Page 27

JACKSON

The fury racing through my blood has already sunk deep into my veins and my jaw aches from how tightly clenched it is. I try to get the phone off Rosie again, but she shrugs me off, stepping out of my hold.

Her shoulders tense as she reads, and she throws the phone on the sofa, before glancing at Anya. “Can I use your shower?”

Anya jumps up. “Of course, let me get you a towel.”

She escorts Rosie from the room without a backwards glance and I collapse back in my seat, letting my legs sprawl out in front of me and my head rest on the back.

The giggles I’d heard earlier had sent hope shooting through my chest, but the detached look in Rosie’s eyes as the notifications poured in broke my heart all over again.

Like I’m defusing a bomb, I gingerly pick up her phone. I don’t pry and I’d never read anything she doesn’t want me to see, but it’s hard to miss the notifications still lighting up the screen.

“This sister,” Danny says, running his hand through his hair. “What a piece of work. ”

“You have no idea,” I mutter, putting the phone face down on the coffee table.

I can’t decide what’s more egregious. The lies the woman has spewed or the fact that she’d make it all up for a few views.

Anya walks back in the room with a stormy expression on her face. “I don’t hate women, but I’ve always hated that witch.”

“What did Rosie say?”

Anya shrugs. “Nothing, she just said she wanted some time alone.” She lets Danny tug her back until she’s perched on the arm of his chair.

My phone rings in my pocket. I pull it out and grimace as my agent’s name flashes on the screen.

“Hey, Travis,” I say, rolling my eyes at Danny.

He gives me a sympathetic grimace as I rise to my feet.

“Jackson, I’ve been doing some damage control this end. They’ve brought in a double to finish the stunt today.”

A few months ago, the prospect of not doing my own stunts would have sent my heart sinking, but today I can’t even find it in me to care.

“Great,” I say, rubbing my hand across my beard. “I don’t think I’ll be back in tomorrow either.”

Travis sighs down the phone. “Look, I didn’t want to say it but I have to ask. This story…any truth to it?”

I grind my teeth. “Rosie and I are having a baby. That’s it. There is no story.”

“Okay, okay,” Travis soothes. “I’ve already spoken with the PR team, so just say the word and we can get a statement out.”

I blow out a breath, tugging at my beard.

“I don’t think this one is going to blow over, I’ll be honest,” Travis says carefully .

“Yeah, I don’t think so either. Send me the draft but let’s get a statement out as soon as possible, please. Thanks.”

I hang up with Travis and pull up a text thread with Eric.

Me

Can you swing by this address and let me know if there’s anything weird there?

Eric

Weird how?

Me

Lurkers outside, graffiti, litter. Anything that shouldn’t be there.

Eric thumbs up the message so I slide my phone back into my pocket.

I wander back into the lounge to see Anya and Danny whispering together.

“What are you guys doing next Saturday?” Anya asks.

I raise my brows as I reclaim my seat. “Plotting revenge, why?”

Anya shifts in her seat. “Pip and Cassie are coming to London, and they want to go out.”

I look for clarification with Danny, and he shrugs with a small smile. “Cavalry are coming.”

Anya grins. “We’ll go out as a group to dinner. Show a united front.”

I consider it. A public outing with Rosie and our friends. Showing that she’s not a dirty little secret, and already has her own friendships outside of me. Could work.

Cassie especially is sure to get media attention, the girl can hardly walk out of her front door without an onslaught of paparazzi following her around. She’s the biggest name out of all of us. Her most recent tour that lasted over a year and sold out in minutes made sure of that.

“It’s Rosie’s call.”

“What’s my call?” Rosie asks, wandering back in the room, cheeks flushed and soft from her shower.

Anya swivels on Danny’s lap. “Saturday night with the girls.”

She bites her lip. “I don’t know.”

“You’ve come out with us all before,” Anya points out.

“Yeah, but I wasn’t the one people were looking at.”

“Come on, you have to get out there eventually.”

“I don’t have anything to wear.”

Anya waves a hand. “Have you met Pip? You’ll have something to wear.”

“I don’t know.” She rests her hand on her belly.

“Come on, show off that gorgeous bump. It really suits you, by the way. I can’t wait to have my own.”

Danny sits up straighter, staring at Anya with stars in his eyes. “Huh?”

“You know, I think I’d look really cute with a belly.”

Danny stands up quickly, dislodging Anya with a laugh.

“Okay by me, freckles.” He bends at the knee and throws her over his shoulder. “Let’s go do that right now.”

Anya screeches as he carts her out of the room like a sack of potatoes.

“Saturday, Rosie!”

Rosie giggles as she sits down beside me. I rest my hand on my fist and glance at her, our first moment alone all day.

She peers up at me, mirroring my position. “What do you think?”

“I think I want to show you off, pretty girl, I have for a while now. This just gives me the opportunity.”

She sends me a soft smile .

Laughter erupts from down the hall, and she glances towards the sound. “Maybe we should get out of here, give them some space.”

“I think that would be the best for my ears.”

“I should get back to the flat,” she says, sounding like it’s the last thing she wants to do.

My heart pounds in my chest. “There’s somewhere else I’d like to take you first, if that’s okay with you.”

This plan is either the stupidest thing I’ve ever done or the best, and we’re about to find out.

More laughter from down the hall and Rosie shoots me a wide eyed grin. “Let’s go.”

We don’t need to take the car, since the journey is less than fifteen minutes on foot and I know how much Rosie likes to walk. But it’s too risky this morning, not with every person rounding the corner likely to make her jump.

I hold the car door open for her and help her inside before closing the it behind her. She’s quiet on the drive, head resting against the seat. A few turns of the wheel and we’re pulling up in front of the building I’ve visited more than a few times over the last few weeks.

I take a breath as I undo my seat belt.

“Okay, before we do this, I need you to keep an open mind,” I tell her.

“Where are we?”

“You’ll see.”

I round the car and help her out. She turns her body as if to walk down the road but I tug her towards the gate built into the white wall.

“Jackson,” she says quietly.

“Open mind,” I remind her.

I key in the code and gently tug her through the gate and up the gravel driveway with a cherry blossom tree in the center. I lead her across the path, until we reach the large green door.

I hold my breath as I take the key from my pocket and open the door, gesturing for her to go in first.

She steps inside and freezes. The large entryway has vintage tiles along the floor leading to multiple rooms and a stained glass window above the door causes colorful reflections to glisten along the white walls.

I rub my hands together to expel some energy.

“This is the living room, but there’s not much in there yet.” I gesture to the room beside me, “Kitchen’s this way.”

I grab her hand and tug her further through the house. I can’t look at her face yet. I need to get this over with first. Let her see everything before she processes it.

All I can do now is pray I’ve done the right thing.