Breathe Again (14 page)

“No, let me,” he said. I nodded and sat back. I still had
water dripping off of me, so I hoped the bed would dry before we were back
later. Jackson began drying every inch of me, from the soles of my feet to
behind my ears. It was both erotic and sweet at the same time.

“What are we doing tonight?” I asked as he wiped the water
from each one of my fingers.

“I don’t know. I thought we could just grab dinner somewhere,
maybe walk around downtown?”

I nodded. “You don’t want to go to dinner with everyone
else?” I asked.

Jackson was done drying me, so he threw the towel onto the
bed. I reached for it and wrapped it around my wet hair. “I don’t know. Not
really. I guess I just didn’t want to expect that you would want to go.”

So that was the reason? Part of me was thinking that he
didn’t want me to be there, but I still wasn’t convinced. “I think we should,”
I said finally. “I’d like to meet Blake, and Lucy. Unless you don’t want me
to.”

Jackson gave me a look that I knew meant he thought I was
being ridiculous. “Of course I want you to meet them. I just didn’t think you’d
want to tonight. Since, you know, this is supposed to be
our
break.”

I thought about it for a moment, then nodded my head. “No, I
want to. Let’s go. We can spend all day tomorrow together.”

Jackson’s smile was huge, and I knew then he really did want
to go. I’m glad I said so.

He kissed me on the forehead before leaving me to call Blake
and let them know we were coming. We had a little over an hour before the
reservation, and so I got to work. I knew that everyone was going to be there
and I suddenly felt a little nervous. Sophia would be there too, and I still
wasn’t entirely sure what her intentions were with Jackson.

I went to my bag and pulled out the black dress I’d brought.
It was one of the few that I actually brought with me from Kansas, and the same
one I almost wore on my first date with Collin. I was so glad I didn’t actually
wear it then, and that I’d saved it for a night like tonight. Back then,
though, I don’t think I ever would have believed it if someone had told me what
exactly I was would be saving it for.

I hung the dress up in the closet and made my way back to the
bathroom where my toiletries and makeup were, and got to work. It had cooled
down enough that I could wear my hair down, so I dried it and put a little curl
in it. Then I moved on to my makeup, keeping it simple, like always.

I only had a few minutes left once my hair and makeup were
done, so I quickly put the dress on, snapped my grandmother’s pearl necklace
into place, and then slipped on my black pumps. I was taking one last look in
the mirror, making sure everything looked all right, when Jackson walked back
into the room.

He whistled when he saw me and I felt myself blush. He came
up behind me, wrapping his arms around me. I could see us both in the mirror
now and I couldn’t help but feel like we actually looked like we belonged
together.

“You look amazing, Mellie Rose,” he said, whispering into my
hair. I turned my head toward him, and rested my forehead against his cheek.

“Thank you,” I said quietly, inhaling his scent.

We stood there for a moment, then Jackson spoke. “I have
something for you.”

I turned again, so I could look at him fully. “What do you
mean? You didn’t need to get anything for me.”

Jackson just shrugged, but I could see the smile in his eyes.
“I know, but I wanted to.” I watched warily as he pulled something from his
pocket. It was a little bag—a little
blue
bag, and I felt my heart speed
up.

“No,” I said, eyeing the bag suspiciously. Jackson laughed.

“You have to open it before you refuse,” he said, holding his
hand out. I didn’t budge, and he laughed again, reaching out to grab my hand so
he could give me the bag.

I took a deep breath and opened it, turning it over to drop
whatever was inside into my hand. Out dropped two pearl earrings, each with a
small line of diamonds running up to the post. They matched my grandmother’s
necklace perfectly.

“I know that you have your ears pierced, but I’ve never
actually seen you wear earrings,” Jackson said quietly, taking a step toward me
while I stared at them.

“They’re absolutely beautiful,” I said, and noticed that my
hands were shaking. Jackson put his hands over mine to still them, and I closed
my eyes.

“Do you like them?” he whispered, pulling me closer to him. I
nodded, and felt a tear slip from my eye. “Then why are you crying? I don’t
want you to cry.” he said, and I could hear the alarm in his voice.

“I love them,” I said, not even caring if my mascara was
running. “It’s been so long since I’ve gotten anything like this, and I just .
. . I just don’t know what to feel right now. Thank you.”

Jackson kissed my forehead. “Good.” He held me for another
minute while I let myself cry. Finally, I pulled myself away so that I could
put them in.

“They’re perfect,” I said, when I turned to look at myself in
the mirror. Jackson hadn’t turned with me; he was still turned toward me,
watching. I couldn’t decipher the look on his face, but I knew then that nobody
had ever loved me like he did.

