Chapter Thirteen
Star: He's fine. He says he'll text you soon.
KISSES RAINED ALL OVER his face. Wet and enthusiastic...and not from a human, Guy soon realized, having remembered at the last moment that he was no longer alone in this world.
He was a husband now, and by virtue of marriage, he was also blessed to be a father to a certain four-legged canine who was in proud denial of his senior age.
Mounty barked in pure joy as Guy relinquished all thoughts of sleep and started fake-wrestling with his eldest baby.
Mack soon joined in, leaping onto the bed with feline grace before immediately forgetting all dignity and rolling around like the spoiled house cat he’d become.
His purrs mixed with Mounty’s excited panting and the distant chatter of the sun conures greeting the morning from their spacious aviary.
Through the glass doors that separated the bedroom from the adjoining sunroom, Apple could be seen preening his bright feathers on his perch, safely away from any feline temptation but still part of the morning chaos.
It was during this royal rumble atop their massive bed that his angelic siren appeared by the doorway, dressed only in his shirt, her short blonde hair adorably mussed and her jade eyes sparkling behind her grandmother-style glasses.
“Is this a private celebration or can I join in?”
The way she mimicked his drawl had Guy throwing his head back with a laugh even as his blood stirred at the mischievous smile playing over her lips.
Ah, his Jillian was such a delight.
Ever since she had become his wife, she had proven his every cynical assumption wrong with her every word, her every smile and touch.
By this time, Guy had expected her colleagues to already know about their marriage, a part of him expecting Jillian to prove herself no different from the rest, be so hungry for fame that she would personally tire of not being recognized as his wife.
But even until today, their marriage remained a secret, with only their closest and mutual friends privy to their relationship.
Whereas he once expected Jillian to swoon over celebrity perks and designer bags, the reason she had one day surprised him with breakfast in bed was because she had come across his donation to an animal shelter...and one he had made on the same night they had first met.
And ever since that day she had said those three words that scared the hell out of him...
I love you.
One part of him was desperate to paint her as a liar, its only desire to rebuild the walls around his heart.
But the other part of him, however...
I love you.
This part of Guy made him feel alive like he had never felt before, and this part of him had changed without Guy even trying, with her words shedding light where there had once been only shadows.
I love you.
His wife finally reached him, and in true surprisingly-playful-Jillian-as-a-wife fashion, she launched herself into his arms without warning, knocking him to his back with a laugh while all this fast-paced action sent Mack and Mounty into a frenzy of zoomies around the bedroom.
I love you.
Guy switched their positions in an instant, with Jillian now trapped under his weight while Mack chased his catnip mouse and Mounty grabbed his rope toy and shook it with renewed puppy-like enthusiasm.
His wife smiled up at him, and it wasn’t just Guy's heart that squeezed at the sight.
“I love you, Guy.”
Because of those words, he had come to realize that he still had a soul—
“I praise God for choosing me to be your wife.”
And that soul...
It didn’t just want to love her back.
It wanted to learn how to love God, too.
And that...
That terrified him as well.
Jilly touched her husband’s cheek, noting how Mack had settled into his favorite spot on Guy’s pillow while Mounty stretched out across the foot of the bed with a contented sigh, both animals seeming to sense the shift in the room’s atmosphere.
“What is it, Guy?”
She could sense Guy's unease even without him saying a word, and a part of her—the part of her that would always be his fangirl—found this absolutely surreal.
“I’m not used to this,” Guy admitted in a rough undertone.
A frisson of fear skittered down Jilly’s spine at the words. Had Guy suddenly realized he had made a mistake about her and all of her babies? Was it a case of too much too soon and now—
“Stop being so selfish,” Guy suddenly growled.
Jilly couldn't help feeling hurt. "I'm s-selfish?" Where did that even come from? "How did I—"
"Because this was supposed to be my moment," Guy deadpanned.
Oh!
"Or at least it was until you started overthinking, and that's when it becomes your moment—"
Guy's face softened as his Jillian burst into laughter.
"That's better."
Guy sat up so he could cradle her on his lap while Mack and Mounty settled around them, their gazes disconcertingly sober, as if they too understood the weight of this conversation.
"I wish I could say the same for you..."
Her wistful voice pained him, with Guy realizing too late that he had once again made her worry about their marriage for no reason at all.
"There's nothing for you to worry about."
"But something's on your mind, isn't there?"
"It's not what you think, sweetheart." Guy took her hand, and regret whipped at the way it trembled in his grip. “You make me too fu—” Guy stopped himself just in time.
“Too what?” Jilly asked fearfully. Too crowded? Too annoyed? Too—
“Too happy.”
Oh.
“And that’s why I can’t seem to shake off this feeling that it won’t last.”
How could the world’s sexiest man alive be so...so...cute?
“Stop looking at me like that,” Guy growled.
“I don’t even know—”
Guy glared down at her. “Just promise me you won’t leave me.”
Oh, Guy.
She wound her arms around his neck. “You do remember I'm the one who said I love you—"
Her husband only grunted, and her heart raced.
Oh, you silly, crazy, hopeless girl!
Jilly knew she was being stupid, but...why did that grunt sound very much like 'I love you' to—
“Shit.”
The muttered expletive startled her out of her thoughts, and Jilly’s gaze flew back to her husband.
“Sorry,” Guy said with a wince. “I know I promised to spend the day with you, but I just got a text—”
“There’s been an emergency?” she asked.
Guy nodded, saying reluctantly, “They need me back on set—”
Jilly was already nodding before he even finished speaking.
“I understand.” A wry smile touched her lips. “How can I not? I mean, me, of all people...”
Ah .
He had forgotten about that.
Guy rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, his gaze drifting to where Middle the gecko had somehow escaped his terrarium again and was now sunning himself on the windowsill among Jilly’s collection of small succulents.
“About that..."
Jilly couldn't help feeling nervous every time her husband drawled like that.
"I was browsing your official website, and I came across this fan fic written by Anon143 about a pianist and his fangirl muse...”
“Oh, really?” Jilly struggled to keep her face blank even as her words came out a little shrill, and she noticed Apple ruffling his feathers in the sunroom, probably disturbed by her sudden change in tone. “There’s, like, tons of those, so you shouldn’t pay attention to them.”
“There was something about this particular piano encounter that seemed very...detailed,” Guy continued casually.
“You should get going!” Jilly jumped out of bed, nearly stepping on one of Mounty’s tennis balls. “And, um—”
Guy caught his wife just before she could make her escape. “Why the hurry?”
“Huh? Me? I’m not?”
But throughout this, his wife was unable to meet his eyes, and Guy had to call in his every year of acting experience just to keep himself from smirking.
A sudden screeching noise from the aviary cut her off, and Jilly could have expired in relief. “Oh, I should, um, check on that—”
His wife then raised herself on her toes, pressed a quick kiss on his cheek, and stammered out ‘take care’—and Guy was equally amused and impressed at how she was able to do this without meeting his gaze still.
In her haste to escape, Jilly promptly tripped over Mounty’s favorite rope toy, stumbling forward with a little yelp before Guy caught her around the waist.
“Careful, sweetheart,” he murmured against her ear, and she could hear the laughter in his voice.
He watched her dash out of their bedroom while Mounty and Mack continued to watch him with what could only be described as canine and feline amusement.
Guy was about to follow his wife out of the room when he heard something vibrate against their nightstand.
Ah.
He reached for her phone, intending to simply return it to her, but the message preview was already visible on the lock screen, and the words stopped him cold.
Jack: I’m sorry for being out of reach. I didn’t want to be disturbed while I figured things out. But you can stop worrying about me. I just needed to figure things out. Love you.