Encounter - Chapter Twenty
Ennis met Jack halfway down the stairs, but rather than embrace him, Ennis grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to the front door. Once inside, Ennis closed the door, placed his hands on either side of Jack’s face, and mashed his lips to Jack’s. He heard Jack’s breathing quicken, and then felt Jack’s lips part and the tip of Jack’s tongue tickled his lips. Ennis used every bit of his will power to quickly back away. He cleared his throat and shuffled his feet, not meeting Jack’s eyes in the dim light of the living room.
“Ennis, what is it?” Jack’s voice was filled with concern. Ennis cleared his throat again, shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “Could you stop dancing around and answer me, please?” Jack’s voice was considerably louder.
“Keep it down, Jack,” Ennis hissed. He glanced toward the hallway. “My girls are here.” Jack’s face first reflected surprise, then disappointment.
“Aw, shit, Ennis, I’m sorry. My timing stinks, doesn’t it?” Ennis watched as Jack ran his fingers through his hair. “Guess I should probably take off.” Ennis’s heart sank. He didn’t want Jack to leave, but he knew it was risky for Jack to stay. Ennis wasn’t sure he could resist temptation, and he couldn’t chance the girls seeing them together.
“I don’t want to run you off, Jack,” said Ennis. Jack smiled, but his disappointment was still apparent.
“Hey, I understand. Your girls have to come first.” Ennis felt Jack’s hand brush his, and he quickly laced his fingers through Jack’s.
“You came all this way…”
“I should have gone home and called first,” said Jack, still holding Ennis’s hand. “It was such a shitty day that all I could think of was seeing you.”
“If the girls weren’t here…”
“No problem,” said Jack. He squeezed Ennis’s hand and then released it. “I’ll just head home and call you later, o.k.?”
“O.k.” said Ennis. “I’m supposed to work at two, but I’m not sure if Monroe will be able to take the girls. Alma had her baby.” Jack smiled and reached for the doorknob.
“Cool. That’s good news, for sure,” said Jack. The two men just stared at each other for a moment. Neither wanted Jack to walk out the door. Ennis was dying to pull Jack into his arms and then over to the couch where he could show Jack just how much he had missed him. But instead, Ennis shoved his hands into his pockets again and shrugged.
“Yeah, I guess a baby is always good news,” Ennis mumbled.
“Well, only if you want one,” Jack joked, trying to lighten the mood. Ennis glanced at Jack and the devilish look in Jack’s eyes made Ennis blush and laugh. With that, Jack gave Ennis a quick hug and said, “I’ll call you later.” Before he could open the door, Ennis pulled Jack into his arms, holding him as if his very life depended on Jack’s embrace.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his lips brushing Jack’s earlobe. Jack’s arms tightened around his waist.
Ennis positioned himself so he could look into Jack’s eyes, and when Jack slowly ran the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip, Ennis could no longer resist. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to Jack’s. The kiss was chaste at first, but when Ennis felt Jack’s tongue outside his mouth, he parted his lips and hungrily accepted it inside. They held each other tightly, their mouths communicating all their feelings without either of them uttering a sound, until a small voice interrupted them.
“Daddy? Who’s that?” Ennis pulled away quickly, the mortified look on Jack’s face reflecting the way Ennis felt. He looked toward the hallway and saw Francie, teddy bear clutched under her arm, standing there.
“Baby,” Ennis said, thrusting a hand through his hair, “what are you doing up?” Ennis tried to keep his voice calm. He moved away from Jack so he could kneel in front of his daughter.
“I have to go potty,” Francie said, gazing passed Ennis’s shoulder to stare at Jack. Ennis shuffled over so he blocked her view.
“Do you need help?” Francie was moving slightly from side to side, trying to look at Jack.
“Daddy, who’s that?” Ennis cleared his throat.
“That’s my friend, Jack,” he said. “He just drove a long way and needs a place to stay. He’s going to spend the night here on the sofa.” Francie sleepily rubbed her eyes, but seemed satisfied with this response. She held her arms open, and Ennis picked her up. “Now, let’s get you to the potty and back to bed, Little Miss.”
“O.k., Daddy,” she murmured. Then, in a louder voice, she said, “Good night, Mr. Jack.”
“Good night,” Jack said.
~*~*~*~*~*
Ennis sat across the table from his girls, smiling as they helped themselves to their pancakes and sausage. He was going to prepare something at home but realized the only thing in his refrigerator was a quarter-full carton of expired milk, a dribble of orange juice, two eggs and four bottles of beer. As he held his mug of coffee and watched his girls chewing happily, he began to mentally go over his shopping list. He really needed to hit the grocery store before work. If he was going to be able to work, that is. It was 10:00 in the morning, and he had yet to hear from Monroe. If he was going to miss his shift, he’d have to call Aguirre as soon as possible. Maybe arranging a back up would ease the wraith of his gruff employer.
