Page 38 of Matched with the Hollywood Heartthrob (Matched for Love #4)

JACK

I stand there like an idiot long after the elevator doors close. I can still hear her voice, her footsteps, the rustle of her bag over her shoulder. I don’t even move. Just stare at the spot where she stood, wondering how I could be any more stupid.

How did I let her walk out?

How the heck did I stand there and say nothing—do nothing?

I sink onto the couch, head in my hands, and stay there. For minutes. Hours, maybe. Time blurs around the hollow in my chest. I don’t pick up Harry’s call. I ignore three texts from Brody and Nova. I don’t even shower. I just sit there like someone scraped the inside of me out with a dull spoon.

I could’ve told her everything. That I wasn’t confused. That it wasn’t the emotion from last night clouding my judgment. That she’s the only woman who’s made me feel something real in a long time.

Instead, I watched her walk away like a coward.

At exactly noon, the front door bangs open.

“Unbelievable!” Nova’s heels click across the living room like gunfire. She storms in, sunglasses still on, fury radiating off her like she’s powered by caffeine and pure rage. “Do you ever think about anyone besides yourself?!”

“Hello to you, too, Nova,” I mutter.

“I’ve been calling and texting, why didn’t you respond?”

She doesn’t wait for me to answer. She yanks off her shades.

“Mia came to the office. The office, Jack! She’s done.

She said you’ve been frustrating all her efforts, dodging real matches, messing up with Hayley and the other ladies, acting like a child.

Do you even care that we had a good thing going? Your image was turning around!”

“I don’t care,” I say quietly. “I won’t be forced to be with someone I don’t love.”

Nova stares at me like I’ve sprouted another head. “Excuse me? Do you know anything about love? All you’ve had are flings. Meaningless, time-wasting flings that don’t last a breath. Please say something else.”

I rise to my feet slowly. “I’m in love with Mia,” I say, my voice firmer now. “It’s her. Not Hayley. Not anyone else. Her.”

She blinks. “You… love Mia.”

“Yes,” I bite out. “I love her. And I screwed everything up because I couldn’t say it when it mattered.”

Nova stares for a second longer, then breaks into a slow grin. “Okay, wow. I… didn’t see that coming. I mean, I hoped for some sparks for your sake, but dang, Jack. You actually fell.”

“I did. Hard. And now she’s gone because she thinks I’m just reacting to emotional trauma or whatever. And maybe I was, in the beginning. But this? This isn’t confusion. It’s real. And I let my stupid past mess it up.”

Nova drops her bag on the couch with a sigh. “Well, congrats. You got yourself in this mess, and now you’re going to be the one to dig yourself out.”

I nod slowly. “I will. I’ll figure it out. I’ll wait until she comes back and?—”

“She’s not coming back,” Nova interrupts with a smirk. She looks like she’s enjoying this. “She went back to Bardstown this morning. Said she needed space.”

I flinch.

Nova rolls her eyes. “I was planning to take her on a tour of Hollywood this weekend, too. Guess that’s out the window.”

She turns to leave, then pauses in the doorway. “By the way… the date with Megan. How’d that go?”

My stomach knots. I’ve spent all morning trying not to think about it. I stare at the floor. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Nova raises a brow. “Jack.”

“I’m off the project,” I say sharply. “Take me out of it. I’m not doing the film.”

She studies me for a long, silent moment. Her expression shifts from curiosity to understanding… and then something like pity. She doesn’t say another word. Just walks out, without another glance.

I sit there, the silence stretching like quicksand around me as I think of Mia. And how the heck I’m going to get her back. I stare at my phone for a long time before I finally decide to call Harry. As my best friend, he’s the only person I can talk to about this.

He picks up on the first ring.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he snaps. “You ignore all my calls and now you just—what—casually decide to show signs of life?”

“I was busy,” I mutter.

“Busy sulking?” he shoots back. “Don’t even bother with an excuse, man. You ghosted me!”

I run a hand down my face. “Harry, I?—”

“Save it. I’m with your dad, by the way. We’re playing a game.”

That gets me moving. “I’m on my way.”

“No! You’ll ruin our fun and?—”

I hang up and an hour later, I’m knocking on my father’s door.

He opens it with his usual quiet expression, but the moment I see him, all the guilt and tension rush to the surface. I wrap my arms around him in a rare hug.

“Hey,” he says, startled but patting my back.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur. “For not appreciating everything you did. For being such an ungrateful boy.”

