Page 41 of Matched with the Hollywood Heartthrob (Matched for Love #4)

JACK

T here she is.

Mia.

For a second, I forget how to breathe. She looks… stunned, confused, beautiful. The wind tugs gently at her hair, and I swear my heart aches just looking at her.

She walks slowly, her eyes darting from the paintings to the flowers to the crowd. Then her gaze lands on me.

My grip tightens around the bouquet. I can’t read her expression. That makes me nervous.

She finally steps closer, her voice small but sharp, cutting through the silence.

“What’s going on?”

I swallow hard. God, I’ve rehearsed this in my head a thousand times. And now it’s all just… feeling. Raw and real.

“I didn’t know how else to do this,” I say, my voice low. “How to prove it. How to make you believe me when I say I’m not playing games with you.”

She blinks, still confused, still guarded.

“I thought about writing you a letter. About showing up at your door. About flying you to L.A. with some grand speech. But none of that felt like you.” I glance around. “This feels like you.”

She says nothing. Just listens.

“I know my past—my image, everything people think they know about me—makes it hard to believe I’m serious. And maybe I deserve that. I’ve lived a selfish, reckless life. I hate it, honestly. I hate that I let myself become that guy.”

I shake my head slowly, locking eyes with her.

“But if I’d lived differently… if I’d made better choices earlier… I might not have met you. And that thought terrifies me.”

Her eyes soften, just a little.

“Mia, meeting you is the best thing that has ever happened to me. You grounded me. You made me laugh again. You challenged me. You make me feel like more than just… a name in lights. And the truth is—I can’t imagine my life without you anymore.”

I take a breath and step forward, holding out the bouquet.

“I love you.”

The words leave my mouth and hang there in the summer air, as quiet and true as everything I’ve been too scared to say until now.

“I love you,” I say again, this time steadier. “And I couldn’t think of a better way to tell you than right here?—”

I glance around at the familiar faces in the crowd—neighbors, friends, people who’ve known her forever. People who’ve watched her laugh, cry, grow.

“—in front of the people who’ve watched you become the woman you are. And in front of everything I’ve felt for you… put into color, on canvas.”

Her eyes well up.

“Mia…” I whisper, unsure now. Her silence feels like a wave pulling me under.

And then doubt claws its way into my chest. Maybe I’ve overwhelmed her. Maybe this was too much, too fast.

I step back just slightly. “It’s okay. If you need time. I get it. I can wait, I just?—”

But she cuts me off.

“I love you, too.”

Her voice breaks. “I love you, Jack. I tried to stop it, I tried to walk away, but I can’t. I don’t want to imagine life without you.”

And just like that, my heart stops hurting.

I drop the bouquet and pull her into me, arms wrapping tight like I’ll never let her go again. She’s already leaning in, already meeting me halfway, and when I kiss her, it’s like everything finally aligns. The world stills. It’s just her and me.

The crowd erupts in cheers and claps around us, but I barely hear them. I’m kissing the woman I love, and she loves me back.

Nothing else matters.

Mia pulls back slightly from the kiss, tears clinging to her lashes, her cheeks damp. Her eyes are wide with disbelief, her lips parted in shock.

“I can’t believe you pulled this crowd,” she says, half-laughing, half-crying.

“Hey, I’m a celebrity.” I grin, heart pounding like crazy. God, I’ve missed her voice. “And I had a little help.”

She tilts her head, eyebrows raised. “From who?”

I glance toward the smiling crowd—so many familiar Bardstown faces who rallied behind me for this. “Everyone, honestly. I got into town two days ago. I’ve been working with your parents since then.”

Her jaw drops. “Wait—my parents knew?”

I nod. “They were amazing. Every morning, your mom would let me know when you’d left for the shop. I’d only show up when the coast was clear.”

She gasps. “That’s why the shop kept getting so many calla lily orders…”

“Exactly.” I laugh. “Your mom helped spread the word. Emma, too. Riley. Even Sam, who still tries to intimidate me. They got the whole town in on it. The festival theme, the calla lilies—I just gave them the idea, and they made it magic.”

Mia’s eyes fill again, and she covers her mouth. “I can’t believe this.”

I step closer, brushing a strand of hair away from her cheek. “Believe it. Every single part of this was for you. Because I love you. And I wanted you to know it in the loudest, clearest, most honest way possible.”

Her lips tremble, and I swear my heart almost bursts when she looks at me like that. She’s crying—but she’s smiling. And I know, in this moment, I’d do it all over again just to see that look on her face.

“I’m here, Mia,” I say softly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

We’re still standing under the canopy of calla lilies and paintings when the crowd starts to move, clapping and cheering, people approaching us with smiles and laughter.

