by Donna Fasano
“Yeah, it sure is.” He reached his arm around her waist and they walked inside together.
Chapter 22
Thursday came and Jenna knew she had to call Marvin today with her answer, but she still hadn’t made a decision. She hoped taking the morning ballet class at Casey’s studio would stabilize her mind, but she never got there. As soon as she stepped out of Richardson’s Bed and Breakfast, she was surrounded by a group of reporters.
“Was your breakup with Sean Risk the reason they axed the Cassandra Dawson character?”
“Are you leaving Sunrise Lane because of your new role on Reaching Out?”
“Are you dating Jason Fresno?”
Cameras flashed and it was all Jenna could do to make it to her mother’s car. She gave no responses to their questions, but she sure had a few of her own. When she reached the North Cove Performing Arts Center, she actually saw two news-cam vans and swiftly turned tail, hoping she wasn’t recognized.
After driving down a few country roads, she pulled off to the side next to a patch of woods. Taking out her mobile, she called Marvin. As soon as he picked up, she said, “How does anyone know I was offered as role on Reaching Out? They’re even saying I’m dating Jason. Guess they figure that’s the only way I can get a job in this business.”
“Well, those things happen. Don’t worry. The buzz is good for you. Guess you saw it all over the Net.”
“No. I was just bombarded by reporters the minute I walked out the door.”
“Hmm. Might be a good idea to get some new publicity shots. How about tomorrow afternoon?”
“Marvin! I haven’t said yes. In fact, I’ve decided not to take the role.” There. She said it. She’d made her decision.
“You gotta be kidding.”
“No, I’m very serious. I’m going back to the ballet company.”
“Dumb move, kid. When you realize your mistake, don’t call me. I don’t have time for amateurs.” The voice of the normally pushy-but-sweet agent had turned so cold it left her staring into the now-silent phone with her mouth hanging open.
But then she smiled. No, she didn’t want to spend her days taking publicity photos and saying lines that didn’t mean anything to her. Or having her private life invaded by the media.
She just wanted to dance.
~*~
Jenna turned around examining herself in the full-length three-way mirror, one of the main reasons she’d decided to get ready in her mother’s bedroom. An ornate woodwork layout of closets lining the wall had been installed by Parker, the good son who could design, remodel or fix absolutely anything. It included a corner section of three panels, each comprised of a floor-to-ceiling mirror.
“What do you think, Mom? Do I look okay?” The metallic blue sheath that hugged Jenna’s slim curves had a second layer of sheer lace.
“You look fabulous, sweetheart. Lexi outdid herself with this dress. It fits you to a tee. It’s stylish, yet the lace makes it so feminine.”
She felt like a kid getting ready for a prom or something, especially since her mother was being so attentive.
At first when Jenna told her she was involved with Aiden, Lauren Richardson responded with her usual act, complaining that he was some low-income nobody and that Jenna had muffed it with the kind of man she should she really have, namely Sean Risk. But after all the tears and personal processing Jenna had been going through over her childhood fears and sadness, she was in no mood to humor her mother’s harsh judgment. She spoke back and made it clear what she really thought of Sean and his kind. As a final statement she told her mother she was in love with Aiden. “So don’t you dare say another word against him. He’s a good man. Like Daddy was.”
At that her mother had crumpled. Jenna comforted her, and for the first time, they talked about the past, their family, and her father’s death. And Jenna got a glimpse of Lauren, not just as her mother, but also as a woman. They talked about expectations and failings, hopes and dreams. And about being in love.
“It’s nearly time. I better get out in the lounge where I told Aiden to meet me.”
Running a brush through her long hair that hung loose, Jenna gave her mother a quick hug and donned a silk shawl. She’d sooner freeze than cover up Lexi’s dress. Jenna didn’t care if the only people to check her out were Aiden and the waiter. Even though she never made it to the big movie premiere, this was to be their special night.
Jenna raced downstairs and saw Aiden standing there in the B&B’s lounge in a slim-fitting tux. She’d never seen him in anything but jeans, and tonight he looked super sexy and downright delicious. But he was pacing. In fact, he seemed more nervous than she’d ever seen him.
Yesterday when she told him about her decision to go back to dancing, he seemed elated. He said he believed it was the right choice and that a fairy princess should be a dancer, whatever that meant. But when she told him she had given up her apartment in Manhattan and would have to find a new place to live, he hadn’t offered his. Not even to stay in until she found her own.
Was he having second thoughts about whether or not he loved her? Or could his loyalty to his late wife mean he would never live with another woman?
“Hey, handsome. Is anything wrong? You look worried. That’s usually my role.”
“Worried? No, I just want everything to go smoothly and—”Aiden literally dropped his jaw when he turned to see her. “You are spectacular,” he said, gaping at her with adoring eyes.
Jenna beamed. “Maybe you need a few caramel nut brownies to settle you down.”
He stepped forward and handed her a box that had her brother’s company label on it. He’d recently expanded his lawn and gardening business into what he really loved—growing and selling flowers.
Had she just said she felt like she was going to a prom? Aiden actually brought her wrist corsage of blue orchids.
“Parker said this is your favorite flower?”
