by Ward, Alice
Jackson slid out of me, removed the condom and then we held each other for what seemed like hours. Finally, Jackson’s phone chimed with a message from John. He was downstairs waiting for us.
“I guess it’s time to go,” he announced reluctantly, kissing me again. “I wish that we could go home together tonight.”
“Me too,” I confessed. “Stupid student housing rules.”
“We’ll get a hotel room next time and spend the entire night together,” he promised as we dressed.
We made our way back to the elevator doors and summoned the car. As we waited, Jackson wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I leaned back against his chest.
“This really has been the most amazing night of my life,” I told him. “I feel like I’m living in a dream.”
“Get used to it, Kennedy,” he told me. “I think that this could be the beginning of a lifetime of happiness.”
CHAPTER 5
I woke up the next morning wondering if the night before had actually happened or if it had all been a wonderful dream. As I rolled out of bed I felt a sharp but welcome soreness between my legs and smiled… it had all been real. I turned to Lauren’s bed and saw that she wasn’t there. I glanced at the clock and realized I’d slept until one in the afternoon.
I crossed the room and studied my face in the mirror. My mascara was smeared under my eyes, but I looked more rested and content than I had in months. I decided to take a long hot shower and then drop by the Sigma Chi house. I grabbed my shower caddy and set off for the bathroom.
I was relieved to find the room empty and then I remembered that the semester was over and that Lauren and I would have most of the floor to ourselves for the next couple of months. Most students went home over the break, but Lauren had enrolled in summer session and there wasn’t room for me in my mom’s faculty apartment.
I stepped under the hot spray and wondered if Jackson would be living at his family’s estate over break or if he’d stay at the fraternity house. I fantasized about exploring our hometown together and let myself imagine what it would be like to visit the new Fiji resort as a guest of the owners. I decided to ask Jackson if we could go to the opening after all.
I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair and turned off the water. I dressed quickly in my favorite pair of jeans and a light purple sweater. I thought about blow drying my hair, but I didn’t want to take the extra time. I’d only been away from Jackson for a few hours, but I already missed him desperately. I returned to my room, weaved my hair into a quick braid, and then set off for the fraternity house.
As I walked across campus, everything around me seemed brighter and happier than it had the day before. The quad was crowded with students relaxing in the sunshine and unwinding from the hell of finals week. I greeted everyone with a smile and wondered if anyone else in the world had ever felt as happy as I did in that moment. I arrived at the Sigma Chi house and found David and Mark sitting on the porch swing.
“Hi Kennedy,” David greeted me nervously. “What are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to stop by and see Jackson,” I explained. “Is he here?”
“I’m not sure,” he replied slowly. He turned to Mark. “Didn’t he say that he was going to the gym?”
“I think so,” Mark confirmed and turned to me. “If you want, you can leave a message with us. We’ll make sure he gets hold of you when he gets back.”
“Okay, just tell him I stopped by.” I turned to leave, filled with disappointment. As I passed the side of the house, I spotted Jackson’s car parked at the back of the driveway. I turned around and stomped back onto the porch.
“Jackson’s car is here,” I said, trying not to sound like one of those girls. “I don’t think he’s at the gym. What are you trying to hide?”
“It’s really no big deal, Kennedy,” David assured me. “She just stopped by, I’m sure that Monty is telling her to hit the road as we speak.”
“Who just stopped by?” I demanded. My question was answered with absolute silence. I turned away from the guys and threw open the front door. I stormed into the house and found Jackson and Meredith in the living room. He was sitting on the couch and she was in his lap. It was almost the exact position he and I had been in the night before, only they both had their clothes on.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked, looking from one to the other.
They pulled their lips apart and looked up at the same time. A smug, satisfied smile crossed Meredith’s face, but Jackson’s was filled with panic. He pushed Meredith to the side and rushed towards me.
“Kennedy, this isn’t what it looks like,” he assured me.
“Really?” I hissed. “So you weren’t just grinding against your ex-girlfriend in the middle of the living room? I guess I need to have my eyes examined because that’s exactly what I saw.”
“She just showed up. I told her that I don’t want anything to do with her and she just forced herself on me. You must have walked in right as it happened. I swear I wasn’t kissing her back. I was trying to get her off of me.”
“Oh Jackson,” Meredith said playfully. “There’s no sense lying to her. She’ll realize soon enough that you’re not the man she thinks you are.” She turned to me. “I’m sure you’re a nice enough person, but Jackson and I understand each other. He has skeletons in his closet that you’d never be able to accept. You may as well cut your losses now.”
“Shut the fuck up, you lying slut,” Jackson growled.
I wasn’t sure what was more alarming, what I’d walked in on or the anger in Jackson’s voice when he talked to Meredith.
“Call me whatever you want, lover,” Meredith purred, her eyes scanning his body. “We both know I’m the only woman for you. The sooner your little townie fling realizes that, the better.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. “You two can have each other,” I said, moving for the door.
“Kennedy, please wait,” Jackson begged. “She’s lying, you’ve got to believe me. Don’t let her come between us.”
