by Lucy Gage
“Yes.”
“Was Rob the one who lied?”
“Not that I’m aware. Or, he’s since told me, anyway.”
“So Jenna lied to me?”
“Not exactly. She had a personal revelation after the fact.”
“She was in love with him, wasn’t she?”
“Not quite. Or so she said. She had feelings for him.”
“She was in love with him.”
“That’s what I thought, too.”
“I wondered. Did he tell you he was in love with her, too?”
“Not when he confessed before, but after they had their talk.”
“They had a talk?” Liam stopped running.
Breathing heavily, when Em stood beside him, she said, “Jenna came to me. She apologized for how she acted when we talked about her and Rob. Then she told me she’d had feelings for him before, and that she was going to tell Rob that they had to stop being each other’s first confidants because it was the only way to save both our relationships.”
“That’s what’s been different. I knew something was off. And Rob confessed that he’d been in love with her after that talk?”
“He did. He came to me to talk through the anxiety he’d been having about the awards season. We worked through it and I told him that I’d promised, long ago, that he could come to me. That I wasn’t Rachel. And he said he knew, but he’d relied on Jenna for so long, he’d fallen back into that habit. He was honest and said he was afraid to lean on me that much after last winter.”
“You get that, right?”
“I do. I told him that I was never going to leave him again. That I love him too much to even contemplate it. He seemed relieved. Then he said he had to tell me something.”
“Uh oh.”
“Right? So I said to get on with it. That’s when he admitted it wasn’t Lola he couldn’t get over. He’d been pining for Jenna in those years after their affair and before he met me.”
Liam made an explosive sound, as though a bomb had been dropped. “I confronted him when we argued. Were you there for that part?”
“I was, but I wanted him to tell me on his own. I know it didn’t seem so during that argument, but he’s always been happy for you two. He loves me, Liam. He’s not in love with her now. But he was. And she was in love with him, too. I guess it’s lucky for us that they didn’t realize that a long time ago, huh?”
“Are you worried that they’ll fall back together someday?”
“Are you?”
“No. If she wanted that, she’d have said the baby was his.”
“She said that to me, too. I think you’re right. So, no. I’m not worried. They chose us. Now we have to keep looking forward and stop looking back.”
“You gonna tell them that I know?”
“Only if you want them to be aware.”
“Our own secret, huh?”
Em smiled. “If he asks, I won’t lie, but I won’t volunteer the information. How’s that?”
“I think we’re in agreement.”
“Good. I’m glad you asked. I hated keeping it from you.”
“Thanks. Did I tell you that you’re my best friend, Em?”
“Right back at ya, big brother.”
**********
It was Oscar night and Jenna was a bundle of nerves. Liam was with Rob, Rick and Emily at the show while she waited at her father’s house with his assistant, Victoria, and watched on TV.
All of them were staying at her father’s house so they didn’t have as far to drive at the end of a long night. Rob had swept all the awards so far, and if he didn’t win the Best Actor Oscar, there would be an uproar in Hollywood.
Thus, plans had been made under the assumption that he’d win. It meant a late night for everyone, including Jenna, who’d be swamped with work either way. As hard as Rob had worked all these years, she hoped to be inundated with good news flooding the internet.
She sat with Victoria on the sofa and they held hands as the category was announced. They showed Rob’s clip and it brought tears to Jenna’s eyes. He was amazing. His was the last clip and then the nominees were shown live. Jenna didn’t look at anyone else, she just saw the nerves through Rob’s smile.
Emily, she knew, was probably wearing a hole in his wedding ring as she rubbed her thumb over it and reminded Rob of what was important so that the anxiety wouldn’t consume him. It had been their ritual this whole awards season, something Em and Liam had concocted to tether Rob to reality when it all became too much to bear.
The shock on Rob’s face couldn’t have been more genuine. Jenna and Victoria both jumped in the air and hugged. Her eyes opened in a deluge of happy tears. No one deserved it more.
Rob kissed Emily and then walked up to the stage. She and Victoria sat and waited for his speech. Jenna had asked him to share it with her, but he’d refused to tell anyone, including Liam and even Emily. All she could do was wait.
The nerves had disappeared, replaced by the charm that was his trademark and the confidence he exuded on stage, proof that he was more than worthy of the adoration of millions of women.
“First of all, I’m truly honored. There were so many great performances this year and I’m humbled to find that you all thought mine was the best. I want to thank Sam Ellis, who keeps asking me to be in his movies. For some reason, he thinks I can pull off these roles and without him, I wouldn’t be here right now. I also want to thank Harvey Rosen and George Perry, who have been helping me get great movies made for years. Harvey, don’t forget you told me if I won I’d get more freedom to choose projects.” Rob grinned and the camera showed Harvey laughing.
