Justifying Jack (The Wounded Warriors Book 2) (7 page)

Shonda waved excitedly when Jack entered the small church's school cafeteria. He smiled at his mother's exuberance and then his eyes moved to the beauty beside her.
Marithé
. No matter how many times he'd seen her, she always managed to take his breath away. When she waved in greeting, Jack's heart skipped a beat.

The irritating tick of his cane on the tile floor made him cringe, but he retrained his composure, happy to see the two women.
I wish I could be whole again.
He sighed deeply.
Wish in one hand, shit in the other…

“Jack, honey!” Shonda jumped up to hug him lovingly and then slide over so he'd have to take the seat beside Marithé.

“Hey, Mom, Marithé,” he nodded.

“Hi,” Marithé's sweet voice trilled. “I'm so glad you made it.”

“You are?” Jack's hope was instantly sparked.
Could she really be happy to see me?

“Of course,” Marithé responded kindly. “Elena would've been so disappointed if you hadn't been able to make it. It was nice of you to come, especially on your day off.”

“Yeah, right,” Jack tried not to let his own disappointment seep into his words or expression.
Of course, she's only concerned about her daughter's feelings. And rightly so.

“Oh, how did physical therapy go?” Shonda asked with interest, still doting on Jack as though he were a child she needed to protect.
As if I needed more help to look like an invalid.

“Good. Good,” Jack answered, wishing they'd move onto a new topic.

“Oh, that's right. Shonda told me you were doing physical therapy now,” Marithé added.

“Yeah, I finally got everything in order with the VA,” Jack informed her.

“Now, with his doctors finally assigned to him, he goes for treatment three times a week,” Shonda contributed, not realizing how sensitive the subject was for her son. “He goes on his days off.”

Marithé seemed more clued in than the older woman, but she didn't seem to know how to transition to a new conversation. “That's great.”

“Hmmm,” Jack nodded uncomfortably, grateful for the arrival of the school principal, Mrs. Holloman.

Taking center stage, calling order to the audience so the program could begin, Mrs. Holloman shined. Though she was a short, heavy-set black woman, who looked more like someone's grandmother than the head of a school, she had presence. Despite her gentility, she had a commanding way about her, and the kids responded to her in such a positive way that it was almost magical. Of course, everyone adored her and Jack couldn't imagine anyone else in her place.

“Welcome to the Christ is King Kindergarten and First Grade Thanksgiving Pageant,” the robust woman beamed. “The children have been working very hard and we're thankful” – she winked at the word play – “to have you here with us today.”

As she continued the introduction to the program, Shonda leaned over towards Jack. “Marithé wanted to show her appreciation for our support by inviting us to dinner tonight. Of course, I accepted. I hope you don't mind.”

“Why would I mind?” Jack inquired sincerely. Recognizing his mother's self-satisfied smile, he quickly added, “Marithé's my
friend
.”

“I know,” Shonda feigned innocence. “What are you trying to say, Jack, dear?”

You don't fool me, Mother!
Jack cocked his eyebrow and replied, “Despite your ulterior motives, all we are is
friends
.”

Shonda pursed her lips and scrunched her eyes, pouting at her son. The expression made Jack chuckle softly as he pulled his mother into a sideways hug, throwing one arm around her. She leaned into his body willingly and he planted a small kiss on her head.
I know you mean well, but some things aren't meant to be.

When he released her, Shonda gasped, looking pained. “Oh,” she apologized. “I just remembered, I promised to help a friend with something tonight. I'm afraid I won't be able to come to dinner tonight.”

“Oh, that's too bad,” Marithé said in disappointment.

“What friend?” Jack asked suspiciously.
You don't have to do anything, you sneaky little matchmaker, you!

“Oh, uh, you don't know her,” Shonda waved at him dismissively and then brightened when she announced, “Marithé, dear, Jack said he'd still be able to make it, if that's okay with you?”

“Yeah,” Marithé looked a little out of sorts. “Of course, that's great.”

“Mother,” Jack growled quietly so Marithé wouldn't hear him.

“Oh, here she is!” Shonda squealed, ignoring Jack as Elena's small kindergarten class made their way into the cafeteria. They climbed the little metal bleachers, which had been set up in the cafeteria specifically for the event, followed by the school's first grade class.

Elena searched the crowd expectantly, anxiety and hope warring over her facial features until she saw Marithé, Shonda, and Jack. Jack knew the moment she found them in the audience because the little girl's eyes sparkled and her smile grew as big as it could possible stretch across her angel's face. She hopped a little in place, giving an uncertain wave before tucking her hands behind her back.
She's such a cutie pie!

The pageant wasn't a very long program. All the children sang two quick songs as a group, dancing and gesturing, entertaining the viewers. The kindergarten class recited a Thanksgiving poem and then the first graders performed a little skit. The grand finale was another group song which ended with the children gobbling like turkeys.

