by A. Aubry
“Lucas is here, and he showed me pictures of you leaving a bar with a different girl almost every night. He was trying to piss me off and it worked…I might have injured him, but he fucking deserved it.”
“Maddie, those girls weren’t with me. They were with the few guys that I was with at the bars. Owen can back me up on that part. The only thing I have been doin’ is playin’ wingman for my friends. The only woman I’m interested in is you.”
I sighed and put my hand over my pounding heart. As it slowed down, I played with the heart shaped charm that Jackson had given me, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have accused you like that. It’s just so hard when you aren’t here with me.”
“I get it, these six months are going to be rough. Travelin’ has been twenty times harder than usual because all I want to do is be with you. Here, I’ll come back on Thursday afternoon with Owen…we will get a group together and go out for Thirsty Thursday. Owen and I will fly out on Friday mornin’ for our away games and then I will be back on Monday. After that, it is almost a week of home games and then the season is over. You and I can be wrapped up in each other as much as possible all the way up until Spring Trainin’.”
I smiled, even though I shouldn’t be smiling at the fact that the Twins didn’t make it into the playoffs this year. But that meant that from October through February, I had all the time that I wanted with Jackson, “You always know exactly what to say, Jack…”’
“I learned a thing or two from my writer girlfriend.”
I blushed, “I’m heading out of here soon. We still on to FaceTime?”
“Definitely, Owen and I are just finishin’ up a game on his Xbox that he smuggled in his luggage. Text me when you get back home, and you and I will have our date.”
“Boys and their games,” I rolled my eyes.
Jackson chuckled, “You love me. I’ll see you soon.”
“You love me too, you know. I can’t wait to see you.”
We said our goodbyes and I went in search of Alexandria and our friends. On our way back to our cars, I told Alex that Owen would be coming home with Jackson on Thursday to spend the evening with us. Even though it was just one day, we were both excited to see our men. Thursday couldn’t come fast enough.
Jackson: You are looking beautiful tonight, Madeline.
I looked up and turned my head to look at the end of the excruciatingly long table that Jackson was sitting at the end of with our friends in between us. Jackson smiled at me and I blushed. Even when we couldn’t be all over each other, he was still able to make me blush with a simple text message and a look. I was wearing the same dress that I had worn the night that I ran into Jackson at the bar. The first night we ever kissed. Bringing my phone out from under the table, I typed my response.
Me: You don’t look so bad yourself there, Jackson ;)
And that was the truth. He wore a black collared button up short sleeve shirt and his signature khaki pants for the summertime. Needless to say, after several days apart, he looked fucking delicious.
Jackson: Are you coming on to me?
I giggled and responded.
Me: Who? Me? I’m too innocent for that.
I peeked out of the corner of my eye and saw Jackson laugh and shake his head before his fingers got to moving.
Jackson: You are right, my Madeline is pretty innocent and sweet. But she tastes even sweeter ;).
My cheeks burned a whole new shade of red as Alexandria looked over at me. She tried to read my phone, but I hid the screen against my chest.
“You two are texting already?” Owen asked as he rolled his eyes.
“Owen! It’s the only way they can communicate when they are out with a group like this,” Alexandria admonished him.
I grinned and stuck out my tongue at him. Alexandria still had my back even though her and Owen had been an item for a few months. My phone vibrated gently against my chest and I looked at my most recent text from Jackson.
Jackson: What I would give to kiss those lips right now…
Me: What would you give?
Jackson: My entire world.
Me: Bathroom break. Meet me there in two.
The good thing about where we had decided to go for drinks with our friends was that by the bathrooms there was a long dark hallway that led to the offices and storage rooms. I only knew that because somehow Jackson had become friends with the owner of the club a few years ago, one of the perks of being a celebrity I guess. Thanks to this friendship, the owner knew Josie and hated her with a passion. So, a major perk of knowing the owner was that if Jackson and I needed to step away, one of the offices that was unoccupied during the nighttime hours was free for us to have a few minutes to ourselves. That’s what we called bathroom breaks.
Jackson: I’ll be there.
I nodded at Alexandria, the only other person besides Owen in our group that knew about our arrangement with the owner and slid off my high-top chair. Weaving through the people, I made a left down the hallway and went into the office that Jackson and I had spent numerous nights out with our friends making out in. We never took it further than that, we didn’t want to take advantage of the owner’s generosity.
Pacing the room slightly, I waited anxiously for Jackson. When the door opened and he came inside, closing the door behind him, I could barely keep from launching myself at him. He lifted me up as my arms wrapped around his neck and my legs hooked around his waist. Our mouths instantly met as though they were magnets, and, in all honesty, I think I blacked out for a moment. The only thing I knew for sure was that our lips and tongues were moving together, and it was the most exquisite feeling in the world. I moaned against Jackson’s mouth as he took control of our kiss.
Next thing I knew, I was lying back on the couch that sat in the office with Jackson on top of me as his mouth sucked on my neck. It was almost like he couldn’t control himself either. Our connection was like a drug to the both of us and once we were together, it was difficult to hold ourselves back.
“God, Jackson, I’ve missed you so much,” I groaned as I tangled my fingers in his hair.
