Love Left Behind (24 page)

"I didn't have a
cold. I was just upset and didn't want you to know because I didn't want you to
worry. I got fired."

Jackson sat up abruptly
and I followed suit, wrapping the sheet around my naked body.

"Wait, what?"

"I got fired from
Mass Comm. Something happened with that presentation I was working on. Somehow,
the changes weren't saved, although I don't know how that's possible. I checked
it over and over again to make sure it was right. But when Janet went through
the presentation with the client, she ended up looking like a fool because
everything was wrong."

"This happened on
Tuesday?" Jackson asked, his expression thunderous. I nodded cautiously.

"Shit, Emma.
You've been lying this entire time? I even asked you about work and you said
everything was fine. I was babbling on and on about all the great things that
were happening in L.A. while you were here depressed? How do you think that
makes me feel?"

I bit my lip, not
knowing what to say. "I'm sorry, Jackson. I just didn't want you worrying
about me. You needed to concentrate on your audition, not about your girlfriend
back home who got sacked."

Jackson's eyes
darkened, his face taut with tension. "You lied to me, regardless of
whether or not you apologize for it afterwards."

I hadn't expected
Jackson to react so fiercely. Yes, I had lied to him, but it wasn't that big of
a lie. And I had done it for his own good.

"I don't know what
else to say except I'm sorry, Jackson. I thought I was helping you."

Jackson sighed, rubbing
his forehead with his hand, and then pulled me close, kissing my forehead.
"I know I'm overreacting. It just makes me crazy that you lied to me. It
makes me even crazier to think that you were here feeling sad while I was
having a great time in L.A. I should be consoling you instead of yelling at you
right now."

I snuggled closer to
him, grateful that his anger had passed. "It's okay. And you're right. I
lied, regardless of why I did it. But you deserved to have a good time in L.A.
My getting fired didn't negate that."

"How are you
feeling? You must have been shocked."

"I was when it
first happened, but I'm starting to get used to the idea. I'm sure I'll find
something else."

Jackson tipped my chin
up so I was looking into his eyes. "That's my girl. You're brilliant.
There's no way you won't find another job." His expression became fierce,
his eyes piercing me. "Please don't ever lie to me again, Emma. I can't
handle not knowing the truth, especially when it has to do with you. I want all
of you, and I can't have that if you're not honest with me."

"I promise,"
I said solemnly, regretting ever having lied to him. "I'll never lie to
you again."

Jackson kissed me
softly and I melted into him. When he pulled back, there was a dawning
realization in his eyes and he started grinning like a madman.

"What are you so
happy about?" I asked, looking at him askance.

"I know it was a
crappy way to happen, but it actually works out perfectly." Jackson took a
deep breath before continuing. "Before I left today, I got an official
offer for the movie. But not as a supporting actor. John Warner is casting me
as the lead."

I lurched upright, my
eyes widening. "Oh my God!" I screeched, feeling like I was about to
explode with happiness and pride. "I can't believe it! Oh my God!!"

I tackled Jackson into
a hug and he burst out laughing, our joy mingling together. I pulled back,
catching my breath. "This is amazing. I mean, I feel like bouncing off the
walls right now. How can you be so calm?"

"I've had a plane
ride to get used to it."

I smacked Jackson on
the shoulder. "You should have called and told me!"

"I wanted to tell
you in person because I thought we had a lot of stuff to figure out. But now
it's working out perfectly. I know how painful it was to lose your job and I'm
sorry about that. But now you have nothing holding you to New York. You can
come to California with me."

Jackson was beaming at
me as his words sunk in. Things were changing rapidly and I was trying to keep
up. I hadn't even considered going to California before but now there was
nothing stopping me. I was nervous about it and a little apprehensive, but I
knew that no matter what, I wanted to be with Jackson. And if Jackson was in
California, I would be there too.

"I guess I could
be convinced to subject myself to sunny days and endless beaches," I said wryly.

