Jackson grimaced at the unwelcome memories. Running was supposed to be his sanctuary.
What the hell was wrong with him anyway? He and Jillian hadn’t been close in the last ten years. He could probably count on one hand the number of times they’d spoken to each other since that day, along with the number of times he’d thought about her. Now he couldn’t seem to get her off his mind.
It didn’t help that she was everywhere in the last week. If he was the paranoid type, he’d think fate was conspiring against him by putting her in his path so often, and if he was smart, he’d call Mrs. Somers and tell her something had come up and he couldn’t make it to dinner.
No good could come of having dinner with Jill and her family, no matter what his grandpa thought.
Jillian did not spend extra time getting ready for dinner because she wanted Jackson to realize what he’d missed out on. Nope, he had nothing to do with it. She did it because it felt good to be dressed up.
Well, she wasn’t exactly dressed up. The ankle length skirt she wore was denim, and she’d paired it with a burgundy sweater. A sweater that she made sure was a turtleneck so she could hide the necklace she wore. Her favorite brown, high heeled boots completed the outfit and came with the added bonus of making her a couple of inches taller.
“Jill, are you almost ready?” Shelby called. “Garrett’s supposed to be here any minute!”
Jillian spared one final look in the mirror before leaving the bathroom. Stepping into the hallway, she nearly collided with Shelby.
“Sorry,” Shelby said and then frowned. “Oh, hell, were we supposed to dress up?”
“I’m not dressed up.”
“You’re wearing a skirt and your good boots.”
“It’s a denim skirt, and I like these boots. They look good with this sweater.”
Shelby tilted her head to one side, assessing her in a way that made Jillian want to squirm. It reminded her too much of their mother who always got that look when she was trying to catch them in a lie.
“Which one of them are you trying to look good for?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about,” Shelby insisted. “Are you trying to look good for Jackson so he’ll be sorry he let you go or Garrett so he’ll do everything he can to get you back?”
“I already told you Garrett and I are just friends,” Jillian reminded her.
Shelby gave her a sly smile. “So you want to look good for Jackson?”
“Why can’t I just want to look good for myself?”
“Then you admit you’re trying to look good?”
Jillian heaved a sigh, all set to tell her sister to drop it when the doorbell rang. As usual, the sound sent Mufasa racing toward the door, barking all the way.
When she opened the door, with Mufasa puffed up behind her, Garrett offered her a smile.
“Hey, Jill, you look great,” Garrett said.
Shelby smirked as she came to stand beside Jillian. “Hello, Garrett.”
“Hello,” Garrett repeated. “You look beautiful, Shell.”
“Thank you.” Shelby’s smirk gave way to a warm smile. “We should probably get going. Mom will kill us if we’re late.”
Garrett grinned. “No need to worry about that when you’re in the presence of a highly trained Marine.”
The three of them shared a laugh as Jillian and Shelby stepped outside. Jillian paused to lock the door before she and Shelby followed Garrett to his car. Jillian frowned when her sister climbed into the backseat instead of trying to sit up front beside Garrett.
“Oh, shoot,” Shelby said. “I left my sweater inside.”
“I’ll wait if you want to run in and get it,” Garrett offered.
“Do you think you could get it, Jill?” Shelby asked, giving her a sweet smile when Jillian turned to look at her. “I would go, but it’d be easier if you did it since I’m back here and all.”
Now she knew why Shelby had crawled into the backseat, and it was all she could do not to roll her eyes at how obvious her sister was. If Garrett decided to pursue a relationship with her, the man was going to have his hands full with Jillian’s sweetly devious sister.
Taking a deep breath, Jackson lifted his finger to the doorbell of the Somers’ house. The door swung open, and he exhaled at the sight of Sophia smiling at him.
“Jackson, come in. We’re so glad you could make it.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, holding a bottle of wine in her direction. “I know you said I didn’t need to bring anything, but my grandpa always says its bad manners to show up empty handed.”
Sophia reached for the bottle. “Thank you. That’s very sweet. How is Walt?”
“He’s good.”
“And your father, how has he been?”
Jackson wouldn’t have blamed her for sounding bitter. There wasn’t even a trace of the hurt that she’d surely felt when Vince had cut her and Ron out of his life after Jackson’s mother died.
“Dad’s fine,” Jackson answered.
“I’m glad to hear that.” Sophia gave him a soft smile. “I’d better get this bottle into the refrigerator before it loses its chill. Everyone is in the family room. You know the way.”
Ignoring the guilt that observation made him feel, Jackson headed into the family room.
Ron was the first to spot him. “Jackson,” he said, extending his hand as he got to his feet. “Glad you could make it.”
“Thank you for inviting me, sir,” Jackson said and gave Ron a hearty handshake.
“Of course, you’re welcome here anytime. You know that.” Ron gestured toward the couch. “You remember Garrett Nash?”
Jackson remembered him all right. He wasn’t any happier to see the man now than he’d been for the past two nights, but he put on a friendly face and held out a hand for Garrett to shake. Though Jackson’s grip was a little harder than necessary, Garrett didn’t seem intimidated. If anything, the gleam in his eyes said he welcomed whatever challenge Jackson was issuing.
