by Ivy Jordan
“Yeah, he looks so happy, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, he does. So, are you ready for a big ass celebration, or what?”
“Hell, yeah, I am.”
He grabbed my hand and led me away. We would leave and go back to the hotel where they had arranged to have a huge party in one of the banquet halls. His parents had spared no expense.
The party was insane, and there were so many people there. I often got lost in the crowd; it was so intense. I was pretty much on my own except for the times I would find Matt in the crowd. Caleb was busy, surrounded by all his fans as well as his friends and family. Everyone was basking in his glow and wanted a piece of him now that he was a big winner.
I didn’t want to intrude on his night, so I decided to go up to the hotel room and relax for a bit. I needed to separate myself from him, anyways. The job was over, and I would be returning home soon. There was no point in me being attached to his hip any longer.
When I got back to my room, I laid out on the bed and thought about the long day. I was proud of the job that I did, getting Caleb to where he needed to be in order to win. I sat up and pulled my purse over to me. I pulled the contract from my purse and read it over slowly. I was literally flying out the very next morning and returning home. Just like that, it was all over. The gig was up, and my job was done. Caleb had done what he needed to do, and now the whole world loved him. I could totally understand that feeling.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Caleb
Matthew and I were out for the day playing a round of golf. It was a beautiful day, perfect for golfing and drinking some beer. We were practicing for the most part because I was gearing up for another tournament. I was stoked about all the fame I had gotten from the Masters, and another tour was exactly what I needed. Despite all the good going on in my life at the moment, I wasn’t sleeping at night and was exhausted.
I missed Hailey so fucking much that I found it hard to breathe at times. I didn’t think that I’d ever missed anyone that much in all my life. I thought about her constantly.
“Everything all right, man? You should be on Cloud Nine right now.”
“Yeah, I should be. I miss Hailey, as lame as that sounds.”
“I miss her, too, it’s cool. She was a good girl. I’ve actually been keeping in contact with Mandy. We decided to keep in touch as friends, and she told me that Hailey got that part in Rick’s movie.”
“No shit? Well, good for her; she deserves that.”
“She’s actually playing the role of a mom.”
“She’s so young, though.”
“Yeah, funny, right? But there are plenty of young moms out there.”
“Fuck it. I want to go there and see her, see how she’s been doing. I need to tell her that I miss her so much, and I want to do that in person. God, I can’t even believe I’m saying this shit out loud.”
Matt laughed, “You sound like you really like her, man.”
“I do.”
“Well, fuck, let’s go then. We’ll fly out tonight and surprise her.”
“Seriously? Yes, let’s do it. That would be awesome.”
“Of course, I’m in.”
We finished off our game and then headed to our own homes to pack and get ready for the flight. Matt was taking care of all the flight arrangements. I just needed to pack enough to take me through to the weekend.
I was ready to go and couldn’t have been more excited about the prospect of seeing Hailey. That gorgeous girl was going to be so shocked to see me show up. Hopefully, she would be happy as well.
This was going to be a test for me. If I felt like shit on Sunday when it came time for me to leave Hailey, then I would know that she was supposed to be mine. There would have to be some things that we worked through, but I was willing to give it a try if she was. I hoped that she would feel the same way about me as I did towards her. But I would see how I felt on that Sunday and go from there.
All I knew right then was that life just wasn’t the same without her and I didn’t like it at all. I thought that I would be fine after Hailey left, but I hadn’t been. I missed having her around – it just wasn’t the same without her.
I thought about all the nagging she had done while she was there, preparing me for the majors. I even missed the fact that she always left her stuff lying around. She was so awesome, just the fact that she was her own self; she was great, and just thinking about her launched me out of my bedroom and out of the house to go see her.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Hailey
I was completely in my element while on set. I couldn’t remember the last time that I’d felt this happy. That wasn’t entirely true – I felt happy the last time that I saw Caleb.
I was pretty relieved to see he wasn’t back in the news because he was back in the clubs. He seemed to be continuing to lay low, which was a good thing. Plus, I didn’t like the idea that he would already be out with other girls. I probably would have sent him some hate mail if I found out that he was. I would hope that he had enough respect for me that he would refrain from that sort of behavior at least for a respectable amount of time. The media hadn’t yet realized that I was no longer in the picture and it would only cause a scandal if he paraded around with other women.
He would have to issue a statement in the near future announcing our breakup. I hoped that the people in the film I was working on wouldn’t make any connections between him and me. They had dyed my hair blonde for the movie, so I didn’t look like I did in those old photos, so maybe I would get away with it all.
I had gotten the role that I had auditioned with for Rick, and he had been so impressed with me that he’d practically hired me on the spot. I was over the moon, I was so thrilled.
We were in the middle of filming the movie, and it was everything that I ever dreamed it would be. It was excited to go in every day and read the lines and meet the other actors. I was just glowing each and every day. The movie was about a college-aged girl who falls in love with her professor. They have sex multiple times, and the girl ends up getting pregnant only to find out that the man she is in love with is married.
