Damaged In-Law
Page 20
Jack rears back and barrels into my eager body, splitting me in two as we both careen over the edge. My back arches deeply as he comes inside of me, filling up every inch. My body buzzes with delight as we hang suspended in this moment, folding in on each other, entirely spent. He collapses next to me on the narrow bed as I fit myself to his side, our chests heaving in unison as we struggle to catch our breath.
The sun has already begun its descent before either of us can manage to say a word.
“You know, I don’t have any idea what the fallout from all this is going to be,” Jack says, running his hand along my side, “But I think this was a pretty solid first step.”
“Don’t worry,” I tell him, a sleepy smile breaking across my face, “I’ve got the master plan all worked out.”
“Is that right?” he says, raising his perfect eyebrows, “Well, do you want to fill me in on the specifics?”
“Absolutely,” I smile, planting a kiss on his forehead, “But only if you have that cup of coffee with me, like you promised.”
“That, I think I can manage,” he laughs, pulling me into a warm hug. “You’re a pretty incredible woman, you know that?”
“If you think so now,” I grin, “Just wait until you see my next trick.”
Epilogue
One month later…
“And we’re back in three…two…” the camera man mutters, giving us the go-ahead as the “recording” light glows red on his monitor.
“Welcome back,” purrs Garland Hayes, fixing his eyes on the camera. “If you’re just joining us, we’re here with Callie Benson and Jackson Cole. In our exclusive interview, we’ve covered these stars’ lasting childhood connection, their shared devotion to Callie’s late twin sister Avery Benson, and the harrowing nightmare that was Apollo Pictures’ City in Red.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the second camera lingering on me and Jack. We’re sitting side-by-side in the living room of my—sorry, our—apartment, calming recounting the ordeal we made it through together. Garland Hayes wasted no time cashing in on the interview I promised him in front of the Apollo offices, and it’s a good thing he did. For the past few hours, Jack and I have had the rare opportunity to set the record straight on our past, our relationship, and what went down on the set of our disastrous film. It hasn’t been the easiest ground to retread, but the world will know the truth now. And that is quite the blessing.
“Callie,” Garland goes on, his silver hair shimmering in the soft lights, “Does it put your mind at ease at all, knowing that Rupert Davies has been ousted for his horrible acts against women? Your bravery in speaking out allowed so many other women to do the same.”
“I wish more than anything that none of those women had to suffer in the first place,” I reply, speaking around the knot in my throat, “Maybe if those in power, who knew full well what Rupert Davies was capable of, had acted sooner, my sister would still be with us today. But it easier to sleep at night, knowing that he’ll most likely be going to jail for a very long time. And certainly never working in Hollywood again.”
“You could say the same for Miriam Blake,” Garland goes on, “She handed in her resignation, what, a week ago?”
“That’s right Garland,” Jack cuts in, “City of Red has been shelved. Possibly forever. Now we can all work on putting it behind us and moving on to much, much happier times.”
He steals a glance at me here, and my heart swells to the point of bursting.
“Are you at all disappointed that your movie was scrapped, Jackson?” Garland asks, pouting sympathetically.
“Oh sure,” Jack shrugs, “Though I’m mostly sorry that the great cast and crew lost work because of our director’s indiscretions. But at the end of the day, City in Red was just another cop movie. I look forward to working on better, more innovative films in the future.”
“Have you found that your careers have suffered from this whole debacle?” Garland asks, though of course he already knows the answer.
“Actually,” Jack chuckles, “My career has never been brighter. Once word got out that Apollo fired me for stopping Rupert before he could hurt Callie, everyone in town wanted me in their movies! I had offers coming left, right, and center. Apollo thought they were going to crush me, but thanks to Callie’s courage and grace, they’re the ones who have to answer for what they’ve done.”
“What about you, Callie?” Garland asks me, “Are you fielding a ton of new movie offers as well?”
“My fair share,” I say humbly, “But remember Garland, City In Red was going to be my big debut. So no one’s actually seen me act!”
“Not true,” Jack cuts in with a smile, “I’ll still never forget your Ophelia at The Ingenue Theater when we were nobodies.”
“Ah, the Ingenue!” Garland clasps his hands together, “The site of your first ever media frenzy as a couple!”
“That’s one way to put it,” I say, shaking my head, “You try and make one sentimental pilgrimage, and wham…”
“I imagine things are quieter for you two up here,” Garland poses.
“Tons,” I agree, “We’ve been enjoying our few weeks of quiet, that’s for sure.”
“Do you think this will be home base for you two, going forward?” Garland asks, “I can’t really see you in a sleepy little artsy town, Jack.”
“Are you kidding? I love it here!” Jack grins, “No dirty gossip bloggers hanging around. No offense, pal.”
“I’m sure,” Garland says, rolling his eyes off camera.
“We know that we’ll spend at least some of our time here,” I press on, “Not least of all because of the new project I’m starting—a new workshop for teenage girls who want to write their own play scripts and screenplays. It’s named for my sister, the Avery Benson Workshop. Our first group of writers will meet for the first time next week.”
“That’s so exciting, and such a wonderful tribute to your sister,” Garland replies. Is it me, or is there an actual tear in his eye?
“But that’s not the only new project Callie’s cooking up,” Jack says proudly, “Go on, babe. Tell him!”
“OK, OK,” I reply with a laugh, “Well, the one aspect of City in Red that Jack and I loved was working together. And so, we’ve decided that our next film project will be an independent feature that we’ll star in together. I’ll be writing the script myself, and a motley crew of Apollo expats will be rounding out the production team.”
My eyes dart past the camera to Penelope and Parker, our brand new producer and head designer, who wave happily back at their mention.
“That’s amazing!” Garland gasps, pressing his hand to his chest, “I cannot wait to see the film, you two. Congratulations.”
“Thanks Garland,” Jack replies, “It was all Callie’s idea. I’m excited for the rest of the world to see how brilliant she is. I’ve known it all our lives, it’s time the rest of you fuckers found out too.”
“We’ll just have to bleep that out,” Garland mutters to the camera man before cranking up the wattage of his smile. “So then, what about the two of you?”
“What about us?” I ask innocently.
“Where do you stand, as a couple?” Garland presses, “Are you dating? Engaged? Are their wedding bells in the future?”
Jack and I turn to glance at each other, considering the question.
“Let’s just say we’re partners,” I offers.
“Partners. That’s right,” Jack nods, “In everything.”
“Yeah, but are you two in love?” Garland urges us on, practically falling out of his seat with eagerness.
Jack laces his fingers through mine, lifting those blue eyes to my face.
“Sorry man,” he says, keeping his gaze on me, “There are some things Callie and I have to keep to ourselves. Some things are too important to share with the rest of the world.”
“Which is a polite way of saying, none of your damn business,” I grin, before bringing my lips to Jack’s.
The re
porter rattles off his conclusion as Jack kisses me back, firm and deep. The future may still be uncertain, our path unclear, but there is one thing we know for sure: we’re going to take it on together.
And in the end, that’s all either of us has ever needed.
THE END
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