From Rags

by Suzanne Wright

  They were still panting and shuddering with the aftershocks when her mobile began ringing. As she was comfy sprawled over Connor with him still inside her she didn’t bother getting it. But then it rang again. And again. Huffing she reached over the bed to where he had dumped her bag and dug out the still chiming phone. It was Ollie. “Hello.”

  “Jaxxon, there’s, er, someone here who says you know them and wants to, er, see you.”

  “Who?” Her mouth dropped open wide at his answer. She sat up abruptly. “Where?”

  “In the reception area, but if you want to do this and you want some privacy we can meet you in my room.”

  “Alright. I’ll be five minutes.”

  “What is it?” asked Connor the second she finished the call. She didn’t shout her answer until she was in the bathroom. He swore at the news and jumped up. As she’d locked the door, he stood outside it. “Why wasn’t your response ‘fuck off’?”

  Little more than twenty seconds later she was back in the bedroom redressing with Connor following her about the room like a lost kitten. “What happened to my shoes?”

  “Jaxx, you don’t have to do this,” he said as he quickly threw on his own clothes.

  “Stop panicking.”

  “I don’t want you upset.”

  “Who says I’ll be upset?”

  “Her pastime was upsetting you.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Finding her shoes under the bed, she slipped them on. Now fully dressed – bar her thong which Connor had destroyed – she made her way to the door.

  “Babe, you don’t owe her this,” he said as followed her out of the suite toward the elevator. “She left you -”

  “So did you,” she said softly and non-judgementally. “And I’ve just said I’ll marry you. If I can do that, then I can give my sister two minutes of my time, can’t I?”

  He supposed that was a fair comment. He hated that it was a fair comment. He was still tormenting himself over leaving her. But this was Leah they were talking about; the one who had spent years picking at Jaxx’s self-esteem until she didn’t even see herself as the beautiful person she was, inside or out. What’s more, she was the one who had let Jaxx think for the past eight years that he’d spent their time in foster care shagging Leah, that he’d loved Leah. What he knew now was that even back then he’d loved Jaxx. It still ticked him off knowing that she’d spent all that time they’d been apart angry with him and believing that of him. And it was all Leah’s fault.

  He wasn’t exactly surprised that she’d made a reappearance now that Jaxx was a celeb. Nor was he all that surprised that she hadn’t come earlier. She had probably spent the past few months resenting Jaxx and being bitter as hell. Obviously she had now calmed down and was ready to use emotional blackmail or some other technique to get herself money or something. And he absolutely despised the thought of Jaxx being manipulated or used. He just wanted to sweep her up and take her back to his suite. As they reached the door to Ollie’s suite he sighed. “If it was the other way around, she’d tell you to sling your hook. You know that, right?”

  “Connor, calm down before you hyperventilate. I’ll be fine, I’m not fourteen anymore.”

  He combed his hands into her hair. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “I’m sure. Now move.” It was only seconds after she knocked on the door that Ollie opened up, looking as awkward as he’d sounded on the phone.

  “Er, why don’t you go in. Me and McKenzie will wait out here.”

  Connor huffed. “Oh no, I’m going in with -”

  “No, you’re not.” And with that, Jaxxon swung the door shut. Taking calming, steady breaths, she strolled leisurely through the suite. She found Leah in the small kitchenette, washing out a coffee mug. She looked so different. It shouldn’t have been such a shock considering it had been years but the transformation was pretty dramatic. Her long, straight blonde hair had faded to a mousey shade and was just above shoulder-length. She’d put a little weight on and actually had boobs. Jaxxon never thought she’d ever see Leah look smart, but she did in that black pencil skirt and lavender blouse. Not like a business woman, but like…a housewife. Jaxxon’s flicked a glance at Leah’s left hand and there was both an engagement and wedding ring. Whatever she’d expected, it hadn’t been this.

  “Oh my God,” said Leah as she turned. Usually when you saw a celeb up close without the abundance of make-up or camera tricks to hide the blemishes they weren’t as stunning. But Jaxxon was even more-so. She could see the apprehension and hesitation in Jaxxon’s eyes and it broke her heart. Leah knew it was only what she deserved though. “Hi.”