“Us? There’s no ‘us’ to come between,” I insisted with tears in my eyes. “I knew I shouldn’t trust you. I knew it! Was I just some sort of challenge for you? You wanted me because I was unobtainable and now that you’ve had me, you’ve lost interest?”
“That’s not it at all,” he insisted. “All I want is to be with you.”
“I don’t believe you,” I told him. “Please leave me alone.”
I left the house as quickly as I’d entered it. As I raced back to my room, I vowed to never give my heart away again.
***
“That rat bastard!” Lauren exclaimed. I’d arrived back at our room and found Lauren waiting impatiently for an update about my date with Jackson. Instead, I told her about finding him with Meredith.
“She was on top of him,” I sobbed. “He said that he was trying to push her away, but that’s not what it looked like. I slept with him last night, Lauren, and he was with her this afternoon.”
Lauren sat next to me on my bed and wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulder.
“It’s okay Kennedy… you’re going to be okay,” she assured me.
“I can’t believe I was so stupid. I let him convince me that he was a good guy,” I sobbed, my heart breaking into small slivers.
“He fooled all of us, Kennedy, you shouldn’t feel stupid. He worked so hard to win you over, there was no reason for any of us to suspect that his feelings weren’t genuine. This Meredith girl sounds like a real piece of work.”
“She’s a toxic bitch. The two of them deserve each other.”
“We need to go out and get your mind off of things,” Lauren insisted. “Let’s go get pedicures and then have a late lunch at that Cajun place you and your mom like so much.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere,” I replied and grabbed onto my pillow, as if it were the only thing that could protect me.
“Well, we’re not going to stay here and dwell on Jackson,” she argued. “I
f you don’t like my idea we can do something else. It’s a beautiful day outside, the fresh air and sunshine will make you feel better.”
As I considered her suggestion, my cell phone chimed. “It’s probably Jackson,” I groaned. “I don’t want to talk to him.”
“Well, I have plenty to say to the asshole,” Lauren replied, digging through my purse. She looked at the screen of my phone and tossed it to me. “It’s your mom.”
The phone stopped ringing just as I grabbed it. “Just as well, I don’t feel like talking to her right now anyway.” I tossed the phone onto the bed and it started ringing again.
“It must be important, you should probably answer,” Lauren advised.
I took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and slid my finger across the screen.
“Hello, Mother,” I answered.
“Hello darling, have you rested up after your finals?”
“Yes, I slept until almost one today.” That was true enough.
“That’s wonderful, sweetheart. I’m sure you needed it. Do you have plans this afternoon? I was hoping you could meet me at Monkfish for a late lunch.”
“I have plans with Lauren. Can we do it some other time?”
“I was really hoping to see you today, Kennedy. I have some exciting news. I think that you’ll be happy to hear it.”
Sighing, I relented. “Okay. What time do you want to meet?”
“Can you be there in an hour? I can pick you up if I need to.”
“That’s alright, I’ll meet you there,” I insisted. “I’ll see you soon.” I ended the call and turned to Lauren.
“She’s insisting that I meet her for a late lunch. She said that she has some news that I’ll be happy to hear.”
“I wonder what it is,” Lauren pondered.
“I don’t know, she’s probably having another book published. That’s the only thing she’s ever gotten this excited about.”
“Well lunch with her will make you feel better. Maybe some of her excitement will rub off on you. I’ll hang out here while you’re gone and we’ll do something when you get back. Maybe you, Becky and I can catch a late movie or something.”
“That sounds good, as long as we don’t see a romantic comedy. A good horror movie seems more fitting right now. I’ve got to get going if I want to catch the bus, I’ll see you in a little while.”
I walked to the bus station wondering what in the world my mother could possibly have to tell me that she couldn’t just say over the phone. She hadn’t mentioned anything about working on a new book and I wondered if the news had something to do with the mystery man who’d donated to the food drive. As the bus carried me to the other side of the city, I hoped that my mom’s generous suitor was a better man than mine.
***
My mother was already at the restaurant when I arrived. The hostess led me to her table and she stood to greet me with a fierce bear hug.
“Oh darling, I’m so happy you’re here,” she said with happy tears in her eyes.
“What’s going on, Mom?” I asked as I pulled away from her.
“Sit down, honey,” she insisted. I sat next to her at the table and she squeezed my hand. “Do you remember the last time we had brunch? When I told you that I’d started seeing someone?”
“Yes,” I smiled. “I take it things are going well with him?”
“Better than I ever expected, darling,” She gushed and held out her left hand. An enormous diamond sat on her ring finger.
“You’re engaged?” I asked in shock.
“I am,” she squealed like a child. “Oh, Kennedy, I feel like a young girl again. And I know you’re going to love him just as much as I do. It may be a little late in the game, but you’re finally going to have a real father.”
“I’m so happy for you, Mom,” I told her as I wrapped her in a hug. “So when do I get to meet this man who has you so excited?”
“Jackson and his son are meeting us here,” she replied. “They should be here anytime, I just wanted a few minutes to talk to you alone before they arrived.”
Jackson?! Surely not… it has to be a coincidence, there has to be hundreds of men named Jackson living in Boston.
