Fall

My hand hovered over the message as I silently cried. Jaymeson held me so tight I almost couldn’t breathe, but I needed him, needed his warmth, needed to know he was there for me.

With a sniff I pressed the next message. It had been left really early in the morning.

“Hey, sweetie,” Dad’s voice sounded exhausted. “I’m still driving. We’re a few miles outside of Seattle, so we only have about four hours until we see your smiling face. I don’t really know why I’m calling. I tried calling earlier then forgot to leave a message.

“I just… you know how you have a bad feeling? Or just a feeling that you need to talk to someone? Well, it’s possible your old man’s losing it because I can’t get you out of my head, little girl. You know I love you. I love you with my entire heart. I keep replaying my last message, I was so distracted by the house and calling it a miracle that I forgot to tell you — you, little girl, you and your sister were my miracle. You are my miracle. Seeing your smiling face every day. I can’t imagine life gets any better than that. I know you’re growing up into a young woman. You’ll be going to college soon, and dating more. I guess I just want you to know how proud I am of you. You’re a special girl, Priscilla.” He chuckled. “Alright, I’ll stop boring you. See you soon!”

The message ended.

I stared at the phone in my hand.

“Jaymeson—” My voice caught. “It was you? You’re the one fixing the house?”

His body tensed around mine. “You hate charity,” he whispered. “So I thought I’d do it without you knowing.”

“But…” I turned to face him, still sitting on his lap. “Why? Why would you do that for me?”

“Because…” His voice caught. “I love you.”

I sucked in a breath, my lungs suddenly burned with too much oxygen. He wasn’t smiling. He was serious.

“Are you sure?” I whispered.

His entire face broke out into a goofy grin. “Oh, I’m sure, love. I’m sure.”

“But I’m—”

“Mine,” he said simply. “Oh, and I know there’s no good time to say this, but we’re kind of married.”

“You’re trying to distract me, right? That’s it. By playing a joke on me?” My voice was high pitched, confused.

“No.” He winced. “Afraid not. They wouldn’t give me any information as your boyfriend.”

My stomach fluttered.

“And a fiancé wouldn’t get any information either because technically Dani isn’t family. So, I improvised.”

“But—”

“Love…” He pressed his fingers to my lips. “You’re exhausted, you need a warm meal, and by the looks of it, we’re going to stay up all night. Let’s check into a hotel.”

I nodded, getting off of his lap, and then wanted to cry, “Jaymeson I can’t.” I felt like crumpling into a heap and rocking back and forth. “I have hospital bills to pay, and staying in a hotel is just going to add to it, we don’t have health insurance and—”

I was still talking as he picked me up into his arms and carried me out of the waiting room and onto the elevator.

People walked in, lifting eyebrows in surprise, but said nothing. Jaymeson held me, like I was a small child. His arms weren’t even shaking.

The elevator doors opened.

Jaymeson set me gently on my feet.

I didn’t expect people — nurses especially — to talk. But they had. Camera crews were waiting outside the hospital, all their eyes trained on the doors, waiting.

“We don’t have to do this now,” Jaymeson said in a low voice. “We can go out back. I’ll have the limo meet us there.”

“They’re at every exit,” one of the security guards by the doors answered. “I’m sorry, sir. The best we could do was keep them outside.”

I put my hand in his and lifted my chin. “I can do this.”

“Her parents just died!” Jaymeson yelled at the security officer.

He lifted his hands in the air. “I’ve done the best I can.”

“Jaymeson,” I whispered, clenching his hand. “I’m strong. My dad said so.” My throat caught. “I can do this.”

His eyes bore into mine. “Yes. Yes, you can, love.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead and led me out into the waiting crowd.

People shouted. Jaymeson nodded politely — but didn’t smile. I imagined the media was seeing an entirely different side of him.

He usually craved the camera. He was a regular on ET every week.

But now? Now his mood was dark — sad.

Tenderly, he lifted me into his arms and elbowed his way through the crowd. I clung to his neck for dear life.

And then a man that looked a heck of a lot like a giant pushed his way toward us, followed by a guy who looked like he should be guarding prisoners on death row.

They pushed the media back as well as the crowds. A limo was waiting. Alec, Demetri, Alyssa, and Nat, spilled out of it to surround us with their bodies as we made our way into the waiting car.

They piled in after us.

“I forgot how much I liked Bob,” Jaymeson muttered once he set me down onto the seat and everyone else was safely inside.

“He may look scary as hell, but he loves the attention,” Demetri said, his smile not reaching his eyes.

“So?” Alyssa grabbed my hand. “How is she?”