Unwrapped (23 page)

“Patrick?”

He liked the way his name sounded coming from her lips. “Hmm?”

“Could you let the Trujillos stay in the condo? Not forever, but just until they find a place to live?”

He lifted his head. “Did you really think I would kick them out? Although I wish you had asked me before you made the decision. I would've furnished the place so they wouldn't have been forced to sleep on the floor.”

Her face lit up like the Fourth of July. “You plan on buying them beds?”

“Not me. Since you're so good at buying furniture, I figured I'd give that job to you.”

A devilish look entered her eyes. “I know of a pool table they could have for free.”

“Oh no. I won fair and square.”

“More like low-down and dirty.” Her hands were still in his hair, and her fingers brushed the tops of his ears. The simple caress shouldn't have made him hard, but it did. She must have felt it because her eyes widened. But instead of pushing him away, she tightened her legs and pulled him closer. “How about double or nothing?”

Patrick groaned as he sank deeper. “Okay, Jac, but you need to know that I play to win.”

F
or the love of Pete”—Gerald's voice came from the thick branches of the Douglas fir—“this tree wouldn't even fit in your Aunt Frances's grand ballroom. It's sure as heck not going to fit in Patrick's condo.”

Jac stood back and examined the tree Gerald held up. “You're probably right. Put it back, and we'll keep looking.”

With a grunt Gerald flopped the tree back with the other ones leaning on the fence before brushing pine needles off his knee-length coat. “I don't even know why you're looking at trees. Since you decided to let Patrick keep the pool table, where are you going to put it?”

“I thought I'd put it in one corner of the bedroom.”

“Now that makes perfect sense. Especially considering that it's where you spend all your time.”

It was true. She and Patrick had spent the majority of the past week in bed. And not just having sex—although there had been plenty of that. But they'd also watched movies, played cards, and just talked. It had been wonderful. And just the thought of it brought a happy leap to her heart and a satisfied smile to her face. A satisfied smile that didn't go unnoticed.

“I can't believe it”—Gerald crossed his hands over his heart—“my little Jac has finally found true lust.” His gaze sharpened as he looked over her shoulder. “And I can't say as I blame you. The man is delectable.”

Jac glanced behind her and saw Patrick standing just inside the gates of the Christmas tree lot. He wore his usual flannel shirt, faded jeans, and work boots, but in deference to the cold temperatures, he'd added a green down vest that accentuated the muscles of his arms. All he needed was an ax resting on his shoulder to complete the picture of virile lumberjack. His searching gaze finally landed on her, and she couldn't seem to help the heat that filled her entire body. A slow, sexy smile eased over his face, and the feeling only intensified. She watched in a kind of airless happy bubble as he strode toward her, their gazes never wandering from each other, even when he dipped his head and brushed a kiss over her lips.

“Sorry I'm late. I stayed to help Juan Trujillo with some insurance forms.” He kept an arm tucked around her, which was a good thing since her knees felt weak. “So did you find a tree you liked?”

With Patrick so close and so utterly handsome, she couldn't seem to form any words. All she could do was smile back at him. It took Gerald's startling exclamation to snap her out of her daze.

“Oh my God.”

Jac glanced over to find Gerald looking back and forth between them with a stunned look on his face. “What?” she said. “What's wrong?”

Gerald shook his head and adjusted the scarf around his neck. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Jac studied him for a second more before making her own assumptions. “I think Gerald is referring to my choice in Christmas trees. I seem to be drawn to ones that would work better in Rockefeller Center than in our condo.”

Patrick laughed. “Then I guess you're lucky that your husband owns an electric saw.” He pulled her closer. “So where are these monster trees?”

Unlike Gerald, Patrick had no problem lifting each tree Jac picked out and holding it while she examined the branches for gaps. Nor did he complain when it took her a while to make her decision. Although he did seem as relieved as Gerald when she finally settled on a seven-foot Scotch pine. After handing it off to one of the teenage boys who worked the lot, he quickly chose another one.

“I'm not sure we'll have room for two,” Jac said. “Especially with the pool table.”

“This one's for my Aunt Wheezie. She wanted me to pick one up for her Christmas party this weekend.” Patrick sent her a rather secretive smile. “But if you want two trees, I think we'll have room.”

Confused, she shook her head. “One's plenty.”

