"Same." He reached for her left hand, turning the ring on her finger. "I see you accepted."
She looked at him, puzzled.
"Yeah, the bum told me. I advised him against it. Purely selfish reasons, mind you, but he wouldn’t buy it. You must be stoked, huh?"
Jessica nodded slightly.
"You oughta make him buy you a bigger rock, though." He advised. "So when’s the big day?"
She cleared her throat. "We haven’t really talked about it yet."
"Don’t ask me to give you away. I’ve done that already."
Jessie felt her face warm to his comment. His eyes then fixed on someone across the room, and Jessica followed his gaze to where Mac stood talking to Jackie. As if he felt their eyes, Mac put Jackie on hold and strode across to them.
"Glad you could make it, Pierce. It wouldn’t have been the same without you."
"I understand congratulations are in order?"
At Mac’s stunned expression, Dane pointed to Jessie’s ring.
"Oh! That…Yeah, well, you didn’t really think she’d turn me down, did you?"
"You can’t deny me my foolish hopes, MacKendall."
"Dane, there’s someone I’d like you to meet," Mac told him, motioning for Jackie to join them. As she approached, Mac grinned at Dane. "I’ll let Jessie introduce you, I can’t think of one damn positive thing to say."
"Thanks, MacKendall, I appreciate that."
Jessica stood up and punched Mac lightly in the stomach. "Be nice," she scolded.
"Why? He’s never nice to me," Mac complained, laughing.
"Jackie, this is Dane Pierce. Dane, Jackie Spencer. We’ve been friends since college. She’s an actress. Please, Jackie, sit down and entertain Dane. I have to mingle."
Jackie blushed and hesitantly sat down in Jessie’s chair. Dane adjusted his and moved closer in order to hear Jackie’s voice over the music that had just started.
Mac took Jessie’s hand, and as they walked away Jessie distinctly heard Dane’s teasing voice: "So, Jackie, are you going to be a big star someday?" Jessie turned quickly and caught his wink at her over Jackie’s shoulder.
Jessica hardly left Mac’s side the entire evening. She had come so close to losing him, in her mind, that she clung to him devotedly. Mac found nothing wrong with her fond attention, pausing periodically to kiss her and inquire about how she was feeling. She declined several offers of champagne in favor of ginger ale, and eventually stole into the ladies lounge with Roxie.
"Guess you and Mac worked things out?"
"Oh Roxie, you won’t believe this." Jessica carefully checked all the stalls to make sure of their privacy. "Mac isn’t…he can, I mean, have children. The baby is…our baby!"
Roxie threw her arms around Jessica spontaneously.
"And Rox, that’s not all." Jessie’s face was serious now, but her eyes were sparkling as she held out her left hand for Roxie’s inspection.
Roxie drew in her breath loudly. "Oh--my--God! He proposed?"
Jessica nodded happily and Roxie hugged her again.
"You must be in heaven."
"I am beyond heaven. And this party…you did this, didn’t you?"
"Well, everyone did. It was Mac’s idea, and everybody just kinda helped. Dane got together your friends from the picture, and he also bought all that champagne out there. Tom arranged the entertainment, and I did the hotel and the food."
"You guys…" Jessica shook her head.
"Jess? Would you believe me if I told you something?"
"Maybe…what?"
"That I knew last Christmas that you would be with Mac?"
"Get out of here."
Much to Jessica’s embarrassment, a round of toasts were raised in her honor during the evening, and she bit her lip as Dane stood from his corner table, glass in hand.
"I was going to get up and joke about having known Jess since she was a baby; but in truth, I only met her last summer on the set of Bellerive. Since that time, I have been lucky enough to watch her transform from a shy, naive, idealistic girl to a talented, dedicated actress, who is still naive and idealistic. Idealism and naiveté are assets in this business; without them, Jess would have never broken SAG rules by jumping into a role assigned to a friend who couldn’t show up for a shoot. I remember thinking that she was a purist; she had strong convictions and good business sense. She is…not afraid of hard work, probably one of her liabilities; and she is generous to a fault."
