Chapter 25 #2
He pulls my chair out for me, and I sit as the spikes of anxiety return to my solar plexus in full force. He kisses my temple and rubs circles on my back, and everyone seems to notice.
Looking at his parents, dumbfounded, Jett sighs. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” He eyes his manager, “Why does this feel like an intervention?”
Jude starts, “Because it—”
My dad interrupts, “Isn’t. It isn’t, Jett.”
Jett nods at my dad, then turns to my brother. “Good. Jude, I suggest you don’t step on your already thin ice.” Then he turns to his manager, “I don’t take kindly to being treated like a child, Camden.”
Mum looks at me like she’s stunned I haven’t started screaming, so I glare at her and mouth a silent, What the fuck?
Jett’s parents’ eyes flit from me to Jett and back again. They have dark hair and eyes like my parents, but are quite a bit younger, and don’t even look like they’ve had to start dying their hair yet. They are definitely more stiff and serious, like Jett hinted at in the past.
“Camden rang to say things were changing rapidly and thought we should come on the next plane,” Jett’s Dad says.
His manager looks exasperated already. “Jett, you’re releasing your biggest album ever, embarking on the largest world tour you’ve ever done. You’re poised to simply blow up. Do you really want to risk it all?”
“Me being with Maddy, a fucking incredible film and HBO star and daughter of the greatest king of rock ‘n roll of all time, is risking it all? My album won’t be a hit unless I’m a miserable, single slut?
Is that it, Cam? After ten years together, you’re going to play me like this?
Sounds like Camden wants to hide things from his employer, sneak around behind my back … sounds like Camden wants to get fired.”
I remind my body that now is not a good time to get turned on by Jett, but he’s so nice to everyone all the time, and seeing him pissed and forceful like this, but still in control? He’s a god damn smoke show and I can’t help but squeeze my thighs together.
I keep my voice as even as I can, looking at my manager. “And I’m really curious who invited you, Kate?”
“Camden and I got on the phone right after you made the announcement online last night. We decided it was best to get everyone involved together to discuss what this means.”
“We didn’t make an announcement. She posted a picture of me during the date our family agreed to and even encouraged. There was no statement; I simply posted a picture of my girlfriend.”
My mum knocks over her wine glass. Thankfully, she’d already drunk most of it, and she only buys shatterproof, reinforced glasses. Most of the jaws at the table drop. My dad grins. Quite a good reaction, honestly.
Jett continues, “We can post whatever the fuck we want, Kate. Camden. If you’re so bored, Kate, you could deal with something that actually is your business, like that fucker Ace Archer harassing your client over texts, threatening to spread lies about her to People because he’s a jealous cunt.
Respectfully, Maddy and I didn’t ask for a business meeting.
We’re here to talk with Mum and Dad,” he says, pointedly looking at my parents when he says that.
“Camden, calling my parents and freaking them out so badly they jump on the first flight out? Seriously? I cannot believe what a pathetic pussy you are, when you pretended to be my mate.”
“Jett!” his mum objects, but Dad pats her hand.
“Don’t worry, love,” he says, her shoulders relaxing immediately.
“We encourage our children to be as real and open with us as possible, proper language be damned, dinner table included. Jewels and I have wanted to meet you for so long, and I’m sorry this Camden twat decided this was the way to do it, make you all stressed out. This doesn’t need to be stressful!”
“We love Jett,” Mum says. “He worked very hard to get us to approve of their first date, and while we didn’t expect things to escalate so quickly, you must understand they’ve known each other since they were teenagers.”
“We love Jett like one of our own,” Dad continues, “and honestly, Jett and Matilda being together feels like the most natural thing in the world to me. Now that I've had some Valium and a bit of time to process. They’re both kind, caring, ambitious, talented, and full of love. If Camden has an issue with it, he needs to take it up with me. I helped plan the date, including the car they took pictures in. I mean, who gives a fuck? They’ve known each other eight bloody years come this autumn.
He promised he wouldn’t shag her last night, and I know he kept his promise because that’s my boy.
I even gave Jett my ‘63 Strat to impress her. Did it work, Baby?”
“It all worked, a little too well, Dad.” I squeeze Jett’s hand, and he looks at me with hope sparkling in his eyes.