“You are so fuckin’ intoxicatin’, Madeline. I can’t get enough,” he murmured against my skin.
Jackson pulled the front of my dress down and began to kiss and suck on my nipple as his hand teased the other. We had never gotten this far in here before, but I could feel the desperation between us. As my head laid back against the leather couch, my back arched up, effectively pushing my breasts into his grip more. I moaned, and I could feel something building inside of me. There was no way that I was already on my way to an orgasm.
A loud pounding came from the door and Jackson jumped off of me so quickly that I barely had time to register he got up at all. I pulled my dress back up and fixed my hair as Jackson went to the door. He opened it a crack before letting it open the rest of the way.
“You fuckin’ scared the hell out of me, Owen,” Jackson breathed hard as Owen came into the room and Jackson closed the door.
“I’m sorry, but this couldn’t wait until either of you were done with whatever it is you two do in here,” he waved his hand as though it was obvious we used the room for sex.
Sorry to burst your bubble, Owen...but we’ve kept it as PG-13 as we could get in here.
“What couldn’t wait?” I asked, standing up and adjusting my dress.
“This,” Owen held up his phone and Jackson and I leaned in close.
“You took a picture of two people making out? That’s kind of weird, O,” I giggled.
He sighed in exasperation, “It’s not just any two people, Maddie. That’s Josie and some guy I’ve never seen before. Shortly after I snapped this picture, the guy went to the bar and I approached him. He was more than happy to talk to a baseball player. I recorded him saying that him and Josie have been dating for the last month.”
“No way,” I answered.
Owen pressed a couple of buttons on his phone before I could just hear him and another guy talking. Sur
e enough, he said he was dating Josie Ryder for the last month.
“Do you know what this means?” Owen asked, a smile spreading on his lips.
Jackson just stood there, his mouth hanging open. I don’t think it really hit him. He was finally free.
“Jack, with this evidence…we don’t have to hide anymore…” I told him softly.
He yanked me into his arms and kissed me deeply. The unexpectedness of it all caused me to gasp and Jackson wasted no time in letting his tongue dive in. I put my hands on his cheeks and slowly eased our lips apart. We panted as he looked at me and grinned. I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head in the direction of his friend, someone he had to thank for all of this. Jackson let go of me and turned to Owen.
“I honestly have no idea how the fuck I’m goin’ to repay you,” Jackson laughed as he hugged his friend, clapping him on the back.
“You can not force me to listen to you going on and on about Madeline and how much you miss her all the time,” Owen chuckled.
Perfect Owen answer.
I hugged Owen before he forwarded the information to Jackson who sent it off to his lawyer. Owen went back out to our friends as Jackson looked at me.
“Meet me outside in 5. We are goin’ home and celebratin’, just the two of us,” he smirked.
“Okay, I’ll be there.”
I watched him walk out the door before counting to sixty and going back out to our group. I told Alexandria that I was going to catch a ride with Jackson as I grabbed my bag. She already knew from Owen what went down, and she happily encouraged me to go. I said goodbye to everybody and snuck past Josie and her boyfriend to go outside. Jackson pulled up to the curb a minute later in his truck and I climbed in the passenger side. As we took off towards his house, I held his hand in both of mine. The silence around us was comfortable and happy, we were finally going to be in the clear.
Jackson pulled into his garage and cut the engine. We got out of his truck and made our way into the house. I thought that things were going to just take off from there, but Jackson held up a finger for me to stay where I was before he disappeared into the kitchen. When he came back out, he had a bottle of my favorite champagne and two glasses. Apparently, we really were celebrating. He signaled for me to follow him, grabbing a blanket off the back of his couch on his way out the door that led to his backyard. I asked him where we were going and what we were doing but Jackson didn’t answer until we walked out onto his dock towards his boat.
“We will celebrate in the bedroom, but for right now, we are goin’ to celebrate with a moonlit boat ride,” Jackson grinned as he climbed in, set down the objects in his hands, and helped me down into the boat.
“Have I ever told you that you are a romantic at heart?” I smiled as I snaked my arms around his torso.
“I think you have said that before. That is what I want to be for you, Madeline. A romantic. I want to take care of you and I want to do little things that make you smile.”
“You already make me smile, Jackson. Just by being yourself,” I leaned up on my tiptoes and brushed my lips against his.
We shared a few short kisses before I took a seat on the cushioned bench and Jackson got behind the wheel of his boat. The engine came to life and soon Jackson was navigating us to the middle of the lake. Everything was quiet, it was after ten o’clock on a Thursday after all. As soon as Jackson got us in a position that he liked, he cut the engine, and we were plunged back into silence. He came over, picked up the bottle of champagne, and easily popped the cork. Our glasses were filled, and Jackson draped the blanket over both of our shoulders after he sat beside me on the bench.
“What should we toast to?” Jackson asked softly.
“To you being free…” I started.
“And to us,” Jackson finished.
We clinked our glasses and took a long sip of the bubbly liquid. Setting our half empty glasses aside, I snuggled up close to Jackson. While it was warmer than warm during the day thanks to the Indian Summer, the nights were starting to cool off a little bit too much for my liking. He wrapped his arm around me as I got up close beside him, bringing my legs up underneath me.
