came to your high school?”
“He was an Army recruiter.” Jenna felt her heart sink.The military?“But I don’t want to join the Army,” Jack told her quickly. Jenna’s shoulders sagged in relief. “I want to become a Marine.”
Jack wasn’tsure what reaction he’d been expecting from Jenna, but utter silence was not at the top of his list. She just sat there on the bed, watching him.
“Jen?”
“A Marine?” Her voice was soft, barely a whisper.
Jack nodded. “Mr. Zarin was a Marine. So was Chief Cunningham. The way they talk about their time serving… Well, I know it’ll be hard, but that doesn’t bother me. In a way, I’m looking forward to it. To become a better man, the best man I can be.”
“You’re already the best man I know.”
“You’re biased,” he said offhandedly. “Besides, Jenna, think about the benefits. Health care for one, housing, a reliable paycheck… There’s even a sign-on bonus. Things will be tight at first, while I’m at boot camp but we’ll figure it out. The recruiter Mr. Zarin put me in touch with said that boot camp is thirteen weeks.”
“And you’ll be away all that time?”
He made a face. “Yes and contact with family is limited.”
“What about afterward?”
Jack wasn’t sure he liked how small her voice had gotten. Like she was barely breathing. He moved his burger out of the way so he could slide closer on the bed to her. “Jen, look at me, please.” Finally, she raised her beautiful hazel eyes up to meet his. “This is why I am talking to you about this. I haven’t made any decisions. I know what Iwant, but I won’t do anything unlessweare in agreement. Please,breathe. Take your time to gather your thoughts and then we’ll discuss.”
Jenna’s hand was shaking as she reached for her cup. He waited patiently while she took a long sip. After putting the cup back on the nightstand, Jenna stood up. She crossed her arms over her chest and paced a little.
When she stopped and turned, Jack caught the worry on her face. Confusion and maybe a bit of anger but mostly worry.
“We had a plan,” she said slowly. “We were going to get married, I would move in with you, Lilly, and Mr. Zarin, and we would attend community college. I don’t understand what is wrong with that plan.”
“Nothing,” Jack stressed. He stood too, careful of the food. Once in front of her, he took her hands. “Baby, nothing was wrong with that plan. I am perfectly okay withthat plan. After we’ve talked and you know everything, if that is the plan we decide to keep, I will befinewith it.”
She blinked rapidly. “But it’s not what you want. I can hear it in your voice, Jack. You’re excited about going.”
Jack drew her back to the bed. He sat down, widening his legs to bring her in close between them. “Baby, college is expensive. Especially for both of us to go. Even community college. And what about after? I have no idea what I want to do with my life and I can’t support our future family working a minimum wage job as a bagboy. I need acareer.”
Her face hardened. “Don’t put this on my shoulders, Jack Duncan. If you want to become a Marine, own it. Don’t make it sound like you’re doing this to support me. If this is what you want,say it.”
He didn’t look away. “This is what I want.” He squeezed her hands. “But it is also about supporting you. We’re getting married in twenty-five days, Jen, and I can’t afford to buy you a wedding ring. I want to be a Marine. I canseeit, but it’s two sides of the same coin. It gives me the chance to be someone, to be the man I feel like I should be, while also providing for you and our future family.”
Jenna tipped her chin up towards the ceiling. “We’ve spent somuch time apart, Jack. I was looking forward to beingmarried. To seeing you every day and waking up in your armsevery day.”
Jack pulled her closer. He gently coaxed her face downward again. “You have no idea how much I want that too, baby. And we will have that someday. Our love is so fucking strong that it can spangalaxies. Distance will never change us. We’ve already proven that.” He bent to kiss her knuckles. “I’m not going to lie. Things can move fast in the military and we’ll have to live where they send us. I might also be deployed away from you for a time. Four years is the starting contract. If we find that the military isn’t for us, then I don’t reenlist.”
