Page 110 of Love You Like This

“What if you all put out statements of support for her? Say you stand behind her and are happy to see her and Xander in a loving relationship,” Dad suggests. “I can use my influence to suggest killing any stories about the two of them. It might not shut down everything, but I have solid relationships with a lot of people in the media.”

“Couldn’t hurt.” Darren stubs out his cigarette. “I have a good picture of you on stage, but you’re looking at Jade while you play. I dropped it to all of you.”

The photo shows up on my phone. It was taken at our Atlanta show when Darren went out into the crowd for a few songs. He was at the perfect angle to catch me, turned in her direction. The look in her eyes blows me away. It’s love. Just pure, unadulterated love.

“I don’t know how I took it and didn’t realize what was happening right in front of my face.”

“You can be rather oblivious,” Tobias drawls, thumb tapping on the edge of the table.

The two of them share a look but don’t say anything.

“I have one, too.” Dad pulls out his phone and navigates to a folder of old pictures. “Here.” He hands it over, a picture of Jade and me at the villa in Mexico on the screen. We’re both in swimsuits near the pool with the ocean in the background. My arm is wrapped around her waist while she smiles at the camera. Her head is tilted in the most adorable way, and I’m just smiling and looking down at her. “It was always one of my favorites.”

The next few hours are spent either bullshitting or discussing the plan for keeping Jade with us, specifically with me. Dad hangs around to help me clean up after everyone goes home. When I finish cleaning off the grill, I find him at the sink rinsing the last of the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.

“Now that you know everything going on with me, why don’t you tell me about how you and Suzette ended up back together?”

“I ran into her about eight months ago on set. We got to talking and decided to grab dinner later that night.” He closes the dishwasher and dries off his hands. “It was supposed to be a friendly meal, just to catch up on life.” He tosses the towel down. “But all my feelings for her came rushing back. It was the same for her.”

“But is she just going to bail again when shit gets rough?” I don’t hold any ill feelings toward her, but I’m also not going to sit back and let her hurt my father again. He’s dated some women but hasn’t come close to ever getting married again.

“We’re taking it slow. She feels different this time. More grounded and stable.”

“I’d hope so. She’s in her fifties now.” I set a handful of beer bottles in the recycling bin. “I guess there’s something about those Maxwell women that we can’t get over.”

“They are extraordinary creatures.” He looks around and leans against the counter. “I’m going to crash here tonight, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. Guest room’s all yours.”

I’m not too proud to admit that even though I’m a grown man, having my dad stay with me tonight brings a certain type of comfort I wouldn’t have otherwise. He truly is one of my best friends. We settle onto the couch and turn on a Lakers game to zone out and watch. I can’t change anything tonight, and if I brood on it, I’ll only get agitated.

We’re enacting phase one of the plan tomorrow. Hopefully it’s all we need because I’m pretty sure phase two could end up with me in jail.

Forty

JADE

For days in a row now, I’ve awoken to flurries of notifications on my phone. I’m not looking at that nonsense until I’ve had at least one cup of coffee. Trudging out to the kitchen, I find Mom sitting at the table doing a crossword puzzle.

“Morning, honey,” she greets me without looking up. “Coffee is brewed, and I have breakfast burritos on the way.”

I mumble my thanks. A dull, all-over headache lingers from the pitchers of sangria Shan brought to the condo last night. After pouring a cup of coffee and adding a hefty amount of hazelnut creamer, I pop a few painkillers and wash them down with my coffee.

Cradling my cup in both hands, I walk over and sit across from mom.

“What is a five-letter word synonymous with fortitude that has a U in the middle?”

“Spunk.”

She looks down at the puzzle and then back up at me. “How the hell do you do that so fast?”

“Words are my superpower.” I take another sip. “I need this injected into my veins after last night.”

“That sangria was strong.” She scribbles another word into the boxes and then sets her pen down to give me her full attention. “Do you feel better now that you’ve had a night with the girls?”

“Somewhat.” I twist my lips in thought. “I still don’t know how to move past this. I haven’t even spoken to the guys about whether or not they want me to stay on with them.”

Mom covers my hand with hers. “You didn’t work this hard, this long, to walk away now. Not from your job. And definitely not from Xander. No one gets to tell you that you can’t have it all.”