Ennis felt a strong hand squeeze his knee and shifted in the booth so his left hip touched Jack’s right one. He turned his head and gazed at Jack, who was looking at his vegetable omelet, and admired the other man’s long, dark eyelashes. He was so happy Jack had spent the night, but it was extraordinarily difficult to stay in his room, alone, knowing the other man was under the same roof. There was no way he could have asked Jack to stay in his bed, though. He could explain Jack’s sleeping on the couch, but he knew he couldn’t make up a good enough story for Jack's being in his bedroom. His girls were so loving, he knew they wouldn’t give much thought to it. But they could slip and tell Alma, and then, Ennis knew, there’d be hell to pay.
“Hey, Mr. Jack,” said Junior. Jack looked up and smiled.
“Hey, Alma, Jr.,” said Jack, grinning. Junior laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Do you have kids we can play with, Mr. Jack?” Jack shook his head and did his best to look disappointed.
“No, I’m afraid I don’t,” Jack said.
“Why are you afraid?” asked Francie. Junior gently elbowed her sister.
“He’s not really scared, Francie. It’s just a saying.” Francie furrowed her brow but went back to her pancakes.
“Maybe I’ll have kids some day,” said Jack. “I’d love to have beautiful little girls like you two.” Junior blushed and laughed. Ennis couldn’t help but chuckle as well. He could tell Junior was smitten with Jack. But who could blame her?
“Jack,” said Ennis, “I need to check my answering machine to see if Monroe’s called. Are you ok watching the girls for a minute?”
“My pleasure,” said Jack, winking at Ennis. Ennis stood from the booth and searched his pockets for change. Jack dug into his own pocket and produced his cell phone. “Here, use this.” Ennis started to refuse, but Jack said, “I have unlimited minutes.”
“Thanks, Jack.” He took the phone, enjoying the wicked, teasing expression on Jack’s face, and turned to the girls. “I have to make a phone call, girls. You be good and listen to Mr. Jack, okay?” The girls nodded and Ennis looked at Jack. “I’ll be back.”
~*~*~*~*~*
Ennis collapsed on Jack’s torso as his body trembled with aftershocks from their intense love making. Sweat trickled down his cheeks and onto his chin. He turned his face into Jack’s neck and breathed in the other man’s musky scent. He felt warm and euphoric and never wanted the night to end. He closed his eyes, nuzzled Jack’s skin, and enjoyed the feeling of Jack’s fingers lightly raking down his back.
It was night time. Monroe had picked up the girls by 4:00, but since Ennis had already called out and already had Frank take his shift, plus already put up with Aguirre’s grief, he decided to enjoy the rest of the day and night with Jack. And what a better way to end a wonderful day than by making love with the one he loved?
He rolled onto the mattress and pulled Jack toward him so their heads were on one pillow. He reached out and brushed Jack’s wet bangs from his forehead, then leaned forward and kissed his nose.
“Damn, you’re beautiful,” Ennis whispered. Jack smiled through his drowsiness and caressed Ennis’s cheek. “Thank you for a perfect day.”
“I loved spending time with your kids,” said Jack quietly. “But mostly I loved being with you.”
“I loved being with you, l’il darlin’.” While he watched Jack’s eyes close and heard his breathing even out, Ennis reflected on the activities of the day. Monroe had left him a message, as well as his cell phone number, so Ennis had called him at the hospital. Monroe said he’d be able to pick up the girls in the late afternoon, so after making the arrangements for work, Ennis and Jack had taken the girls to the park. Just watching Jack play with his children made Ennis’s heart soar. Jack was so good with them, pushing them on the swings, catching them as they came down the slide and sitting on one side of the see saw while the girls were on the other. Ennis found himself having giddy fantasies of the four of them living happily ever after.
It didn’t take long, however, for the negative thoughts to creep in. He chastised himself for even thinking about that type of future with Jack. After all, how realistic was it that Alma would not only understand his relationship with Jack, but also allow them to raise the girls together?
Ennis rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. His face reddened as he thought of Alma’s reaction when he introduced her to Jack as his, what? His friend? His buddy? His pal? His lover? He wanted Jack in his life. He wanted Jack to spend more time with his children. But he couldn’t face what he’d need to do to make that happen. Alma, though they’d been getting along fine, would not understand. She could make life very unpleasant for him, and if she managed to keep him from the girls…
He sat up quickly and shook his head. Beside him, Jack moaned, rolled onto his other side but didn’t wake. Ennis ran his fingers through his hair, his heart beating against his rib cage. He had to make this work. Besides his girls, Jack was the most important person in his life. He had waited forever for someone special to come along, and he’d be damned if he would let anything or anyone come between them. He’d figure out something. He had to.