He paused to finish his drink. He turned to Jessica, who gave him a look that pleaded with him to stop. Ignoring her discomfort, he grinned instead.
"So. What am I saying? Jessica is a special person, someone I care very much about. And tonight, besides celebrating her birthday, it is my pleasure, my utmost honor, to be able to tell you that we are also celebrating Jessica’s engagement to my good friend, Mac MacKendall."
A roar of voices and applause filled the room. Dane at last held up his hand, obviously not finished.
"You know, I gotta say something here. It’s no secret that I have looked upon this lady with affection and…admiration from the start. Hollywood is fond of saying I’m a bad loser; I don’t know how they could say that, I haven’t lost anything yet," he grinned and there was general laughter. "For those of you keeping score, I’ve just won a six month court battle for the custody of my son, Alexander." More applause. He looked at Jessie and Mac again.
"But if I have to lose--some of the time,the care and attention of this delightful and lovely lady--there is no one on this earth I would rather lose to--no other I would entrust her to--than this man right here." He reached to extend his hand to Mac. They shook hands, and Dane leaned close to Mac’s ear, whispering, "Now you can’t say I’m never nice to you, asshole."
With new congratulations in order, the crowd converged on them, and Dane slipped away, seeking out Jackie to accompany him while he brooded.
On cue, the deejay resumed the music. Not a moment too soon for Jessica as Mac took her in his arms on the dance floor. She closed her eyes, letting the man of her dreams lead her slowly into the intimate, loving ritual of dance.
"Can we go soon?" she whispered in his ear as the song ended.
"Say the word."
"Soon," she replied. "We need to be alone."
"You’re telling me." Mac smiled, planting tiny kisses on her neck. They had a great deal to talk about. "Jess? When did you find out?"
"Yesterday afternoon."
"You should have told me--"
"Last night, I know."
"You’ll learn to trust me someday, I hope."
They made the rounds and said good-byes to several people, promising to meet Nick and Christine for breakfast. They were at the door when Jessica felt someone touch her arm. She turned to face Jackie at her side.
"Jess, I just wanted to thank you for…"
Jessica shook her head. "Don’t thank me. I did you no favor introducing you to Dane Pierce, Jackie. Believe me." She smiled knowingly and Jackie giggled.
"Do you think he’ll put me in his next picture?"
Mac and Jessie exchanged comic looks, and walked from the room.
~ * ~
"Can you believe what Dane said, Mac?" she called from the bathroom where she was washing her face.
"Quite a con, isn’t he?"
"No! He was sincere, didn’t you see?"
"Right. Sincerity is one of his…finest qualities."
"Just before we left, he told me to give you a message."
"What now?"
"He said, ‘when Mac comes to his senses about what he’s done, tell him I have a bottle of tequila ready with his name on it.’ Now what do you suppose he meant by that? He knows you don’t drink tequila."
Mac chuckled to himself. Pierce was truly a character. His head hurt just thinking about the night at the cantina.
Jessica slid between the sheets next to him, leaving the light on. He turned toward her and slowly pulled the sheet off of her, revealing a sexy pin
k lace camisole and dainty matching bottoms. His touch was light but purposeful as he slid his fingers across her abdomen and rested his hand just above the panties.
"How does it feel?" he asked softly.
"At this point, I feel the baby in my heart, not my stomach."
"You were pregnant before…" he began, somewhat hesitant. "Do you mind talking about it?"
"I don’t mind, now. I was working on a play, at a theater in Ventura. We lived in Ventura, for awhile. It was The Crucible. I loved it. Wesley hated my being gone so much, when his jobs were so hit and miss…I was often home late."
"You overdid it."
"No. That’s what Wesley told everyone, what he believed."
"But?"
"I was only three months pregnant; one night a friend drove me home, a co-worker, a guy from the play. I wasn’t feeling well. Wesley was enraged. He took his anger out on me…and the baby." A single tear came to her eye. "I miscarried that night. I lied when they examined me. I was afraid they’d put Wesley in jail. I loved him then, despite his craziness. But losing the baby was more than our relationship could stand."
