by Raine Thomas
To keep her from the public eye, they made use of the gates Will and his dad had installed between their backyards and Gareth’s while they were completing their home renovations. Gareth and Althea had wanted all of them to be able to use their pool without worrying about going through their house. It gave them all relative privacy to move between the houses.
Because there were other houses backing up to their backyards, the paparazzi couldn’t get back there without breaking the law. Will imagined it wouldn’t be much longer before one of them got desperate enough to try it. The video continued to gain in popularity. The longer he and Katie remained silent, the more fervor it seemed to cause. Archer had definitely been right about needing the security.
If he hadn’t known how much it would upset Katie, Will would have asked Jasmine to stop the lessons for a while. He was worried she would become a paparazzi target the moment she exited her car in front of his house. As far as he knew, she had been spared the onslaught so far because only her profile was visible in the video, but if anyone saw her with Katie, it wouldn’t take long to make the connection.
His dad ended up contacting her about it. They worked out an arrangement where she parked in Gareth’s garage for the lessons. She used the backyards to get to Will’s house for the few lessons she had given Katie over the past couple weeks.
But even the highly unusual circumstances hadn’t prompted her to reach out to him.
It took another hour and a half after the plane landed for the team to reach their vehicles so they could finally head home. By then, Will’s eyelids felt like lead weights.
“See you at the party, Campbell?” Evan asked over the roof of his car.
Evan and Sierra had invited him and Katie to an upcoming pool party at their condo complex along with the other players and their families. Will agreed to go before he’d known what a circus his life was about to become.
“Actually, I’m not sure we should go,” he said. “I don’t want to draw the paparazzi to your place.”
“Our complex is secure if you’re worried about someone getting in. The pool can’t be accessed by anyone but the tenants.”
Will wasn’t convinced that was good enough. “I’m too tired to think straight right now. Let me see what things are like at home and I’ll let you know.”
“All right.” Evan’s gaze was steady on his face. “If things get out of hand and you and Katie need a place to stay, you’re always welcome to come by us.”
“Thanks,” Will said, genuinely surprised by the offer. “I hope it doesn’t come to anything like that, but I appreciate it.”
“No worries. You know how to reach me.”
Nodding, Will watched him get into his car and then got behind the wheel of his truck. He took a minute to appreciate the reality that he now had friends who truly cared about him and Katie before he turned the engine.
Things had sure changed a lot over the last five months.
He cranked his music and his A/C to give him the energy he needed to drive home. Or rather, to his dad’s house since that was where Katie was sleeping. He’d crash on his dad’s couch for a few hours.
His street looked quiet. Of course, it was still early. According to his dad, most of the paparazzi didn’t show up until later in the day. Will wasn’t looking forward to seeing what that looked like. He imagined his neighbors weren’t exactly thrilled by all the extra traffic and attention either.
As his dad had instructed, Will pulled into the space he’d left in the garage. After closing the overhead door, he got out of the truck and used his key to enter the house through the side door. He kicked off his shoes in the laundry-slash-mudroom off the garage before walking into the kitchen, where he found Ryan standing and waiting for him. The security specialist looked like he had been sitting at the table in the eating area drinking a cup of coffee. He must have gotten to his feet at the sound of the garage door opening.
Will had talked to Ryan a couple times since the specialist’s arrival. Ryan had wanted to give him some general information about himself and the company he worked for, and he asked a bunch of routine questions to get to know more about Will and Katie and their typical routines.
Despite that, he still extended a hand of greeting now. “Good morning,” he said. “Welcome back.”
Will accepted the handshake. “Thanks.”
It was strange knowing a highly trained security specialist was standing in his dad’s kitchen. Ryan wore jeans and a striped cotton shirt with a two-button collar, nothing that said he worked in security. He had explained that he’d be dressing casually to keep Katie more comfortable. Will still thought he looked like he could kick anyone’s ass. Maybe it was the faint scar running along his jaw or the self-assured way he stood.
“Katie’s still sleeping,” Ryan said. “It was a late night for her. She had trouble getting to sleep because she knew you were coming home.”
“Thanks. I’m going to check in on her and then get some sleep myself.”
“All right. We can catch up later.”
“Sure.”
Will’s steps as he climbed the stairs were heavy as the lure of sleep tried to override his brain. He opened the door to the guest room and smiled when he saw Katie curled up into a ball under the comforter on one corner of the full-sized mattress. Her arms were wrapped around her favorite stuffed animal, a pink hippo named JoJo. He moved to the side of the bed and leaned down to gently smooth her hair from her sweet face.
Her eyes fluttered open. She gave him a soft, sleepy smile.
“Hi, Daddy.”
He would never, ever get tired of hearing that.
He brushed a kiss over her forehead. “Hi there. I wanted to let you know I’m home. I’m gonna go hit the couch and sleep for a bit.”
She reached behind her and patted the mattress, indicating she wanted him to sleep there. He realized that was why she was scrunched into such a tight ball. The simple gesture lifted the heaviness he had carried with him the entire road trip.