  “Alright,” Jaxxon greeted quietly. “How’ve you been?”

  “Good, actually. You?”

  Jaxxon nodded. “Yeah, great.”

  “You look really well.”

  “What are doing in Australia?”

  “I live here. Me and my husband migrated here a few years ago. I couldn’t believe it when I first saw you in a magazine. My baby sister.”

  If there was one thing that Leah had never referred to Jaxxon as before, it was that. ‘My sister’, yeah. But the affectionate ‘my baby sister’, never. “What do you want, Leah?”

  A fond smile crept up onto her face. “Still blunt as anything. I think you were born blunt.” She drew in a long breath and exhaled slowly. “I’m not here to ask you for anything, but I don’t blame you for thinking I might be. Actually, I want to show you something.” She dug into her pocket where she’d placed the item she was anxious to show Jaxxon.

  Still apprehensive, Jaxxon took what was a photograph from Leah’s outstretched hand and looked at it. Whoa.

  “He’s the image of you. He’s got my nose and Alan’s eyes. Alan’s his dad, my husband. But the rest – those chocolate curls, the olive skin…it’s just you.”

  She was right. This little toddler looked exactly as Jaxxon did when she was that young.

  “His name’s Riley. He’s adorable but he’s going through the terrible twos at the minute so he’s driving me up the wall. You know, he’s got so many of your expressions. He really looks like you when he’s upset. And it makes me think of all the times I put that look on your face.” Tears welled up then. “Jaxxon, I’m here to say sorry.”

  Instantly Jaxxon’s head snapped up. This was unexpected to say the least, and she couldn’t help but feel suspicious. Her instincts told her she didn’t need to be, but still she was a little.

  “I know you probably couldn’t give a damn. But I am. I was messed up over what mum did. I know that’s no excuse – she was your mum too and you didn’t let it turn you into a bitter cow. But I was nowhere near as strong as you and, I’ll admit, I was jealous of you for that. And for how people seemed to automatically like you. It always amazed and frustrated me that you could have been the most popular girl in school but you didn’t want any of that whereas me…I wanted it so badly. I needed to feel liked, I can’t explain why. I envied you so much and I hated myself so much and…well I was a bitch. You might not believe it, but I hate myself for it, Jaxxon. I really do. Because I did and do love you. Every time I look at my son I think of you and how I treated you…” She trailed off as the tears finally flowed over.

  Words failed Jaxxon. First Connor’s appearance followed by the ‘I love you’ and then the proposal. Now this. Hearing her sister had come here had been surprising enough.

  “What I said about Connor…Again I was jealous. He never showed any interest in me but you he’d have done anything for. I’m glad that you two got together.” She gestured to the beautiful ring on the hand that was holding the photo. “I take it he gave you that.”

  Jaxxon, still utterly speechless, just nodded.

  “Congratulations.” And she meant it. “I won’t lie and say I planned to come and see you. It wasn’t until I knew you were in Australia that I really thought about it. I was just so ashamed of myself. I hadn’t even told Alan you were my sister, I didn’t want to have to tell him w
hy we’d lost touch and why I was too scared to try to see you. But then I broke down one day and told him everything. He convinced me to come, said if you were anything like the person I’d made you out to be then you wouldn’t turn me away without letting me talk to you.”

  “How long have you been married?”

  “Four years now. He’s a kind of handy man – electrician, plummer, computer expert. Geeky, really.” She laughed. “Never thought I’d fall for a geek.”

  “No, I didn’t see that coming. But then, I never would have thought I’d have gotten into modelling either. I thought if either one of us was going to be a celeb, it’d be you.”

  Smiling, Leah waved away the comment. “I was never going to be famous. I just craved attention so bad. It was pathetic really. I’d never have been secure enough to survive that world – one critical comment and I’m thrown. Not like you.” She braced herself for a snort. “This might sound stupid, but I’m proud of you. It must be weird for you to hear something like that from me – or any kind of compliment.”