Mac let out a long sigh. If he had known Wesley had abused Jessica, he would have made certain that Wesley remained unconscious--forever.
"To me, he was remorseful; but to everyone else he blamed my working. I almost believed his story, and I became despondent also. I finally went to stay with Christine, and Wesley moved to Washington."
Mac moved to lay his head on her stomach. "Are you scared, Jessie?"
"No, I’m…elated." She reflected silently for a moment. "Mac, in Utah, after you flew back to L.A., and I was alone in that big room, I thought a lot about…what I thought I’d heard, that you couldn’t have any more children. I decided right then that it didn’t matter, that I would be happy to stay childless if it meant I could be with you. After all, who could want more than the beautiful daughter you already have?" She ran her fingers through his hair.
"When I first found out, yesterday afternoon, I was in such shock, I can’t tell you. All I could think about was that it was impossible. Later, as it sank in, I was afraid that Dane had lied to me. I was so terrified, so afraid of not knowing…and I felt so, so stupid. I thought I would lose you."
"It wouldn’t have mattered." Mac sighed and she felt his warm breath on her stomach. "Who knows better than I that you and Dane have had many opportunities to…become intimate. I knew that when I decided I loved you too much to stand by and let him continue toying with you. In fact, it was my fear that you were already pregnant when you became ill on the island. I was already living with the possibility."
"Mac, there’s something else you should know."
Now he moved up, gently sliding his body onto hers, her serious tone concerning him as he looked deeply into her eyes.
"About Dane and I. It’s not like you think. We were only together…on two occasions."
He frowned in disbelief.
"It’s true, Mac. The first time was before you and I met. The second was…the same night you spent with Lauren."
"Really?" he whispered in clear amazement.
"I didn’t know what was happening. I was bewildered, confused…no, I was crushed, when she answered your phone. I went to Dane for solace. It was wrong, I know, but I was incredibly miserable."
"I’m sure he was most sympathetic."
"Actually, he told me I was in love with you. He said that you were in love with me but wouldn’t admit it. And," she smiled softly, placing her hands on his cheeks affectionately, "he told me why you punched him out."
"Okay. I give up. Dane Pierce is an angel in disguise."
His lips sought hers. He kissed her with renewed passion, not unlike the first time outside on the walk.
"We haven’t made love for eight days," she whispered.
"And two hours, forty-six minutes," he answered, reaching for the lamp on the nightstand. The room fell into darkness. "Still want to marry me?" he teased.
"More than ever."
He gently moved off of her now and pulled her onto him, stroking her back with long, soft caresses.
"I’ve missed this…" he whispered. "I’ve missed loving you."
Fourteen
Lessons Learned
"Jess! The phone’s ringing!" Roxanne called over the sound of Phil Collins’ voice as the girls exercised in time with the music. Jessica scurried to turn the volume down and reached for the phone.
"Hello?" she panted, brushing the hair back from her forehead.
"Hi baby, you sound out of breath."
"I am. Roxie and I are working out. I feel like I’m getting fat," she laughed.
"You’re supposed to be getting fat," Mac teased. "Honey, I’ve got bad news."
"You’re going to be late again."
"Yeah, I’m sorry. You know how these things go…we’ve had some last minute set changes, and I think this damned heat melted some of our film," he joked. "But I should be home around…ten, I hope. I’ll eat here. Maybe Roxie can keep you company for dinner?"
"Mac, I don’t need a baby-sitter. I’ll be fine by myself. But…I’ll miss you. I’ll wait up. I’ve got plenty to do on Meggie’s room before she comes next week, so don’t worry, okay?"
"Okay. I know this is the third time this week; I’ll make it up to you. I love you."
"I love you, too," she said softly and hung up the phone.
She was still smiling when she returned to Roxie, who stood waiting with her arms akimbo.
"Romeo?"
Jessie nodded.
"You two make me sick. All this mush, all the time."
"As if you didn’t "mush" over Tom, all the time." They giggled and turned the music back up, resuming their work out. They exercised for another five minutes, and were again interrupted by the telephone.
"Honestly!" Jessica complained, again turning the knob on the stereo and running to the phone.
