Harlow
Jaxon’s cute pout is back in full force when I get out of the shower and grab one of the fluffy towels he has hanging on a rail, but at least the haunted look in his eyes has eased. “Don’t sulk. I haven't got any clothes here, and I need to run upstairs and get some. I also need to check my phone. I’m sure I probably have messages from Max and Chuck and Melinda that I need to respond to.”
The pout gives way to a frown, and just like that, the distraction of sex is forgotten beneath the maddening roar of our real-world troubles coming back to life.
Towel securely wrapped around my body, I open the glass door and peek my head in, giving him a gentle kiss on the lips.
“See you soon,” I tell him, and although he gives only a silent nod, I can tell by the cloud in his eyes that he’s back to thinking about his own problems. “If you hurry, maybe we can continue with the fun on my bed.”
Immediately, the cloud disappears, and he reaches for the soap with an eagerness that I’ve never seen before. Sex can’t fix any of our problems, but, to be fair, there aren’t really any easy solutions here. Whether Jaxon and Jacinta decide to move forward with their newfound inheritance or not, there’s still the emotional baggage that’s been stirred to life. So, sex won’t fix anything, but if it helps gives Jaxon some momentary relief or comfort, well, sign me and my miracle vagina up for the task. Closing the door, I chuckle and hurry out and up the stairs to my room.
I search for something to wear, dropping the towel to the floor of my closet. Grabbing a bra and some panties, I quickly pull them on before grabbing my live, love, heal shirt. Max had bought me a whole heap of vet-themed shirts for last Christmas, and I love them all. This one had been in the wash when the stalker destroyed my room, so it was the only survivor of that mess. After tugging on the shirt and wrapping my dripping hair up in the towel, I look between the jeans and yoga pants again. Cozy and comfortable feels like it’s the right way to go, so yoga pants will be my new best friend for the day. I mean, I want to be comfy while watching a movie. Shimmying them on, I head back out into my room and grab my phone from the bedside table. Sure enough, there are five missed calls from Melinda and ten from Alex, but strangely none from Max. I guess she’s probably busy on set.
I shoot Melinda a text to tell her I’ll call her this evening when I know more. Yes, I’m avoiding them, but what is there to say? Then I shoot the same message to Alex. By tonight, Dad will have a game plan, and I can tell them what’s going on. Right now, all I will be doing is assuring them I’m fine, and that would be lying. I’m not a hundred percent fine. I hate the fact that it was taken out of my control, and I’m just not ready to talk about it when there’s nothing positive to say.
Once I finish my messages and get responses from both Melinda and Alex, I open up my laptop. I had sent out a few more job applications yesterday to a couple of zoos and a nearby horse breeder, and I want to know if I have any responses to them or the ones I sent out a few days ago. It’s been fun being on vacation, and we still have our trip to Europe, but I’m ready to go back to work. Helping with Prada reminded me of why I chose veterinary medicine as a career, and I’m starting to get that itch under my skin from being too idle and away from animals.
When I open up my email, I can see there are a couple of responses to some of my applications, and as I read through them one by one, my stomach drops. Each and every one of them tells me that due to the scandal surrounding me, there is no way they could consider me for any position. Then they have the nerve to wish me well in my future job search!
That’s how Jaxon finds me, staring at my computer screen in horror.This. This is that reality slap that I was blissfully ignoring during breakfast. “Harlow, honey, what’s wrong?” he asks, climbing onto the bed behind me and wrapping his arms around me.
“Cecilia got just what she wanted. She has literally ruined me. I hadn't even thought about this when they told me about her going to the media.” I gesture to my laptop, pull myself out of his arms, and start pacing back and forth. Jaxon mutters as he reads through all the emails. “I’m never going to be able to get a job anywhere. Certainly no zoo will take me on for an internship; my dreams are destroyed. I mean, I might be able to find a job in a small animal clinic in some backwater town who are desperate, or I could go back to Chuck and Melinda’s, but nothing here. I’m screwed.”
The tears spill over and stream down my face as I start to sob, and I barely take another step before his arms are wrapped around me once more. He doesn't say anything, just holds me as I cry out my frustration, placing gentle kisses on my head and rubbing his arms up and down my back. It feels like forever ago that I was in Hawaii, thinking so optimistically about my prospects. With the hurt that I’m feeling right now, I almost can’t believe that I’d been so steady and sure that someone would take a chance on me. Yeah, after the billboard, I still stood a chance. But now? Unless I let Nana, Poppy, and Dad go full Summers on this and just buy me a zoo or a non-profit or something, I’ll never have a career in California. I might actually have to let them do it; I just don’t think I can leave my newfound family… my boyfriends behind.