Jackson grabbed me and
buried his face in my hair, seeming relieved. "I was so worried the whole
plane ride about what we would do. I don't think I could handle being apart
from you for so long with only a measly weekend here and there."

He lifted his head, his
eyes shimmering with emotion. "Now we'll have a life together in
California. You and me, Emma. It'll always be you and me."

We spent the night
excitedly planning our move to L.A. Although we weren't moving there
permanently, Jackson wanted to rent an apartment since we would be there for so
long. He was planning on keeping his apartment in New York since he owned it,
with the possibility of renting it out although he wasn't too keen on the idea.
We had to move fast with our decisions because they were expecting Jackson to
be back in L.A. in a week. Pre-production was already complete and they were
itching to start shooting, even though Jackson had just been given the script.

The following week was
a whirlwind of activity as we prepared for the move. Claire had been stunned
when I told her I was moving out, and I apologized profusely for the short
notice and promised to pay rent until she found a new roommate. She had waved
the offer aside, saying that she was thinking of just living by herself. She
had been even more surprised when I told her the news about Jackson's movie
offer.

Nathan and Mia were
ecstatic, promising to visit us as soon as possible. My mother was less
enthused. Not only did I have to tell her that I was moving to California, but
that I was doing so with a boyfriend that I had never mentioned. I had hoped
that she would be excited when I told her I was dating a soon-to-be movie star
since she always poured through celebrity magazines, but she had just sniffed
and said things could still fall through last minute.

All these things paled
in comparison to an unexpected call I received from Sean on Thursday night. I
was shocked to see his number come up on my Caller I.D. I had erased his
contact information from my phone, but ten years was long enough to know his
number by heart.

"It's Sean,"
I said to Jackson. We had been sitting on the couch watching TV when he called.
Jackson's mouth tightened at my announcement.

"Why would he be
calling you?"

"I don't know. I
haven't talked to him since I left Maryland. Are you okay if I answer it?"
I didn't want to answer it, but I found it hard to ignore Sean. He had been a
part of my life for so long and I was the one who had hurt him.

Jackson nodded shortly,
looking unhappy.

"Hello?" I
said cautiously, answering the phone right before it went to voicemail.

"Emma, is that
you?" It was a shock to hear Sean's voice after all these months, but I
was even more surprised that his words were slurred. Sean had never been a big
drinker, but he definitely sounded drunk now.

"Yes, Sean. It's
me."

"I've been
thinking about you, Emma."

"Sean, why are you
calling me?"

"I'm calling you
because you're supposed to be my wife. We're supposed to be married now. Didn't
you know?"

My throat tightened and
I felt sick to my stomach. The fact that his words were slurred didn't lessen
their impact.

"Sean, how much
have you had to drink? Where are you right now?"

"I'm where we used
to go parking. Remember, Emma? Remember when we used to park by that big oak
tree and you told me you would love me forever? I didn't know forever would be
over so quick."

I felt physical pain at
his words. As much as I wanted to protest, I couldn't. I had said those words
to him. Even though they were the foolish words of a teenager, I had known even
then that I hadn't meant them. Yet I had made Sean believe them.

"Sean, you're in
no condition to drive. I'm going to call Trisha and get her to give you a ride
home. Hold on."

I looked at Jackson,
whose jaw looked like it was made out of granite. I covered the mouthpiece of
my cell phone so Sean couldn't hear me. "Can I use your phone? Sean is
drunk and I'm afraid he'll try to drive."

Jackson handed me his
cell phone wordlessly and I dialed Trisha's number. Trisha had been my best
friend since middle school, but she had taken sides after I had broken my
engagement. And the side she had chosen wasn't mine. It had hurt badly when she
abandoned me and we hadn't spoken since, but I didn't know who else to turn to.

"Hello?"

"Trisha? It's
Emma. I need your help."

"Why do you think
I would help you?" she replied, her tone considerably frostier than when
she had answered the phone, not knowing it was me.