I don't think I could feel any prouder than I do now,
Jack thought as he stood, applauding the children as they climbed down from the bleachers and headed back to their classrooms for their parents to meet up with them. “She did so good, didn't she?”

“She didn't even look scared.” Marithé wiped a joyful tear from her cheek. “I wish Jorge could have been here to see her.”

I do too.
“He would've been strutting around like that turkey in the song,” Jack laughed, remembering the way Jorge would light up whenever he talked about his family.

Though more tears needed to be wiped away, Marithé chuckled. “He would, wouldn't he?”

Jack nodded. “Most definitely.”

“Oh, we should head back to Elena's classroom. She's probably wondering where we are,” Shonda suggested.

They made their way through the crowded hallway, finally reaching the kindergarten classroom. They barely crossed the doorway when Elena rushed towards them. “Mom! Mom, did you see me? Did you see me when I did my turkey dance?”

“I did,” Marithé cheered. “You did it perfectly.”

“Daddy! Daddy, did you see me? I did this!” The excited little girl hadn't realized her mistake as she re-enacted the little dance, but it hadn't escaped the adults' attention.

Shonda gasped, covering her mouth and turning away to hide her tears. Marithé looked like she was going to say something, but then thought better of it, apparently deciding it was better not to point out the slip. Jack tried to act as though he hadn't heard her call him 'daddy', but the pleasure touched him irrevocably.
If only I were, honey… if only I were.

“Could you hear me singing?” Elena, so full of energy now, was jumping up and down, unable to contain herself.

“I sure did,” Jack told her as he knelt to her level. “I heard your beautiful voice above all the others.” Elena was delighted and giggled as she clapped her hands happily.

“I love you, Jack!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him, hugging him in almost a choke hold.

“I love you too, honey,” Jack told her and he meant it
. There's nothing I won't do for you, Andres, or… your mother.

“Jack, this is the fifth house we've looked at today,” Mike complained.

“So?” Jack shook his head at his friend, not seeing the problem.

“So, are you ever going to pick one, man?” Mike laughed.

“Yeah, eventually,” Jack promised. “I just want it to be -”

“Perfect,” Mike finished. “Yeah, I know. It's just, nothing's perfect, Jack.”

“I know.”

“Do you?” Mike challenged. “I mean, you've found the smallest of things to disqualify every place you've looked at. Dude, I thought you were anxious to get out of your folks' house. What's going on here?”

Jack sighed and shrugged. “Mike, I just… Look, can you keep this in confidence?”
Yeah, I know you can. It was stupid to even ask.

“Yeah, of course,” Mike assured him, a look of concern washing over him.

“Mike, I, ah… I've met a woman and I… I've fallen in love”

Mike couldn't hide his joy for his friend. “Dude, that's great!”

“No, man, it's not.”
Ugh, how do I tell him? What's he going to think of me?

Mike was clearly confused. “It's not?”

“Mike,” Jack was hesitant, but he knew he needed to talk to someone.
If you can trust anyone, it's Mike. He's always been there for you and you know he always will be.
“It's Marithé.”

“What's Marithé?”

“Come on, man. This is hard enough,” Jack groaned. “The woman… I fell in love with Marithé.”

Jack watched as confusion transitioned to understanding. “Jorge's Marithé – Marithé?”

He just nodded.
Oh, God, please don't let Mike hate me. He's the closest thing I have to a real brother.

“Oh, Jack,” Mike said in an almost inaudible voice.

“I know,” Jack looked away. “And it's worse than just that.”

“What do you mean?” Mike asked in alarm.

Jack met his friend's eyes. “I don't just love Marithé, but I love whole package. I love Elena and Andres. I keep looking at houses and I imagine us living in them - together. I need a house with bedrooms for the kids and a yard big enough for them to play in. Marithé's favorite tree is a crepe myrtle… you know, the really vibrant pink ones. I'm hoping to find a house with at least one for her to look out the window at.”

Mike shook his head, not in a negative way, but in a sad one. “Wow, you've really got it bad, huh?”

“Yeah, but Jorge,” Jack sighed.
How do I say it? If I say anymore, it's going to sound like I'm glad my friend died and there's nothing further from the truth.

“What about Jorge?” Mike questioned.

“Well… Marithé… Jorge,” Jack struggled.
God, please give me the words.

Mike grasped Jack's shoulder. “Jorge wouldn't want his family to be left alone. He'd want a good man, a man like you – someone who really loves all three of them – to be there since he can't anymore.”

Jack's eyes burned. He blinked hard and locked his jaw, teeth grinding. “I don't want to dishonor him.”

“How is taking care of his family dishonoring him, Jack?” Mike asked patiently, kindly.

“I don't know, I just think…”

“And that's your problem,” Mike pointed out. “Stop thinking so much. Sometimes you gotta just… trust your heart, you know?”

