by Lacey Black
Chapter Thirteen
Holly
Saying goodbye to Jase was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. We woke just after four a.m. and took a shower. Together.
Something was slightly different with Jase once we woke up this morning. He held me close like I was a treasure. He kissed me deeply and thoroughly as he savored the touch of our lips. Several times he acted like he had more to say, but he never said it.
I’m walking down the corridor towards the emergency room in a lovesick trance. If there was one thing I realized when Jase left this morning it was that I didn’t just care for him, I was falling in love with him. Heck, I was probably already there. The thought of not seeing him in person again until June, is wreaking havoc on my heart.
“Holly,” I hear from behind.
I know the voice, so when I turn to see Avery’s brother, Will, standing in front of me, I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.
“Hey, Will. How’s it going?”
“Listen, we need to talk,” Will says urgently as he gently tugs my arm towards an open exam room in the back of the emergency department.
“What’s up?” I ask cautiously, worried that something is wrong with Avery or one of the kids.
“Have you seen the news?” he asks, concern etched across his handsome face. A face that at one time, I thought might be the face I’d wake up to every morning. Will and I have never had a relationship, but for awhile, I thought of him as more than a friend. I think Avery was a big part of that. It seemed like she kept trying to push us together. It didn’t take long before the feelings I had for him slowly faded, and I realized that Will and I would be nothing more than friends.
“No. I’ve been here for the past four hours. Why?” I ask, looking over his shoulder as I hear a commotion in the hallway.
“It’s all over the news, Holly. Your relationship with Jase,” he says with sad eyes.
“What? How is that possible?” I ask.
“They caught video of him at the airport just a bit ago. Apparently, someone took pictures of you and Jase on the street in front of the café in town,” he says with a knowing look.
Shit. Jase and I were sucking face hardcore on the sidewalk in front of the café! “Oh crap, Will. Really?”
“Yeah, really. They have several pictures including some of you guys at dinner last night and him walking you up to your door and going inside. Then, they have him exiting your condo this morning, giving you a goodbye kiss, and driving away.”
“Please tell me you’re kidding,” I whisper as my throat becomes so dry, I can barely speak. My heart is lodged firmly in my throat.
“I wish I was, kid. National media is descending upon Rivers Edge as we speak. They found out just a bit ago that you work here. The media is camped outside the hospital trying to get pictures or interviews with you,” he says.
“This is not happening,” I mumble, dropping my head in my hands.
“Afraid it is,” he says as he pulls me into a hug.
A flash, followed by a commotion outside the hallway draws our attention again, and I see one of the security guards pulling a grinning photographer away from the doorway. In the hallway, several other security guards are pushing back about four men and women with cameras and microphones.
As soon as I step into the hallway, questions are hurdled at me in a rapid-fire manner.
“Are you Jase Bentley’s girlfriend?”
“How long have you been the other woman?”
“How did you meet Jase Bentley?”
Will pulls me back inside the small exam room. My entire body starts to shake as the realization that my normal little life has been turned upside down. “I’m calling Carmen. You have to get out of here,” he says as he makes his way over to the phone on the wall.
After a few minutes of talking to our boss on the other end, Will approaches me. “I’m taking you home. We’ll take my car since I’m sure they already know what you drive,” he says as he guides me towards the back entrance of the emergency room.
Will opens the door and looks around, not seeing anyone in the back lot. He takes my hand and pulls me towards the parking area. As soon as we reach the edge of the lot, a group of voices ring out behind me. I glance over my shoulder just as several photographers come around the side of the hospital. Will sees them, too, and we begin to run. He already has his keys out and ready when we reach his car. He’s shoving me inside the passenger seat moments before he runs around to the driver’s side. With the ignition started, Will pulls out of the spot as the car is inundated by the press.
We’re both quiet as Will drives quickly towards my condo. Will is very familiar with the neighborhood because he actually lives only two condos down from mine. In fact, it was Will who passed along word that the condo I now call home was available.
Will pulls into the empty driveway. “Get your keys ready,” he instructs as he looks around. “Let’s go now before they get here,” he adds as he exits his side of the car. I’m out and running towards my front door just as the first vehicle pulls up.
Will takes the keys from my shaking hand and inserts it into my lock and turns. As soon as it releases, he’s thrusting me forward and into my living room. With a quick flip of the lock, we’re secured within my condo. Will walks around and closes the blinds and curtains so that we are hidden from prying eyes. I’m shaking like a leaf, arms wrapped firmly around my torso, as if I can somehow warm myself up.
“You’re shaking,” Will says as he pulls me back into his embrace. He’s as tall as Jase. Will is almost as tall as his two older brothers and the same height as his younger one.
“I can’t seem to get warm,” I whisper against his hard chest.
Will looks down at me through his wire-rimmed glasses. Blue eyes that are the same as his siblings bore into me. “Come on, Holl. Let’s get you on the couch, and I’ll call someone,” he says as he steers me towards my couch.
I wrap myself in the throw blanket as Will grabs his cell phone from the front pocket of his navy blue uniform pants. His fingers fly across his screen before he puts it up to his ears.
