Be Here Now: A Cedar Creek Novel

by Julia Goda

  “They are,” I whispered through the tears that were now running down my cheeks. Jason used his thumb to brush them away, again and again, until he gave up.

  “Why are you crying?”

  “Because I can’t believe how beautiful you are. You make me so happy.”

  Jason’s face softened and he kissed the top of my nose. “When did you do all this?” I asked him.

  “Remember we talked about how we might have to look for a long while until we find the exact house we want?” I nodded. It had only been yesterday. “It gave me an idea. Why waste time looking when we can just build exactly what we want? The house we’ve always dreamed about? The only thing we’d need would be a lot to build on. This place is special to me. Not only because it’s where you became my wife, but because this is where I finally admitted to myself that I wanted you back and would do anything in my power to make that happen. It’s the only place where I actually let myself think about you in depth, where I regretted having let you go. And it’s the place where I found you again in my heart and in my soul. So I set Robert and Maggie on it, and they tracked down the owner of the land. I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse and signed the papers that same afternoon. It’s ours, and it will have our dream house on it in less than a year’s time.”

  He was killing me. His words were so beautiful the tears were coming in full force now, and I was sobbing in his arms. When I was done, Jason kissed my wet cheeks.

  “You ready to go over the plans?” I nodded and wiped the rest of the tears away with the back of my hand before we both turned back to Dan and discussed every little detail we could think of.

  “We’ll get on this right away and make the necessary changes. We should have a more final plan by the end of next week. We’ll also apply for all the necessary permits now so we don’t lose time once we’re ready to start building,” Dan informed us when we had finished.

  “Thank you, Dan. We appreciate it. If you need anything, you have our numbers.”

  “I’ll give you a call if we come across anything we need your input on,” Dan confirmed and we parted.

  “All good?” Frank asked when we reached him where he had been standing at the edge of the trees this whole time.

  “It’s great!” I squealed, earning a grin from him. “You’ll be happy to hear that you’ll have a nice cozy guest house to live in once the house is done.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” he said through his grin. Then he looked at Jason. “Santa Monica?” Jason agreed with a chin lift and we both followed Frank up the path back to the car. I assumed we were going to Santa Monica to stop at a restaurant for a bite to eat so I didn’t ask. Not ten minutes later, we stopped in front of what looked like a hotel. It was on the smaller side for L.A. standards, and cute, more like a boutique hotel, but still looked sophisticated and sexy. It was right on the beach, close to the Santa Monica Pier, and had a somewhat Spanish flair to it.

  Instead of turning towards the restaurant, Jason walked us to the check-in counter and handed over his credit card after we were welcomed. “Last surprise for this trip, baby. We don’t have time for a honeymoon, but I wanted to give you something to remember. I know you hate my house, so I booked us into the honeymoon suite for two nights until we have to go back to Colorado Thursday morning.”

  “We’re staying here?” I looked around, amazed. I had never stayed in a swanky place like this. Tons of comfortable and expensive looking couches and chairs were spread throughout the lobby, creating several separate seating areas. There was one with a wood-burning fireplace surrounded by a mirrored wall and a piano in the corner where a pianist was playing soft background music. The ceilings were high and decorated with mouldings and gold and brown wallpaper and chandeliers that created soft and warm lighting. Believe it or not, there were even a few palm trees in pots. It was swanky, yes, but somehow it also felt very cozy, as if you could cuddle up with a good book and a blanket on one of the couches and enjoy an afternoon of reading. I could only imagine what the guest rooms would look like and got giddy with excitement.

  And I was not disappointed.

