Page 3 of Waiting to Lose
She twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. “There aresomany parts to remember.”
“Yes there are. One of the best nights of my life.”
Madi noted how deeply he sighed, like remembering made him ache. She liked reminding him of what he was missing, being so far away. “One?” she asked with fake concern.
“Babe, all my best nights are with you.”
“How was your concert tonight?” she asked through her smile.
“Good. I think they liked me.”
“Youthink?” she laughed. “You’re kidding, right? Everyone likes you. Everyone loves you.”
“I’m not concerned ifeveryoneloves me. I’m only interested in the love of one girl.”
“Allison Gregory?” Madi said on instinct. She immediately regretted the words and squeezed her eyes shut.
Jake sighed into the phone. “You’re not reading smut again, are you?”
Madi rolled her eyes. “I don’t have time for smut. I only have time for torts and contracts. I don’t need to read about you and the latest girl you’re dating.”
“I’m dating you, in case you forgot. Although, we technically haven’t gone on a first date yet. Are you worrying again?”
Dammit!Madi hated how easily she could let her inner feelings slip out. She needed to be stronger. “Of course not. I know how much you love me.”
“I do. Don’t forget that. You have to ignore whatever you read in the paper. I promise you there is nothing going on between me and Allison Gregory, or any other girl. The only love I want, and the only love I’ll ever need, is the love that comes from you.”
“And you have it. Always.” Madi sighed into the phone as she reached for the lamp next to her bed. “Just promise me something...” She flipped the switch and realized how perfect the timing was for her words. “Don’t ever keep me in the dark. If you ever have second thoughts about this thing with us, just tell me. Don’t cheat on me. Just tell me how you feel before you make any decisions.” Madi could almost picture the look on his face as he spoke.
“I’d never do anything to jeopardize our relationship, and I’dnevercheat on you. It took me twenty-eight years to find you, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let some reporter’s sick, far-fetched attempt at luring in readers with lies push you away from me. When you move to L.A. in May, I’m going to prance around town with you on my arm. When you’re with me, I can protect you. I’d do anything to keep you safe.”
Madi felt a twitch in her stomach as he spoke. There was something in his tone that made her uneasy, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “Is everything okay? Why would you need to protect me?”
There was a small pause before he spoke. “You are my first and last thought at the beginning and end of every day. I want you with me so I can protect you from all the bullshit. I want to ease your fears. If you could see my face right now, you’d see a man who’s deeply in love, probably for the first time in his life.”
Madi felt her heart tighten and threaten to burst. “There you go again, saying all the right things at just the right time. I’m pretty sure I don’t deserve you.”
He laughed. “It’s all true. I miss you and I want you with me. I’m seriously thinking of blowing off my next concert and flying down there right now.”
“Don’t tease me,” she said, biting her lip. “I know how important your fans are to you. You would never do that to them, and I don’t want you giving up anything for me. I know you have a sold-out concert in Denver tomorrow.”
“What can I do to get you to move to L.A. at the end of this semester and finish off your classes there instead of in Chicago?”
“You know I want to be with you, but I have to finish school—here.”
He sighed and Madi could imagine his dark, smoldering eyes.
“In May, youaremoving to L.A.,” he insisted.
Madi rolled onto her stomach. “Let’s not go there tonight. I just want to close my eyes and take in the sound of your voice. May is a long way away, and I promise we’ll talk about it soon.”
“Um hmm. Heard that before.”
“I’m not saying no. I just need to figure things out. You know I want to be with you. Don’t get frustrated or give up on me. We can make this work; I promise. Do you think you can wait another month?”
“You know I can. Stop worrying. I promise you, there is no one and nothing I want more than you. I would never do anything to lose you. I didn’t like that feeling, and I won’t put myself through that ever again.”
Madi sighed. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself. I’ve never felt like this about anyone before you. Why are you so damn perfect?”