He pulls back to look at me. “What’s going on, son?”

Harry’s sitting on the couch, arms crossed, looking smug. “Let me guess. Meeting with her didn’t go as planned?”

My father squints. “Her? Which her?”

I sigh and drop onto the armchair. “Megan. Or—my mother. Whatever.”

The air shifts. He goes still. For a moment, neither of us speaks. Then…

“How did it go?” He doesn’t seem as surprised as I feared he’d be.

“It was as bad as you’d expect,” I say. “She was apologetic, and she wants to be back in my life.”

Harry whistles under his breath.

“What I don’t get,” I continue, turning to my dad, “is why you never told me she tried to reach out years ago. You told her not to, didn’t you?”

He looks down, ashamed. “I did.”

“Why?” I demand, my voice cracking.

“Because I didn’t want her to hurt you again.

You were just starting to heal, Jack. I thought I was protecting you.

And it was in the throes of all your scandals and all the women…

” He shakes his head. “I knew you were trying to get her attention even though you’d never admit it. It was a bad time.”

I scrub my face. “I genuinely understand, Dad. But she’s here now. There’ll never be a good time for this.”

He sighs. “Now that there are no more secrets between us, it’ll be best to let you know that Megan reached out to me yesterday,” he said. “She never told me she met with you, but she requested that the three of us meet and have a sit-down.”

“What did you say?”

“That it’s up to you.”

“Good. ’Cause I’m not ready to see her again. Not yet.”

He nods. “That’s fair. Do things at your own pace. Don’t let anyone rush you—not even her.”

I let out a long breath, some weight lifting off my chest. For all his faults, my dad’s always been steady when it matters.

After a moment, I lean back and take a deep breath. Despite all the problems around me with my mom, there’s still one major issue on my mind.

“I’m in love.”

Both their heads snap toward me.

“What?” Harry blurts.

My father just blinks. “With who?”

“Mia,” I say, and the name alone makes my heart thud in my chest. “Her name is Mia. I’m in love with Mia.”

Harry’s eyes widen. “Mia, Mia? PR Mia?”

“She’s a matchmaker, idiot. Not PR, but yeah, that’s her.”

My dad chuckles. “Didn’t see that coming. Have you told her?”

“No. She’s in Bardstown,” I say, shoulders slumping again. “I messed up, and she left. I don’t know what to do.”

I explain everything that happened, and Harry whistles. “Well, I don’t know what to say. This sounds serious, and I’ve never had a serious relationship.” He shrugs.

I roll my eyes. “I literally came here to seek your advice.”

“Wrong topic.”

“I’m old,” my father butts in. “But I know one or two things. Follow your heart. Just don’t mess it up more than you already have. The truth truly will set you free.”

“Dad, that’s not very helpful. What exactly can I do?”

“No, I can’t help with that, son. You’ll have to figure it out on your own.”

The sun’s starting to set by the time I leave my dad’s place.

We spent the afternoon playing old board games. For a while, I even forgot about all the mess I’d made. But now, with the quiet hum of the car and the city blurring past my windows, the silence rushes in.

And with it, one thought: Mia.

It’s maddening how much I need her. Not just want—need.

I’ve lived most of my life pretending nothing ever stuck to me. Like I could be untouchable if I worked hard enough, won enough, smiled at the right cameras. But Mia—she sees through all that. And for once, I wanted to be seen.

I want her. There’s no doubt about that.

But she won’t make this easy. She’s professional. Too professional. Always with her boundaries, her rules. But not once did she pull away when I kissed her. Not when I held her. Not even last night, when I told her things I’ve never told anyone.

There’s something there. She might not want to admit it—not to herself, not to me—but it’s there. I’ve seen it in her eyes. Felt it in the way she touched me like I was fragile and not the golden boy who always bounces back.

But none of it matters if I let her slip away.

My past? It’s always going to be there. The tabloids, the exes, the cameras. The versions of me I can’t stand to look at. But maybe Mia doesn’t need me to be perfect—maybe she just needs me to be honest.

The realization settles like cement in my chest as I drive. I grip the steering wheel tighter.

I’m going to Bardstown.

She left because she didn’t believe me—but I’ll make her believe. I’ll knock on every door, beg if I have to. I’ll show her I’m not just chasing a moment. I’m chasing her.

It won’t be easy. Heck, knowing Mia, she’ll probably slam the door in my face.

But I’m going anyway.

She’s worth the fight.

She’s everything.