We took Jackson’s convertible to the
restaurant, which blew the curls in my hair into a tangled mess. I didn’t mind
much; we were laughing and kissing too much for me to care. The cool night air
also brought a little natural pink to my cheeks, and I loved it. I felt
natural, free, not all done up and plastic like I used to feel. Jackson was in
an especially flirtatious mood too, which made me extra giddy. He kept his hand
on my thigh, playing with the hem of my dress the entire way there. Even though
we’d already had sex twice that day, I knew we wouldn’t be sleeping that night.
The thought made my heart race.

We were meeting everyone at a small Italian restaurant, one
of the few nicer restaurants in the small town. It wasn’t for any special
occasion, really. According to Jackson, he usually did this once every few
weeks with his cast. We pulled up to the valet and I’m pretty sure the kid
almost peed his pants when he realized whose car it was, and that he’d actually
get to drive it. It made me laugh, which made Jackson smile, as we made our way
into the back of the restaurant.

The private room just looked like a cozy restaurant, with its
own bar and fireplace, and a large, round table set for twelve in the corner.
It seemed we were the last ones to arrive, though it wasn’t much past eight
o’clock. As soon as we stepped inside, I was just about attacked by a little redhead,
who threw her arms around me.

“Mellie!” the little firecracker exclaimed in a sweet British
accent. “I’m so excited that I finally get to meet you! I’ve been telling Jack
to bring you around for weeks now, but he hasn’t been listening to me. He’s
afraid I’m going to scare you off, I think.”

I laughed. A few months ago her greeting probably would have
startled me, but I already found little Lucy Morgan endearing. Jackson had told
me quite a few stories about them, how he considered her to be like a younger
sister. She was a sweetheart.

“It’s lovely to meet you too, Lucy,” I said, returning her
hug. She pulled away, but didn’t let go of my hand.

“I can’t believe you’re actually here! I’ve known Jack for
almost five years now, and he’s never once brought a girl to dinner,” she said,
as she led me away from Jackson and to the bar at the back of the room. I
looked back helplessly as he laughed at us; she hadn’t even said hello to him.
“I knew that you had to be special, and he’s been telling me stories about you,
Mellie Rose. I just know we’re meant to be great friends.”

I laughed. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you too, Lucy. I’ve
been wanting to meet you for a while now, but the time just never seemed
right.”

Apparently Lucy had already finished off one gin and tonic.
She sat me down at the stool next to her, and motioned for the bartender to
bring her another drink. I ordered a glass of red wine.

“So, how did you meet Jackson?” I asked, once her attention
was back on me. Jackson had told me a bit about the two of them, but I wasn’t
sure how they actually met each other, since she was nearly nine years younger
than he was.

“Oh, I’ve known Jack for five years now, since we were in
Eleven Days
together.” I vaguely remembered that film; it was about a teenage prostitute
and a cop determined to save her. It was gritty, and had earned Lucy her first
of three Oscar nominations—quite an accomplishment for a twenty-one–year-old.
“We’ve been in three movies together since then, and this is our second with
Sophia here too. I think they like the chemistry that we all have on screen. I
don’t mind, obviously. Jackson’s like my big brother.”

I smiled. “He talks about you like a sister. It’s no wonder;
he has only brothers, so I think he’s always wanted a younger sister to take
care of.”

Lucy beamed. “Oh yes, he’s wonderful. He’s the same age as my
brother would have been, so it’s nice to have him as well.” Jackson had briefly
mentioned a brother, but I wasn’t sure what happened. I felt uncomfortable
asking, so I just took a sip of my wine. Apparently she noticed my hesitation,
because she continued without me asking. “My brother, Ethan, died when I was
just sixteen. They would be the same age, so maybe I take advantage of Jack’s
kindness sometimes.”

“Oh, don’t say it like that,” I said. “Jackson would be upset
if he knew you thought you were taking advantage of him. He loves you, in his
own big-brother kind of way.”

“He does!” she exclaimed, taking a drink from her gin and
tonic. Her enthusiasm made me smile; it was rare to find someone as genuine and
sweet as Lucy was. I was glad I met her. “He loves you too, I can tell,” she
said, winking at me.

“So he says,” I said, smiling down into my lap.

“And he would be upset at you if he knew you questioned it,”
she said, giving me a knowing look. Man, this girl was sharp.

We talked for a bit longer, until Jackson came and slipped an
arm around my waist. “Mellie,” he said, “this is Blake Hannigan, the director
of the film.” Next to Jackson was a man not much older than he was, with blond
hair and a thin face. He was attractive too, but in a different, more
distinguished, way.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said, holding up my hand.
Blake shook it and smiled.

“You, as well,” he said, his eyes raking over me. I tried not
to let it get to me as his gaze moved from my legs and up to my chest, but it
was hard not to notice. I felt his eyes all over me, and it made my skin burn.
Jackson was too busy giving Lucy a hug to realize what was happening, so I
cleared my throat, and tightened my grip on him. “Jackson’s told me so much
about you.”