“Hey, it’s me. Yeah, we have a situation,” Will says into the phone. I know exactly who he’s calling.
“She’s fine and home. Her yard is crawling with media though,” he says.
“Okay, see ya in a few,” he says just before hanging up.
“Ave is on her way,” he tells me as he sits down next to me on the couch. “She’s running the kids to Mom’s house first since Maddox is working. She’s calling him now and having him come over to clear a path.”
“Can’t he just flex his muscles and make them leave?” I ask.
“I don’t think that’s how it works, Holl. I think as long as they stay on public property, like the sidewalks and the street, they can’t do anything about it.”
I make a face at him, disgusted at the thought of the media invading my life like this. “We’ll talk to Maddox and Jake as soon as they get here,” he adds as he pats my knee.
Ten minutes later, Maddox and Jake pull up in their police cruiser. Jake works the crowd, reminding them to stay off of private property while Maddox makes his way to my place. Will opens the door immediately for him while I keep my post on the couch.
“Hey, Holl. You alright?” Maddox says as he enters the living room and takes a look around.
I watch my best friend’s husband for several moments before I answer. “Yeah, I’m good.” I wish Jase was here, I think to myself.
Speaking of Jase, I should probably call him. He should be back on the east coast by now and is probably well aware of the situation. Before I can get up and search for my cell phone, my front door bursts open as Avery flies in.
I jump off the couch and she has me enveloped in a fierce hug a split second later. There’s nothing like the comforts of a best friend. Avery has been the one to laugh with me - sometimes at me - cry with me, and hold my hand. And likewise, I’ve done the same for her many times o
ver. Nothing beats the love I have for her and her family. Well, except maybe the love I’m developing for a certain dark haired, green eyed rocker.
“Are you okay?” she asks as she pulls back a little and looks down at my tear streaked face. I didn’t even realize I was crying.
“Yeah, I’m okay. This whole thing is just crazy, you know? Why are they here? Why do they care about me?” I ask the group as a whole.
“I don’t think it’s particularly you, Holly. They’re interested in the dirt on Jase and you just happen to be that dirt,” Avery says as she leads us both to the couch.
“They’re taking my picture everywhere I go. I don’t think I can live like that, Ave,” I mumble. “I want to be able to go to work and do my job without someone putting a camera in my face. I want to be able to get gas without someone asking me a bunch of questions that they have no business knowing the answers to.”
“I know, sweetie. Have you talked to Jase?” Avery asks.
“No, I was just getting up to look for my phone when you came in,” I say, looking for my purse.
“I’ve got it right here, Holly,” Will says as he walks over from where he and Maddox were talking by the kitchen.
“Jake?” I ask, looking around and still not seeing the eldest Stevens brother.
“Outside making sure all of the photographers stay off your lawn,” Maddox says as he finally approaches his wife. He kneels down and pulls her into his arms as Will hands me my phone. I try not to watch their moment together, but I always find myself being sucked in like a moth to a flame. Avery and Maddox are so dang passionate and loving that you can’t help but watch, envious.
“Thanks, Will,” I say as I power my phone back up. I had shut it off in the hospital when our new boss, Carmen, was lurking around, watching all of us like hawks. No wonder everyone calls her Cruella behind her back.
When the phone is finally powered up, I see fourteen missed calls and about twenty text messages. With the exception of two missed calls from Avery and another from my sister, all of the contacts are from Jase.
I excuse myself and head into my room so I can talk to him in private. I push the familiar keys and send the call. Jase answers on the first ring.
“Holly?” he asks, his tone a combination of fear and relief.
“Hey,” I reply into the phone. My entire body calms at the sound of his voice. I drop down on my bed as the tears well in my eyes.
“Baby, are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I got sent home from work today because the media was everywhere. They snuck into the hospital and were snapping pictures at me. My lawn is covered with people with cameras. What is going on, Jase?”
“Apparently, I was followed or someone there tipped them off. Our pictures are all over the television. I don’t want to scare you, baby, but more people are probably descending on Rivers Edge as we speak,” he adds.
“Where are you?”
“New York. As soon as I got off the plane, the paparazzi were waiting for me. They didn’t have your name yet, though I think they do now. They’re throwing it around like money.”
I groan as I lay back on the bed.
“Babe, hold on. Phil just walked in and wants me to watch something on the television,” Jase says. I hear the man in the background and hear the sounds of the TV.
I don’t have a TV in my room because I knew if I did, I would just stay up late watching some mindless reality program. Sleep is too valuable to me.
“Holly, who is the guy?” Jase asks a moment later, his voice tense and curt.
“What? Who?” I reply.
“The guy you’re hugging and holding hands with,” he says again in the same tone. He sounds cold.
It only takes a few minutes before it dawns on me who he’s talking about. “Oh, that’s Will,” I reply matter-of-factly.
“Who the hell is Will?” he asks, his voice rising slightly, filled with edge.
“That’s one of Avery’s brothers. He works with me. I’ve known him for years,” I tell him, confused by his reaction to Will.
“Are you seeing him?” he seethes through gritted teeth.
