26. Miles

26

MILES

As I drove across the causeway, I checked the time; it was six forty-five. I was forty-five minutes late. In Hollywood time, that was considered showing up early to a party. But for a twelve-year-old's birthday, I was pretty sure it was bad form.

I'd tried to get a flight out this afternoon, but there had been weather delays due to thunderstorms in New York. I really hoped I would make it before it was over. I also felt like shit that I was showing up empty-handed.

My luggage was on a different plane that wasn't going to arrive for another hour. I didn't want to wait in the airport because I was afraid if I did, I would miss the party altogether.

The past two days had been a whirlwind of press for Long Way Home. I'd kept all of my commitments but still managed to fit in arriving in Firefly for AJ's party. I just hoped that he still wanted me here. It had been a few weeks since I'd spoken to Zoe on the phone. I'd continued to message her, just checking in and letting her know I was thinking about her, but she wasn't great at returning texts. Either that or I wasn't great at taking a hint.

I got the party info from Harlan and asked him to keep it a surprise that I was coming since I wasn't sure I'd be able to pull it off.

"You have arrived at your destination," the voice from the navigation system said through the speaker as I pulled up to the Party Palace's parking lot.

The first vehicle I noticed was Zoe's white Audi. Next to her car, I saw Harlan and Dawson's trucks. At least I knew they were all still here.

When I got out and started walking up, the nerves that I only ever felt when it came to a certain brunette green-eyed beauty came back to me. I wondered if they would ever go away or if I'd always feel them around her.

I pushed open the glass door and was greeted by a young man with a blue Party Palace ball cap and a mouth full of braces. His name tag read Toby. His eyes widened slightly when he saw me.

"Jackson Stone," he said in awe.

Jackson Stone was my character on Happy Trails . I used to correct people, but now I just went with it.

"Hey, Toby. I'm here for AJ's birthday."

"You know my name?" he said in disbelief.

I pointed to his chest. "It's on your tag."

"Oh, right." He looked down at his chest.

"AJ's party," I reminded him.

"Oh, right, it's in the back, in the King Arthur suite."

"Okay, thanks."

I started to walk past him, but he stopped me.

"I need to stamp you." He held up a large rubber stamp that had what looked like a castle on it.

"Right." I held out my hand, and he pressed it on the back of it. The back of my hand had a bright red stamped castle on it.

"Okay, you're good to go, Jackson. All the way down the hall. Purple double doors, you can't miss it."

"Thanks, Toby."

The wide hallway that led to the back room was painted on both sides with medieval landscapes. There was a large recreation of the Knights of the Roundtable with several dragons flying above.

I was halfway down the corridor when someone came through swinging doors carrying a cake. I had to stop on a dime so I didn't run into them. My hand landed on the small part of their back.

"Oh, sorry." The person glanced over their shoulder and apologized.

When our eyes locked, recognition dawned on both of us. It was Zoe carrying AJ's cake. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she had on jeans and a green T-shirt that matched the color of her eyes exactly. It was the same shirt she was wearing the day I'd come over to work with AJ on his audition.

My fingertips flexed of their own accord slightly on her lower back. I needed to feel her to know that she was real. I knew that I missed her, but being this close to her, smelling the sweet floral and fresh scent that was uniquely her, and seeing the golden flecks floating in her emerald eyes surrounded by thick, dark lashes caused all of the feelings I'd bottled up to explode in me. I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion.

"What are you…how did you…you're not supposed to be here for two more days."

I smiled widely. I couldn't help it. I was so happy to see her. "I asked Harlan when the party was and changed my schedule."

"But…why?" Her brow furrowed deeply.

It wasn't exactly the reaction I had hoped for after not seeing her for a month.

"So, I could come to AJ's party."

She shook her head. "Harlan didn't tell me that you were coming."

"I wasn't sure that I could make it, and I wanted it to be a surprise. I hope that's okay." I'd just assumed it was since she'd sort of invited me, but now I was getting the feeling that was not the case.

The door at the end of the hall opened, and Nadia stuck her head out. Her mouth made the shape of an O when she saw me. "Oh, hello! I was just seeing what the holdup was. Carry on." She shut the door again.

"I can go if this isn't a good idea." I dropped my hand and instantly missed touching her.

"No, no. Don't leave." She shook her head. "I'm just… I just wasn't expecting to see you. Um, here, why don't you take the cake."