“It’s good to see you again, Jackson,” Shelby said, grinning at him. “You’re looking mighty fine this evening.”
“Um, thanks,” Jackson said while Jillian turned to glare at her sister.
“Sit down, son,” Ron said, nodding toward the empty love seat. “We’ve got a few minutes before dinner’s ready.”
Jackson tried not to stare at Jillian as he took the seat across from her, but it was damn near impossible. The burgundy sweater she wore was the perfect compliment to her dark eyes and flawless skin.
“Garrett was just telling us about the time he spent in Japan,” Jillian said.
“It sounds so exciting,” Shelby added, turning a brilliant smile in Garrett’s direction. “It must be great being able to see so many exotic places while you’re serving our country.”
Jackson ground his teeth together. The last thing he wanted to do was spend the evening listening to stories of Garrett the Great. Thankfully, Sophia entered the room and Jackson was given a reprieve.
“Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes,” Sophia said. “That’s plenty of time for Jillian to play us something.”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Ron agreed.
“I don’t know,” Jillian said. “I’m sure no one wants to hear me play, especially not Shelby. She has to listen to it for hours a day.”
“I love hearing you play,” Shelby said, smiling at her sister.
Jillian returned her sister’s smile before looking at Sophia. “You should play, Mom.”
“I’d much rather hear you play,” Sophia said.
“I’d love to hear you play again, Jill,” Garrett said, and Jackson blanched.
“I’m sure Jackson agrees.” Sophia turned to smile at him. “Don’t you?”
No, he did not agree. Jackson did not want to hear Jillian play because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his feelings for her from showing on his face. Since he couldn’t admit that, he forced a smile
and tried to look enthusiastic when he nodded his agreement.
With Jillian leading the way, and Jackson trailing as far behind as he could, everyone made their way into the front room.
The grand piano was as beautiful as Jackson remembered. Black and shiny, it was as imposing as it was impressive. While he’d always dreaded taking a seat on the bench in front of it, knowing nothing good was going to come from his half-hearted attempts to play, Jillian looked like she belonged there.
No one asked what she was going to play, nor did she take any requests or even look at the sheet music in front of her. When her fingers began to move gracefully over the keys, Jackson drew in a sharp breath, overwhelmed by the memory of a song he hadn’t heard in ten years.
‘What’s that you’re playing?’
Jillian didn’t look at Jackson as he slid onto the piano bench next to her. ‘It’s called Wedding of Love.’
‘It’s real nice, mellow you know.’
‘It is, and I love how it sounds hopeful and kind of haunting at the same time.’
Jackson paused to listen for a moment and realized she was right. She always saw a depth to music that he’d never been able to.
‘I don’t know why my mom’s still making me take piano lessons,’ Jackson complained. ‘It’s not like I’m getting any better.’
Jillian smiled. ‘That’s because you don’t want to get better.’
‘I don’t really need to.’
‘Why not?’
‘Have you ever heard of a plumber that plays piano?’
‘That’s what you’re going to do when you grow up?’
Jackson shrugged. ‘I guess so. My grandpa does it and so does my dad.’
‘Yeah, but you can do whatever you want,’ Jillian said. ‘If you want to play piano then you should play piano. And if you want to be a plumber who plays piano, be a plumber who plays piano.’
‘Nah, I’ll just be a regular plumber and you can play piano for me every night.’
‘Every night, huh?’
‘Yeah, I think that’d be real nice after working all day.’
‘Do you really think you’ll want to come to my house every night after working all day?’
‘I won’t have to since we’ll be living together.’
Jillian slid her eyes toward him. ‘You mean like roommates?’
‘No, like husband and wife.’
‘So you’re saying you want to marry me?’
Jillian giggled, but Jackson kept a straight face.
‘Yeah, I do. I figured you knew that. Do you want to marry me, Jill?’
Jillian’s cheeks were bright pink, but she smiled. ‘It’s all I’ve ever wanted, Jack.’
Jackson was only fifteen years old, and Jillian wouldn’t be fifteen for another few weeks, but that didn’t matter. Jillian was born for him, just like he was born for her, and the day they got married, he was going to tell her so.
Jillian had no idea what made her decide to play Wedding of Love. For the last ten years, she’d avoided that song. Tonight, when she’d sat down, it flew from her fingers before she had time to rein it in, as though her heart knew what her head refused to let her accept.
No matter how much time passed, no matter what happened between them, she would always want Jackson. She would always love him and would never stop hoping that he would love her again.
From the look on Jackson’s face, he remembered the song and what he’d said to her the first time he’d heard it.
‘Do you want to marry me, Jill?’
‘It’s all I’ve ever wanted, Jack.’
Those words seemed like they’d been spoken a lifetime ago, but she’d meant them.
From the moment she’d been born, just a few weeks after him, they’d been inseparable thanks to their parents’ friendship. Growing up, they’d gone from best buddies to best friends to being on the verge of a beautiful romance.
Everything changed after his mom died. Jackson distanced himself from her. Even though he’d been so hateful to her on the day of his mother’s funeral, she hadn’t blamed him. She’d been convinced he would come around and tell her how sorry he was.
