Jesse's Soul (2) (37 page)

He began to kiss her gently, just a sweep of his lips against hers, but she pulled him closer and ran her palm from his heart to his jaw. He sighed, loving the gesture, knowing that it was her way of showing him she loved him. Her lips parted for his tongue, and he deepened the kiss, allowing himself to be swept away in the moment before tearing himself away once more, smiling.

“Okay, we have to go tell Carter, D, and Eli. I’m sorry, I want to keep kissing you and carry you off to our bedroom and make love to you on our bare floor, but we have to go. I know Molly is dying.”

Emery chuckled and wiped more tears off her face. “So they know?”

“Are you kidding?” He pulled her close again, kissing her forehead. “I couldn’t keep it a secret. This has been killing me the last few weeks.”

“Weeks? You’ve been planning this for a while, huh?”

“Yep.” Jesse grinned proudly and started toward the door to the garage off the mudroom, pulling her with him.

“Where are we going?” Giggling, she grasped his arm, holding it to her chest as she followed him.

“Dad brought up my truck and bike up for us a couple of weeks ago. James said he pulled it in after all the construction was done. This way we have something to drive when we’re here, then after outdoors, we’ll fly down to your dad’s place and drive back yours. What do you say?”

Emery just squeezed his arm to her one more time as she walked through the door. “Damn, Jesse. That’s not a truck,” she said grinning seeing the black, raised Chevy with bigger
than average wheels. “That’s a…”

“Cool huh? Now you understand the size of the garage.”

“It’s badass, all right. If I can get in the thing. And we’re going to have to get my car soon. I’m used to my little Nissan Z. My baby sports car could fit in your truck. This beast is huge.”

Laughing out loud, he backed out of the garage and headed for Carter and Molly’s house.

Jesse stopped on the road instead of pulling into the drive, both of them peering out the driver’s side window. “Doesn’t look like they’re here. They pulled in a couple of hours ago. I bet they went down to her mom and dad’s house.”

“I can’t wait to see the inside of their home. It’s gorgeous from the outside.”

“I know. We’ll come by later or something to check it out, and I want to see Eli’s, too, but his has a couple more weeks to go before it’s officially done.”

Jesse pulled up to the front of the Noland’s home, even though normally he would’ve gone in the back door without knocking.

Emery ducked to look out the truck’s wind shield. “This house still floors me.”

“I know, right.”

Jesse chuckled. He knew it was James’s dream that he had personally designed and made into a reality. The three-story Italian influenced beauty was a tan brick and stone, with arched windows and doorways. The massive home could’ve looked imposing, but it was lovingly landscaped and lit up to welcome everyone.

“You’d never tell it by the way D and Brody act, would you?”

Emery glanced him and shook her head, her eyes still wide as saucers.

“You
have been able to be around James and Karen a little bit. They don’t act like they’re loaded, do they?”

“Oh my God, no. They’re some of the neatest, most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met. I just…wow. This house is something else.”

“James is a hell of an architect.”

“Yeah, but this is like up there with what I’d consider a mansion.”

“That’s what’s so cool about it. When you’re inside, it doesn’t feel like that. It feels like…home. I guess it’s the people that make it so cool.”

Emery jumped down out of the truck, shaking her head.

Jesse grinned, but didn’t tease her about her less-than-graceful exit. The two of them walked up the wide, brick staircase to the double front doors. She raised her eyebrow when he didn’t ring the doorbell, but instead pushed the right side open and walked on in, holding his arm for her to follow. Emery would eventually get used to the
the door’s always open around here
philosophy.

He winked then nodded at her questioning face
, “Trust me, this is how it always is. I knew you didn’t believe me when we were here before.”

The lights were all on in the foyer, as well as a small desk lamp in the office to their right. It was however, eerily quiet in the Tuscan inspired home.

Like their own home, the Noland’s was laid out with a very open design, and once they turned the corner from the entryway, the massive living room and restaurant-sized kitchen were visible.

