Chapter 27
CHAPTER 27
JAMISON
I’ve literally backed Dori into a corner. She thinks I’ll never fight for her and she’s going to find out just how wrong she is.
I keep pressing her. “I’ll even help you out with answering my question. We always find our way back to each other. It’s inevitable. Give me two weeks with you. Give me the same courtesy Hunter got and then you won’t be able to deny the truth.”
“This is so unfair, Jami.”
“Fair? Yeah, I’m done fighting fair.” I run my thumb over her bottom lip, reminding her of my kiss. “I’ve got nothing left to lose. You want me to show you that you’re number one in my life and I’m going to do it. Just give me the chance because it’s only ever been you. You’re the only one for me.”
I hold her gaze, not wanting to give her any room to escape how she feels. She blinks as her chest rises and falls at a rapid pace. My heart aches as I take her in, feeling the weight of her absence and a longing for the love we share.
The server comes back and delivers our lunch. Cursing the timing, I ball my hands into fists. Nothing is easy when it comes to loving Dori .
Knowing I can’t keep her trapped in a corner, I return to the other side of the booth. She stares at the food for a minute before she excuses herself to the restroom with glossy eyes.
Fuck.
Maybe I went too far. Once again, I have the uncanny ability to fuck things up with her. I’m about to rethink my plan when she comes back to the table. Her shoulders are relaxed and her demeanor is softer.
She slides into the booth. “Let’s enjoy lunch and get back to the office. We have a lot to do for this launch.”
Her changing the subject is enough to tell me that I’ve crossed a line. I coil into myself.
“Dori, I’m sorry. Fuck. I’m not trying to make this hard for you. I just can’t sit back and watch you walk away from us again. It’s killing me.”
She tilts her head and grips me with her stare. “This is our pattern, isn’t it?”
Confusion sputters in my mind. “What pattern is that?”
“The one where I run off with the other guy because of something you didn’t communicate and you hold it against me.” She shakes her head with her eyes full of sadness.
“I’m not holding anything against you. This is about the deep connection we share. This is about how we feel about each other.”
“You’re right. I can’t help the way I feel. Hunter’s trying hard for me and I love him for it. And now you want to do the same thing.
“What am I left with, Jami? Loving two men for two very different reasons and hurting everyone involved. If you don’t want to make this hard for me, then don’t.” Tears swell in her eyes and my heart cracks in half.
“What do you want me to do, Dori? Walk away and watch the love of my life move on with someone else?” My emotions strangle me, so I swallow. “I want to fight and prove I’m serious about this. I love you, so tell me what to do because I’m lost and have no fucking clue.”
“And thanks to this conversation, now I don’t either.”
The following two weeks are a bit of the same. Dori tries to avoid me, but I keep going to her and telling her how much I love her and how sorry I am for hurting her.
Until she says she doesn’t love me back, I’m not going anywhere. The problem is, the app just went live.
We’re at the launch party in the ballroom of one of the area’s hotels. A screen shows the commercial being circulated around the world, at all the casinos, and on the web. A sales ticker tracking new users is on the bottom of the screen.
Everything we’ve worked toward rests on this moment. My time at Efron Worldwide will diminish tremendously in the next month. And so does my time with Dori.
I’m exhilarated one minute and desperate the next. Either way, I can’t stand still.
Hunter’s positioned at the front of the room with a microphone in his hand, waiting for the commercial to end. Dori’s in the corner, chewing on her thumbnail.
The board, Efron’s employees, and the sponsors are glued to the screen. I pace back and forth, glancing at the ticker as I do.
The final scene plays with glass breaking and shattering. Then it fades to black. The link to the app flashes in its place and grows larger. Ten seconds pass and the ticker starts to click up.
The room erupts with people hooting and hollering. I freeze and can’t take my eyes off the increasing numbers. My shoulders relax as the weight of the world falls away. I can breathe again.
“There it is, team. It’s live and growing by the second. Congratulations to those who gave their all to this project and a special shout-out to Jamison Stone. Well done. This couldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you.” Hunter tips his chin in my direction.
I nod in acknowledgment but want to roll my eyes. I don’t trust his sincerity. Maybe I’m cynical, but his past behavior has left me with a terrible taste in my mouth.