I nodded and gave him a polite smile, before turning to
Jackson.

“Is dinner soon?” I asked. As excited as I had been to meet
Blake, there was something
off
about him. He was married to Meredith,
who was over near the dinner table talking to a man I didn’t recognize. That
left Blake with us, apparently unmonitored. As soon as Jackson looked down at
me, Blake turned to look at him. He was good.

“I’m sure it is. Let’s go sit down. There’s bread on the
table.” He kissed my hair and led me away. I glanced back at Lucy, who was
beaming at the two of us, and flashed her a smile. Blake just looked amused.

I sat between Jackson and Lucy, with Blake and Meredith
across the table from us and Sophia next to Jackson. He still hadn’t introduced
her to me, but I wasn’t sure if that was on purpose or not. I wasn’t too
thrilled about them sitting next to each other, but Lucy made sure I was too
busy talking to her to think about it much. As soon as we sat down, a server
brought over a bottle of wine to refill our glasses. Lucy waved him off and
requested another gin and tonic. This girl was seriously something else.

Once we all had drinks in front of us, Jackson turned to
introduce me to the rest of the guests at the table. With us were Jackson’s
costars for the movie, Gavin Page and Levi Thomas, along with Levi’s wife,
Ellen Santo. I couldn’t help but be a little starstruck at the celebrity in the
room, even if I was dating one of America’s hottest actors.

The last person at the table that Jackson introduced me to
was Sophia, who barely looked in my direction. Instead, she turned to her other
side to start talking with Gavin, completely ignoring both Jackson and me.

“So, Mellie,” Lucy said, drawing my attention away from the
impossibly gorgeous actress sitting next to my boyfriend. I didn’t know if
she’d sensed the tension between us or not, but I was enormously grateful for
the distraction. “I was wondering if you could teach me how to make those cream
puffs that Meredith brings on set all the time. She told me they’re your
grandmother’s recipe, and I have this boy that I’m trying to impress. I think
he’d really love them and I would love you forever too.”

I was about to answer her, but Jackson had been listening in
on our conversation. “A boy, huh? Is this the same boy that I caught in your
trailer last week?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

If it were me, I would have been mortified, but Lucy just
laughed. “Of course not, he was just a little fling. I met someone at a concert
the other night, and I think there really might be something there between us.
He was really sweet, and already asked me to come down next weekend.”

“Tell me you’re not serious, Lucy,” he said, his eyes
narrowed in her direction.

“What?” she asked innocently, taking a sip from her glass. “I
like him.”

“Am I missing something?” I asked, turning my head from one
to the other. Suddenly I felt like a referee in a tennis match.

“No,” Lucy said, smirking. “Jackson’s just being a little overprotective,
like always.”

“I am not, Luce,” he said, leaning over me so he could keep
his voice down and still reach her. “I don’t like the guy. I told you that when
you mentioned him the other day. He’s bad news.”

“Oh, please,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Don’t be such a
hypocrite. Before Mellie came along, you were exactly like Jude.”

I felt Jackson tense next to me, and I knew that Lucy
realized her slipup when her eyes widened. Jackson and I had talked about our
previous relationships plenty of times, but it still hurt knowing that the
entire world knew how he used to be with women.

“I’m so sorry, Mellie,” Lucy said immediately. “Just ignore
that I said that.” She downed the rest of her drink, and turned to take my
hands in hers.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, shaking my head clear of the
images I suddenly had of Jackson with all the other women in the world. “The
past is the past, and it doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s get back to the real
topic of this conversation. You said Jude. Lucy, please don’t tell me you mean
Jude Cross.”

She actually looked somewhat chagrined, which was a new look
on her. I took that as confirmation, and suddenly I couldn’t stop myself from
agreeing with Jackson. Jude Cross was bad news in every sense of the word; he
was a womanizing pop sensation, at least ten years older than Lucy, known
around the world not only for his music, but for his preference for redheads,
as well.

I sighed. “Okay, I’ll teach you how to make my cream puffs,
but you have to promise me that you’ll be careful. We just don’t want you to
get hurt, Lucy.”

She nodded eagerly. “I won’t, I promise.”

I eyed her carefully, but reluctantly nodded my head too.
“Just let me know when you’re free to stop by my kitchen. They aren’t too
difficult.”

Jackson laughed. “I don’t know about that. Lucy takes after
me in the cooking department.”

I couldn’t help but smile when I noticed how Lucy beamed at
that; even if she couldn’t cook, she obviously loved Jackson enough to be happy
when he talked about her. It was then that I realized that though Jackson may
have had three brothers already, he now had a sister too.