Still grinning, he hefted the tree and followed the young man to his truck, which was parked just outside the chain link fence. After he tied both trees down and paid the kid, he turned to Gerald, who was huddled in his coat and still looking between the two of them.

“I'm glad you came into town early, Gerald. I think my aunt has bitten off more than she can chew with this Christmas party. And I was wondering, since you run an event business, if you could give her a hand. I'm more than willing to pay you.”

“There's no need to pay him,” Jac cut in. “Gerald would be more then happy to help.” She sent him a bright smile. “Wouldn't you, Geri?”

He nodded weakly. “Of course, why wouldn't I want to start doing parties for free?”

Patrick laughed. “Maybe you can help, Jacqueline.” He winked at her. “I'd love some pigs in a blanket. So is your sister going to make the party?”

“No, I'm afraid not. I talked to her today, and she said that she can't get away from work. So she won't get in until late on Christmas Eve.”

“Flying?”

Jac nodded. “But she's not happy about it.” A gust of wind sliced through her, and she shivered. Which resulted in Patrick pulling her into his arms and rubbing her back.

“You need to get out of this cold. And where is your hat?”

“Sorry, Dad,” she teased. “I left it at school.”

“Smart butt.” He playfully smacked her bottom before adjusting her scarf up around her ears. “Since I need to drop off the tree at Wheezie's, how about if I pick up dinner and meet you and Gerald back at the condo?”

“I could make dinner.”

He touched her bottom lip with his finger, and his eyes turned hot. “You've made dinner every night. Let me treat you for a change. Chinese?” She nodded, and he gave her a brief kiss before waving at Gerald. “Take good care of my girl, Geri.” His words made Jacqueline feel even giddier, and she watched as he got in the truck and backed up. When he glanced over and saw that she was still standing there, he rolled down the window. “Get in the car, Jacqueline.”

Blinking, she turned to discover that Gerald was already in the rental car with the engine started. She hadn't realized how cold she was until she climbed in and the blissful warmth from the heater enveloped her.

She shivered and held her gloved hands out to the heating vents. “I can't believe it's so cold this far south. It's every bit as cold as New York.” When Gerald didn't say anything, she glanced over. He was watching her, his eyes intent and almost concerned. “Okay, what's going on?” she asked. “Are you mad that I made you lift all those trees? Or is this about me ignoring your calls this last week? Well, I'm sorry. But when you were dating Ramon, you ignored me. In fact I didn't hear from you for weeks at a time.”

“Because I loved Ramon.”

She reached over and took his hand, gently squeezing it. “I know. And I can't tell you how sorry I am that it didn't work out.”

Gerald sighed. “So it's not lust. It's love.”

“Of course I knew it wasn't lust.” She released his hand and reached for her seat belt. “You wouldn't have ignored me for simple lust.” She pulled the strap across her, but before she could lock it, Gerald placed a hand on her arm and stopped her.

“I'm not talking about Ramon, Jac. I'm talking about Patrick.” He hesitated for only a brief second. “You aren't in lust with him. You're in love with him.”

The seat belt slipped from her hand and zinged back to hit the door with a clatter. “What?” She tried to snort with derision, but it came out sounding more like choked hysteria. “Obviously you've spent too much time alone. You're starting to lose it. I don't love Patrick. I could never love Patrick.”

“So you're telling me that you still think he's a loser?”

A loser
?
No, Patrick wasn't a loser. In fact in the last couple of weeks, she'd discovered that he was the complete opposite of the boyfriends her mother had brought home. He was a man who loved his job and his family. A man who didn't mind getting his hands dirty and taking on whatever task needed to be done. A man who believed in fairness and doing what was right. Whether it was marrying the woman he'd impregnated or giving a job to a man down on his luck.

She'd found out about Patrick hiring Mr. Trujillo the morning after they'd had pool table sex. She'd been making pancakes and Patrick had been taking a shower when the intercom buzzer had gone off. She answered it, but no one was there. When she went outside to check, she found a small bag of biscochito cookies with a homemade note from the Trujillo children—not only thanking her for the place to stay and the food and coats, but thanking Patrick for the job. Jacqueline walked back in with the cookies to find Patrick just coming down the stairs. She didn't even wait for him to reach the bottom before she flung herself into his arms.

The pancakes had to wait.