“Remember that promise you made me a few months ago?” Jackson reminisced.
“I made you a promise?” I looked up at him.
“At my father’s weddin’,” he reminded me.
“Oh yes, that promise. What about it?”
“Does your mind change now that we don’t have to wait six months to get engaged?”
“Jackson, you worry about things too much…I thought worrying was supposed to be my job.”
“Madeline, I’m serious.”
I put my hand up on his cheek, “And so am I. Just because we don’t have to sneak around anymore doesn’t mean that I changed my mind. I still love you and I still want to marry you. It’s as simple as that.”
His face lit up as he took in my words, “You are the most amazin’ woman I have ever met. You know that, right?”
“I get that a lot,” I teased as I leaned in and kissed him.
That night, Jackson and I spent a few hours kissing and talking under the stars. We were in our own little quiet oasis. Sure, we didn’t exactly need to hide anymore, but part of the fun of being hidden was that it was just about us two. I made Jackson promise me that even when we went public with this once again, we still would find moments like these. He swore that he would give me anything that I asked for. Sometimes he had an eye for the dramatics and it made me laugh. When it was too cold to continue being on the boat, Jackson and I went back to the house and sat in front of his fireplace. It was there that we laid it all out for one another and made love, proving to each other that we were stronger than ever.
Chapter Thirteen
“Breaking news…Minnesota Twins’ own Jackson Ryder back on the market after ex-wife fuddles her own divorce settlement clause,” Alexandria read in a dramatic voice from her cubicle, “Who writes this shit?”
I laughed, “That would be Sam in sports.”
“Seriously, I can’t believe that that is breaking news.”
“Why? Because you were there to see it go to shit in person?”
“Hell yeah! Owen pointed it out to me and my jaw was on the damn floor. When he confirmed with her boyfriend, I was ready to throw a damn parade to celebrate.”
I rolled my eyes as my phone started to vibrate on my desk. Picking it up quickly, I saw that it was Jackson calling me. He left outrageously early this morning with Owen to catch a flight to California for the last of three away games. When I saw that he was calling, it meant that he was following my instructions to call me when he landed so that I knew he got there safely.
“I take it that this is my courtesy call,” I giggled as I held the phone against my ear.
“Of course. I made it safely and I have a phone call conference with Reed and my publicist in a little bit. But, I wanted to hear your beautiful voice before I have to hear them drone on about Josie and the divorce settlement.”
“Well, if you’d like to be cheered up, I can have Alexandria tell you all about the ‘I’m free’ parade that she is planning down the streets of Saint Paul.”
“As much fun as that sounds, baby…I don’t think my publicist would think that was a very good move,” Jackson chuckled.
“Damn, I’ll have to tell her to put the parade on hold then.”
“Tell her that I’m sorry. I do have a question for you though, Madeline.”
“Okay? What is this question?” I chewed on the cap of my pen lightly.
“Would you go on a date with me on Monday night?”
I gasped dramatically, “Is Jackson Ryder formally asking me out on a date?”
Jackson’s light laughter greeted me, “Yes, I know we have already had a few formal dates, but this is the one where I can say look everybody, I’m taken.”
“I’d love to go on a date with you, Jack. You didn’t even need to ask.”
“You know that I like to make
sure, Mad,” Jackson cooed, “Aw, shit. Reed is callin’ now. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay. I love you, Jackson.”
“I love you too, darlin’.”
We hung up and I buckled down for work. Well, by buckle down I meant that while I did do my work, I also kept an eye on news of Jackson and Josie. Her spokesperson was trying to make it out as though she was the victim in all of this. Maybe Josie shouldn’t have come up with the clause if she knew that she herself couldn’t follow it. After lunch, that was when everyone started speculating who Jackson might go out with or if him and I would get back together. I didn’t read the comments much after the conversation went in that direction, I knew there would be naysayers, and nothing could bring me down.
Jackson’s publicist finally released a statement from him saying that all of this nonsense could have been avoided if she wouldn’t have added the clause. That while he wishes her all the best in whatever may happen in the future, he was happy that he did not have anything looming over his head anymore. Almost as soon as the statement was released, Jackson sent me a text that he loved me. He didn’t necessarily have to do it, but it made me smile and that was all I needed. Finally, we could be together and not have to give a shit about what others had to say.
Monday night finally came along, and I had just enough time to go back to my apartment after work and change before Jackson said he was outside. I wore a purple sundress, an attempt to soak up the last of the warm Indian Summer air before fall came in too quickly. It fell just past my knees, had a large V cut out in the front, and spaghetti straps…one of those dresses where a bra was pretty much impossible to wear. Slipping on my black flats and grabbing a light sweater, I walked out to the front of my building and nearly stopped in my tracks.
Jackson was wearing black dress slacks, a navy-blue button up dress shirt, and a black blazer. He looked far more dressed up than I was, and I immediately felt the need to go in to change. His face split into a grin as he strode over to me, tangled his fingers in my hair, and kissed me deeply for the world to see. Well, for my apartment complex to see.