“I couldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for my family, my parents and my brother and sister, in particular. They’ve been turning their lives upside down for me for years and without them, I wouldn’t have a career. I love you guys. I also owe a big thanks to my two best friends, who have done more for me than I deserve and who have made both my life and my career far more than it could ever have been without their input. I owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. You know who you are and what you mean to me. I love you both.” Jenna’s tears sprang fresh and plopped onto her hands.
“And last but not least, I want to thank my wife, Emily.” The camera briefly showed Em, a grin on her face so wide it nearly split her cheeks.
“She’s been a real trouper the last several months, enduring the hoopla while she’s pregnant, and I want her to know I appreciate that. But I want to thank her more for loving me in spite of the insanity that is my life. She told me once that if this all dried up tomorrow and I wrote code for a living, she’d love me anyway. So thank you for that, Em. I love you.”
He waved and walked off the stage with the escort and the presenter, David Magnusson, who’d beat him for the Best Supporting Actor award the year before.
Jenna smiled at Victoria and said, “Well, now that the big award is over, I’ll check on the twins before the insanity starts.”
“You okay?” Victoria asked.
“Yeah. It’s a big night for Rob. I’m really happy for him.”
Victoria nodded, but Jenna knew that her father’s assistant had been around long enough to understand that it wasn’t so simple.
She nursed both babies before setting up their toys so they could play while she worked. It was time to monitor the internet traffic. Her phone pinged a text alert. It was Liam.
I love you.
Jenna smiled. Ever since they’d reconciled, Liam had made extra effort to keep in touch when they were apart, even if it was just for a few hours. She appreciated it more than he realized.
I love you, too. Did you get to see the speech?
I did. That was for you.
Jenna shook her head. Since she and Rob had confessed to the depth of their previous relationship, it seemed like Liam doubted how truly important he was to Rob. But she knew better.
Not just me. He meant you, too. You know that.
The resp
onse was immediate.
I didn’t save his life.
You save his life every time you help him through his anxiety. He loves us both.
He loves you more.
Don’t.
Why not?
Don’t be petty.
Sorry.
You know I love you.
I do.
A flurry of internet traffic swamped her searches. Game on. Rob’s interviews post-win must have just been uploaded.
The crazies are starting…
I’ll let you do your job.
I want to show you. Later.
Promise?
Promise. Nanny will watch the babies. See you at Harvey’s party?
Do we get to have limo sex? ;)
Hell, yes.
Gotta go. Em’s coming out of the auditorium.
Bye, baby. Love you.
Love you too, baby. See you soon.
Jenna smiled. If only they’d done this before, how would things have been different? A reminder that Liam was the love of her life was the boost she’d needed to endure the next hour or two.
They were lucky to have one another.
The last several months had been trying. She’d wanted to fall back into old patterns with Rob so many times. Instead, she’d talk to Liam or Catie, and, increasingly, she’d confide in Emily. They weren’t besties, but they were past being adversaries.
Jenna could be jealous of the woman for her friendship with Liam, but given how close she still felt to Rob – despite the effort to temper their friendship – it was hypocritical to even consider being upset with them.
Besides, Emily had confessed to thinking Liam perfectly average when she met him. It was only in knowing him that Emily had seen Liam’s true value and his attractive qualities.
A new incoming text pinged. It was from Rob.
Hey, gorgeous.
You’re not supposed to call me that anymore.
I’m feeling nostalgic tonight. Give a guy a break.
Congratulations. You deserve it.
Thanks. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.
Yes you would.
Don’t act like you don’t know what you mean to me.
I know.
Good. You going to Harvey’s party?
Wouldn’t miss it. I’m stealing Liam later.
Limo sex?
Better believe it.
Good. That means I can do the same with Em.
Jenna laughed. That they could talk like this now, and it didn’t make her heart ache the way it had before, was a relief.
Just don’t send her into early labor.
No worries. We’ve been practicing.
I bet you have, you cheeky monkey.
Gotta go. Love you. Always.
Love you too. See you in a couple hours.
As time passed, it became easier to be playful around Rob. The longer she and Liam were committed to each other, the more Jenna fell in love with him. Loving Liam was her salvation, even more so than it had been her undoing all those years. When she met Rob, she knew that they’d both eventually find their One.
Who knew that it would be such a complex answer?
Love wasn’t always as simple as it should be. Now, she could be happy for Rob and for Emily without being unhappy for herself. She could accept that she’d loved Rob fiercely once but that it hadn’t been enough for either of them, and that was okay.
Love didn’t have to end in loss nor did it have to end badly when it was over. It could morph into something else. And that something made her life richer.
Every single day.
**********
“Where are we going?” Jenna asked.
“It’s a surprise,” Liam replied. They were taking the S2000 out one last time before they brought it to the dealer and traded it for a Toyota Highlander. It was the last full day they’d be in L.A. before they all moved back to Maine.
After Rob’s big Oscar win, they’d added a new guard, Noah, to the team. Rick had suggested Alan, but Liam had refused. He was now the official head of the Deac Roberts security team, and he didn’t trust Alan to take care of his family. That included Rob, Emily and their unborn baby girl.
