Jack and Djinn (The Houri Legends, #1)(39)
Ben had been mysteriously absent, and while Miriam knew things weren’t over between them, she was acting on hope that she could attend this wedding with Jack and not have any drama ruin it. It was a vain hope, probably, but she clung to it tenaciously.
“I thought we could go shopping,” he’d said. “I don’t really have a suit, either, so we could make a day of it.”
He wanted to take her shopping? What guy voluntarily did that? Of course she’d agreed, and then Jack had taken her to the Somerset shopping mall, following her into a dozen stores and watching her try on a thousand dresses, telling her he liked them all. Eventually she’d tried a dress on at Forever 21, and when she’d come out to show him, his jaw had loosened, and he’d approached her with adventurous hands.
“Get this one,” he’d whispered in her ear, kissing the bare skin of her shoulder. She’d chosen that one, just because of his reaction. Then, just because guys could be so irritating, he’d browsed through the racks at the first men’s store they’d entered, tried on one suit, and bought it. Of course, it fit perfectly, making him look like a model, with his messy hair and liquid blue eyes.
Now that they were actually at the wedding, she was wishing she’d worn a dress that wasn’t quite so…revealing. She loved Jack’s reaction to it, but she also felt the eyes of other men on her, and that was uncomfortable. A grab here and there by drunk customers at the bar was one thing, but to draw the attention of every guy within a twenty-foot radius was something different, especially when they were all Jack’s family.
Jack seemed to sense her discomfort, for he told her, halfway through the long, unfamiliar Catholic service, “It’s not just the dress that’s making everyone look, Miriam. It’s you. You’re absolutely stunning. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of my cousins hit on you.” He seemed to have an endless supply of cousins. “Don’t worry, I’ll fight ’em off.”
“No! No fighting, Jack.” Apart from everything else, she was worried that her magic—or whatever it was—would erupt if there was a fight.
He laughed and rolled his eyes. “Not literally fight them. Just keep them from stealing you. That thing with Jimmy, that was…an old argument a long time in the making.” He didn’t seem to want to tell her about it, and she didn’t pry, although she was curious, having gleaned the basics from the argument itself.
The service finally ended, and Miriam gladly followed Jack out into the sunlight, stretching her legs after the long ceremony. She offered her congratulations to the bride and groom, and, holding Jack’s arm, she shook hands with an endless bevy of cousins and aunts and uncles, most of who referred to him as “Jackie.”
When they were in his car following the caravan to the reception, he remarked, “God, I hate being called Jackie. They all do it just because they know it drives me nuts.”
“So I shouldn’t call you Jackie, then?” Miriam teased.
“I’d rather you not, but if you really want to….”
She pretended to consider. “Hmmm. I think I like it, though. Jackie. It’s cute.” She pinched his cheek, and he batted her hand away.
“Yeah, you’ll fit in, no problem.” He laughed. “God, I never should’ve said anything.”
The reception was enormous. There were at least five hundred people between the two families, all of them Irish, and they all had drinks in their hands, dancing and drinking straight through from cocktail hour to the dinner itself. Jack escorted her to their table near the wedding party, where they were seated with his brothers Jimmy and William, and the groom’s brother and sister. He sat her down and vanished, reappearing with drinks in a few minutes.
He leaned in and whispered, “How do you want me to introduce you? My friend? Just Miriam?” His blue gaze was unnervingly intent.
She shook her head, her eyes not wavering from his. “I’m your girlfriend, Jack. Introduce me as that.” If only he knew how much trust it took for her to say that.
He grinned, giddy as a schoolboy. “I was hoping you’d say that, but I didn’t want to assume.” He made the rounds of introductions, not quite but almost emphasizing the words “this is my girlfriend.” He seemed proud of the fact that Miriam was with him, and that in itself was disconcerting. Ben had never taken her anywhere important except once, to a Marine Corps unit-reunion dinner, and he had seemed ashamed of her, never introducing her, barely touching her, always wandering away and flirting with other women—enough to piss everyone off and embarrass Miriam to tears.
She pushed away those thoughts, telling herself to stop comparing the two men. Jack was nothing like Ben, not in any way. She had broken up with Ben for good, and things were going to change. She drank freely, keeping up with Jack, who seemed to unwind a bit, getting a little tipsy. She felt her wariness increasing as the night progressed and Jack became looser with the drink. She was waiting for the shift, waiting for Jack to cross the line from pleasantly drunk to obliterated and mean, waiting for him to do or say something to hurt or embarrass her.
But he didn’t. He stayed at her side, holding her hand all the while, introducing her proudly to his family and including her in all the conversations. He dragged her onto the dance floor, acting ridiculous and dancing with such abandon, if not skill, that she couldn’t help but laugh and join him, letting her own buzz take over.