  When we entered the suite, the first thing I saw was the beach through the large circle top windows. There were so many windows that there was no room for artwork and it felt like you were actually on the beach. A chair and two big couches with lots of fluffy pillows were placed in front of the wood-burning fireplace that was surrounded by built-in shelves filled with books. The high ceilings and the soft lighting continued from the lobby and made the room feel grand but homey. There was another small sitting area facing the biggest window with the view of the pier. An opening in the wall lead to the bedroom that hosted the biggest four-poster bed I had ever seen. It was made up with a white comforter and white sheets and lots and lots of decorative pillows. A chaise lounge at the end of the bed and another seating area by the window completed the room. It was absolutely magnificent and I was in awe. I didn’t dare look at the bathroom for the risk of being overwhelmed by all this luxury.

  I flopped onto the bed backwards and stared at the intricate ceiling.

  “You like it?” Jason propped himself on his elbows so he was hovering above me.

  “I love it. It’s mind-blowing. But you didn’t have to do this. We could have stayed at your house.” I knew what simple rooms cost in L.A. hotels, and this one was far from simple, so I was aware that it probably cost a fortune. I wasn’t used to spending money like this and was a little uncomfortable with it.

  “Get that out of your head right now,” Jason once again proved his ability of reading me only too well. “We could stay here for the rest of our lives and still not have spent all our money.” My eyes grew wide. “Relax, Loreley. I pay a high price by being in the limelight the way I am and even though it guts me, you’re going to have no choice but be in the limelight with me. You haven’t seen yet what having your life lied and written about in the magazines can do, and I’ll do anything I have to do to make up for that part of our lives. I don’t care how much money it costs. I want us to have this before the news of us being married leaks. We deserve it. We haven’t had this and I need it. And I know you need it, too. Just you and I locked in this room for two days, room service and nothing but our naked bodies to explore. No outside distractions. No phones. No TV. Just us.”

  The way he said it, it sounded absolutely fantastic. To show him this, I gripped the edge of his shirt and pushed it up until he lifted his arms and I could take it off. Then I roamed my hands over the skin on his back and wrapped my legs around his hip.

  “Naked for two days, huh?” I tilted my hip up and ground into him, feeling his erection growing against me.

  “For two days and two nights,” he murmured against the skin of my neck where he was nibbling and licking and biting languorously.

  “That sounds perfect,” I sighed and the next second, my shirt was gone and Jason’s hands were working to take my jeans off. I followed suit and undid the buttons of his and less than a minute later, we were both naked and breathing heavily as we explored and loved every inch of each other.

  And we stayed like this for two whole days and nights with only short breaks to nap and eat: naked and hot, touching, exploring, giving, taking, loving.

  It was the best honeymoon ever.

  Chapter 20

  LORELEY

  Two days later, we had to leave our little bubble of happiness and privacy and were thrown back into reality as soon as we checked out of the hotel. Neither of us had checked our phones or watched TV or been on the internet for forty-eight hours so we didn’t know that someone had leaked the news of our wedding to the media.

  We were blinded by flashes as we walked out of the hotel and Frank had to cut a way for us to get through the paparazzi to the SUV that was parked out front. Jason had his arm around my shoulders and I was tugged into his side. Question after question and taunt after taunt was shouted at us, calling me a gold digger, calling Jason a man-whore who got duped, telling me not
to get too comfortable since everyone knew Jason got around. Some of the things they said were shocking and hurtful, but I tried to ignore their words and block them out in my effort to get to the safety of the car.

  That was, until I heard Jesse’s name.

  That started a whole different wave of questions and insults, the worst calling me a negligent mother who killed her son.

  I flinched and Jason swore under his breath. He started walking faster and told Frank to hurry the fuck up and get us to the car. I was shaking by the time we were sitting in the backseat.

  “Those fucking bastards,” Jason swore, making me flinch again. I was huddled in his arms, too shocked to do anything else but stare at the back of the front seat. “Baby, are you okay?” I shook my head, telling him that, no, I was most definitely not okay. “What the hell was that?” I whispered. “How do they know about Jesse?”

  “I don’t know. I’m so sorry, baby.” Jason kissed my temple and stroked my arm soothingly. He pulled out his phone with his other hand, turned it on and called Maggie.