When he’d questioned Alan about Rob and Jenna’s affair four and a half years earlier, the man had no idea that Rob and Jenna had been sleeping together those three weeks, and according to Rick, he should’ve known. Liam used that as justification to send Alan back to Minnesota, and Rick relented. His concession had been Noah, whom Rick said was as good as Liam.
Liam took exception to that, especially since Noah always seemed to act put-out if his boss made requests. So what if those requests sometimes effectively made Noah a glorified manny instead of an elite bodyguard for a celebrity? That was part of the job now that the team was a family and not just a bunch of guys hanging out and drinking beer.
They did need three guards on staff, since both Em and Rob needed someone and Liam couldn’t be on overnights the way he had been in the past, but the Malibu house became crowded when Noah had arrived a few days earlier.
Privacy was at an all-time low, so Liam had asked Rick to stay in L.A. long enough for him to take Jenna on a date. He had a very special reason for it.
For a while, Liam had a hard time talking to Rob. Things felt like they would never go back to the way they were before his best friend and his fiancée had admitted to their prior relationship. But over time, as he grew closer to Em and they talked every day, Liam began to relax into the new reality. Jenna worked hard all the time to show him how much she loved him.
This date had been a long time coming. He’d wanted to do this months ago, but between the holidays and awards season, time was precious and he’d been unable to accumulate a large enough chunk at once. This was the only day that worked while they were still in California, and Liam knew it had to happen this way, as it always should have.
He patted his left pants pocket as they pulled into a parking space at Bistro Mexique. The small lump was still there and he smiled.
“I didn’t know you liked this place that much,” Jenna teased.
“It has sentimental value,” he said with a wry grin.
“Didn’t know you were that sentimental, either.”
“You’ll learn new things about me all the time.”
“Good,” she said, blinking rapidly. Her emotions were running high, he could tell by the way she was jittery and looked as if she might cry at any moment. She was usually so collected. It gave him confidence that this had been the right thing to do.
“Time for dinner,” he said, and they made their way into the restaurant, hand in hand.
**********
When they arrived, there were other people at the restaurant, but it didn’t take long for the tables to clear. It seemed odd that no new patrons arrived, but it was a Wednesday night. Somehow, they’d been seated at the same table where they’d sat both times they had eaten here. Liam held her hand as often as possible and they were seated side by side.
They were mostly done with dessert when the waiter silently arrived at the table, deposited a champagne bucket, poured two glasses and nodded. After that, the place seemed empty and Jenna realized that there was literally no one else around.
This couldn’t be a coincidence. “What’s going on?” she asked.
Liam leaned in close. He’d asked her to wear exactly the same outfit she wore the night they’d said goodbye four years ago, so she’d gone commando, which seemed especially naughty now that she was a mother of two. But he’d requested and so she’d obliged.
His right hand wandered up her thigh from her knee, stopping short of home sweet home. He nipped at her ear as he whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she said. They were afforded so little time alone these days, and her heart began to race in anticipation as she hoped he’d let his fingers walk just a little bit farther. His mouth found the sweet spot on her neck and she had all she could do to stifle a moan.
<
br /> “There’s something I’ve been wanting to do for four years,” he said. Yes. She’d wanted him to touch her then, too, had wanted him to slide his fingers inside her, to rub her until she came apart, right there in the busy restaurant. It was thrilling to think about doing it without getting caught.
“So do it already,” she breathed.
He leaned back, his face inches from hers. His hand stilled on her thigh, and he looked into her eyes. “You wanted me to make a choice. I think you always wanted that,” he said.
What was he talking about? “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I’m choosing, Jenna. I want you. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, making you happy every single day. I should have asked you this four years ago, in this same spot, but I was too afraid then. I’m not afraid anymore. I know what I want and what I want is you. Not because you’re the mother of my children, but because I’m madly, passionately, desperately in love with you. It’s about four years later than it should have happened, but,” he pulled out the ring he’d given her in September, “will you marry me?”
Her breath caught and tears instantly formed, blurring her vision. “You still want to marry me?” she said, stunned.
“I’ve always wanted to marry you. I was just too stupid to admit it to myself or to you when I should have. So what do you say?”
She laughed through the tears. “Yes! I say yes.” Kissing him, hard, and she felt the smile on his lips. When she sat back, he slipped the ring on her finger. It was loose now, since she’d lost almost all of the baby weight over the past six months.
“We’ll get it re-sized when we’re home. I was thinking we could get married next weekend.”
“Next weekend? Why so soon?”
“It’s not really soon, is it? We waited six months, and even though you gave me the ring back, I still considered us engaged. I was waiting for the right time to ask you in the right place.”
She touched his cheek and gently kissed his lips. “How are we going to manage that?”
Liam smiled mischievously. “I’ve had elves help me plan the whole thing. The only person left to tell was you.”
“What? You planned our whole wedding without me? How do you know I didn’t want to have some big, elaborate affair?”