Knowing You — Chapter 35

Stephanie sat on the bed playing a word game with Nicki who was across the ocean and losing because all she could think about was Jake and Allie kissing and sighing and whispering…

And worse.

She wasn’t even jealous. She only felt like a big fool.

From the comments on her Instagram account, people were feeling sorry for her, which was ridiculous because she had everything in the world.

Except, of course, Jake and love and a future with love and Jake in it.

And damn it if Jake didn’t even have an Instagram. She wanted, so badly, to publically unfollow him and then have her unfollowing action noticed by a People editor.

Maybe she would hang out in Paris for a few days, fight for standing room in front of the Mona Lisa and slip into a croissant coma before flying back to LA. At home, she could clear her head, get back on her therapist’s appointment calendar and just move on.

She wouldn’t run away again. It didn’t do anything but cost her a bunch of money and waste her time. Plus, the internet had no borders. Or, shame.

The jig was up. She would be famous for this for the next few months. Maybe even for a year or two. May as well make the most of it.

She would do whatever she wanted, see whoever she wanted and not give one fu — .

A knock at the door.

She sent her word to Nicki. Oppidan. It meant of a town, or urban. Her life now.

Forget forests, mountains and nature. She was oppidan now.

Maybe, she should leak a few of her own nudes and add fuel to the inferno. Why not? That’s what other oppidan people did. It would be less revealing than the images the public had seen from her in the last six months.

She tossed her phone on the bed and walked to the door.

“Who is it?” She asked as she looked through the peep hole.

Son of a bitch. Jake.

“It’s me,” he said. “Open the door Steph.”

Was he kidding?

“What do you want? There’s nothing left to talk about.” She looked out the peep-hole again. She could see Jake in the hallway but off to one side. She heard someone talking to him. Who else was there?

She pressed her ear to the door.

“Thank you,” Jake said. “You’re too kind. I’m glad you enjoyed the show. I’ll always love Detroit and the fans there.”

She tried one more time to see who he was talking to. It was a couple. Probably just some people who happened to walk by. The man asked if Jake needed help getting into the room.

Jake laughed charmingly, boyishly. “It might sound crazy but this is my fiancee’s room. Stephanie Woods, yes. We’re just talking. At least I’m trying to talk. We’re having a little bit of an argument, you see. Maybe you could help because I could use an outside perspective. Let me explain the whole situation to you.”

She yanked open the door and pulled him inside.

“You’re not still angry with me, are you darling?” He asked, wide eyed. A rock ’n roll Cary Grant.

The couple in the hallway stared, taking it all in.

“Good luck,” the woman called as Stephanie shut the door.

“They’re from Detroit,” he said.

“I heard. There’s something you should know. I hate you.”

“There’s something you should know. I love you.”

“You couldn’t possibly. You’ve taken every fear, every insecurity I had and turned them against me.” She was ready to explode, to start yelling so loud, they would both be evicted. Tabloids be damned.

Jake, by contrast, looked perfectly calm. Peaceful, even.

“There’s something you need to see. I almost forgot I had this. But if what I’m about to show you doesn’t force you to see the truth or help you forgive me, then you will never hear from me ever again. I mean, after this, I will know I have done absolutely everything to show you I love you.” He took a deep breath.

Stephanie watched him. The space around them seemed to fill with a strange energy. A kind of tension. Like when they were sitting in Lady Murder’s magenta limo when they talked about never seeing each other again and then they ended up kissing. He convinced her back then that they shouldn’t ignore their connection.

He pulled out his phone, tapped on the screen a few times and scrolled for a few seconds before he handed it to her.

She took it. The expression on his face was a look of resignation, like, this was it, all he had. He was almost zen.

When she looked at the phone, she saw it was an email to his agent Bob. It was dated back to around the time she moved to Jake’s house. She pushed the phone back at him. “If this is mean, I don’t want to read it.”

He shook his head. “Not mean. Read it.” He pushed her hand gently away.

Bob,

I know my announcement today at the meeting came as a shock. It wasn’t something I had expected to do either, but when the love of your life comes to your place of work and asks for help, you drop everything to do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Even if it means postponing a dream for a while or for forever.