Damn, it was good to be home.
He tugged off his socks and climbed onto the bed. Katie scooted back until she was pressed against his side. He leaned over and placed another kiss on her cheek.
“Love you, kiddo.”
“Love you too.”
He went still. It was the first time she had ever said the words.
Her breathing had already evened back out into sleep, so she didn’t see how powerfully she had affected him. That was probably for the best. She wouldn’t understand.
Thinking he was the luckiest dad in the world, he settled back down and closed his eyes.
He was asleep in seconds.
Chapter Twenty-Six
For the first time since February, Jasmine went with May to their father’s house without any lingering resentment toward him. It was a big breakthrough that had come on the heels of an even bigger one…one she’d had thanks in large part to Alima and a couple more sessions with Dr. Smythe.
“You said your friend’s comment about redefining your definition of success resonated with you,” Dr. Smythe had said in their last session. “What have you done with that?”
“A lot of serious thinking,” Jasmine replied. “I had to ask myself why getting a job as a dancer was so important to me. At first it was because it’s been my goal since I was a child. Every step I’ve taken since then has been in pursuit of that goal. The years of work I’ve put into that, the many sacrifices I made…I couldn’t imagine turning from all that to pursue something else. It would feel like conceding that everything I’d done was unimportant. Like I wasted all that time.”
She looked down at her hands where they were folded on her lap. “Then there was just plain stubbornness,” she admitted. “The moment my father withdrew his support, I became determined to prove I didn’t need it. I could become a dancer without his help.”
“And now?” Dr. Smythe asked when she fell silent. “What has changed?”
“Katie. Or I suppose I sho
uld say she’s changed me.”
The doctor smiled. “I have to admit, I’ve found your stories about her fascinating. It sounds like you’ve had a truly remarkable impact on her.”
“I have. It’s taken me a while to acknowledge that.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“Because by acknowledging it, I’m also acknowledging that I have abilities and opportunities for success outside of being a dancer that still rely on everything I’ve worked so hard to learn.”
“In short, you’ve negated the number one reason to continue pursuing the same goal you set as a child.”
Jasmine nodded.
“Why do you feel you’re able to acknowledge it now?”
“Because Katie has impacted me just as much as I’ve impacted her. I can’t acknowledge her achievements without acknowledging the part I’ve played in them, and I’m so very proud of her. She deserves all the acknowledgement I can give her. She’s helped me find my new path, one I’m excited about pursuing now that I can look at all of my past effort and training as building blocks rather than something I’m giving up.”
Now, as she ate the Quiche Lorraine her father had prepared for them, she revealed that path to her family.
“I wanted to discuss something with both of you,” she said during a lull in their conversation. “Something I’m going to need your help with.”
May and their father exchanged glances.
“Are you pregnant?” May asked.
Jasmine glared at her. “Of course not. We’re both pure and untouched, at least as far as Bàba knows.”
“I am under no such delusions,” he said as he cut into a stalk of asparagus.
Her eyes lifted to the ceiling. “Look, I’m trying to be serious here. I’d like to open a dance studio.”
She was met with blank stares. It had her fiddling with her fork as she fought a bout of nerves.
“It’s crazy, I know. It probably seems like this is an impulse, but it’s not. I know it’s going to take a lot of planning and saving money to make it happen. But with your management degree and business experience, May, and your accounting skills, Bàba, maybe you two can help me figure out where to start.”
May and her father both stood at the same time. Jasmine watched warily as they approached her from either side of the table and sandwiched her in a hug.
“I’m so proud of you,” her father said.
“You will be so damn good at this,” May added.
That was all it had taken for Jasmine to finally admit how very much she really did need her family’s support, not just from a practical standpoint, but from an emotional one.
She left her father’s house feeling ten times lighter than when she arrived. May vowed to sit down with her soon to develop a business plan. Her father said he was happy to help with any accounting setup and oversight she might need. Neither of them had the funds to assist her with investing in the space she’d need, but there were loans and lease options she could explore now that she had built up some credit.
Between their encouragement and the preliminary list of potential clients already stored in her phone, her spirits were high as she returned home with May and went through her exercise and practice regimens. She still intended to participate in a few upcoming auditions even though her ultimate goal had changed. She would consider them learning experiences and pay more attention to them from the perspective of the people making the hiring decisions. If she could manage it, she would even try to schedule some time with them outside of the audition just to pick their brains. Who knew when and if that kind of knowledge might come in handy as a business owner who would soon be making her own important staffing decisions?
She was also considering enrolling in some night classes. It would take more time and applying for financial aid, but it could only help to have a business degree. Since she had already earned her bachelor’s degree in dance, her hope was that at least the core classes would transfer to shorten the length of the business degree program.
It was invigorating to have this new direction. She couldn’t wait to share it with Will. Surely he’d have some insights as a business owner himself.