“Will? No!” I defend, sitting up from my bed.
“Have you ever dated him?”
“Why are you doing this, Jase?”
“Answer the question, Holly. Have you ever dated Will?”
“I guess, technically, once. He took me to my senior prom when my date backed out last minute,” I whisper.
He’s quiet for a few seconds before finally asking, “Is he the one you used to love?”
My mind is racing. “Jase, what are you doing?” I ask, not understanding any of this at all. Where the hell is my Jase?
“I’ve been messed around on by women for years, Holly. I’m not about to let you fuck with me, too,” Jase growls into the phone.
“What are you talking about?” I say with raised voice.
“You and Will are all over the news, Holly. They have pictures of you two going back for years. They have pictures of you two from today. They’re calling you two lovers,” he says, whispering the last sentence as he sounds dejected and spent.
“Will and I have always been friends, Jase. Nothing more. Did I want more at one time? Yes. Did Will ever want more? No. Was I in love with him years ago? Yes. But that was years ago, Jase. Like high school, puppy love kind of love.”
“He was your first love, wasn’t he,” he asks, sadness filling his quiet voice.
“Yeah, but it was unrequited and it was years ago, Jase. You are acting nuts,” I tell him, pacing around my bedroom.
“Well, it just looks a little weird, Holly,” Jase says in a defensive tone.
“Things aren’t as they seem through the eyes of the media. You’re the one who taught me that,” I exhale loudly and close my eyes. Jase is still quiet on the other end of the line and I don’t give him the chance to talk. “Listen, this isn’t working out for me. This isn’t what I signed up for. I don’t want my personal life spilled all over the world. I don’t want people chasing me around with cameras. I don’t want my trips to the grocery store to be featured in Entertainment News. And most of all, I don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t know me well enough to know that I would never, ever cheat. So, I think this is where we part ways, Jase.”
The other end is silence as tears silently fall unchecked down my cheek.
“Holly, I do trust you,” Jase says. He sounds so small.
“Jase, I can’t do this anymore. It’s been mere hours of being in the public life and I don’t want it. I want out,” I whisper.
“If you want out then there’s nothing more I can say,” he whispers back.
“Goodbye, Jase.”
“Yeah, bye,” he says before signing off the call.
I silently cry for fifteen minutes before I pull myself together to face my friends. I walk out into the living room where Avery and Will are watching the entertainment channel. My face is plastered everywhere. Hugging Will. Running with Will to his car. Making out with Jase on my front porch.
The host is talking about an interview with Camille Douglas moments before the screen cuts to the interview. Camille is standing outside of her condo, smiling perfectly for the camera.
“I suspected that Jase was cheating on me throughout the relationship which is why I ended it with him. So to know that his mistress had her own affair is rather poetic, don’t you think?” Camille says as she smiles that million dollar smile.
Great. So, first I’m a home wrecker and now a slut. Awesome.
I close my eyes as Avery turns off the television and turns to face me. “Were you talking to Jase?” Avery asks, her eyes filled with concern.
“Yeah,” I reply on autopilot.
“What did he say about all of this?” Avery asks.
“We didn’t really get to talk too much about that part. We kinda broke up,” I say, allowing the words to wash over me. The tears leak from my eyes before I can even fight them off.
/> “What?” she exclaims as she charges at me. “Because of the Will thing?” she asks, turning back towards her brother. I give my friend a questioning look before she adds, “We heard you mention his name a few times while you were on the phone.”
“I’ll call him and talk to him, Holly,” Will offers as he approaches.
“No, it’s okay. If he can’t believe me when I say that you and I are only friends, that’s his problem. Not mine. Besides, that was only part of it. I just don’t think I can handle this lifestyle, you know?” I don’t look up and make eye contact with Avery. I know she’ll see right through me.
“Hey, Will, can you give us a minute?” Avery asks over her shoulder.
“Sure. I’ll be in the kitchen,” he says as he walks away.
Avery pulls me towards the couch and all but pushes me down onto the cushions. “Talk,” she demands.
“Jase kept asking about Will and about all the pictures. The other side of the story is that there are just as many pictures on Facebook of me with your other brothers, too, over the years. The problem was that he believed that I was capable of being with someone else while I was with him,” I choke on the words as they leave my mouth.
It’s silent for several minutes until Avery finally says, “Have you told him that you love him?”
I look up, my heart breaking into shards of nothing all over again as I shake my head no.
“Why did you say you weren’t ready for this lifestyle? It’s not like you weren’t expecting it. You knew when you entered this relationship that it was going to turn into this, right?”
“Yeah, I knew. I wasn’t prepared for it when it finally happened, but I knew.”
“So why did you tell him it was why you were breaking up?”
“Because it seemed like the only way to cut ties with him and he’d actually let me go.”
“I’m confused. Why do you want him to let you go, Holl?” she asks, putting her hand on my knee, as her eyes search mine looking for a hint of understanding.
“Because eventually he’ll realize that I’m nothing special. Eventually he would realize that and leave anyway. At least I did it my own way before my heart got completely shattered,” I say.