However, Jackson and I had promised each other last night that the past no longer mattered. And I was going to stay true to that promise. I had told Trisha that I was going to ask Jackson why he had cheated on me with Claire, but last night I had decided to let everything go, including Jackson's unfaithfulness. Instead of the decision making me feel weak, it felt freeing.
Jackson promised that we would shop for furniture another day so that we could make some real changes to his apartment. We spent the night at his place, and instead of expecting to see ghosts of ourselves from five years ago around every corner, I reveled in being in the arms of Jackson today. As domineering as he could be at times. the flesh and blood Jackson was a thousand times better than a memory.
Chapter Twenty-One
I faced Monday feeling refreshed and optimistic. Although there were reporters waiting outside Jackson's apartment building, they were more laid back and asked questions as if we were friends. One photographer even graciously caught my arm as I stumbled when my heel caught in a crack on the sidewalk. Jackson glowered at the man, pulling me closer to him, but he forced a smile when I rolled my eyes at him.
I spent the morning being productive and Marie informed me that calls from the media were down to a trickle. Celeste had stopped by to nag me about when we were going out for that drink Jackson had mentioned, and I promised that I would arrange it as soon as possible. When she mentioned that Drew was back in town, I felt a little nervous. I had ignored his call last week when news of Jackson and I broke, and in the frenzy of deleting all the voicemails from the media, I had mistakenly deleted his as well.
I was eating a salad while reviewing ROI reports when there was a knock on my open door. I saw Drew leaning on the doorframe when I looked up.
"Hi, Drew. Come in."
Drew walked into my office and sat down in the chair opposite my desk, looking contemplative.
"I've been worried about you."
"I'm so sorry I didn't call you back, Drew," I rushed to explain. "It's just been crazy these past few days and I was getting so many calls that I deleted a bunch of voicemails before realizing I had erased yours."
Drew nodded, an enigmatic expression on his face. "My sister called me, demanding to know whether or not I was in a love triangle with you and Jackson Reynard. I had no idea what she was talking about until she sent me the links."
I swallowed, feeling bad that I had dragged Drew into this. Fortunately, the early stories speculating about Drew's involvement had petered out once the press really sunk their teeth into the triangle between me, Jackson and Candace.
"I'm sorry, Drew. The last thing I wanted to do was involve you in this mess."
"It's okay. Except for those few pictures online, I haven't been involved. But I was worried about you. The tabloids seemed to be coming after you."
"It was a little rough for a while," I sighed. "But it's gotten better."
Drew hesitated before speaking. "Is it true? Did you and Jackson have a relationship in the past? Are you together again?"
I was a little surprised by Drew's questions. Even though we had become friends, it felt a little too personal for him to ask about Jackson. Still, I figured that I owed him some sort of explanation since he had been forced to play a minor role in all of this.
"It's true that Jackson and I dated a long time ago. And we're giving our relationship another shot."
Drew's shoulders slumped a bit at my words. "I guess I can't compete with the likes of Jackson Reynard."
I bit my lip, taken aback by Drew's statement. I thought Drew had accepted our relationship as strictly platonic, not realizing that he had held some hope out for it turning into something more.
"We're friends, Drew," I said gently. "You're an invaluable ally at work, and I enjoy all our lunches together. But there was never the possibility of more."
Drew nodded, looking a little embarrassed but accepting my answer with grace. "I hope we can stay friends."
"Of course. Besides, someone needs to help you keep Celeste out of your personal life. I've been trying to teach her about boundaries."
Drew grinned, no longer looking uncomfortable. "I think that's a losing battle."
Drew left my office after a promise of lunch sometime this week, and I was relieved that things had gone so well between us. The rest of the day was uneventful except for Jackson's call to inform me that Candace's publicist had released a statement. The gist of it was that she was happy for Jackson and me and held no ill feelings towards us, despite everything that had happened. She didn't mention the misunderstanding that Jackson had used as an excuse to explain why Candace thought he had cheated on her. Jackson said Candace probably didn't care anymore because her single was selling like crazy.
I was relieved that it seemed like things were finally dying down and getting back to normal. I had agreed to spend the night at Jackson's apartment after I was done for the day, and the thought of Jackson waiting for me made me rush to finish my work. I no longer questioned all the time we were spending together. If I had learned one thing during the time we had been apart, it was to never take for granted how much time you had left to spend with someone. I wasn't going to waste any time being apart unless necessary.
Craig was waiting for me outside my office building, as usual. Jackson was still adamant that I needed Craig and I didn't argue. If Jackson wanted to be protective of me, I wasn't going to protest.
I let myself into Jackson's apartment with the key he had given me that morning, but I didn't see him anywhere.
"Jackson?" I called out. I wandered into the bedroom and heard the shower running. Jackson's head popped out of the shower curtain, his wet hair slicked back making him look rakishly dashing.
"Hi, sweetheart. I just came back from working out. I picked up some takeout from Romero's."
I walked over and leaned towards Jackson, giving him a soft kiss. Jackson's eyes traveled down my body wickedly when we broke apart. "Although we might have to take care of some other business first before we eat. You're more than welcome to join me in the shower."
I laughed, shaking my head. "You're insatiable. And I need to eat first to be able to keep up with you."
Jackson grinned from ear to ear and stuck his head back in the shower. "I'll be right out. Can you answer my phone if it rings? Marcie is supposed to call me about the Vanity Fair interview."
"Sure." I left Jackson to his shower and went into the kitchen, eyeing the bag of food from Romero's on the counter. My stomach grumbled in response to the aroma of garlic and sauce wafting from the bag and I grabbed two plates from the cupboard to set the table. I was getting out the cutlery when I heard Jackson's cell phone ringing, and I rushed to grab it from the coffee table.