“Yeah, man, I know.” Jack patted Mike on the shoulder and then Mike drew him into an embrace, retaining his masculinity by adding a manly thump on the back. “Thanks, Mike.”

They released each other and then Mike looked around the little kitchen they were standing in. “So what's wrong with this house?”

“Marithé loves to cook. She needs a little bigger kitchen and it has to have a dishwasher,” Jack replied without thinking. When he realized what he'd said, he looked at his friend with wide eyes, not sure if he'd said something he ought not to have.

Mike just smiled at him. “Well, we should probably make a list. If I know what you're looking for then it'll make it easier for me to help you find it.”

Jack smiled at Mike, grateful for his unconditional friendship. “Wow. You're an amazing guy, bro. It's nice to know I'm not alone and that I have someone I can talk to.”

* * *

After an intensive week of viewing homes with Mike, Jack finally found the house he was looking for.
All I need now is her stamp of approval
, he thought as he glanced at the woman beside him, then back at the children belted in the back seat of his new car.

I sure appreciate you coming with to have a look at the place,” Jack commented.

“It was sweet of you to ask, but are you sure you don't mind having the kids along?” Marithé fretted as the children giggled at the cartoon they were watching on Jack's iPad.

The sound of the children behind him was like music to his ears and Jack replied honestly by saying, “I wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, I want to know what they think too. I mean, I do hope to have a family one day and it'll be good to see how a woman and kids look at the place before I invest in it.”

“Okay,” Marithé shrugged dismissively. “So Shonda said you looked at like, I don't know, an outrageous number of homes before you found this one?”

He chuckled.
Of course, my mother would have kept her informed about my progress.
“Ah, yeah, that's a bit of an exaggeration. I looked at probably… thirty?”

Marithé raised her eyebrows in surprise. “You don't think that's a lot?”

Now Jack shrugged. “I guess not. I mean, I just wanted to be sure I got what I wanted, needed.”

“I get it,” Marithé nodded. “It's a lot of money and a big responsibility.”

“Yeah.”

“So where is it?” Marithé asked, looking out the window to note their location.

“It's down the next street actually,” Jack replied as he checked the traffic, flipped on his blinker, and crossed into the turning lane.

Thoughtfully, she remarked, “well, this isn't too far from your parent's house or the church.”

“Nope,” he said with a smile. “I wanted to stay in the same neighborhood.”
God knows, I didn't want the kids to have to change schools and I wanted an easy commute to work.
Turning onto a residential street, he voiced, “I've had enough changes in life. I didn't feel like adding more to the list.”

Marithé smiled. “I can definitely understand that.”
I know you can and that's why I wanted this neighborhood so badly.

“See the tan colored rambler there?” Jack pointed ahead of them through the windshield. “It's the one on the left there, with the crepe myrtle in the front yard.”

“Oh, Jack!” Marithé gushed. “What a nice place and I just love crepe myrtles.”

“There's a magnolia tree in the back yard,” Jack mentioned, knowing it was another of her favorite trees.

“No there isn't!” she gasped in surprise. “If the kitchen is as nice as the yard then I'm sold!”

“I want to see! I want to see!” Andres chanted, kicking his legs about as they hung over the edge of his car seat.

“Me too!” Elena chimed in, dropping the forgotten iPad in the seat beside her.

“Jack is thinking about buying this house right here,” Marithé explained to the tots as Jack pulled into the driveway and killed the engine.

“Really?” Elena squealed, releasing her seatbelt, and jumping up to pat Jack excitedly on the shoulder. “Can we go inside? Huh, can we?”

Seeing his sister free from her seat, Andres started to fuss, struggling as he tried to unlatch himself. “I want out! Mama, help! I want to go too!”

“Calm down there, little man,” Jack reached back and easily released the energetic boy from his constraints. “We're all going in together, okay?”

Andres nodded wildly with wide eyes, wasting no time in slipping out of his car seat. Marithé had barely made it out of the car to open the back door before the kids were trying to shove past her, anxious to check everything out. Elena was impatient, complaining loudly when she had to wait for Andres to get lifted out of the vehicle. Andres was just as impatient, reaching for his mother, quickly opening and closing his hands, dancing in place until she scooped him up and then squirming violently until she set him on the ground.

“Oh my,” Marithé exclaimed. “I guess they're sold too, huh?”

Jack chuckled. “It's looking that way to me.”
I hope they like it as much inside as they do outside.

Jack led the small group into the house using the side door, just off the driveway. Immediately upon entering, the youngsters took off to explore on their own.

“Elena!” Marithé barked after them. “Andres!”

Jack laid a gentle hand on her outstretched arm. “It's okay. Let them go.”