He continues to thank the team. When he comes to Dori, he stares lovingly at her for longer than a boss should at his employee. My heart gets squashed once again. His actions shouldn’t surprise me because the more time he spends with her, the bolder he gets.
Fuck this.
I could use a drink.
I go to the bar while everyone listens to Hunter as he stands in the spotlight. Melanie comes up to me right as the bartender slides me a drink.
“Can I please get a glass of white wine?” She smiles at him and then turns her gaze to me. “Congratulations on all your dreams coming to fruition.”
“I’d say thanks if that were true.” Ignoring the constant pain in my chest, I circle the whiskey in my glass and take a sip. “Does this mean you’re speaking to me again?”
“I’m standing here, aren’t I?” The bartender hands her the wine. “Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.”
“There are a few, so can you give me the specifics?”
We move off to the side so others can join the celebration.
She waves me over to an open area. “The only elephant I know of is this thing going on with Dori and you.”
“How about the one with Jonah’s name written all over it?”
She pushes my shoulder. “Jami, you know me. I don’t belong in that world. I like to go out and play the field, so I ended it. What you witnessed was me trying to get my girl through your betrayal.”
“So it all comes back to me.” I shake the ice in my glass. “Interesting.”
“What’s interesting?”
“That once again, I paved the way for someone I care about to get involved with an Efron.”
As if on cue, Jonah comes up from behind me. “Did I hear you right? Are you saying you have feelings for Melanie now?”
Melanie jumps in. “Jonah, take it down a notch. Jami and I were just talking. He asked me about our fling. I told him it was nothing but me backing up my friend around his?—”
“It was a fling and meant nothing? Is that how you feel? Nothing we did or talked about meant anything?”
“Umm…” She shakes her head and shrugs.
He releases a breath of hurt. “Do you think I would’ve taken you to Paris for New Year’s Eve if it was nothing? Do you think I would’ve taken you to my dad’s house for Christmas dinner if it meant nothing?”
She takes a step back, blinking rapidly. “I thought you were with me because Hunter let me stay with him and needed to get me away from Dori. I didn’t think you would want anything after we got home.”
“We were inseparable for those two weeks. Did I not make myself clear during that time?” He squares off with her. “You just walked away without a care in the world for how it would affect me. What the fuck, Melanie?”
And suddenly, the room shrinks and gets extremely overheated.
Dori grabs them both by the elbows and plasters on a fake smile. “You two need to take this outside or somewhere other than here. People are starting to stare.”
She leads them to the opening of the room and taps them on their backs as they disappear behind the door .
She straightens her skirt and comes back to me. “Good God, that was about to take a terrible turn.”
I nod, holding in my desire to take her to the other room and hash our relationship out again. “You did the right thing by intervening because I had no clue what to do.”
“They’ve needed to have it out for a while now. I just didn’t expect it to happen today.” She wraps her arms around her waist. “I should’ve seen it coming.”
There’s a long pause as I drink in her beauty. Her hair hangs in loose curls that lie on her black blouse. She’s wearing a red skirt that hits above her knees. She has on sheer black stockings, which I can only assume are being held up with a garter belt.
I can’t fucking lose her.
“Jesus, you’re beautiful.”
Her eyes snap to mine. “Jami?—”
“You are, and I want you to know it. I don’t have much longer before I’m out of here. Who knows when I’ll get another chance?” My pulse kicks up.
Her expression falls. A few people walk past us, but she doesn’t notice.
She shakes away a thought. “But you still have work to do on the app. At least for a while, right?”
“A month at most.”
Her eyes widen and burn into mine. “And then what?”
Another cue seems to be given as Hunter joins us. “From my understanding, Mateo wants you back in Florida after this. Have you given any consideration to his offer?”
I keep my stare on Dori, not wanting to miss her reaction. “I have. It’s a great proposal with a shit ton more lined up along with it. I’d be crazy not to think hard about it.”
“I’m not surprised to hear that.” There’s a hit of relief in Hunter’s tone.
Anger ignites inside me, so I face him. “No, I wouldn’t think you would be since you’re the one who contacted him about it in the first place.”
“Wait. You’re moving to Florida?” Dori’s eyebrows draw down and her glare moves to Hunter. “Did you arrange it like Jami said?”
“No. Mateo called me and mentioned wanting Jamison back. I only confirmed that his time here was coming to a close, but I didn’t put the ball in motion. Call Mateo if you want to check.” Hunter holds out his phone. “Do it right now and you’ll see.”