He hadn’t apologized. In fact, he’d gone out of his way to avoid her. He’d immersed himself in school sports, surrounding himself with new friends while every girl in their class lusted after the wonderful Jackson Wilder.
As the end of the song drew near, Jackson’s words danced in her head. ‘It’s real nice, mellow you know.’
‘It is, and I love how it sounds hopeful and kind of haunting at the same time.’
Hopeful and haunting at the same time, the words could have been meant for her relationship with Jackson. In the beginning, she’d been hopeful for the future they would have. Since it ended, before it ever fully started, she was haunted by what could have been.
“Wow,” Garrett said softly. “I don’t know how you did it, Jill, but you got better since the last time I heard you play.”
Jillian smiled up at him. “Thank you.”
“That was beautiful, Jillian,” Sophia murmured. “Marriage D’amour has always been one of my favorite pieces.”
“Are you crying, Mom?” Shelby joked.
“No, I am not,” Sophia said, but she did sniffle before taking a deep breath. “Now then, why don’t you all head into the dining room while I get dinner on the table?”
“Do you need any help?” Shelby offered.
“Your father can help me.”
While her father followed her mother into the kitchen, Shelby and Garrett turned in the direction of the dining room. Rather than following them, Jackson lingered beside the piano, a faraway gaze in his eyes.
When she stood, and he still didn’t move, Jillian turned to frown at him. “Are you all right, Jack?”
“I remember that song, beautiful and haunting at the same time.”
Jillian didn’t give herself time to think about what she was doing. Stepping into his personal space, she grabbed handfuls of his shirt and backed him into the wall, making the pictures behind him rattle from the effort. Jackson could have stopped her, but he was either too surprised to react or he wanted this as much as she did.
All of her senses were assaulted as she pressed her lips to his. Jackson’s mouth was soft yet still firm against hers. Beneath the hint of spearmint gum, she tasted something that was uniquely his.
Loosening her grip on his shirt, she ran her hands over the defined pectoral muscles hidden underneath. Behind her closed eyelids, she imagined him standing naked in the locker room, rivulets of water trailing down the hard planes of his broad chest and rippled stomach. With no space between their bodies, she felt the hard length of his erection nudging against her thigh.
Jillian forced herself to step back, a small smile playing on her lips. “I guess you were right, Jack. It does get bigger.”
Not giving him the chance to respond, she turned and walked away.
What the hell was that?
Still leaning against the wall, because he wasn’t sure he could walk yet, Jackson stared after Jillian.
Whatever that was, it was nothing like the kiss they’d shared on her fifteenth birthday. That kiss had been sweet and full of the promise of wonderful things to come.
Tonight she’d kissed him with confidence and passion and a promise that it was likely he couldn’t handle the things to come. And she kissed like a woman who knew what she was doing.
The thought of all the men who’d helped her perfect that technique made him grimace. No doubt Garrett was one of those men and would like to be again, and that pissed him off.
Jackson wasn’t pissed at Garrett for wanting to kiss Jillian. What man in his right mind wouldn’t want to kiss her? He was pissed at himself for the fact that he wanted her so much and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. And he was pissed at Jillian for putting him in that position.
Just because he was an asshole didn’t mean he was the kind of man to move in when another man was trying
to stake a claim. Considering the way she’d just kissed him, maybe she didn’t want Garrett staking his claim. Maybe that kiss was her way of staking a claim of her own, and damned if he knew what he should do about it.
Jackson’s gaze drifted to the front door. It would be easy enough to walk out. With everyone in the dining room, no one would notice. He could say he got an emergency call. No one would know he was lying.
Squaring his shoulders as he pulled himself upright, Jackson took a deep breath. He could do this. It was just dinner and then he was out of there.
Since Jackson was the last to enter the dining room, he was forced to take the only empty chair which happened to be next to Garrett. Once Jackson was seated, everyone bowed their heads and Ron said grace before they all dug in.
With the festival starting tomorrow, it was the main topic of conversation. Everyone was looking forward to it, especially Garrett who hadn’t been to one in four years.
Jillian couldn’t imagine missing one festival, let alone four of them. It was a fun filled three day event and one of the things she loved most about Sapphire Falls. Where else in the world could you take three days off of work to do things like go on a hayride or have a paintball fight or a costume party in the town square?
Maybe this year, she’d finally get to ride the Ferris wheel. When she and Garrett were dating, he’d tried more than once to get her on the Ferris wheel, but she’d always refused.
Everyone knew what happened once a guy kissed a girl on the Ferris wheel. It was as good as saying he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. There was only one guy she wanted to experience those things with. Now that she’d kissed him again, she was hopeful Jackson was finally ready to give them a chance.
She could picture it now. Jackson would take her hand and draw her toward the Ferris wheel, practically dragging her. When Jillian laughed and asked what he was doing, he would give her that trademark grin and say…
“I should probably get going.”
Jackson’s abrupt announcement pulled Jillian from her fantasy.
Sophia turned toward him. “Are you sure you have to run off before dessert?”
Sapphire Falls: Going for Wilder (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 6
