Page 63 of Dumbstruck
“This is why I don’t let my kids watch your movies,” the other one says, shaking his head.
Jonah snorts and gives me a questioning look that is easy to read. When I nod, he claims my mouth again, leaning so deep into the kiss that I get weak in the knees. It’s not that Iwantto be kissing like this in front of his family, but he is giving me an extremely convincing argument for not caring at all what they witness.
“Okay, Casanova,” one of the brothers says, louder than before. “Mom is dying to meet your lady friend.”
“I’m your lady friend?” I ask with a breathless laugh.
Jonah chuckles. “You are so much more than that,” he murmurs with another kiss, then turns to his brothers. “And would you lay off, Steve? I haven’t seen her in months.”
“Sounds like a personal problem.”
Itisa personal problem. It was hard enough when Jonah left Laketown the first time, but watching him drive away after he spent a weekend with me earlier this summer was so much harder than I thought it would be. Every video call since then has only somewhat lessened the loneliness I’ve been feeling lately. Samson is great company now that he has decided to be an indoor cat, but his cuddling doesn’t come close to being in Jonah’s arms.
Long distance is better than nothing, but there has to be a better way to do this. Jonah has been scaling back his availability, much to the dismay of his agent, but from what I can tell, he’s becoming more of a hot commodity now that he isn’t agreeing to every job he can. Studios are willing to pay more for him, and onceFrosted Peakscomes out in a few months and everyone sees just how good of an actor he is when he gets the right chance, his value will only go up.
I’m hoping that means he’ll be able to take even more time off.
Jonah’s brothers head inside, leaving the door wide open, and I take the hint. “I guess I’m not going to change,” I say as my nerves start building again. “You promise I’m not dressed too casually?”
Taking my hand once more, Jonah leads me up the stairs to follow his brothers inside. “It’s August in Idaho. I guarantee you are more dressed up than half the family, and no one will be paying attention to your clothes in the first place. They’re all going to be wondering how I got so lucky.”
He’s not the lucky one. I am. And as the Smiths welcome me in with open arms, his mom even tearing up as she gives me a hug, I get my first real taste of a close-knit family. I love my parents, and they have always been on my side. But when it’s always been just the three of us, I’ve been missing a true community.
Jonah’s family makes me feel like I’m one of them instantly, and I am going to hold on to this for as long as I possibly can.
Three months later
“Jonah! Over here!”
“Can we get a smile?”
“Jonah!”
“Jonah, who’s your date tonight?”
The cameras keep flashing, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to be blind before the night is over. This isn’t even the actual premiere forFrosted Peaks—I chickened out and skipped that one a few nights ago—but tonight’s watch party event is still way bigger than anything I’ve ever attended.
“You’re doing great,” Jonah says through a broad smile. “We’re almost done.”
Easy for him to say. He’s been through this dozens of times and has the personality of a golden retriever, so everyone is always excited to see him. These movie premieres and watch parties are actually fun for him.
But me? I’m blind, in a dress, and desperate to hear him answer the question we’re hearing most often tonight: “Who is that next to you?”
With this being my first official public outing with the charming Jonah James, I really want to know what he’ll say. Now that I’ve decided to make an appearance, our relationship isn’t tabloid gossip anymore. It’ll be a lot harder to hide after tonight.
We finally move on from the photographers, Jonah tugging me along with his hand laced with mine, and pause in front of a gorgeous woman standing in front of a video camera with a microphone. Jonah warned me we would have to stop and talk to at least some of the reporters here tonight, but he promised he would pick the nice ones. This one looks kind enough, though they’re all a little terrifying.
“Jonah James!” the reporter says, her smile bright and genuine. Her eyes jump to me for half a second, but she keeps her focus on Jonah, for which I’m grateful. I’m happy to be a background fixture as I try to figure out how anyone can smile for this long without their lips falling off. “Are you riding high on the success ofFrosted Peaks? It was a record-breaking opening weekend.”
I can practically feel Jonah’s excitement through our connected hands.
“I am blown away by the reception so far,” he says, speaking loudly to be heard over the shouts from the paparazzi behind us. They’re going nuts over something. Probably Bonnie and Hank, who arrived soon after we did. “This whole project was a labor of love, and I could not be more grateful that everything has turned out better than I could have hoped.” He squeezes my hand, the gesture speaking volumes.
I love seeing him in his element. I love more the way he hasn’t abandoned me or forgotten me even once, no matter how many people are vying for his attention.
“Your character is only in the first book,” the reporter says. “What are the chances we might see more of Logan Banks in the movies?”
Jonah chuckles, shaking his head. “There’s no way we would stray from the genius of Henry McAllister’s writing, no matter how much I would love to work on the series more. Think anyone would notice if I auditioned for Hudson Bluth in the next movie?”