He had ahold of one of her hands, the other was gripping his upper arm to her chest. Sliding a glance at her
, Jesse grinned at Emery’s confusion.

Then with a loud, proud voice, he answered them all. “
She said yes!”

The kitchen erupted in laughter, celebration, and utter commotion. Jesse was so excited, relieved and happy, he laughed as Emery was thrust immediately into hugs from friends left and right, but was still lost as to what was going on. Finally Riley stepped forward from the other side of the gigantic island in the middle of the kitchen.

Emery tilted her head. “Riley? What…what are you doing here?”

Riley chuckled. “Do you really think I’d miss my baby sister’s engagement party? Come here.” He pulled her close, hugging her tightly for a moment, then hugged Jesse too with a brotherly
, hard pat to the back. “Congrats, Jess, welcome to the family. I told you she’d say yes.”

“Riley knew too?” Her v
oice was small and questioning, her brow knitted even tighter as she tilted her head.  “But how?  How did you…I mean, all this?“ She motioned around herself.

He rubbed her back. “Honey, they all knew.” Jesse winked at her while
gesturing to the crowd.

Their entire group of friends, along with her family and his, had come in for the party and to see the houses they had all heard so much about. Jesse had been planning this party for almost two months. He still couldn’t believe they pulled off the surprise as he looked around at the fifty people or so in the Noland’s home.

“And not one slip or peep...I can’t believe you never heard a word. Thanks everybody.”

Reid finally made his way through the crowd.

“Dad? Grandma, Grandpa? You guys all came up?” Emery hugged her family and turned to him with tears in her eyes once again. “You planned all of this, Jesse? How? I’ve been with you the whole time, and I never heard a word?”

Lauren came to her sister-in-law’s side with a glass of champagne for Emery and beer for him and Riley.

“Let’s just say after I talked to Riley and then your Dad, well, then I had a lot of help. By the way”—he held up his beer bottle—“thank you, Mol, Karen, Lauren…and Erin is around here somewhere. I know she and Karen planned all the food for me, and they’ve been cooking and baking for two days. It was concerted effort to pull it off.”

“Aunt Emery, Aunt Emery.” Kerry ran up to Emery, skidding to a stop just before bumping into her.

“Hey, buddy. I’ve missed you.”

“Yeah.”

“Can I call Jesse,
Uncle Jesse
now?”

She roughed his hair up throwing a raised eyebrow to Jesse, who was trying to control his snicker. “Yeah, buddy, of course you can.”

“Cool,” he said with a quick hug around Jesse’s waist before he was off again.

“What’s
that about? I didn’t even get a hug and you did? Damn, I’ve moved down on the cool list, huh?”

Lauren shrugged. “Yep. He’s five now. He has no use for women in his life anymore. Only men are cool enough. I don’t even get to tuck him in bed at night, only Riley gets that honor.”

Jesse pulled Emery close. “It won’t be that way for long.” Jesse tapped his beer bottle against Riley’s.

“Emery.”

Before Emery could even turn all the way around she was engulfed in Ally’s embrace, as well as Cody’s since Ally wouldn’t let go of his hand. Jesse did his best to keep the smile plastered on when all he really wanted to do was grab a ruler and put twelve inches between the two of them.

“Hi, Ally. How are you, honey?”

“Hey, Ally, Cody…” Jesse said, drawing out Cody’s name with a knowing nod at how fast Cody’s cheeks went red. He tried to keep his mouth from twitching at Cody’s expense, but there were benefits to being the older brother. Embarrassing the shit out of her boyfriends was definitely high on that list.

“We’re good.” Ally leaned into Emery and lowered her voice. “
Cody drove his motorhome up and is staying here, on the property. Which is pretty handy since my folks and I are staying here with the Nolands.”

Emery grinned. “I’m happy for you both.”