The movie was a drama with a thriller twist. The girl is not willing to just slink off into the night; she wants to make him pay for lying to her and leaving her alone and pregnant. It was a gripping tale, and I couldn’t wait to get deeper into the story. We had only begun filming, so we had a long way to go just yet.
The movie was actually a perfect one for me at that point, as I was in the early stages of pregnancy and it would fit perfectly right into the role. The director and the people I worked with had no idea that I was connected to Caleb, despite the many times I was photographed with him. I was happy for that because I didn’t want the pregnancy to go public.
I had decided to keep the baby, but I didn’t want to interfere in Caleb’s life at all. I hadn’t even told my sister about the pregnancy yet, despite my initial urge to talk to her about it. I had been whipped off to LA right away for filming, so discussing things just hadn’t come up yet. It had been less than week since I had been in Florida, anyways, so it’s not like a lot of time had passed.
I would have to start telling people soon, at some point I would start to show and then it would be out there. I wasn’t stupid enough to think that Caleb would never find out, but I wanted to avoid telling him for as long as possible. I didn’t want him to think that I had done anything on purpose to try to trap him. I just wanted to get on with my life and didn’t expect anything from him. I wasn’t looking forward to his reaction – he was probably going to be pissed. He may not even want me to keep the baby.
The director was actually thrilled with my circumstance because then they could work with me throughout the whole film, without worrying about having to replace me later. I probably wouldn’t have got hired after all, and I was happy for that. I was being given the option to have my baby and still live out my dream. Jillian told me that this movie would launch my career, and I couldn�
��t wait to see what happened after the movie was released.
The role was pretty prestigious for a first-time actress. Jillian was over the moon that I had got the part and said that she was already in the works to have other projects to follow that film. She was already talking to Rick about other projects, as well as some other producers.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to swing acting with a new baby, but I definitely got a big paycheck from the movie, so I might be able to hire a nanny, or at least someone to help out. I may have to take some time off, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to take a lot of time because I had to strike while the iron was hot.
The people who knew on set had started asking about the baby and whether or not I had a husband waiting for me somewhere. I told them it was the result of an old relationship, but that I had wanted to keep the baby anyway. I was barely showing; if you looked hard enough, you could tell the difference but if I was walking down the street, no one would guess I was pregnant. I didn’t have any weird symptoms, and there was no morning sickness or anything like that to worry about so far.
“Hailey, we are ready for you.” I had sat in hair and makeup for an hour before they called for me.
It was time for me to do a scene and I got in there and gave it my all. I hit it out of the ballpark on the second take and the crew cheered when the director called “cut.” There was overly exuberant cheering in the back, and when I turned to see what was going on, I saw Matt, Caleb, and Mandy standing in the back cheering me on.
Oh, shit! I panicked, immediately hoping that none of them had talked to anyone on the set. I was excited to see them, but I didn’t want news of my pregnancy to get leaked in that way. I wanted them to hear it from me, not a cast member. I could tell from some of the looks of the actors that they wondered if Matt or Caleb might be the old boyfriend I had been talking about. Thank God no one recognized Caleb yet, but it wouldn’t be long before they did.
I ran to the back and embraced my sister, hugging her tight. “Mandy, did you bring them here?”
“Yes! They showed up on my doorstep like a couple of homeless people and demanded to see you. They just flew in to surprise you. Isn’t that nice?” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Yes, of course,” I said as I turned to Matt and hugged him. I then turned to Caleb.
God, I had missed all of them, and I couldn’t believe that they were here. I looked shyly up at Caleb and smiled.
“Hey, stranger.”
“Hi,” I said. He pulled me into him and hugged me tightly. I breathed in the familiar scent of him and felt instantly safe once again.
“What do you guy say we grab some burgers and beer?”
Everyone agreed that it was a great idea. I went to say goodbye to my cast members for the day and talked to the director about the next day of filming. When I turned around, I saw that Caleb was watching me closely.
I tried not to let it bother me. Maybe I wasn’t the only one who felt lonely and missed someone. The fact that he was there spoke volumes, and I honestly hadn’t been sure when or if I would ever see him again. We had both agreed to keep in touch, but how many people say that and never follow through with it?
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Caleb
I could not take my eyes off of Hailey all night. I had forgotten how beautiful she was, even though it had only been five days since the last time I saw her. It felt like forever actually, but there she was, and things were back to the way it had been. It was as if nothing had changed between us. She was laughing and horsing around like the rest of us, and the chemistry between us was still there, as red hot as ever. I was thrilled to see her and have the four of us back together again.
We had decided to hit up a popular LA restaurant, and my celebrity status got us a table, even though they had originally stated that they were booked. We all sat down and ordered some appetizers and a pitcher of beer. But when the beer arrived, Hailey begged off of it, saying that she hadn’t been feeling well all day and didn’t want to make it worse. We haggled her a little bit, but then eventually let it go when she was firm about it.
