on.”
“I don’t know,” he said and he meant it. He was the king of
moving on but he didn’t want to fly through Willow’s life. He wanted more.
“There is something about you that keeps me coming back for more. Even when
you’re giving me the cold shoulder, you’re the only woman I want.”
“Is it because of that?” she asked. “Maybe I seem unattainable,
so you want to prove you can get me.”
“No. I know this will come as a shock to you but women have
said no to me before.” He’d already run over that scenario in his head. Maybe
when he’d first shown up on set the challenge of overcoming Willow’s resistance
had been his motivation but once he’d seen her with that baby everything had
changed.
He didn’t want to believe that he’d changed. Wouldn’t admit
that maybe he wanted something more from life than his solo run through it. But
a part of him sort of did.
“I never thought you’d admit that out loud,” she said
wryly.
“Well, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression of me,” he
said. Usually he didn’t care what people thought of him. He knew that most
thought he’d had more than his share of good luck directed his way, but none of
those strangers understood the cost of being that lucky. No one else got that
dreams had to die for his golden opportunities to show up. And he didn’t want
Willow to be another dead dream from his past.
“What impression should I get?” she asked.
He wished he could see her face so he’d know what she wanted
from him. He didn’t like this feeling. It was almost like when he’d woken up in
the hospital after that game-ending injury. He’d had no idea what he wanted to
do with his life or what direction to go in.
Right now he knew he could say the wrong thing and that Willow
would drift farther away from him.
But he also knew he could say the right thing and bring her
closer. And wasn’t that the fly in the ointment? He’d never known the right
words for any woman and especially not with Willow.
What were the right words? He had no idea. He was just a guy
who was used to dating in a shallow world and Willow, despite the fact that
she’d been dating in the same world, expected something more from the men in her
life. There was a reason she was still single and he had the distinct feeling it
was because her standards were high.
He settled for something halfway between the truth and a line.
“Just that I’m a guy who wants to make a good impression on you. I don’t want
you to lump me together with every other guy you’ve cared about, but didn’t end
up with.”
“How do you know that I’ve cared about another guy?” she asked
and there was more than a hint of weariness in her tone now.
She made it impossible to ever really get closer to her because
every time he thought he had her figured out something else came up.
“Because you’re not a teenager anymore and no one gets to our
age without experiencing heartbreak at least once,” Jack said. That was one
thing he’d learned—that fame had no influence over. Some of his most famous
celebrity friends had been hurt worse than the average Joes he met when he was
out doing a promo tour.
“Even the ever-charming Jack Crown?” she asked.
He noted that she didn’t deny the heartbreak and made a mental
note to find out more about that. She was very good about changing the subject
back to him.
“I thought my gift made it clear…I’m still in my frog’s
clothing,” he said because most of his heartbreak hadn’t been interpersonal but
had involved big life-changing events.
“Waiting for the right kiss?” she asked.
“I think I might have had the right kiss the other night. Just
not enough of them,” he said, trying to lighten his own mood. “I definitely
think you should try again.”
“Oh, you. If I believed even half the stuff that came out of
your mouth I’d be in trouble.”
He didn’t know how to take that. “This isn’t a game for
me.”
“Isn’t
“I don’t know,” he said and he meant it. He was the king of
moving on but he didn’t want to fly through Willow’s life. He wanted more.
“There is something about you that keeps me coming back for more. Even when
you’re giving me the cold shoulder, you’re the only woman I want.”
“Is it because of that?” she asked. “Maybe I seem unattainable,
so you want to prove you can get me.”
“No. I know this will come as a shock to you but women have
said no to me before.” He’d already run over that scenario in his head. Maybe
when he’d first shown up on set the challenge of overcoming Willow’s resistance
had been his motivation but once he’d seen her with that baby everything had
changed.
He didn’t want to believe that he’d changed. Wouldn’t admit
that maybe he wanted something more from life than his solo run through it. But
a part of him sort of did.
“I never thought you’d admit that out loud,” she said
wryly.
“Well, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression of me,” he
said. Usually he didn’t care what people thought of him. He knew that most
thought he’d had more than his share of good luck directed his way, but none of
those strangers understood the cost of being that lucky. No one else got that
dreams had to die for his golden opportunities to show up. And he didn’t want
Willow to be another dead dream from his past.
“What impression should I get?” she asked.
He wished he could see her face so he’d know what she wanted
from him. He didn’t like this feeling. It was almost like when he’d woken up in
the hospital after that game-ending injury. He’d had no idea what he wanted to
do with his life or what direction to go in.
Right now he knew he could say the wrong thing and that Willow
would drift farther away from him.
But he also knew he could say the right thing and bring her
closer. And wasn’t that the fly in the ointment? He’d never known the right
words for any woman and especially not with Willow.
What were the right words? He had no idea. He was just a guy
who was used to dating in a shallow world and Willow, despite the fact that
she’d been dating in the same world, expected something more from the men in her
life. There was a reason she was still single and he had the distinct feeling it
was because her standards were high.
He settled for something halfway between the truth and a line.
“Just that I’m a guy who wants to make a good impression on you. I don’t want
you to lump me together with every other guy you’ve cared about, but didn’t end
up with.”
“How do you know that I’ve cared about another guy?” she asked
and there was more than a hint of weariness in her tone now.
She made it impossible to ever really get closer to her because
every time he thought he had her figured out something else came up.
“Because you’re not a teenager anymore and no one gets to our
age without experiencing heartbreak at least once,” Jack said. That was one
thing he’d learned—that fame had no influence over. Some of his most famous
celebrity friends had been hurt worse than the average Joes he met when he was
out doing a promo tour.
“Even the ever-charming Jack Crown?” she asked.
He noted that she didn’t deny the heartbreak and made a mental
note to find out more about that. She was very good about changing the subject
back to him.
“I thought my gift made it clear…I’m still in my frog’s
clothing,” he said because most of his heartbreak hadn’t been interpersonal but
had involved big life-changing events.
“Waiting for the right kiss?” she asked.
“I think I might have had the right kiss the other night. Just
not enough of them,” he said, trying to lighten his own mood. “I definitely
think you should try again.”
“Oh, you. If I believed even half the stuff that came out of
your mouth I’d be in trouble.”
He didn’t know how to take that. “This isn’t a game for
me.”
“Isn’t
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