Cody squeezed Ally tighter to him and rested his cheek on the top of her head. “Me too.”

Jesse narrowed his eyes on all three. They apparently thought he was deaf, but no he wasn’t, nor was he stupid. He pinned Cody with a warning look.

“Don’t you do anything stupid, bud.”

Emery put a finger to his lips and laughed as she spoke to the young couple. “You’re fine. I’m still working on him. Give him a couple of months
, and he won’t even flinch when I tell him you’re making out behind his back.”

The sparkle of love and mischief in Emery’s eyes as she stood on her tip toes to kiss him was adorable enough he’d let her smart remark pass—for tonight.

~

Molly headed back into the large bathroom off the kitchen for the third time in an hour. Emery had been counting. She followed her in without asking, shutting the door behind her, and saw Molly desperately hanging on
to the toilet.

“Oh, honey, are you okay?” She rushed to her side and dropped to her knees beside her. Molly barely nodded. Emery grabbed Molly’s hair to hold it out of the way and rubbed her back. “Do you think you need to go to the ER? I’m afraid you’re going to get dehydrated, sweetie. I’ve been watching, and you’ve been in here all night.”

“I’m all right, Emery,” Molly weakly replied as she rested her head on her arm, keeping her eyes shut.

The color was drained from Molly’s face
and she looked miserable. Emery had noticed she’d gone in waves of perky, then bottomed out at puny, only to climb back up again, repeating the awful ride over and over.

“No, you’re not. And I seem to remember a girl who wouldn’t leave me alone when I needed her, and, sister, it ain’t happening now.”

“I’m not sick, Em.”

“The
hell you’re not. If you’re not sick—” Emery sucked in a breath as a light bulb went on. “Mol?”

Molly’s nodded against Emery’s hand.

“Oh, Molly!” She curled around Molly’s back, hugging her as her friend was hugging the toilet.

“I think I’m okay now,” she whispered.

Emery helped her stand slowly, wetting a warm washcloth so Molly could clean up. “How long have you known?”

“A couple of weeks.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

She hesitated, the crease in her brow deepened. “I’ve been worried about you,” Molly replied.

Emery could see the pained look on Molly’s face, and it broke her heart. “Oh Mol, don’t you ever worry about that. Please. I want you to be excited and happy, and I want to share this with you. Please don’t feel guilty, I beg you. Please?”

Molly gave her a nauseous little smile. “Okay. Are you really all right? I just feel so guilty, Emery.”

“Don’t you dare. I want this for you, and I want to be there for you. Please?”

Molly took a deep breath, and Emery watched a smile start to dance across her friend’s face.

“I would have told you sooner, but we didn’t want to ruin Jesse’s surprise. This is your night. I don’t want to overshadow it. You’ve been through a lot, and I wanted you to see how much we all love you.”

Emery wiped tears from her own eyes, then from Molly’s. “You’ve told your parents though, right?”

“Yeah, but just our parents. We haven’t even said anything to Brody and Erin yet.”

“Can we tell everyone tonight, then? It’d be cool since everyone is here
...oh, well I guess everyone except Carter’s family, but, well. Please?”

Emery could see the relief in Molly’s face. She knew they’d been trying for a year, but Carter had also mentioned to Emery just in passing once, how guilty Molly felt. The two girls had talked about it and talked about it, but Emery knew when the time came, it would still be hard for Molly to accept that she really w
as fine. No sadness, no jealousy, just complete joy for her friends.

“Yeah, let’s find Carter.”

The door to the bathroom flew open just as Molly finished the sentence.

“There you are.” Carter took one look at her
, and Emery could tell his heart sunk.

“Oh, Gorgeous
. I’m so sorry you’re so sick. What can I do, baby?” He took her in his arms, comforting her.

“Emery figured it out.”

“And judging from the smile on her face, I’d say she’s not upset. I told you she’d be okay. Does that mean we can finally tell people?”