She dropped her arm slowly. “Are you sure? I mean, I'd hate for them to…”

“Please, stop. There's no need to worry. They can't hurt anything,” Jack smiled and then gestured toward the expansive kitchen. “So, what do you think? Is this a proper functioning kitchen for someone who knows how to use it?”

Marithé giggled softly and then turned serious as she took in the space around her. “Not bad. Not bad at – oh! You have a double oven!” Moving swiftly to investigate the appliances, she absently added, “I could use that when I get baking.”

I love how her eyes light up like that. I knew she'd like it!
Jack couldn't help feeling proud that he'd found a home which appealed to her. “Well, you're welcome to use it anytime inspiration strikes. There's a microwave too.”

She looked at him, her cheeks slightly flushed from her excitement. “Really?”

“Yeah, the microwave is right there,” he teased, knowing that wasn't what she meant. Turning serious eyes toward her, he reaffirmed himself. “Really, Marithé. You know you're always welcome. Mi casa es su casa.”

Marithé giggled. “Impressive.”

Jack shrugged. “It's one of the only things I know how to say in Spanish. Well, that and curse words, of course.”

“No way!” she almost shouted, confusing Jack until he realized a new find had drawn her attention. “There's a dishwasher… and the fridge… it has an ice maker?”

Their housing adventures were interrupted when Elena's voice carried through the house. “No, Andres! Stop it!” The pair raced to where the children were, greeted by an indignant Elena and an ornery Andres.

“What's going on? What happened?” Marithé inquired. “Why are you tugging on your brother like that?” She immediately peeled the irritated girl off the fussy boy.

“I told him not to go in there,” Elena pointed towards the master bedroom, which sat across the hall from two smaller bedrooms with a bathroom not only joining the rooms, but opening to the hallway as well. “But he's not listening to me. Mama, tell him he needs to listen to me.”

“Elena, this isn't your house and you aren't the grownup here,” Marithé chastened the little darling, releasing Andres in order to prop her hands on her hips.

Andres took advantage of his freedom and his mother's distraction to try to shimmy past Elena, darting towards the large bedroom. Much to his chagrin, Elena had an eagle eye on him and moved into the way, effectively blocking him from making it past her. “I want in!”

“No!” Elena hollered back with a growl. “You can't go in there.”

Marithé started to look distraught, obviously disturbed by her daughter's behavior. “Elena, what did I just say?”

“Mama,” Elena complained, on the verge of tears, Andres squawking as he continued shoving against her angrily, not giving up on his pursuits.

“Hey!” Jack boomed, bringing silence to the trio. Then, more gently, he asked, “What's this all about?” Lowering his self to face the unhappy children eye to eye, he began his inquiry. “Andres, why do you want to go in there so badly?”

“Because Elena went in there,” he pouted. “I want to see too, but she said I have to go to that room.” He stabbed a pudgy finger in the air, indicating the smaller bedroom which sat directly across the hall from the master bedroom.

“Okay, okay,” Jack acknowledged. “I can understand why you're upset. How about you give me a minute to talk to your sister and then I'll take you in there myself. Does that work for you, little man?”

Andres nodded and then he stuck his tongue out at Elena before he ran into the safety of his mother's arms.

“Hey!” Elena protested her brother's insubordination, but quickly turned her attention to Jack when he spoke to her.

“Elena, honey,” Jack began. “I've never seen you act this way. Why are you being so bossy and disrespecting your mother by talking back to her? Why can't Andres go in there?”

The little girl's eyes dropped to the floor and she moved her foot about, scuffing it against the tiles lining the hallway. “That's not his room,” she whined quietly. “
That's
his room.”

“Elena,” Marithé dropped down beside Jack to address her daughter. “Neither room belongs to either of you.”

“Uh-huh,” Elena sniffled, her eyes ready to spill over with tears. “That's Andres' room and that's mine.”

“But we don't live here, honey,” Marithé tried to understand her youthful thoughts.

“Not yet, but Jack is buying this house so we can live here,” Elena insisted, determined.

“What?” Marithé was completely puzzled, but Jack thought he finally understood.

“Elena, if that's Andres' room and this room here belongs to you,” he pondered, trying to see if he was on the right track. “Whose bedroom is that one over there?”

Tears no longer contained, Elena pleaded for Jack to understand. “That's your room.”

“My room? Doesn't your mom get a room if you're planning to live here?”

“Yeah,” Elena replied, looking at the man as though he should have known the answer to his question already. “Mom will share the big room with you, like she did with Papa.”

Jack heard Marithé gasp beside him and when he chanced a glance at her, he saw her shocked expression.
She looks the way I feel
, he thought.
What do I say now?

Thankfully, he didn't have to say anything because Marithé regained her faculties and, taking her daughter into her arms, she explained things to her. “Honey, Daddy and I were married, that's why we lived together. This is going to be Jack's house and not ours. Jack was just excited about it and wanted to show it to us to see if we liked it or not. Do you understand?”