As hard as I tried to convince myself otherwise, I knew the truth before anyone confirmed it. Suddenly everything made sense, the matching donation checks and Jackson’s father having my mom’s books in his library. Mom must have noticed the look of horror on my face as I realized what was happening.
“Kennedy, darling, are you alright?” She asked, her voice full of concern. “You look pale all of the sudden.”
“Mom, is your fiancée’s name Jackson Montgomery?” I asked, needing confirmation.
She looked surprised. “How did you know? Oh look, there they are now.”
Mom jumped up from the table and threw herself into the arms of Jackson Montgomery II. I turned and gave his son a cold stare, shifting uncomfortably in my seat.
What in the hell had I done to deserve this?
THE NOVEL
CHAPTER 1
“Kennedy, what’s wrong with you?” my mother asked, half teasing, half serious. “Can’t you get up to greet your new stepfather and brother?”
My stomach tied in knots as she led Jackson and his father to our table at Monkfish.
This can’t be happening. Mom is engaged to Jackson’s father? He and I are going to be related? Oh my God…
“Kennedy, you look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Mom put a supportive arm around me and lifted her free hand to my forehead. “You feel clammy, are you feeling okay?”
I felt like I was going to vomit. Images of Jackson and me on the museum roof flashed through my head as I awkwardly pretended not to know him.
“I’m sure she’s stunned, Gloria,” Jackson II said with a warm smile. “You’ve just given her quite a shock. You should have seen Jackson’s face when I told him we were engaged.”
I did my best to regain my composure and then rose to my feet. “Mr. Montgomery, it’s so nice to meet you,” I said, extending my hand. I met his clear blue eyes and marveled at the similarities between Jackson and his dad. Both had the same strong, square jaw and intense gaze. They also shared broad shoulders and soft blonde hair, though the elder Jackson Montgomery’s was tinged with grey.
Jackson the Second laughed and pulled me into a hug. “It’s so nice to finally meet you Kennedy. And none of this Mr. Montgomery nonsense, I insist you call me Jack. You’re mother has told me so much about you! I can’t wait to get to know you better. Shall we all sit down?”
He gestured to the table and we all took our seats. I couldn’t bring myself to look at Jackson, but I felt his burning stare as our parents continued to talk. I watched beads of condensation roll down my water glass and prayed I’d wake up from the nightmare.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Jackson,” my mother gushed.
“Kids, I know this news must seem sudden,” Jack added, beaming at each of in turn. “Gloria and I both want you to know that we never intended to keep secrets from you. To be honest, we haven’t been seeing each other very long.” He looked at my mother fondly. “We never expected things to become so serious so quickly, but we just can’t stay away from each other so we decided to make it official.”
“I’m just happy that you’re happy, Dad,” Jackson announced. “I can’t wait to get to know you better, Gloria. Any woman who could convince this guy to settle down has to be amazing.”
“Why thank you, Jackson.” My mother smiled. “I look forward to getting to know you too. And I think you and Kennedy will become as close as real brothers and sisters in no time. You two have so much in common!”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and finally met Jackson’s eye. He had a sly grin on his face and I could tell that he was amused by our situation. I was terrified that he’d do something to make it worse.
“I’m already quite fond of Kennedy,” Jackson told our parents.
“You know each other?” Jack asked
with a smile, looking from one of us to the other.
I didn’t know where Jackson would take the conversation so I interrupted and took control.
“We don’t know each other very well,” I insisted. “I was assigned to tutor Jackson this past semester. That’s all.”
“What a marvelous coincidence!” Mom exclaimed. “So you’ve already had a chance to get to know one another. Jackson, tell me how you fared on your finals after getting help from my brilliant little girl.”
“Mom,” I hiss, feeling the heat rise up my face.
“Oh for God’s sake, Kennedy, don’t be so modest,” Mom insisted. “It’s a well-known fact that you’re a genius. I’m sure Jackson learned a lot from you.”
“I did,” Jackson replied. “With Kennedy’s help I aced all of my finals. At least I think I aced them. We won’t have our final grades until next week, at the earliest.”
Mom nodded, still looking as if she was lit from within. I don’t remember the last time I’d seen her so happy. “I have a pile of exams to grade. I should be in my office working on them right now, but Jack and I just couldn’t keep our news quiet any longer.”
“I’m happy to hear you feel confident about your exams, Son,” Jack added. He looked at me. “It looks like you’re already being a good influence on Jackson. Gloria’s told me about all of your academic achievements. I’ve been hoping you’d rub off on him a bit.”
“Kennedy’s influenced more than my grades,” Jackson told him. He gave me an ‘I dare you to stop me’ daring look and panic filled me again. Oh shit. What was he going to say now?
Oh my God, he’s going to tell them.
“Is that so?” Jack asked, his voice lifted with curiosity.
“Jackson was kind enough to help out with our Future Leaders of America food drive,” I inserted quickly. “In addition to making a huge donation, he convinced all of his fraternity brothers to volunteer on donation day. The event was an unprecedented success. Thank you very much for your contribution as well.”