Just as I’m about to switch lanes, my phone buzzes. Nova. I debate ignoring her—I’m not in the mood for another lecture—but something tells me to pick up.

“Yeah?” I answer.

She doesn’t even say hi. “Megan’s out. Fitzgerald just told me she’s pulling out of the project.”

I blink. “What?”

“You don’t have to step away anymore, I guess. They’re looking out for another actress to fill the role.”

“Okay. Let me call you back, Nova.”

I hang up and pull the car over, heart thudding. I lean back in the seat, eyes staring blankly at the skyline. She must have known it was too much for us to pretend like we were just two actors in a scene and not a mother and son with years of silence between us.

She knew.

And she backed off.

I run a hand through my hair, a thousand thoughts crashing into each other. There’s still that ache in my chest—that rage that she got to walk away from me when I was just a kid and somehow still gets to decide when she walks back in. And yet… another part of me, quieter but no less real, exhales.

I don’t know. I don’t know anything when it comes to her. All I do know is that even thinking about her still makes my throat tight and my fists clench.

Forgiveness? So soon?

I call my dad, and he picks up on the second ring. “You literally just left. You miss me that much?”

I huff out a laugh. “I’ll turn back, but I’m already forty-five minutes out. Let’s just have this conversation on the phone.”

“Okay,” he says, tone shifting. “You good?”

I lean my head back against the seat, eyes on the endless stretch of highway ahead. “What do you think about Mom coming back into our lives? Should we forgive her?”

There’s a pause. Then a long exhale. “It’s really up to you, son.”

“No.” I shake my head even though he can’t see me. “I just realized I’ve been acting selfish. It’s not up to me alone. It’s up to us. She didn’t just leave me—she left you, too. You were hurt. You loved her.”

“And I continued to… for many years,” he says quietly. “Until I didn’t anymore. There’s no coming back into my life. That door is closed. I’ve moved on. Forgave her a long time ago.”

“Oh,” I say, swallowing around the sudden tightness in my throat.

“But my forgiveness timeline can’t be the same as yours,” he adds. “Take as much time as you need. You were a child. It hit you most.”

I close my eyes. “I don’t want to hold onto the hurt anymore.”

“Then forgive, son.” His voice softens. “You’re a big boy now. You can hold your own. Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting. It means releasing the pain. You don’t have to call her ‘Mom’ or act like you’ve known her your whole life. But maybe… a conversation? A start?”

I sit in silence for a second, the idea turning in my chest like something raw and new. “And you’re sure this is okay? Having her around won’t hurt you or anything?”

He huffs a dry laugh. “I’m good, son. Truly.”

“Okay.” I nod slowly. “Maybe you should take her up on that request to meet. We can sit down. Talk. No expectations. Just… see where it leads.”

“All right. I’ll give her a call later.”

“Thanks, Dad.” My voice cracks a little. “I love you. Thank you for everything. For not abandoning me.”

He chuckles, warm and proud. “I love you too, son.”

After the call with Dad, I feel… lighter. Like something’s been lifted off my chest. A weight I’ve carried for years, maybe. For the first time in a long while, I smile—really smile. I feel warm and fuzzy and happy.

Without overthinking it, I call Brody.

He picks up, groaning. “Man, I’m on a date. What?”

“Ew,” I say immediately. “Someone agreed to date you?”

“Man, what ?” he gasps.

“Forget that,” I say. “We’re flying to Bardstown.”

“Why? Nova said Mia quit already. What’s the point?”

“I’m going after her.”

“You can’t do that,” he says, turning serious in the way only Brody can—loud and chaotic. “She can choose to quit if she wants. There’s nothing in the contract that says she can’t. And she’s a grown woman and?—”

“Jeez, you’re a dummy,” I cut in, laughing. “I’m not flying down there for business. I’m going after her ’cause I love her, man.”

Silence. Then a dramatic gasp. “Oh my goodness. I knew it. I knew it! I could tell! The looks, the tension, the attitude—you were so gone.”

I’m grinning like an idiot now.

“When are we leaving?” he asks.

“Soon. But I’ll need your help.” I pause. “When your date is over, come by. We need to plan.”

“Got it.”

“And tell whoever you’re with that I advise they run—fast—as far as they can. You’re no good.”

He laughs. “You’re just jealous I’m on a date and you’re not.”

“Sure, man. Keep telling yourself that.”

I hang up still smiling. This time, for real.

I’m going to get Mia back. I’ll do all I can.