"MacKendall-Taylor," she answered, grinning at Roxie.
"Now that’s cute. How ya doin’, sweetcakes?"
"Hi Dane, fine, thank you," she panted. "How are you?"
"No complaints. Are you panting at the sound of my voice?"
"Sorry, darling…I’m working out my anxieties with Phil. What’s up?"
"The heat, for one thing. Hey, I have a little news to pass on, we have Season scheduled to premiere mid-December. So don’t run off and get married or anything, okay?"
"Okay, I’ll try to be in town."
There was a pause and Dane continued.
"I was wondering if you and I could get together…for dinner maybe."
Jessica’s eyes widened and she stared across the room at Roxie, who frowned in concern.
"What for?" she managed. Don’t rock my boat, Dane. Not now.
"I need to talk to you. It’s important, Jess."
"Well, I don’t know, Dane. I’m pretty busy, Mac’s daughter is coming to stay with us for a couple of weeks, and I haven’t finished her room, and…"
"And the air in your tires needs changing. Come on, Jess, give me a break. You can’t spare a couple of hours for me?"
She could see his eyes before her, imploring her to give in, just a little, this once. She bit her lip. Roxie was still frowning at her from across the room.
"Dane, I don’t think it’s a good idea." The sound of her own answer depressed her. He was silent, so she offered an alternative. "Maybe lunch?"
"Dinner. A quick one. I promise. Tonight, Jess, I really have to see you." She wasn’t giving in, so he went for blood. "I would think after everything we’ve been through, Jessica, that you’d at least consider seeing me briefly…my future is rather…uncertain at the moment, and I just need to talk something out with someone who…really knows me. Like you do."
"Ruby? This is Jessica. Yes, that’s right…he’s not? Could you make sure he gets a message? Tell him I’m having dinner with…a friend…and I should still be home before him anyway…but just in case I wanted him to know I was going out.
It’s important, Ruby, please make sure you tell him."
"Certainly, Miss Jesseeca. I tell him. He take a break always at 6:30, only in a little while. You want him to call?"
"No, that’s not necessary. Just give him the message."
Jessie sighed and pulled off the second pair of jeans that wouldn’t snap around her waist. Nearly everything she’d worn in the Caribbean was too tight, now that she was beginning to fill out. Even her bra was tight and uncomfortable, and she made a mental note to go shopping for new ones.
Finally finding a pair of Levis that would close, she struggled with the zipper and managed to finish dressing. She chose an airy, white cotton shirt and white sandal heels, topping her hair with a white satin ribbon.
In the garage, she paused before the Miata, choosing to drive the Lotus instead. She’d agreed to pick Dane up at his house, and thought perhaps the sight of Mac’s car would make a sobering impression on him. For one thing was certain: she was determined that tonight, Dane Pierce was going to get real clear about her situation.
She kicked off the pumps and drove barefoot from Laurel to Benedict Canyon, enjoying the admiring stares she got from other motorists. The Lotus was a fine car, and she’d been driving it a lot lately; Mac still preferred his old truck for driving to work and back. Parking the Lotus on the studio lot made him crazy.
At the Pierce mansion she was greeted at the door by a small boy with sandy brown hair and mischievous green eyes. She squatted down on the porch and held out her hand.
"Hello Alex, I’m Jessica."
The little boy turned to flee and ran smack into his father, who’d heard the bell and was just buttoning his shirt.
"Hi Jess…I’ll be just a minute." Dane called to Peter over his shoulder, then lifted his son into his arms. "Okay champ, Dad’s gonna leave for a bit. You be good for Uncle Peter, you understand? Don’t put any more crayons in the microwave. If you’re nice, we’ll go ride the horse again tomorrow. Now, when Pete says it’s bedtime, it’s off with you. Okay, bud?"
"Yup," Alexander nodded, shyly peeking at Jessica. Dane put him on his feet and watched with a smile as the little boy sped off. He closed the front door and joined Jessica on the porch. Spying the Lotus, he whistled. "Engagement gift?"
Starcrossed Hearts Page 24
