Page 29 of Matched with the Hollywood Heartthrob (Matched for Love #4)

MIA

I can’t believe he just did that.

Jack’s outburst, leaving without a word, has left me seething with frustration.

What exactly is his problem? It’s one thing to be frustrated about the date, but it’s another to act like he’s being tortured.

All I wanted to do was help him find someone, yet it feels like he’s actively trying to make this as difficult as possible.

Does he realize how hard this is for me, too?

I’m embarrassed and unhappy with myself.

As the matchmaker, there’s no reason I should feel this way, but honestly, I hate seeing Mirta all over Jack like that.

It was hard to watch, even harder to pretend I didn’t care.

But I’m supposed to be the professional one, right?

So why won’t he just cooperate with me?

The sooner I can help him out and get him out of Bardstown, the better it’ll be for me.

And to make matters worse, I’m left here with Ryan, pretending that I’m not absolutely livid.

He’s sitting next to me, chatting away like everything is perfectly fine.

His voice is light, friendly even, but all I can focus on is the bitter taste in my mouth from watching Jack storm off with Mirta in his arms.

Ryan laughs at something he says, and I realize I’ve missed most of the conversation. I force a smile, nodding along, but my thoughts are far from him.

“Are you okay?” Ryan asks, his brow furrowing in concern. I know he’s noticed my lack of attention. He always does.

I quickly shake my head, trying to push my emotions aside. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… tired, I guess,” I lie, forcing another smile. I don’t want him to know how upset I am, especially not about Jack.

Ryan leans back slightly, a frown on his face. “Should we leave?”

“Yes, please,” I sigh with relief, raising my arm to call the waitress over and settle the bill.

Ryan, though, seems to think he’s doing me a favor when he says, “I’ll pick up the tab.”

I almost laugh at his offer, though I hold it back. “No,” I say firmly. “You suggested the double date to help me and Jack. I’m paying.” I’ve got enough to deal with already, and I don’t want him thinking I owe him anything else.

Ryan starts to protest, but I shake my head. “No, really. I’ve got it.”

When the waitress arrives and I ask for the check, she surprises me with her response. “Mr. Calloway has already paid.”

I freeze for a second, trying to process what she just said. “Mr. Calloway?” I repeat, confused.

“Yes, ma’am.” She nods and drifts away.

I shake my head, refusing to dwell on it any longer than necessary.

“Let’s go, Ryan.” I grab my purse and head toward the exit, ready to leave this weird night behind me.

Ryan follows me out, his hand brushing against mine as he helps me into the passenger seat of his car.

He’s being nice, but it doesn’t make me feel better.

Nothing’s going to make me feel better until I can figure out what’s going on inside my own head.

“Well, I’d say the double date was a success,” Ryan says as he drives me home, his tone light and teasing. “Did you see how attentive Jack was to Mirta? I think he really likes her. And I wonder what they have planned for tonight,” he laughs, his voice lighthearted and amused.

I don’t find it funny. At all.

Instead, I feel my blood boiling, my fingers tightening on the door handle. I turn to him sharply, unable to hold it in anymore. “It’s inappropriate to make jokes like that, Ryan,” I snap, my voice biting and cold.

Ryan immediately shuts his mouth. I feel guilty, and I know I overreacted, but I don’t apologize.

When we finally reach my house, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

The evening’s been long, and I’m beyond exhausted.

I thank Ryan, forcing a polite smile as I reach for the door handle.

“Hold on, Mia,” Ryan says, his voice cutting through the air, stopping me just before I can leave.

I pause, turning back to face him. “Yes?”

Ryan’s gaze is steady, but there’s something in his eyes, something knowing. “What exactly is the deal between you and Jack?” he asks, his tone sharp and probing.

My stomach tightens. I open my mouth, unsure of how to respond, but Ryan continues before I can answer.

“I saw the way you were when Jack left the table with Mirta earlier. You lost interest in the date right away. I’m not stupid, Mia.

I know something happened between you two when we went to watch the fireworks.

Something has been happening between you two even before this date.

” He leans back in his seat, watching me intently.

“Anyone would think you had feelings for him.”

I don’t know what comes over me, but before I can stop myself, the words spill out.

“Yes, I do. I have feelings for him.”

Ryan doesn’t speak. He doesn’t move. It’s like the world around us has paused. I can feel the tension thickening between us, but all I can hear is the sound of my own heart thudding in my chest. I wait for Ryan to say something, but the words seem to be trapped in his throat.

Finally, he shifts, breaking the silence. “Wow,” he mutters under his breath, almost like he’s trying to process it, but it’s not directed at me. It’s like he’s speaking to himself.

The weight of my confession sits between us, and I don’t know what to do with it. I can feel the sting of regret beginning to creep in, but I don’t take it back. Jack’s presence—his kiss—has been haunting me, and it feels like it’s all been building up to this moment.

“You should know your feelings will lead nowhere, Mia.” Ryan’s words cut through me, sharper than I expect. His voice is low, and there’s a bitterness to it that catches me off guard.

“Jack could never like you. He’s a narcissist who only cares about himself. He’s a playboy, and no matter how much you try to find him a woman, it’ll backfire. A leopard can never change its spots.”

A knot tightens in my chest, my breath quickening in response to his harsh words.

I narrow my eyes at him. “You’re judging him, Ryan. And it’s beneath you. You don’t know him.”