When I’ve finally exhausted all my tears, the anger comes back. “I hope Thomas finds out she’s the stalker. Then she’ll have to go away for a long time and become someone’s bitch. Ha! Could you just imagine perfectly-put-together Cecelia as someone’s bitch?” I wipe the tears from my face and try to pull away from Jaxon, but he stops me.
“You okay?” The frown on his face puts a cute wrinkle between his eyes.
I shake my head. “No, I’m not, but I will be,” I promise. I’m about to say something, though I honestly have no idea what, when another email catches my eye. I don’t recognize who it’s from, but the subject line says,Re: Bostons. I’m starting to get that feeling, that almost nervous twitchiness that wanted to warn me not to open that goddamn mystery Barbie package, but my survival instincts have always been at war with my curiosity. Despite my dwindling common sense screaming at me, I click on it, and my stomach lurches. Pictures fill the body of the email, each one displaying Chuck, Melinda, or both, taken with what has to be a long-range lens. Beneath the sickeningly casual stalker collage is only one line of text:I’m watching them too.Behind me, I hear Jaxon’s breath catch, letting me know he’s seen this next surprise too. I slam down the laptop closed and growl in frustration.
“Fuck! Why is this happening to me? What did I do in a previous life that caused so much bad shit to happen in this one? How can I fix this? How can I make it so that my loved ones aren’t in the firing line?” I can’t stop the flow of panic-filled words that flow from my mouth. “You guys have already been targeted and now the Bostons. Who’s next? Shane, Alex, and Jace? That's all I’ve got left. The sum total of the people I care about in this world.” I jump to my feet as the terror is replaced with a visceral anger. One so strong I’m practically shaking.
“Fuck it. You know, I have had it with this asshole, whoever it is. I’m done with being scared! I think I’m going to start carrying a gun too. I’m going to talk to Thomas about getting me one because I will not play the victim anymore. If this guy thinks his creepy scare tactics are working, he’s going to be fat out of luck. He better hope we don't come face to face because I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in his head, and I will becompletelyjustified.”
Jaxon’s mouth drops open in surprise. Okay, that’s fair. He probably wasn’t prepared for his girlfriend to jump from sexytime Harlow to weepy and hopeless Harlow to murderous and unapologetic Harlow. Poor man’s probably got some kind of whiplash.
“Sorry,” I apologize, “I hate feeling vulnerable. It reminds me of every time I was ever around Diane. Come on, let’s go watch that movie. I need something to distract me from everything.”
“Well, we could always stay up here. We could continue what we started in the shower.” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, leering at me, and I chuckle, which I think is the response he was looking for.
“How long do you think it would be before Oli or Den came looking for us?” I ask, and he grumbles.
“Yeah, I’m not sharing you with them. Before we go, just let me shoot Tom a message about the email. He can come grab it, and maybe he’ll even be able to trace where the emails came from.”
“Okay, good thinking.” Putting my laptop under my arm, I pull out my cell and call Melinda, leaving a message about the newest shit we need to be careful of. I’ll try again later, but at least for now I’ve warned them. Tucking it back into my pocket, I let him take me by the hand and lead me downstairs, but I stop him at the bottom.
“Jaxon, can we maybe not mention what happened to anyone else? I’m not ready to talk about the rejections, and I don't want to worry the others about the emails. I know I shouldn’t keep secrets from my boyfriends, let alone family, but I just need a little bit of time.” I don't meet his eyes when I ask, knowing that would somehow make it more real again, but he squeezes my hand without pushing for more.
“I’m the last person who’s going to force you to talk about something that you don't want to,” he assures me before leading me to the theater.
I’d expected it to look like a standard movie theater, but what I hadn't expected were the rows to be filled with sofas, making it possible to snuggle with the person you’re sitting next to. In one of those comfy seats is where we find Oliver and Holden. They’re snuggled up together with a blanket over their laps, looking as cute as can be. I’m so glad they’re mending their relationship. Kai is sitting on his own, and Declan hasn’t arrived, so I guess he must be still making phone calls. Jaxon leads me past the snuggle twins, but they sneak attack and haul me into their cuddle pile. I struggle to get away, but before I know it, they’ve manhandled me into a spot between them and wrapped the blanket back over us to very effectively trap me in place.
Jaxon reaches for me, but Oliver swats his hand away. “Away with you. You’ve had some time today, so it’s our turn.”
Grumbling, Jaxon moves down the row to a free seat while Kai chuckles at everyone.
Warm hands find my thighs on either side, and Holden sighs, a contented sound. “Much better.” He then closes his eyes, a serene look on his face. Movement on the other side has me turning to look at what Oliver is doing. He reaches down the side of his seat, and a leg rest suddenly comes up as the back of the seat reclines, putting all three of us into an even more comfortable position.