“You were right, Gerald. Patrick isn't a loser,” she said.

“Of course he's not. Which explains why you've fallen in love with him.” She started to deny it, but Gerald held up his hand. “Believe me, Jac. That look you just gave him wasn't an I-think-you're-a-nice-guy look. Nor was it an I-want-to-jump-your-bones look. It was a you-are-the-center-of-my-universe look. And I should know because it was the same look I used to give Ramon.”

“No.” She shook her head, suddenly feeling more than a little hysterical. “You're wrong, Gerald. I-I don't…I can't love Patrick. These sappy feelings that I have are just because of the great sex. Because I've never had such amazing orgasms with another man. That's all.”

Gerald gave her a sympathetic look. “I understand your fear of love, Jac. I don't know much about your mother, but I know how cold your aunt was—just as cold and unloving as my parents. And like my parents, she taught you that love wasn't nearly as important as money. But money can't buy happiness, Jac. Your aunt and my parents are perfect examples of this. Which probably explains the weird stipulation in your aunt's will. She wanted you to be as miserable in your loveless marriage as she was in hers.” He leaned closer. “But love does buy happiness, Jac. You and Bailey have taught me that. Without you as my friends, I never would've survived after my family cut me off for being a homosexual. Your love is what makes me happy. So don't be afraid of loving Patrick.”

As if all the strength had suddenly drained out of her body, Jac slumped back in the seat. Love? Was it possible? Could she be in love with Patrick after only a few weeks?

As with the jigsaw puzzles she and Gerald used to put together on rainy days, her mind pieced through the memories and tried to organize a cohesive picture of her relationship with Patrick. It wasn't easy. Their relationship hadn't started out like most. It had started by accident and continued because of the tiny person that was growing inside her. But these past few weeks hadn't been an accident. Or about the baby. They had been about two people getting to know one another. Getting to know one another and becoming friends.

Jac couldn't deny that she liked Patrick. She liked the way his green eyes crinkled up at the corners when he laughed and the way he looked all content and satisfied after he finished eating one of her meals. And she liked the way his hand rode on her back when they went anywhere together and how intent he looked when she read to him from one of the baby books she'd purchased. But most of all, she liked going to bed snuggled against him at night and waking up snuggled against him in the morning. If she was truthful with herself, she didn't like these things as much as love them.

She was so consumed with her thoughts that she was surprised when Gerald pulled up to the condo's garage. He kept the engine running and waited for her to speak. When she finally did, she didn't deny her love. She couldn't. Instead she faced her greatest fear.

“What if he doesn't love me?”

“Aww, honey.” Gerald released his seat belt and pulled her into a hug. “Then that's his loss. But somehow I don't think that's the case. Not if the dopey look on his face was any indication.” He pulled back. “But you need to tell him, Jac. You need to tell him everything. Not just about being in love with him, but about your aunt's will and the reason you married him.”

“But he'll hate me for lying and manipulating him.”

“Probably at first. But if he really loves you, he'll forgive you.”

She sent him a skeptical look. “I'm not so sure. You've seen his temper.”

Instead of reassuring her, Gerald thought for a moment before nodding. “Maybe it would be better if you waited to tell him about the will when you're in a crowded place—and when his power tools aren't within reach.”

“Thanks a lot, Gerald. That makes me feel so much better.” She opened the door. “Come on. We need to unbox the decorations we bought and put hooks on them before Patrick gets back.”

He reached into the backseat and grabbed the bag of decorations. “I think I'm going to let you two lovebirds decorate your tree without me.”

“But Patrick's bringing you dinner.”

He handed her the bag. “Since you're eating for two, you can eat my portion.”

She got out. But before closing the door, she leaned back in. “I love you, Geri.”

He smiled. “Ditto. Now get going before I run out of gas.”

With the temperature being so low, Jac didn't waste any time punching in the code and getting inside. Once in the door, she was almost bowled over by an enthusiastic Gomer. She corrected him for jumping, but she couldn't help giving him a good scratch on the ears. The cats and Gilmore waited at the top of the stairs. She was crouched down giving them each some love when she glanced over at the living room.

Her heart stopped.

The pool table was gone and the couch, chairs, and end tables were arranged around the fireplace, a lit fireplace with three red furry stockings hanging from the mantel. Each one had been embroidered with a name.