Fall: A Seaside Novel (The Seaside Series) (26 page)

“She looked older.” Alyssa sniffed.

Demetri threw up his hands in a helpless gesture. “Want to marry me and make it all better?”

“I already said yes.” She glared.

“So pick a date.”

I watched their exchange with interest. It was like watching an old couple bicker — only you knew that after said arguing was over there’d be a hell of a lot of making up.

“During the second tour break.”

Demetri burst out laughing, then sobered when Alyssa didn’t join in. “Holy shit, you’re serious.”

Alyssa looked back at her magazine.

“Babe, that’s in four weeks.”

“Twenty-eight days…” She sighed. “What about this dress?” She pointed to a dress that looked more like lingerie. I covered my smile with my hand as Demetri groaned out loud.

“Woman, you’ll be the death of me.”

“I’ll wear heels.”

“Four weeks it is.” He clapped his hands. ”But cover up, babe. We aren’t running a brothel.”

Her response was to smack him in the head with a magazine, and then I saw arms flying, legs wrapping, some kissing, heard some disturbing moans, and yeah, by then I just turned my head and stared at the door waiting for Pris to emerge.

“Whoa.” Alec coughed coming up from behind me. “They need to hurry up and get married before they have a child out of wedlock.”

“Ah, I always wondered what the pot sounded like when it stopped shouting accusations at the kettle,” I said aloud.

Alec barked with laughter. “I forgot how much I liked having you around, England.”

“Foreign charm, and admit it — you think my accent is sexy.”

“True.” Alec nodded solemnly. “Sometimes I even hear it at night as my wife lulls me to sleep with her—”

“—you can stop now.”

Another grin.

Yeah, I’d never seen Alec smile so many different ways. Marriage had been way too good for him. His playing was better, his song writing amazing, and I was pretty sure that by the time he was fifty he was going to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Just a hunch.

“How’s she holding up?” Alec walked over to the breakfast bar and pulled out a stool.

“She’s alright,” I said in hushed tones. “Sad, upset, confused, but… she’s doing better than I’d be doing.”

“She seems strong,” Alec mused, looking at the door. “Kind of makes me feel like an ass. I had to do how many drugs and be responsible for my own son’s death before I got my head out of my ass — and even then it was Nat doing the saving. For Priscilla to just accept and fight…” He shook his head. “I admire that.”

“Yeah, well.” I winced. “It’s going to be a long road.”

“And this road… are you going to be driving on it with her?” he fished.

I knew what he was asking. Funny, because I could answer with complete confidence. “Alec, c’mon, you know I hate it when women drive my car.”

“I’m ready.” Priscilla came out of the bedroom, her long dark hair pulled into a tight ponytail and a grey sweatshirt over her leggings.

“You look great.” I kissed her forehead.

“I look horrible.” She managed a tiny smile. “But I love you for lying.” Her eyes narrowed, “This time.”

The room fell completely silent.

I took another step so she was in my arms. “Yeah, well, I just love you.”

I heard choking, a gasp, something that sounded like a chair tipping over, and then crying.

Turning around, I saw Nat wipe tears from her eyes as a stunned Alec picked up his stool, and Alyssa helped Demetri clean up the water he’d apparently spit all over the couch.

Wow, good to know they had so much faith in the Tin Man finding his lost heart.

I ignored all their stunned expressions. “We’re gonna go.”

I led Priscilla to the door and had just about shut it when Demetri shouted. “I love you too, Jaymeson!”

Chapter Forty-Three

Priscilla

Jaymeson didn’t let go of my hand the entire way to the hospital. I was pretty sure that he was going to start cramping, but he didn’t complain. He just squeezed tighter and pulled me into his embrace.

Lucky for us, the hospital was prepared for our return. Camera crews still waited, but this time I was ready to face them. I had one mission. Fight for my sister.

Once we reached the doors, Jaymeson paused. Questions were fired from every angle, and it was stressful to say the least. Instead of going inside, Jaymeson turned and held me close to him.