I couldn’t stop touching her arm or kissing her on the side of the head. She blushed every time I did, but I couldn’t help myself. I was just so happy to be around her again that touching her just seemed like the natural thing to do.
“Gosh, it’s so good to see you guys,” Hailey exclaimed.
“What made you guys decide to make a trip out here?” Mandy asked.
“Oh, Caleb was crying over Hailey, so I had to do something.”
Hailey laughed nervously. “So you missed me, did you?”
I looked at her. “Yes, terribly.”
We got into chatting about her movie, which sounded very exciting. She was doing so well, and I was really happy for her. Dinner seemed to fly by, and soon the group was talking about seeing a movie together.
“How about you and Mandy go see it,” I said to Matt. “I would like to spend some time with Hailey alone, if you guys don’t mind.”
“Of course not,” Mandy agreed.
“Do you mind?” I asked Hailey.
“No, I would love to spend some time with you. I know you guys are only here for the weekend.”
I leaned over and kissed her on the side of the head, and she leaned into it. It was like we were really together. It made me happy, and I already knew leaving her on Sunday was just about going to kill me.
The two left to go see the movie as I paid the bill. Hailey and I got up to leave, heading out of the restaurant.
“Where are you staying?”
“I was hoping to stay with you.”
“With me?” She looked shocked.
“Unless you have a boyfriend already,” I asked nervously. She was beautiful enough to have one, that was for sure.
“Sure, I guess that would be okay. Mandy will be back at some point, though.”
“That’s okay. Matt will probably get a hotel. I just want to spend as much time with you as possible.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Hailey, don’t act surprised. I really liked having you around, and I told you that I didn’t even want the contract to end.”
“Well, it had to end sometime.”
I laughed, “Yeah, I know; of course it did. And, you have a great life here already. Things are going really well for you.”
“Same for you. I heard that you were heading for another tournament.”
“Yes, I am.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m very happy for you.”
“I missed you, Hailey; you have no idea.”
She smiled at me. “I missed you, too, Caleb. I had a really great time with you.”
We hailed a taxi and headed back to her place. When the cab dropped us off, I saw that she lived in a rather nice apartment building with a beautiful balcony that had an excellent view of the city.
“Well, this is nice. It looks like you’ve made it.”
She laughed, “No, not yet. Mandy is helping me pay for it, remember.”
“Still, you are doing well, and it makes me really happy.”
“Thank you, Caleb.”
I liked the look of her apartment; it was very homey. Not like the modern minimalism of my apartment. There were knickknacks and personal photos hanging up on the wall. She went to freshen up in the bathroom, and I took a look in her fridge. I found a bottle of wine and opened it. It would be nice to have a nightcap with her. I poured us each a glass of wine and brought them to the living room.
She came back into the room, and I offered her the glass. She looked panicked for a moment, which I thought was really weird.
“Sorry, I have a bad headache. I don’t think the wine would really help. I’m sorry. I’ve just had a long day.”
“Oh. No problem, I’m sorry to hear that. Come here and I’ll rub your shoulders; maybe we can get rid of it.”
She smiled and sat down beside me. “Thanks, I appreciate that. It’s really sweet of you.”
I did my best to massage the kinks out of her neck, and she hummed along as I did it. She was thoroughly enjoying herself. I loved touching her, and this was the perfect opportunity for me to do so. I continued to rub her until she melted into me.
“That feels so good, thank you.”
“Oh, it’s definitely my pleasure,” I told her, and she giggled at that.
I pulled her to me tightly, and she felt good. She nuzzled into my side, and we cuddled there for a moment. She felt warm against me, and I had forgotten how good it felt to have her close to me. I never wanted to let her go.
“I missed you, Caleb.”
“God, Hailey, I missed you, too. I wasn’t sure how I would feel seeing you again, but I’ve never been happier.”
“You’re sweet.”
“No, it’s not just that. I want you to be my girlfriend.”
She giggled, “We did that already, Caleb, remember? And now we have to move on with our lives.”
“No, I mean for real. I want you to be my real girlfriend.”
She almost froze beside me. I nuzzled her closer to me. I didn’t want her to say no.
“Really? You mean that?”
“Of course. Is there a way for us to make it work long distance? Is it possible to date that way?”
“I don’t know, Caleb. It might be very complicated.”
I felt disappointed. I wanted to make it work, but she didn’t seem like she was into the idea. I knew that it was going to be difficult, but if we both really wanted it, then we could make it work. I would be willing to try if she was, as well. I would be willing to do anything for her. I just wanted the same kind of commitment from her. I wasn’t sure why she was so hesitant about it. I thought I had known how she felt about me. But now I wasn’t sure.
“I know you have this new role, and it’s big opportunity for you. I would never do anything to jeopardize your career; you know that. But we can at least try, can’t we?”
She was silent for a moment as she cuddled into me. I wasn’t sure what was going through her head, but I wasn’t about to give up that easily.