  “I’m glad everything’s worked out for you. I can’t believe you’re a mum.”

  “I panicked when I found out, whining to Alan that I didn’t have a maternal bone in my body. But I’d like to think I’m doing a good job. Not making any of the mistakes our mum made. Keep that photo, I’ve got thousands. I can’t stop taking pictures of the little bugger.” Bracing herself for the rejection she deserved, Leah went to Jaxxon and offered her a slip of paper. “That’s my address and phone number. Just in case you ever feel like getting in touch. I know you’ll probably be too busy to visit but…” She literally sighed in relief when Jaxxon took it. “My e-mail address is on there too, just in case you use e-mail more than phones...”

  “I’ll want more pictures of Riley e-mailed to me,” said Jaxxon with a smile.

  She laughed – it was dripping with relief. “Like I said, I have thousands, I can send you loads.” She squeezed her sister’s hand tight, hoping this wasn’t the last she ever saw of her. “Take care of yourself, Jaxxon.”

  Jaxxon nodded. “You too.” At that, Leah grabbed her handbag and left the suite. Jaxxon just stood there staring at the photo, engrossed by the sight of her nephew who could easily pass as her son.

  “Jaxx.”

  She turned toward the voice; it was soft, cautious, concerned. As was Connor’s face. He had no need to be. She felt a million times lighter. She hadn’t realised how much her strained relationship with her sister and her lack of answers as to why it had ever been strained had affected her ’til now. That fourteen year old girl in her was as high as a kite; Connor McKenzie loved her and had proposed; Leah did love her and was happy for her. And that was why Jaxxon could do something she’d never been able to do before. She flung himself into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, like the young girl in her wanted.

  EPILOGUE

  She was going to kill him. Jaxxon was going to kill him. Maybe one day she would be able to understand why her husband liked to ignore her, but that definitely wasn’t today. She stormed through the kitchen of their house and out the back door. Then she trekked through the grassy land toward where Connor was darting round crazily on his mini racing track on a quad. Wisely he slowed his speed when he saw her nearing and then parked the quad, but she could see his body shaking with a muted laugh.

  “Something funny?” she asked through her teeth, hating the fact that even while she was planning how to murder him and hide the body she couldn’t help admiring and desperately wanting said body.

  Seeing that frustration was practically steaming from the woman he loved, making her look as provocative as ever, Connor decided it might be in his best interests to remain sitting on the quad for just a minute. “Now Jaxx, babe -”

  “Oh no do not think that will work with me. Not only are you supposed to be helping me get everything ready, but I’ve asked you time and time again not to put her on that thing if you’re going to go all kamikaze!”

  “But Mummy,” whined three and a half year old Isabel who was sat snug between her daddy’s legs. “I’ve got on my helmet and daddy wasn’t going that fast.”

  “Not going that fast,” echoed Jaxxon in a quiet voice filled with disbelief.

  “Maybe we were going a bit fast,” admitted Connor sheepishly, “but do you honestly think I’d drive at a speed like that if didn’t think I could control it?” He knew that wasn’t the point, and her facial expression said just that. But the fact was their daughter loved a good adrenalin rush and had absolutely no fear; something which concerned Jaxx but made him proud as all hell. “I remember when it was you I used to drive around, and we went a lot faster than that.”

  “Oh yes I remember your misspent youth and how petrified I was that you’d crash.”

  “It’s alright Mummy I’m fine, you don’t have to shout at Daddy.”

  Jaxxon shot her a sweet smile. “I’m not shouting at him, angel, I’m just helping him hear.”

  Knowing there was only one thing Isabel loved more than that quad, Jaxxon asked, “Aren’t you coming to give Ferrari his dinner? I can do it if you want.” The little girl practically leaped off the quad. Jaxxon had tried to get Isabel to name the puppy something normal, but as she was as obsessed with cars as Connor, there was no changing her mind. She skipped ahead of Jaxxon and Connor toward the house, her dark curls bobbing all over the place.