“We’re going to be coming and going a lot,” he said smoothly. “If you give us some space and privacy, I promise to answer some of your questions. But please, don’t direct any of them to my girl, she’s had a rough couple of days and the last thing she needs to do is answer mindless questions about what it’s like to be Jamie Jaymeson’s girlfriend.”

The cameras continued to go off but people stopped talking.

“I love her,” he said simply looking down at me and bestowing a kiss on my forehead like I was the most precious treasure. “If you want to do something with the copious amounts of free time you seem to have, pray. Pray for her seventeen-year-old sister to make it through, because right now — she’s the only family my girl has left.”

With that, he gave a slight nod and led me back into the hospital. I glanced back through the glass doors to see a few of the news ladies’ mouths completely dropped open, whether it was in shock over what he said, or shock over the fact that he’d just declared love — I had no idea. But it felt good. It felt better than he’d ever know. Because it wasn’t just me fighting for my sister, but Jaymeson too. Maybe it was crazy but in my heart, I felt like she would make it. As long as I had him on my team, she’d make it.

By the time we reached the fifth floor I had gotten used to the stairs. It was weird because for the first time people weren’t just staring at him, they were staring at me. Possibly trying to figure out what in the world he was doing with me. But I didn’t care.

“Mr. Jaymeson…” A nurse jogged toward us. “We have some news.”

My heart stopped.

But the nurse was smiling. That was good, right?

“She’s been moved into one of the private suites on the eighth floor. The swelling has gone down considerably and the doctor’s confident that she’ll make a full recovery.”

My shaking legs gave way. I would have landed on the floor had Jaymeson not gripped my body with his hands holding me steady.

“Thank you.” He held out his free hand and shook the nurse’s hand firmly. “What room number?”

“One.” The nurse beamed.

Jaymeson half carried me to the elevator as we went up a few more floors. I was so excited to see my sister that I wanted to run out the elevator and throw myself onto her bed.

Lucky for me, Jaymeson kept me grounded. He was probably sure I was going to face plant if I tried to make a run for it.

The elevator doors opened with a soft ding, we took a left toward the rooms labeled one through ten. And then took another left.

When the nurse said suite, I’d thought she meant a big room. Not an actual hotel suite.

Dani still had some tubes connected to her, but the color had returned to her cheeks.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Dani?” Tears filled my eyes. “Are you awake?”

Her eyes flickered open. Growing up, I’d always been jealous of her. She had beautiful honey brown hair and the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. While I’d always felt plain, she was striking.

“Pris?” Her voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable. “Is that you?”

“Yeah.” Carefully, I sat on the bed and reached for her hand, she struggled to sit up and then blinked a few more times.

“Pris?”

“What, baby girl?”

“Um…” She blinked again. It was then I realized she was looking over my shoulder. “Did they say anything about me hallucinating?”

“No…”

“Oh.” She blinked again. “Is Jamie Jaymeson standing in my room?”

“Oh.” I managed to laugh. “Yeah, he’s um, kind of, he’s—”

“Careful, you’re going to hurt yourself, love.” Jaymeson winked and approached the bed. “I’m your sister’s boyfriend.”

Dani’s eyes went wide as saucers.

Yeah. Two months ago I would have had the same reaction.

I cleared my throat. “How are you feeling?”

“Crappy.” Dani sniffled. “But the drugs are helping take away the pain — at least the physical pain.” Her eyes closed briefly as a few tears escaped.

“I’ll just leave you girls for a minute,” Jaymeson whispered and stepped out of the room.

“They told you about Mom and Dad?” I squeezed her hand.

She nodded.

“And the accident? Do you remember anything?”

Dani broke eye contact and stared at the blanket.

“Dani, it’s not your fault. I know you must be traumatized but—”

“It was,” Dani said in a hollow voice. “It was my fault.”

“Accident,” I said slowly. “Dani, you couldn’t have prevented it.”

Her answer was to shrug. I knew it would take time, she’d just woken up and I knew I’d probably respond the same way.

“Hey.” I changed the subject. “How about we watch a movie or something? Are you up for it?”

She blushed.

“What?”

Dani leaned forward awkwardly, her tiny body nearly impossible to see underneath all the stuff connected to her. “Is it weird to watch a Jamie Jaymeson movie when he’s actually sitting in my room?”