We start making our way through the sea of familiar faces—people who’ve known her all her life. They’re all smiling, clapping us on the back, congratulating us like we just got engaged or announced world peace.

Mia spots her parents first, and her face lights up all over again. Her mom pulls her into a hug so tight I feel it from where I stand. Then her dad, with slightly misty eyes and a proud, crooked smile, brings her into his arms next.

“You knew?” Mia whispers, voice breaking just a little.

Ben chuckles. “Sweetheart, we planned it.”

Then Emma and Sam push their way over, followed by Riley and Ethan.

These are family members I didn’t know until my return to town two days ago.

Mia’s mom introduced me to everyone and told them my plans.

They liked me immediately, and I realized I was nervous about meeting them.

Aunt Dotty is one of my favorites. I’ve never met a sweeter, completely unhinged and inappropriate old lady before. She’s such a sweetheart.

As if my thoughts materialized her out of thin air, she suddenly appears with a wide smile.

“Aren’t you both the loveliest couple?” She pouts, holding her arms out for a hug. She’s warm and homey and she gently kisses our cheeks.

“Dotty! You were in on this, too?”

“How could I miss the biggest love coupling in town? You know I have to be involved in everything.” As she pulls away, she winks at me. “Treat her right, Jack. And you’re welcome to join our book club.”

Laughing, Mia rolls her eyes and turns to the others. “I can’t believe you guys did this. Emma—Sam—and Riley, I’m shocked. Riley, how did they even convince you to do this?”

Riley smirks. “We love you, Mia. That’s it. We wanted to be involved in you finding your happiness.”

Mia blinks fast, but the tears are already slipping. “Riley…” she breathes, hugging her tight.

Sam reaches over and ruffles Mia’s hair, which earns him a watery glare. “You okay, crybaby?” he teases.

Mia elbows him. “Shut up. You’re lucky I’m too happy to slug you right now.”

“Fair,” Sam says, laughing, then wraps both arms around her.

Mia turns into him, burying her face in his shoulder. Her dad joins the embrace, and it’s like a group hug of every person who matters most to her.

I just watch for a second.

Because honestly, this is the part I was nervous about—the part I never had growing up. The part that felt impossible for someone like me. Family. Community. Belonging.

But here I am. Here we are.

Mia looks over at me, cheeks flushed and eyes glowing. She opens her arm without saying a word—and suddenly, I’m pulled into that hug, too.

Right in the middle of it all.

And it hits me again.

This is home now.

Later that evening, we move the celebration to Mia’s house.

The laughter around the house is warm and easy, like something out of a dream I never dared to have.

Mia’s mom passes around slices of pie, her dad cracks some bad joke that has everyone groaning, and Emma’s already plotting a girls’ trip with Riley—who, miraculously, doesn’t run the other way.

I’m sitting on the couch, a glass of cider in hand, when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I slip it out and glance at the screen.

Unsaved Number.

I open the message.

Hi, Jack. It’s Megan. Just spoke to your dad and he agreed for us to meet up for a conversation. I can’t wait to see you again. I hope one day you find it in your heart to forgive me. Until then, I’ll continue to be here, hoping it’s not too late to be the mother I should have been years ago.

What a way to ruin my night.

But the more I read the message, I realize the ache doesn’t seem that deep anymore. I mean, I’m not about to start calling her mother, but maybe forgiveness isn’t farfetched.

I don’t even hear Mia come up beside me until her hand gently touches my arm. “Are you all right?”

I look up into her face—soft, concerned, grounding—and nod slowly as I turn the phone toward her. “My mom.”

She reads the message quickly, then looks at me again. “Come with me,” she says, her voice quiet, almost a whisper. She takes my hand without waiting for an answer, leading me down the hall and into her bedroom.

The room smells like her—lavender, citrus, something sweet and familiar. She closes the door gently behind us, and I suddenly feel like I can breathe again.

“Have you spoken to her since that date?” Mia asks.

“No. But she’s been reaching out to my dad, requesting a meeting. He finally granted it to her.”

Mia sits beside me, one hand on my knee. “Do you want to meet her?”

I exhale slowly, staring at the floor. “I don’t know. Part of me wants to say no. But another part… I don’t know. I can give it a try. Would it be crazy?”

“Crazy? No. Brave? Yes.”

I laugh and hold her close. “Will you come with me?”

“Of course.”

I lean in and kiss her, slow at first—like a question. But she answers with her lips, her hand sliding up to my jaw, fingers threading into my hair.

It deepens, warms, unfolds. There’s nothing hesitant about it. Nothing confused. Just two people who’ve found something real.

When we pull apart, she’s still holding my face, her forehead resting against mine.

“You’re not alone anymore, Jack,” she whispers.

And for the first time in my life, I believe it.