If Jonah and Melanie’s interaction wasn’t enough before this shit show, Isabella slides up and squeezes her way into our small circle, making it even worse.
“Congratulations, everyone. The numbers are already at half a million users. Something tells me this is going to be a huge success.” Isabella tilts her head toward the ticker.
We all glance that way, but before we can respond, she steps in front of Hunter and glares. “Since you’ve blocked my number and refused to read my emails, you’ve given me no choice. We can do this right here.”
Her furious threat brings all our attention back to her. She glares into Hunter’s eyes.
He subtly shakes his head as his gaze flits to Dori. Her face pales. Isabella’s tone was enough to warn us that whatever she says will change everything.
Hunter squares his shoulders. “Isabella, let’s take this discussion to the other room. This is a celebration. Hardly a place to air any grievances you have with me.”
“Very well. We wouldn’t want to ruin the mood.” Isabella jerks her chin toward the door. “Lead the way, Hunter.”
His Adam’s apple rolls as he swallows. “Dorothy and Jamison, please excuse us.”
I raise my brows as I take a sip of my whiskey. I’d pay to be a fly on the wall to hear what Isabella has to say, but Dori’s feelings are at stake .
All my attention goes to her. She nods at Hunter and watches him lead Isabella out of the room.
What the fuck is the deal with shit falling off the hinges at Efron parties?
“Are you okay?” I step in front of Dori’s view of the doorway.
She fakes a laugh. “Yeah, I’m great. I just found out you’re moving and Isabella just took Hunter off to give him a piece of her mind. We both know that can only be about one thing.”
I jut my chin out. “You’re jumping to conclusions.”
“About what? You moving or Isabella confronting Hunter about their night together?”
“Oh, you’re spot on about Isabella, but nothing’s set in stone for me.”
“But what about your job offer?”
“Give me a reason to stay, Dori, and I’ll find a way. I told you I’m fighting for you, so if there’s a chance for us, I won’t go. You have to know how sorry I am. I love you and want to be with you, so this is your call.”
She lowers her head. This isn’t the place for this conversation, so I grab her hand and pull her forward.
“What are you doing, Jami?” She stumbles a little and I give her a second to regain her footing.
“Everyone else who needed to speak privately had to leave the room. It’s only right if we do the same.” I give her two seconds to argue against it, but she doesn’t.
Our hands remain cupped together as I lead her out and down the hall. I open a few doors to other rooms, all of which are full of people. For once, it would be nice if things could go easier with her.
We get to the end of the hallway with one door remaining. I pull it and find it’s a storage closet.
“This will have to do.” I tug on her hand and we go inside.
She glances around the area. “Well, this is a first. ”
“Forget where we are and focus on this conversation.” I run my hand over my stubble as I try to calm my breathing.
“Dori, tell me what you’re thinking. I’ve been trying with you and you’re giving me nothing. I keep apologizing and trying to make it right. Help me understand how you can just lock me out.”
She tenses. “Before we ran into each other, you had a life I knew nothing about. It’s hard for me to get past the fact you didn’t trust me enough to share that. Especially when we went through what we did.”
“I should’ve told you from the start. We’ve established that. As far as telling you when you got pregnant…” My heart constricts.
I take a second to reel in the pain of losing that baby with her. “We didn’t have any time from when we found out to when we lost it. I didn’t think it was appropriate to bring up losing my son when you were dealing with a loss of your own. Can’t you understand that?”
She takes a moment, her eyes scrolling across my face. She sighs. “I can, but it still hurts.”
“I get that and I wish I could take away your pain. What can I do to make it better?”
“Nothing, Jami.”
Not good enough.
I take her hands in mine. “How long are you going to punish me for it?”
“I’m not punishing you. I just finally saw all the obstacles you’ve forever talked about between us. So you see, there’s nothing you can do. It’s just not meant to be.”
“You don’t believe that. You can’t.” I step closer to her, pressing her against the wall. I cage her in with my arms on each side of her face. “If you did, this wouldn’t feel so right.”
I dip my head and take a risk, brushing my lips against hers. She draws in a breath but doesn’t push me away .
I seal our mouths and swipe my tongue over hers. She responds and returns the kiss. My heart melts and I pull her into my arms right where she belongs.