“Nah.” I grinned. “He’s a total narcissist. He’ll probably eat it right up,” I teased.

She blushed harder.

“Let me grab him…” I patted her hand and went out of the room to retrieve the movie star.

“Everything okay?” He yawned.

“Yup.” I tried to hold my grin in.

“What?” His eyes narrowed.

“She really likes you.”

“Love, I played a superhero last year and saved the world like five times. Of course she loves me.”

“Hmm…” I tapped my chin. “And to think, I thought the cocky Jaymeson was long gone.”

“Oh, he’s still here.” He pulled me into his arms and softly kissed my mouth. “He’s just on his best behavior.”

“I wish he wasn’t.”

He took control of my mouth again. “Oh, don’t worry, my self control is hanging by a thread, and you, my dear, possess the scissors…”

I giggled and looked to the side as he kissed my neck. All the staff gathered around the nurse’s station watched with rapt attention.

Clearing my throat, I hit him in the arm and stepped back, probably blushing like a lunatic if the heat in my face was any indication.

“She wants to watch a movie.” I nervously tucked my hair behind my ear.

“Movie it is.” Jaymeson wrapped his arm around me. I sighed into his chest. Grief was strange. I’d never fully experienced it. One moment I wanted to cry, and the next I was laughing.

Shouldn’t I be crying every minute?

For some reason, even though my entire body screamed with sadness, having Jaymeson? Well, he was the umbrella to my rain cloud.

And I knew… my dad was the type to look at the positive. Always. If he were here… Tears welled again. If he were here, he’d ask me why I was wasting my time crying, when I should be celebrating life.

Celebrating what I had left.

A little sister.

Jaymeson.

Friends.

Life.

I could hear my dad’s words like he was actually there, speaking them over me.
“Life is over in a blink of an eye
—
so why waste your time being anything but happy that you’ve been given another day to live?”

“Hey, you okay?” Jaymeson whispered in my ear.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I really am.”

I thought of my dad’s smile. Of his reassuring hugs, of his playfulness, and his amazing ability to captivate everyone around him.

And my mom — to her, everything was funny. Life was hilarious, she’d say. She found joy in planting flowers and baking cakes for anyone who would eat them.

If I could describe my parents in one word, it would be joyful.

And I swore right then and there, that I wouldn’t let that legacy die with them.

****

We watched two movies. Dani fell asleep during the first thirty minutes of the second one, but Jaymeson wanted to keep watching.

He claimed he’d never seen one of his movies before.

He cringed about every five seconds and covered his eyes, alternating between saying, “Bloody awful,” and “Bloody terrible,” over and over again.

I decided I needed to record his expression. I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture. I was rewarded with a glare, and then he was back to watching himself, his face wincing as he delivered lines in the movie.

Once I saved the picture — I itched to Facebook it — to share it. Which was stupid because technically he didn’t have a Facebook.

Then again.

I didn’t either.

Bad call — I shouldn’t have deleted my account. With a sigh, I quickly logged back in and reactivated my account.

I had thirty messages from Jamie Hudson who had now changed his name to Jamie Hudson Jaymeson.

Jamie Hudson Jaymeson:
I’m sorry.

Jamie Hudson Jaymeson:
Please forgive me.

Jamie Hudson Jaymeson:
I’m an ass (he’d inserted a picture of an actual ass)

Jamie Hudson Jaymeson:
…Love

Jamie Hudson Jaymeson:
I think I may love you.

Jamie Hudson Jaymeson:
Never mind… I know I love you.

The messages were all similar, each and every one of them made me want to cry.

I wiped at a few stray tears and almost dropped my phone when it went off again. I had one new message from Jaymeson. With a smile I looked up, and he winked from his spot on the bed.

With a smile, I opened the message, and this time really did drop my phone before picking it back up again.

Jamie Hudson Jaymeson:
Say you’ll marry me.

Shaking, I answered.

Me:
Are you asking?

Jamie Hudson Jaymeson:
More like ordering. I’m Jamie Jaymeson
—
I don’t ask.