  “Maggie, what the fuck? What the hell is going on?” He snarled at her. I was sitting so close I could hear her response.

  “I know. Don’t get me started. I’ve been trying to contain this for the past day.”

  “You didn’t think to warn me what we’d be walking into?” He was mad as hell.

  “You had your phone turned off, Jason, and you told me not to contact you under any circumstances. All I did was follow your orders, so keep your pants on. I’ve been doing my best here and I don’t like being snarled at,” she snapped back at him.

  Jason sighed as he leaned his head against the headrest and closed his eyes. “Fuck, Maggie. They called Loreley a negligent mother who killed her own son!” Jason’s body was shaking with fury.

  “Shit! How is she?” Maggie asked.

  “What do you think? She’s sitting in my arms right now, shaking and staring at nothing. Fuck!”

  I turned my head and snuggled in deeper as I hid my face in his neck. His arm around me tightened.

  “I’m sorry to say that that isn’t all they know, Jason. As soon as I put one fire out, there’s already another one blazing. They know things that I didn’t even know. And they have pictures.”

  “Pictures? What pictures?”

  “Of you. With other women. Backstage. Drunk. You name it, they have it.”

  “What the fuck? How?”

  “I’m not sure, but I have an idea. Some of the pictures I’ve seen can only come from someone who is or works close to you and has done so for a long time. It wasn’t me or Frank or any of the band, so it could have only been someone who worked on the team during the tours or…”

  “Or who, Maggie?”

  “Dana. I think Dana is doing this.”

  Jason pulled in a breath “That fucking bitch!” he exploded then kissed my temple in apology. But he didn’t need to. My shock was turning into rage.

  How dare she?

  How dare she take something so personal and traumatic and turn it into something to exploit like that?

  What a fucking bitch!

  I straightened in Jason’s arms and looked at him. His head came around and he met my eyes, fury meeting fury.

  “Call Robert. I want everything he’s got on this and I want him to sue her ass with anything he can come up with.”

  “Already on it. He’s just as furious as you are and he’s ensured me he’ll do whatever he can. You heading to the airport?” Maggie asked.

  “Yeah, we are.” Jason’s eyes were still locked on mine as he kept talking to Maggie.

  “Good. I booked you into First Class and made sure you get the special treatment.”

  “Thanks, Maggie.”

  “Don’t let them get to her, Jason.”

  “I won’t. Gotta let you go. I’ll call you when we land.” Then he hung up, his eyes still on mine. “You’re mad,” he said.

  “Oh, I’m mad. I don’t think I’ve ever been this mad in my whole life.” Even my voice was vibrating with anger.

  “That mad, huh? At me?”

  I ignored that stupid question and went on. “I’m gonna rip that bitch’s head off. Who does something like that? And for what? Because you wouldn’t fuck her? I hate women like that, who think they can lay claim to something that isn’t theirs, who twist the truths and turn them into something that fits their needs. I fucking hate them!”

  “Calm down, baby.”

  “I’m not gonna fucking calm down, Jason! She’s gone too far and she’s gonna pay for it!”

  “Yes, she is. I’ll make sure of it. Believe me, you’re not the only one who wants to rip her head off, but we gotta be smart about this. Let Robert do his job.”

  I clenched my teeth and glared at him. No way would I back off or calm down. If I ever saw that woman again, I was going to bitch-slap the shit out of her. I was hoping I would get that chance.

  “We gotta talk about something else. There’ll be paparazzi at the airport and I assume in Denver and Cedar Creek as well. The story has festered for a day now, which means they’ll be like vultures.”

  I nodded, understanding.

  Jason kept talking. “Maggie called ahead for the special treatment. That means we’ll be checked in right away and escorted to the First Class lounge where we’ll have our privacy. No reporters, no paparazzi, other then when we get out of the car, but Frank will be there to open the door for us and get us through the crowd.”