"It's not for me.
It's for Sean. He called me drunk and I think he's on Troyer Way, by the big
oak tree. Can you go pick him up and take him to his mother's house? I'm afraid
he's going to try to drive and kill himself or someone else."

She sighed heavily and
I was afraid that she would refuse. "Fine. But I'm not doing this for you.
I'm doing this for Sean. I'm leaving now."

Trisha hung up abruptly
and I put my cell phone back to my ear. "Sean, are you still there?"

"I've always been
here. The question is, where are you?"

"Trisha is on her
way to pick you up. Just stay put, okay? You shouldn't be driving right now."

Sean started talking,
but I couldn't understand what he was saying because his speech became garbled.
But I didn't want to hang up on him in case he tried to start driving. I looked
at Jackson apologetically, but I didn't say anything. The last thing I needed
was for Sean to hear another man's voice and go off the deep end. Jackson
didn't say anything either, watching me with unreadable eyes. I was dreading
the conversation we would have after I got off the phone.

Merrittsville was a
small town and I heard Trisha's voice in the background after about ten
minutes, although it felt like hours with Jackson staring at me. Sean had been
talking nonsense while we waited, so I was saved from having to say much in
response.

"I'm here,"
Trisha said abruptly into the phone. Then the line went dead.

"I'm sorry about
that," I said after taking a deep breath. "I was just afraid that he
would try to drive drunk."

"I'm not going to
lie, Emma. Seeing you talk to the man you used to be engaged to doesn't make me
feel good. In fact, it makes me feel pretty shitty."

I moved closer to him,
taking his hand in mine. "I know, Jackson. I would feel the same way if
the roles were reversed. But I didn't know what else to do."

Jackson sighed, pulling
me close and wrapping an arm around me. "I don't want to sound like a
crazy jealous boyfriend. But right now, I
feel
like a crazy jealous boyfriend."

"He just called me
because he was drunk. I'll probably never hear from him again."

Jackson nodded but he
still looked tense. I pulled his head down, kissing him thoroughly and pouring
all my love into the kiss.

"You know I love
you, Jackson. There's no one else for me."

I felt the tension
leave Jackson's body. "I love you so much, sweetheart."

We showed each other
how much we loved each other with our bodies, my body reassuring Jackson in a
way my words couldn't.

Friday was full of
frenetic energy since we were flying out Sunday because Jackson had to be on
set the following Monday to do read-throughs. Fortunately, I had organized
every facet of the move since I had no job to occupy my time, so when Saturday
morning rolled around, we had nothing to do except relax and anticipate our
flight the next day. We decided to spend our last day in New York having a
picnic in Central Park, just like we had when we first started dating.

"When do you think
we'll be back here?" I asked, gazing at the perfectly blue sky. I was
lying down with my head in Jackson's lap, his hand slowly stroking my hair and
making me feel utterly relaxed.

"It could be a
while," Jackson replied. "I'm hoping that this movie is the start of
bigger and better things to come. I just hope I don't mess it up. They're
taking a big risk with casting an unknown in the lead part. An unknown without
much experience."

It was odd to hear
Jackson's doubts about himself since he was usually so confident. I grasped his
hand that was stroking my hair and turned my head towards it, gently kissing
his palm. "You're going to be amazing, Jackson. I have no doubt about
that."

"What if I'm
not?"

I looked up at Jackson
who was watching me, his green eyes serious. "What if I'm not and we're
moving to California for no reason? What if I never succeed as an actor? I
could handle that, but I couldn't handle you being disappointed in me."

I gazed at Jackson's worried
face, knowing that a large part of his anxiety was the fear that I wouldn't be
happy in California.

"Who cares? Maybe
you'll end up bagging groceries at the local supermarket and I'll flip burgers
at some diner. It doesn't matter. I'll be happy as long as we're
together." I smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Actually, you
should be the one flipping burgers. I'd probably make a mess."

Jackson sighed, not
smiling at my joke. "I'm not used to feeling this anxious about anything.
I've always just gone for what I wanted with no reservations and no regrets.
It's different now because I have your happiness to worry about."