“I know this is going to sound insane because it’s been a week since I realized Jett and I were destined to be more than friends, but we’ve known each other for so long and I’m just going to say it.
I’m falling for Jett, head over heels. We did an interview together yesterday afternoon at BuzzFeed, so next week when they post it, the whole world will know if they haven’t figured it out already. ”
“Jesus Christ, Baby, I said, have fun with Jett! You think this is what I meant?” Lola acting like she’s in charge of me gets my blood bubbling, and I am so proud of myself for not walking over and pulling her stupid green hair out.
Jett shakes his head. “Lo, no one asked you. But it’s fun to see you get angry over something that’s not actually your business. Let’s see how you’ll react to this. You should’ve seen Mads’ face this morning when I said I want her to have my baby in five years.”
The table erupts in, honestly, the most ridiculous commotion I’ve seen in a while, and Jett looks at me like we’ve just turned on the most ridiculous reality show for pure entertainment. Like he’d rather turn it off and just watch me, so he ignores them completely.
“You’re fallin’ for me, Baby?” He runs his hand down my cheek.
“That can’t be right, considerin’ they’re all acting like we just met and this came outta nowhere.
Our managers hate it, your sister said we’re only allowed to have a fling, and your brother ‘just knows’ I’m gonna fuck all my groupies and cheat on you.
” He quickly glares at them and turns back to me.
“Did you just say it to piss everybody off?”
“Fuck no!” I laugh at the absurdity. “I meant it, Jett, like a thousand percent. I’ve never felt like this about anyone. That’s why I looked different this morning, right? People only glow like that when they’re falling—”
His hands are in my hair, and he kisses me with those soft lips, a kiss that tastes like we’re going to make it no matter who disapproves.
Like I’m all he needs; like I’ve given him the gift he’s always wanted.
We drown them out despite everyone continuing the fussing and fighting, until my dad grabs one of his collectable medieval swords from the wall behind him and slams it down in the middle of the dinner table.
The managers and Jett’s parents jump about a foot in the air and gasp, but the rest of us are used to this sort of creative problem-solving from my dad.
“Right, if you’re here because you love Matilda and Jett and you support them being together, you can stay, ‘cause I throw one hell of a party. If you’re worried about what their love will do to your career, you can fuck right off! ”
The managers scatter, and my dad sends my thirty-year-old siblings to their rooms. It’s very satisfying. Things are finally peaceful. I pour new wine for the mums, and Jett pours scotch for the dads.
Jett’s parents, Sid and Jennifer, are not bad once you give them a drink and start complimenting Jett, which my parents lay on thick.
I gush about Jett's first gift to me, running upstairs to grab the puppy I've named Danzig, but have already started calling Ziggy.
His parents can hardly decide who gets to hold the pup first. Mum squeezes Jennifer's shoulder and croons, “our first granddog!”
I find out the reason they’re so introverted and Jett has such a cool name; they’re gothic literature professors and gaze around our house like everything and everyone in it should be studied and taught.
I mention how glad I am that they didn’t name their son Romeo or Heathcliff.
I talk to them about Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Shelley and they gaze at me like I’m the daughter they never had.
It makes Jett melt into a puddle at my side and I never want that feeling, that power I have over him, to go away.
“Jett has always talked about you, Maddy. I thought you sounded perfect for him. I never understood why he dated those other girls instead. They only wanted to use him to advance their own careers, and we know you don’t need him for that,” Jennifer says.
His dad stretches his glass of scotch to me. “We cannot wait for season two. Long live Princess Aerin, and long live Maddy and Jett.”
I feel so relieved that I start to cry as the six of us clink glasses and talk about our insane last few days, and we promise Jett’s parents to show them our portrait and take them to Nobu before they go.
We leave out the bits about my eight orgasms, the sex shop, and why I like to call Jett Daddy.
They already know we’re weird, that might be pushing it.
“I asked Maddy to come to my BBC showcase, they’re recording in London next week, I hope that’s all right?
” My parents nod, and his parents say they can’t wait to see me there.
“Mads is so incredible. She literally called the performance coordinator at BBC, said who she was, and demanded that I play three old songs, two new songs, and two covers when they said only five songs, period, to me last week. Are you really surprised I fell for her?”
The four parents grin. The mums speak in unison. “Not in the least.”