An hour before her scheduled lesson with Katie that afternoon, she headed to the grocery store. Since it was an off-day for the team, she planned to make a meal for Will and Katie—and Frank if he came by—after the lesson.
She intended to have a conversation with Will even if she had to wait until Katie went to sleep. She’d been thinking about him constantly over the past couple weeks, trying to move past her hurt feelings after their last conversation so she could reason out why he’d said what he did. Alima guessed he’d been hurt by something Jasmine had said or done, which made him lash out. In revisiting the conversation, she could only reason he’d been hurt because she refused to discuss the misunderstanding that she was Katie’s mother. He wanted to talk with her about it and she assumed he was upset.
But what if the opposite was true? What if Lily’s question hadn’t upset him at all? What if it had instead made him want to redefine their relationship, much as she was learning to redefine her definition of success?
There was only one way to find out. It was a conversation she looked forward to finishing with him.
She took her time at the store deciding what she wanted to make. Like most kids, Katie’s palate wasn’t very sophisticated. Getting her to eat veggies took some creativity. Ultimately, she settled on herb roasted chicken with a mac n’ cheese side. She would dice up some veggies and incorporate them into the cheesy pasta, a sure way to get Katie to eat them. They’d have strawberry shortcake for dessert.
After adding a six-pack of beer and a bottle of wine to her cart, she headed to the checkout. She hummed as she loaded her car, then sang to the radio as she drove to Will’s house.
Belatedly, she thought of Ryan and whether she should have included him in her dinner plans. The security specialist popped into her head as she turned onto Will’s street and spotted the cluster of paparazzi gathered in front of his house. She’d met Ryan at her first lesson with Katie after The Void concert and liked him immediately. He had a calm and patient nature that Katie responded to.
It still blew her mind that his protection was necessary. So many people collected at Will’s house with cameras every day hoping for a glimpse of Katie. Who would have thought a single two-minute video would lead to all this?
From what she’d observed, the people rotated fairly frequently, so it wasn’t like a single photographer camped out for days on end. They easily got bored and moved on to the next big celebrity moment. Hopefully that meant everyone would lose interest before much longer.
It was all good, she told herself as she used the spare garage door opener Gareth had given her to open his garage and pull her car in. She had bought enough food for Will to have some leftovers, so there would be plenty for Ryan if he wanted to join them.
She lifted the two large reusable bags containing everything she’d bought and headed out the garage’s side door to make her way through the backyard to Will’s. Large hedges between the properties kept her from the sight of anyone out front. Frank told her that a couple of particularly aggressive members of the paparazzi had tried using stepladders to get photos from over the hedges, but one call to the local police and threats of trespassing charges soon quelled those attempts.
Her heart bumped up to a sprint in anticipation of seeing Will as she stopped in front of the glass slider separating his deck from the kitchen and lifted a hand to knock. She paused when she saw through the glass that the fridge door was open. It blocked whoever was bent over getting something. Not wanting to startle them, she waited until the person stood and closed the fridge door.
It was a woman.
Jasmine hadn’t ever seen her before. The slender brunette looked like she was in her mid-to-late twenties. She wore a loose sage green button-down over a tank in the same color and a summery white miniskirt with a shredded hem. Her feet were bar
e, the nails painted a bright coral. The shade matched the one coating her long, manicured fingernails. In her hand was a bottle of beer.
When the woman glanced over and saw her, Jasmine did her best to recover from her bewilderment, plastering a smile on her face and changing from a knocking pose to a wave. The woman’s eyes narrowed. She set the bottle on the counter before approaching the door.
“What’re you doin’ back there?” the woman asked through the glass in a heavy southern accent. “That area is off-limits.”
Did she look like a damn photographer? Jasmine thought with increasing impatience. The bigger question was who this woman was and what she was doing looking quite at home in Will’s kitchen.
“I’m Jasmine,” she said. “I’m here for Katie’s dance lesson.”
The woman’s blue eyes moved to the bags in Jasmine’s hands. “She’s not here right now,” she said. “Her grandpa took her out to give me and Will some time together.”
That didn’t make any sense. “Who are you?”
“I’m Katie’s mama.”
Jasmine’s first instinct was to shout that the woman was a bald-faced liar. But the color of her hair…the shape of her nose…the heart-shaped mouth.
The resemblance was unmistakable.
She suddenly had to remind herself how to swallow. Why wouldn’t Will have contacted her if the lesson was canceled? Had he wanted her to come face-to-face with this woman? Did he want her to know that if she wasn’t interested in being a mother to Katie, the woman who gave birth to her was?
Don’t jump to conclusions, she told herself over the loud pounding of her heart. That’s what got you here.
“Can I talk to Will?” she asked, feeling more and more foolish standing there holding the bags of groceries.
“Sorry. He’s a little, uh, indisposed. We’re spendin’ the day gettin’ reacquainted, if you know what I mean.”
She added a little wink, as though there was any chance of mistaking what she was implying.