“Yes! Thank you. I love it.” She slipped it onto her wrist and then Aiden handed her another box, this one flat and velvet and clearly a piece of jewelry.
She opened it and gasped at the necklace and earrings etched with stars and moons and planets, tiny red and blue and white gems set throughout. They looked real, especially the diamonds, and the metal looked like platinum or white gold. But she didn’t ask or look for a label. She didn’t care one way or the other, except she knew Aiden couldn’t possibly make much money working for a nonprofit foundation and she worried he might be a man who spent money he didn’t have.
“So beautiful.”
He fastened the necklace on her as she changed from her plain loops to the celestial dangles.
“Shall we?” he said, holding out his arm. She tucked her hand around his elbow and he led her out the door. They followed the shoveled path to the parking area and got inside Aiden’s Volt.
Jenna sat back prepared to relax and make the most of the long ride. “I hope the rush hour traffic isn’t too bad.”
“You can definitely forget about that problem.” Aiden maintained a respectable pace as he headed due west toward the city along the Middle Road. Finally, he veered to the left at a fork and headed south. Jenna thought it made sense. No doubt he wanted to avoid the Long Island Expressway. Always a good idea at this hour.
But then the journey took an interesting turn.
Aiden headed onto a small side road and pushed onward like a man who knew where he was going. The road led to a wide expanse of land. In the distance Jenna could see a small farmhouse.
“Is this a shortcut or something?” she asked.
“You might call it that.”
A minute or so later he drove onto a large field and brought the Chevy to a stop. “Okay this is it.”
Jenna stared at him, incredulous. “Aiden, what are we doing here?”
“We’re on our way to dinner…and stuff.”
“Here? In a field? It’s not like you to play jokes, but if this is one, I don’t get it.”
When
he answered with a shrug, she said, “Are you okay?”
He smiled and nodded. “I’m good.”
Her growing concern was stymied by the sound of an engine getting louder by the second.
“Perfect timing,” Aiden said.
A small black helicopter set down directly across from where they were parked. The man inside the cockpit waved as the craft landed squarely on the ground.
Aiden sprang from the car and ran to the passenger’s side to hold Jenna’s door. “That’s our ride.”
It suddenly dawned on Jenna. Everybody knew about the helicopter service that shuttled East Enders to and from Manhattan each day. But such a luxury service was generally something only available to those with bucks. It touched her heart that he’d want to do this for her, but she was now even more worried than she’d been over the jewelry. “Aiden, this is wonderful of you, but surely you can’t afford this.”
“Surely I can.”
The door popped open, and the two of them boarded the helicopter and relaxed into the super comfortable seats of the toasty cabin. Moments later they were sailing upward and gazing down on a patchwork of farms and fields covered by yesterday’s snow.
“You shouldn’t have,” Jenna said, resting her head against Aiden’s shoulder.
“Hey, we don’t want to be late. Now, stop worrying and enjoy it.”
The forty-minute trip seemed more like ten to Jenna. She and Aiden snuggled the whole way, sharing ideas about the fun things they’d like to do some day. Together.
The moment the helicopter arrived at the landing strip along the East River in Manhattan, Jenna and Aiden were met by a white limousine. A driver stood there holding the door as the two of them climbed in the back.
“I can’t believe this,” Jenna said, giddy but dumbfounded. “Your credit cards are going to moan.”
Aiden smiled and said once more, “Stop it, my little worrier. Just try to enjoy yourself.”
The car sped up FDR Drive, turned left on Forty-Second, and rolled straight into midtown.
“What restaurant are we going to?” Jenna asked.
“I forgot where they said our reservations are. But I can promise you this, it’s top of the line.”
“Okay. Now I really am confused. Where who said?”
He patted her hand. “Not to worry. That happens later. First we have to make a little stop.”
The car slowed up and turned west on Fifty-Fourth Street. As the limo moved slowly up the street, Jenna noticed a long stream of cars and news vans lining the curb.
“All this commotion. Wonder what’s going on.” She peeked up Fifty-Fourth from the window and saw the movie theater’s famous gold marquis with the signature written above it that read Ziegfeld. “Wait a minute. This is where the Aftermath premiere is being held. Aiden, where are you taking me?”
“To dinner. But I thought first you might want to see this movie.”
“We’re heading for the premiere? Don’t you know it’s not possible? You need an invitation. Aiden, you’re so sweet to want to do this for me. But they won’t let us in. Don’t even try. I don’t want to see either of us embarrassed.”
He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her cheek. “Nobody’s going to insult us. Believe me.”
As the limo pulled over to the curb amid a throng of screaming fans and paparazzi, through the tinted glass Jenna saw Sean Risk with his arm draped around a young nubile blonde standing on the red carpet. They were busy sucking up the limelight along with other members of the cast of Aftermath. Their coats were off as they posed like it was July beneath the heat lamps of the marquis.
“I can’t go out there, Aiden. Please tell the driver to move on. Let’s just go eat. We can have a great time somewhere else. Just the two of us. Please take me out of here before they see me.”
“But I want them to see you. You’re my date. Remember?”