"Oh, no. I don't want to do that…you're his mom. You should take it."

She tilted her head to the side, and an adorable, lopsided grin pulled at her perfect, raspberry-colored lips. "Do you think he'd rather have his mom or Miles Ford bring his cake in?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She pushed the cake toward me. I held out my hands, and as she placed the cake in them, her fingers brushed against mine. The innocent touch sent a shockwave through my body. Her eyes shot to mine, and I knew she felt it, too.

We both stared, unmoving, as tension crackled between us. Then she blinked and quickly turned to head to the room. When she did, her ponytail fanned out, and the swoosh of the air put about a quarter of the candles out.

"The candles," I said as she reached for the door handle.

"What?" She turned back around and looked down. "Oh shoot."

She grabbed a pack of matches from her back pocket, and when she pulled them out, I could see her hands were trembling. I wanted to believe that I was the reason for her shakiness.

Twice, she tried to pull the match between the flap and the pack to light it, and twice, nothing happened. The other flames were starting to dwindle.

"Do you want me to do it?" I offered.

"No, I can do it." She ripped off another stick, and this time, it lit. She placed the flame on the four candles that had gone out and blew out the match. "Okay, ready."

"Yep."

She walked in front of me, and I followed her. I did my best not to let my eyes drop down to her hips, swaying back and forth as she hurried down the hall. Her jeans molded to her backside, and the denim was worn in all the right places, accentuating her hourglass curves. It made beads of sweat break out on the back of my neck, and I could feel myself getting turned on, remembering how her backside felt in the palm of my hands as I was buried deep inside of her.

Fuck. No. I could not walk in with a hard-on carrying a birthday cake.

As she pulled open the door, I managed to calm my body down. When I walked through, the entire room started singing Happy Birthday, led by Zoe and Nadia. AJ's face lit up when he saw me. His friends were all slapping his back and seemed stoked that I was there.

I took photos with the entire group and then with two or three at a time. I ended up taking some selfies with some of the workers at Party Palace as well as parents who were coming to pick their kids up.

Most of the time, I hung out with Dawson and Harlan. I'd missed them, too. They were just really good, solid, guys. They cared about their family, sports, and having fun talking shit. They could care less about my latest box office numbers or whether or not I was starring in the next A24 or superhero film.

When the party was winding down, the remaining kids were playing their final game of laser tag, and Harlan and I were taking trips, bringing AJ's presents to his truck so he could bring them to Zoe's. When I came back to grab another load, Zoe and Nadia were alone in King Arthur's room cleaning up.

I was about to open the door when I heard Nadia ask Zoe, "So you're not going to hook up with him again?"

I stopped and listened.

Was she talking about me? Had Zoe hooked up with someone else? Was it Elias? Had she gone to dinner with him? Was she interested in a relationship with him now?

"No," Zoe quickly replied.

"Why not?" Nadia followed up.

Yeah.

Why not?

"Because it's not appropriate."

"Why?"

If it was Elias, was it because they worked together?

"You know why. Besides, there's no future there. He's…him. And I'm me. He lives in Los Angeles."

My shoulders dropped as I exhaled a breath of relief. She was talking about me. Not Elias. She wasn't talking about the pediatric heart surgeon.

"There doesn't have to be a future to have a secret rendezvous ," Nadia sang the last two words.

I recognized the melody and lyrics from the 1980s Karen White classic of the same name that my mom used to listen to.

" Nothing in Firefly is a secret," Zoe stated.

"No one has found out about you two yet. I think you should definitely take advantage of him being back in town and get dicked down. Hey, that rhymed."

Both women started laughing.

"Jackson."

I heard a voice behind me and turned around. When I did, I saw Toby standing with a kid who looked just like him, only five inches shorter.

Toby turned to the shorter version of himself. "This is my brother Tucker. I told him you were here, and he came down. Can you take a picture with him?"

"Sure." I walked back out the front, and Harlan passed me in the hallway to grab the rest of the presents.

As I snapped a few selfies with the brothers, I couldn't help but think that although I didn't know Nadia that well, I was a huge fan of hers. She was coming in strong as my wing-woman, and I owed her big time. As much as I hoped that Zoe would take her friend's advice and we could have another rendezvous, I wished it wouldn't have to be a secret, but I understood that she wasn't interested in a relationship.

I would take whatever she had to offer.