  Connor wrapped his arm around Jaxx’s shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Yes, I’m sucking up to you because I don’t like being in your bad books.” He trailed seductive kisses along the curve of her neck. “I like it better when you do the sucking though.”

  She laughed. “You say that with such desperation as if I didn’t do that just last night.”

  “It was torture when I smelled that coffee this morning. It just reminded me of last night. I love it when you suck me off while you’re having a hot drink. Maybe once Izzy’s in bed I can make you another coffee.”

  “I liked it better when I cuffed you to the bedframe.” She began shaking with giggles.

  “That wasn’t funny. How would you like waking up to find you can’t move?”

  “Just a little payback.” She’d teased him for a full half hour from head to toe before making him come. “You should be thankful I didn’t spank you as well.”

  “One day you’ll admit you like that.” No sooner had they stepped inside than the doorbell rang. He swatted Jaxx’s arse. “You get that, I’ll help Izzy with the dog food.”

  Jaxxon opened the door to find a very pregnant Anna and a flustered Warren on her doorstep. Clearly they’d had a tumble just before leaving their apartment. “Hi, get your arses inside, you’re the first ones here. Anna, sit down. Warren, make yourself useful and help Connor set the barbeque up.”

  Warren saluted her. “Yes ma’am.”

  “He hasn’t done it yet?” asked Anna.

  “The race track was more interesting,” grumbled Jaxxon.

  Anna smiled at the stunning little girl who was emptying dog food into two bowls. One for Bronty, one for Ferrari. “Hello Iz, are you helping your mummy like a big girl?” She responded with a solemn nod. Although she looked uncannily like Jaxxon, she had her dad’s serious expressions. She also had Jaxxon’s entrancing eyes which meant that she could wrap just about everybody around her little finger, especially Connor. He worshipped the ground the child walked on, just as he did Jaxxon.

  Next to arrive was Dane, Niki, their six month old baby boy Lewis, and Little Dane who told Jaxxon that he didn’t want to be called ‘Little Dane’ anymore because he was ‘five and three quarters’. As usual, he followed Isabel around like she was a guiding light. As usual, Isabel didn’t seem to notice. Ten minutes or so later Ollie and Louisa, who had been seeing each other for the past five months, arrived. Then shortly after that were Richie, Tony, Lily and Ant. They all made a humungous fuss of Isabel.

  “You know,” began Ollie to Jaxxon who was in the kitchen getting the salads and
pastas ready, “most kids would lap up that kind of attention, but your Izzy always shrugs it off. I wonder who she gets that from.”

  “I can’t imagine.”

  “I asked her what she wants for her birthday this year. You should probably know she wants a baby brother.”

  Jaxxon nearly choked on the slice of cucumber she was munching. “Well that’s a big progression. Last time I asked her she said a goldfish.”

  “When did you get the puppy?”

  “When she reached exactly three and a half. You know what Connor’s like. Any excuse to buy her something.”

  Ollie never thought when they first met that he would ever be of the opinion that Connor was good enough for Jaxxon. But the bloke had proved himself again and again and he had even won over Richie and Tony. The world followed their relationship even more closely than before, and the rate of celebrity Elvis weddings rocketed after Jaxxon and Connor married in Vegas. The only complaint Ollie had was that the pair still threw too much sexual tension around. They were even doing it right now with their heated gazes while they stood at the barbeque grill.

  Dane inhaled the dreamy smell of the burgers and kebabs and sausages and steaks as they sizzled on the barbeque rack. “I’m famished. So famished that Ferrari’s dinner is starting to look real nice.”

  “Blame Connor about the delay,” said Jaxxon.

  He looked at Connor. “Does that mean you were too busy playing on your track with Izzy? I still can’t get Dane anywhere near a bike or quad. He’s not into cars either. He likes golf, DVDs and chocolate; that’s the extent of his world.”

  Jaxxon smiled. “He’s got very good taste in food.” What she wouldn’t give for some chocolates right now. “And girls.” She gestured toward Little Dane who was chasing Isabel round the garden while Ferrari and Bronty yapped playfully at their heels.