  I nodded again, telling him I could handle it. Nothing could be worse than what they had already thrown at us.

  “There are pictures.”

  “I heard,” I said through clenched teeth, not liking the thought of that.

  “Pictures of me, drunk. With other women.”

  “I heard that, too.”

  “I don’t want you to look at them.”

  “Oh, believe me, I don’t want to.”

  “That means no internet, no magazines, no TV reports, no nothing.” He seemed anxious. Did he think I was going to run for the hills and leave him over this?

  “I’m not leaving you, Jason. You should know better,” I said, offended. He gave me a soft kiss on the lips. “I know, baby. Thank you for that. I’m just trying to protect you. Seeing me like that would hurt you and I don’t want you hurt. If there were pictures of you out there with other men, I don’t know what I’d do.”

  I softened towards him and leaned my forehead against his. I sighed. “I know. I promise not to look at anything.” Another soft brush against my lips.

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m still gonna kick that bitch’s ass when I see her again.” Most of the fire had left me at his soft words and pleas, though I was still mad.”

  Jason chuckled. “You saying I won’t be able to stop you?”

  “Damn straight you won’t.”

  “Don’t worry. If we get the chance, I not only won’t try to stop you, but I’ll damn well cheer you on.”

  “Same here,” we heard Frank murmur from the front seat, making me giggle and Jason chuckle.

  We pulled up in front of Cooper’s. I could only see two people with cameras waiting.

  The situation at the airport in L.A. and Denver hadn’t been anywhere near as bad as the one in front of the hotel. There were less paparazzi around and Frank did a great job of cutting a path for us so we could get into the terminal quickly. The airport staff checked us in and we were escorted to the lounge within five minutes. It was early afternoon, but as soon as we boarded, we cuddled into our seats and fell asleep since we had to make up for the lack of sleep of the past few days. Not that I was complaining.

  We slept through the whole flight. When we landed in Denver, there were even less paparazzi, maybe a handful, and they weren’t half as bad as the ones in L.A. had been. Must be that Colorado friendliness and courtesy that every Coloradan was proud to possess. I was relieved that we had escaped the worst and could now hunker down in the mountains and wait for Bob t
o do his thing and the worst to blow over.

  “Why are we at the bar? I thought we were going home?” Jason got out of the car and walked around the back to open mine.

  “I told you they’d be throwing us a party as soon as we got back.”

  “The party is today?”

  “Yup. Right now to be precise.” He gave me a quick kiss then laced our fingers and walked us to the front door.

  “Ready?” He asked before he opened it. I nodded. “Ready.” I was excited to see all my family and friends and celebrate with them.

  Jason opened the door and we were greeted with loud shouts of “Congratulations!” and “Welcome Home!” It felt amazing to know that everyone was so happy for us. I saw my dad, Cal, Betty, and Pete stand in the front with big smiles on their faces. My dad opened his arms and I flew into them like I always did, as if I was still four years old. His arms wrapped around me tightly as he crushed me to his big body and pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

  “I’m so happy for you, my sweet baby girl.” His voice broke a little on the last two words, his relief telling me how worried he’d still been about me.

  “Thanks, daddy.” He squeezed me once more then handed me over to Betty, who swayed me back and forth in her arms.

  “I’m proud of you, Lola Girl. And so would your mom. And Jesse. So proud of you for making it through, for fighting and not giving up.”

  “Thank you, Betty.”

  Next was Pete, who, as usual, didn’t say anything, but expressed his feelings with a tight hug. As soon as Pete released me, I was attacked by my two best girlfriends. In pure Macy-fashion, she was jumping up and down with her arms around my neck while she squealed into my ear. Ivey was a little more reserved in her enthusiasm, though she had no choice but to bounce with us.

  “How was it? I want to hear everything! In detail! With pictures!” Ivey and I and everyone standing within a ten feet radius burst out laughing, knowing exactly what she was referring to.