Page 117 of Wallflower in Bloom

His hands found their way to her cheeks and brushed a tear from one side. “It’s one-of-a-kind, one anyone would be lucky to have in their life, and one I wish I deserved. I wish I could do anything other than act, Violet. Otherwise, I’d find any excuse to be here.”

His hands combed through her loose hair, falling around her shoulders. It was delicious torture, but every second he was here hurt even more. “Don’t,” she whispered as her lip wobbled. “You’re making it worse.”

He tilted her chin up so she’d look him in the eye. “It’s important you know.” His lip trembled as his eyes went misty. “I’m torturing myself while I do this.” His lips landed on her cheek, lingering, the scrape of his stubble and his nose trailing along her cheekbone.

“If I figure out how to bribe the cast and crew of Beyond the Manor Walls to film in Fairwick Falls, you’ll be the first person I call.” He squeezed her arm as he stepped back. “Until then, I’ll see you in a month.”

Violet nodded, unable to get a word out because she was too afraid of how she’d beg him to stay.

Chapter

Twenty-Five

JACK

“All right, that’s break!” the assistant director shouted. “You both doing okay?” She looked over to Jack and Missy, wrapped in each other’s arms.

They were in the middle of the promo shoots for the next season of Beyond the Manor Walls, and he was sweating buckets.

“Yep.” He released Missy and tugged at his collar because it would be impolite to say, I’m being strangled by this fucking neckcloth.

He’d been back in his regular costume, but the whole operation no longer felt familiar. It felt sad, like he’d outgrown the fair. Everything around him felt like it was holding him back, like his future was taking off without him.

Missy stepped back from his embrace. “Lord, it’s hot, yeah?” She tugged her bonnet off.

His costume was choking the life out of him. He’d put on a few pounds that summer and the unexpectedly fast call back for promo shoots meant he was unprepared for this bloody costume.

“Yeah, I can’t say I’ve missed the neckcloth.” He smiled, though it didn’t meet his eyes. “You were great in the last take.” He was so lucky to have a scene partner like Missy.

“It’s been nice dusting off our prissy miss governess again. Maybe she’ll finally get laid this season.” She chuckled with him.

This was the part he loved about the work—the chit-chat with fellow actors. Just getting in a good chinwag in-between playing pretend. Missy stretched her arms and took a swig from a water bottle tucked behind a prop. “How’s Violet?”

“Uh, I wouldn’t know,” he said with a frown.

“Oh no,” she said slowly as if her heart was breaking with his. “Don’t tell me you chopped off the only thing good in your life.”

He shrugged, and he appreciated she really knew him. He’d fielded a million angry texts from Gray, threatening his manhood for hurting Violet. And honestly, he probably deserved it. He’d promised not to hurt her, and that was precisely what he’d done.

“I’m here. She has a plant business. Working remotely isn’t an option for her.” He tried to muster a smile for her, but his mouth didn’t quite make it.

“Bummer. I liked her. Sorry, bud.” Missy rubbed his arm. “But life happens. Sometimes you’ve gotta change your priorities.”

She shrugged and lifted her skirts to catch the breeze of a nearby fan. “When I met Robert, the timing was terrible. I’d just been signed to do a global theater tour. When I got pregnant with Lyla, I’d already booked a swimwear modeling job four months later.” She laughed as she thought back to it all.

“String of bad luck?” he offered.

“More like a string of clarifying situations,” she said with a thoughtful nod. “I had to choose what was more important: a job or finding my person. It all worked out. I ditched the swimwear gig and instead ended up mooning over you for five years. I snuck in a couple of off-Broadway shows here and there. Work is meant to fit around life, Jack.”

At that moment, he desperately wished for an older sister, but he guessed Missy had kind of become that—a mentor of sorts. She’d been more successful in this business for longer than he had.

“Yeah? What would you think about this being the last season?” he said tentatively. He didn’t want to put an entire cast and crew out of a job just to chase down someone who might want to love him. To be with him.

Until death did they part.

Fuck, he didn’t even know if he could properly be in a relationship, seeing as how he’d never done it. Could he throw everything away in front of him for the potential of something special with Violet?

Their contracts renewed each season, and he and Missy could say they were done. The writers hadn’t finished the arcs for this season yet, and if they were going to decide, this was it…now was the time.

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