The Happy Ever After Playlist - Abby Jimenez Page 0,67

If I could take it from her and carry it myself, I would.

Every gasp and sob that came from her sliced at me like razors.

It was like my heart was split down the middle—I had one half and Sloan had the other. I knew without a doubt that from this point forward I’d have to care for her better than I cared for myself—because I could never be okay if she wasn’t.

It took a few minutes, but she calmed down.

When the trembling stopped, I kissed her forehead and held her face in my hands. Her hair stuck to her wet cheek, and I brushed it aside and tucked it behind her ear.

“I can’t watch another man die on one of those,” she said simply. “Please. Don’t ever get on one. You have to promise me, Jason.”

“Never. I promise,” I whispered. “I’m not going to leave you, Sloan. It’s not going to happen again.”

She nodded, took a deep breath, and let me walk her to the house, and the whole time my mind kept circling back to the same thought.

I was grateful that I’d been there for her through my music in her darkest hours. That I’d reached her and touched her and held her in my arms for years—even though neither of us had known it yet.

I wanted to reach her and touch her and hold her in my arms forever.

Because I was completely and totally in love with her.

Chapter 25

Sloan

♪ 26 | Paramore

It had been three days since we’d come back from Minnesota, and every morning since, it had been a feat getting Jason out of bed and off to be Jaxon Waters.

“Don’t you have to get ready?” I giggled. He was all hands today. “Zane’s going to be here at seven.”

He made a dismissive male grunt and trailed his lips down my naked chest, working his bare shoulders under the sheets. I smiled.

Jason’s new personal assistant, Zane, had started on Monday. A tough-looking, no-nonsense woman with a pompadour, cuffed jeans, and a naked lady tattooed on her forearm. She spoke Spanish, was experienced, knew her way around LA, and she was amazing.

She drove him to his appointments so he didn’t have to deal with traffic and she made sure he ate and got to places on time. Zane turned out to be exactly what he needed because his schedule had officially become ridiculous.

His soundtrack was being released on Friday, and he had radio and TV interviews and photo shoots every day this week. The theme song for the movie was particularly promising. Next weekend he was even playing Saturday Night Live.

Jason started pulling my underwear down. I wriggled, tapping his shoulder. “No, no, no. Come on, get in the shower.”

His head popped up from under the sheet and he gave me a sad puppy dog look.

I smiled at him. “I won’t contribute to your delinquency. You have that KROQ thing today.”

He let out a sigh and rolled off me onto his back, putting an arm over his face. “You make me insane. I can’t keep my hands off you.”

My cell phone pinged, and I leaned over with a grin and reached for it.

“Who’s that?” he asked. It was barely 6:15 in the morning.

“Your mom.”

“My mom? She doesn’t text.”

“She texts me,” I said, flashing him the screen and then going back to typing a response.

“Unbelievable.”

“Well, she’s not going to call me and read me a recipe over the phone like a crazy person,” I said. “It’s eight fifteen there. She found a recipe in a magazine for sloppy joes she thinks you’ll like. And she wants to know if I know how to make a compote.”

“Do you?”

I snorted. “Well, yeah, of course.”

He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at me and I set the phone down on my chest, smiling. “What?”

“Go on a date with me tonight.”

“You mean go outside?”

We hadn’t spent any time together out of bed since we’d come back from Minnesota. He’d spent the night at my house for the last three nights. I loved it. I loved going to sleep in his arms and waking up to him.

“Let me wine and dine you,” he said. “Walk with you on the beach and hold your hand.”

I put my arms around his neck. “Yes, I’ll go on a date with you, my music man.”

He kissed me deeply and I thought for a second I was going to have to remind him about his call time again. But he broke away and rubbed his nose to