Jenna knew Aiden was a bit eccentric. And stubborn. But this was too much. “Aiden, why do we have to—”
“Because I want to treat you to something special.”
How could she convince him? “Oh, Aiden, I love you so much. And I know you mean well. It’s just that we don’t belong here.”
“You’re wrong about that, Jenna. We certainly do belong here.”
The limo pulled over. A stocky man with silver hair and wearing what looked like an ultra-expensive Italian suit opened the limo’s rear door. He spoke with a thick Brooklyn accent. “You showed. I was getting nervous.”
“Told you I would.” Aiden turned to her. “Jenna, I’d like you to meet my agent, Michael Nubell.”
The man extended his hand to her. Jenna was so confused. “Nice to meet you, Michael. Did you pull some strings to get us in?”
“Funny girl.” Michael chuckled. “You guys are the big news everybody’s waiting for and you gotta pull my chain.”
Big news? What’s he talking about? Could he possibly mean the news making a fuss out of her breakup with Sean and leaving Sunrise Lane? But Aiden knew how much the gossip rags upset her. He would never ask her to stir that up again.
She let Michael help her onto the sidewalk.
Aiden followed her, placing his hand at her back. He leaned his head close to her ear, saying, “Jenna, promise not to be angry with me. But there’s something I haven’t told you.”
Michael signaled to a woman with a microphone, and she turned to the crowds. “It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, everybody. Introducing the elusive, the mysterious—and now we know he’s also pretty hot—Mr. K. Z. Knight!”
A burst of applause erupted. Aiden waved to the crowd. Jenna’s jaw dropped, but she quickly closed her mouth, knowing it would make her look horrible in all the photos that were being snapped of them.
She glanced up at Aiden and murmured, “Oh no. It can’t be.”
“Oh yeah. It can. And it is.” With a devilish grin he urged her toward the theater.
Jenna wanted to wring his neck for springing this on her, but instead she just let herself laugh. And enjoyed the thrill of walking the red carpet, not as a would-be actress on the arm of a man she didn’t even like, but as a woman so very proud of the man she loved.
~*~
Jenna stood next to Aiden at the railing of the cruise ship, looking out at the night sky over the Caribbean. The ballet company was on a short hiatus at the end of August, so Aiden suggested they get away.
They’d been living together since March. Aiden had asked her to move into his thirty-fourth floor apartment at Sixty-Seventh and Columbus as soon as his secret identity had been revealed.
Of course Jenna had a fantastic time at the Aftermath premiere, followed by an elegant dinner Aiden’s assistant had arranged, plus a pit stop at a party thrown by one of the producers. Then they spent the night in a luxury suite at the Marriott Marquis a few blocks from the movie theater.
That was when Jenna really lit into him for deceiving her for so long. They’d had quite a row, but Aiden had been sufficiently contrite to quell her anger—and the makeup sex was great.
Tonight was their last night of the cruise and they’d just had a wonderful dinner. Aiden had asked her to wear the necklace and earrings he’d given her. She’d later learned that they were indeed made of white gold with real diamonds, sapphires and rubies, but she no longer worried whether he could afford it.
They usually strolled the deck after dinner and stopped at various places to look out at the stars. At one point he turned to her in the soft light and touched the necklace. “Do you like this design?”
“I love it. You don’t know that by now?”
“Just wanted to make sure. Do you think it would make a nice ring?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think it would make a good engagement ring?”
“Probably.”
“Okay, but would you want it as an engagement ring?” He held her gaze, waiting for her answer, his intense emerald eyes and the tightness in his mouth telling Jenna this was more than a
casual conversation.
“Aiden Flynn, are you asking me to marry you?”
“I’m getting there, but it’s not coming out right.”
“Maybe this will help.” She snaked her arms around his neck, her fingers weaving into his hair, and kissed him deeply.
When she broke the kiss, he pressed his forehead to hers briefly, then sank to his knee, his hands skimming down her arms as he went.
Holding her hands, he looked up at her and said, “Jenna, you might think it hasn’t been that long since we met, but since that first night on the balcony I’ve felt there’s an invisible bond that connects us on the deepest levels. When I’m with you I feel complete.”
“It’s the same for me, Aiden. I feel like I’m truly myself for the first time in my life. Something about your love and being so in love with you makes that happen. It’s as if we’ve traveled light-years through the stars together.”
He took a ring from his pocket. “Then would you consider traveling together with me through the rest of our lives—as husband and wife?”
“Aiden, I would follow you across the Milky Way.” Jenna held out her hand and he slid the ring on her finger, a beautiful band of white gold inset with one large diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds, emeralds, rubies in a finely engraved constellation of stars.
“So that’s a yes?”
“You bet it is, my love.”
Epilogue
One year later
When Jenna was a little girl she used to drape herself in the living room’s sheer lace curtains and pretend she was a bride waltzing about the room, light as a cloud, with her dream-come-true husband.
Today she wore a bridal gown more beautiful than any she’d ever imagined (designed by Lexi of course) with a huge bell skirt and tightly fitted bodice studded with sparkling stars. She waltzed with the most wonderful man who was now her husband to “Our Love Is Here to Stay,” friends and family cheering them on.