Ryan shakes his head, his expression hard. “But it’s true! I know it is. You’re just fooling yourself, Mia. He doesn’t care about you, and you’re just wasting your time. He’ll never change.”

I bite my lip, trying to hold back the sting of his words, but they hit a nerve. He’s right in some ways—Jack is complicated, far more than I can understand. But my feelings for him, however irrational, are real. I can’t help them. I can’t change them.

“I’m not a fool,” I say, my voice quiet but firm. “I know he can’t love me. I know this is just a PR stunt, and he probably isn’t going to change. But that doesn’t stop my feelings.”

Ryan’s face contorts with frustration. He buries his head in his hands, like the weight of my words is too much to bear. “Why don’t you give us a chance, Mia?” His voice cracks with emotion. “I’m real. Jack is not. You deserve someone who’s there for you, who actually loves you.”

I snap. The anger I’ve been holding back all evening—maybe all these years—erupts like a dam breaking.

“You left me!” I shout at him, my voice trembling with the hurt I’ve carried for so long. “I was so in love with you. You were my first love, but you left me and hurt me. You made me beg for your love because you were too cowardly to tell me you stopped loving me a long time ago!”

The words feel like they’ve been trapped inside me, waiting to escape. I can see the shock on Ryan’s face as I unleash everything I’ve kept buried for years. He doesn’t speak; he just stares, frozen by my outburst.

I try to steady my breath, my heart pounding in my chest, but the anger and the hurt won’t let me go. “You have no idea how much you broke me,” I add quietly, my voice wavering.

Ryan doesn’t know how to respond, and I don’t know if I want him to. I don’t need him to explain. I don’t need him at all.

Before he can say anything, I pull open the door and step out of the car. “Please leave,” I say, my voice hard but broken. “I don’t want to see you again.”

I don’t wait for a response. I turn on my heel and hurry into the house, my legs unsteady. I slam the door behind me, locking it before I sink to the floor.

I stumble into my room and collapse onto my bed, my emotions crashing down on me in waves. The tears come fast, too fast to control, and I sob into the pillow, my chest heaving.

I feel so lost, so broken. My heart aches for the love I gave to Ryan, for the love I have for Jack, and how hopeless it all is.

My phone buzzes in my bag, and through the glassy gaze of tears, I find the phone.

It’s my mom. I wipe my tears quickly, trying to regain some sense of composure, but my chest is still tight.

I don’t have the energy to talk, but I know her. She won’t stop calling until I answer.

“Mom, I just got home. I’ll call you back,” I say, keeping my voice steady, before hanging up.

I drag myself into the bathroom, the sound of the water running doing little to drown out the echo of my thoughts.

I stand there for a while, letting the warm water wash over me, hoping it’ll somehow help clear the mess in my mind.

I scrub my face, willing myself to stop crying, but the tears still threaten to come.

By the time I’ve changed into my pajamas, trying to put the evening behind me, the doorbell rings. I freeze, the sudden sound pulling me out of my head.

I hesitate, wiping at my face once more, before reluctantly walking to the door. I look through the peephole, and there she is—my mom.

I open the door, my exhaustion weighing on me. “Mom, what are you doing here? It’s so late.” I pull her in.

She steps past me without a word, as if she didn’t hear my question, her eyes scanning my face, taking in the exhaustion and the redness of my eyes.

“Mia,” she says softly, her tone more serious now. “I know something’s wrong.”

I close the door behind her and step back, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m fine, Mom. Really. I just?—”

She interrupts me with a look, one that cuts right through the facade. “Don’t lie to me. What happened? You were crying on the phone, sweetheart.”

She pulls me down onto the couch, her hand on my shoulder, a comforting weight. “Mia, you know I can tell when something’s bothering you. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

The tears threaten to fall again. “You don’t have to worry about me, Mom. You came all the way over here, and it’s already eleven p.m. I hate to burden you with my problems.”

Her eyes soften, and she gently strokes my hair. “Mia, you never have to worry about that. I know you often try not to burden us, but we’re your family. We’re here to share in your pain, to help carry whatever weight you’re carrying.”

I shake my head, the lump in my throat growing bigger. “I’ve burdened you enough in one lifetime,” I say, my voice trembling with the weight of everything I’ve been holding in.

She pulls me into her arms, wrapping me in the comfort of her embrace. “Don’t ever think that,” she says softly. “Everything we’ve done for you, every struggle we’ve been through, it was never a burden. It was because we love you. And we’d do it all over again, a thousand times over, if we had to.”

I feel the tears begin to well up again, threatening to spill over, and I can’t hold them back anymore. I bury my face in her shoulder, my sobs coming in waves. I don’t say anything, just let the tears flow, letting my mom’s warmth and her words wash over me.

I think about how she and Dad had worked so hard to gather money for my chemotherapy when I was a child, how they sacrificed so much just to see me well again. The weight of it all, the love they gave me without question—it overwhelms me.

I hug her tighter, my tears soaking into her shirt. “I’m sorry,” I whisper through the sobs.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” she says, her voice thick with emotion. “We’ll always be here for you, Mia. Always.”

And in that moment, I realize just how much they’ve always had my back, no matter what. I’m not alone in this. And even though my heart feels heavy with everything that’s going on, I know I can lean on my parents. She doesn’t ask me any more questions, she just lets me cry.