Everyone’s mad at me, but to continue to live in LA while Stephanie needs a quiet place to stay is not an option. I promise to do everything I can to finish the album and promote it from U.K. but she comes first — from now on.

And I know what you’re going to say. That I’ll mess this relationship up just like I’ve done in the past — with Allie, with the rest of the band and with you. But, this time it’s all about her.

This is the woman I want to marry. The only woman I’ll ever love.

If she wants to come with me on my journey, that will be amazing. If she wants us to settle down and create a home, a family, whatever, that’s amazing too.

I’m ready.

Sincerely,

Jake

The tiny screen blurred and Stephanie realized it was because it was wet from her falling tears. But she couldn’t stop them. She wiped the phone off with the hem of her shirt and handed it back to him.

He didn’t pull her to his chest or try to touch her in any way. Why would he? She’d threatened to call the police if he ever touched her again for god’s sake.

She’d been acting crazy. For good and bad reasons. But here, before her, was a man who had done everything he could do to reassure her. How could she reject him?

He was in love with her. Crazy or not.

He knew her, inside and out. Her fears, her loves, her desires. And what she didn’t want or need.

But now he did the thing she didn’t want him to do at all, which was to take a few steps back toward the door.

“No,” she said.

“No?” He gazed at his phone and nodded the tiniest bit. “Okay,” he whispered, more to himself than for her ears.

“I mean, don’t leave. I’ve really messed up and I need your help.” She used his own almost patented phrase. These were the words he’d used his whole life when he needed to get someone on his side. Because who could say no when someone was in need — sincere and desperate need.

“What? Again? Well, I don’t know.” But, slowly, he smiled his achingly, sexy smile. The one that heated her insides and made her heart skip beats.

“Jake, I feel like the world’s biggest fool. I’ve been running away from the one person I know would never hurt me. At least by meaning to. You were in a weird situation with Allie. I believe you. My world is a visual one, so what I see is the truth to me. But now when I think about it, a picture doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s one frame out of an entire life and most of the time, it’s been made up, bronzed and dyed to serve one purpose.”

Even if unloading this on him made him run for the door, it felt good to say it. She was lighter than she’d felt in weeks and getting lighter.

He stood there motionless but looking straight into her eyes. His expression was still relaxed, but he was holding his breath too, waiting for her to continue without interruption, because, again, she’d been such a bitch to him, he probably didn’t dare.

“I should know better than anyone how a picture can be manipulated. I should know you better than anyone.”

He searched her eyes, her face. He looked over her shoulder out of her window and then back to her eyes again.

And his were wet too. But he was smiling. Smiling at her.

She held out her hand.

He took it. “Are you sure? I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this work. But, are you?”

She couldn’t wait anymore. She closed the space between them and melted into his chest and pressed her lips to his throat. His pulse thumped against her mouth and she kissed him there.

He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled the top of her head with his jaw.

She jumped back and he held up his hands. “Steph?”

“I have something to tell you,” she said.

He had the same look he always had when she suddenly changed the subject or an idea popped into her head. Confusion mixed with concentration. So cute.

“I started my own foundation. The Woods Center for Fair Trade and Labor. I have a mission statement and have already incorporated. This way I can do my own thing which is to be a leader, even if it means using my face and brand. I’ve reaped so many benefits of representing luxury. I need to give back. The people that make things need their voices heard. FMI is still interested in working with me in this capacity.”

Jake’s mouth fell open. “Baby, I’m amazed.”

She pulled her hair over one shoulder. “Be my partner?”

“God, yes.”

“You have to do something else for me first.” She swallowed and took his hands in hers. “I want you to go back to your band. Tour and rock and do whatever you need to claim your place. You’ve worked too hard to give it up.”

Stephanie pressed her lips to his. He yielded to her kiss, making it linger as he pulled her body in close. And then they were in that tight space in time where they shared heartbeats and sighs and she didn’t want to be anywhere else.

When the kiss ended, he smoothed a lock of her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear in a gesture so sweet and tender, she forgot they were in Paris. Forgot her own damn name.

“As long as you love me,” he said.

That was it. The key.

As long as they loved each other, they could handle chaos anywhere. Or cause it.

“Forever, Jake. I’ll love you forever.”

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