Page 38 of Dreaming About Forever

She’d gone through most of the day without thinking about her parents, but the force of their betrayal hit her again. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she scanned the lock screen. Dozens of messages and headlines waited for her.

“Looks like my own family crimes are still hot in the news,” Alicia said.

“You should turn it off. Let Lillian field the news and let you know about the important things. Everything else can be ignored.”

Bits of the headlines jumped out at her.

Family torn apart.

Carver sisters outraged.

Ashton Warner distances himself from scandal.

Like mother, like daughters?

Behind the big breakup. Ashton Warner speaks out.

Jordan’s hand covered the screen and gently pushed it down. She looked up at him, barely able to make out the anguish in his expression from the dim light.

“You’re here to get away from it. Don’t let the bad stuff follow you.” He slowly pulled his hand back. “Enjoy it while you can. You’ll be back in the spotlight soon enough, and you won’t be able to escape it.”

The kind words wrapped around her bruised heart like a warm blanket. She wished more than anything that she could reach out to him. She wanted his deep voice and strong arms wrapped around her. She wanted to fall asleep in the comfort he could give.

But there were so many lines, and none of them could be crossed. There were walls built between them with the sole purpose of keeping them at a safe distance.

She brushed a stray hair behind her ear and wrapped her own arms around her middle. “You’re right. I’ll talk to Lillian in the morning.”

Jordan nodded once, like the matter was settled. “Good night. I’m right across the hall if you need anything.”

Need. The meaning of the word was blurry, blending with want in a confusing haze.

“Thanks. Good night.”

When Jordan didn’t move, she realized he was waiting to see her safely in her room before slipping off to his own. She tiptoed into the darkness of the guest room, and the door clicked closed behind her. Letting her back rest against the door, she relaxed her shoulders as the tension drained from her rigid body.

Jordan was here to watch over her, not help her cope. He was her physical caretaker, not her emotional support bodyguard.

But his kindness was slowly putting the pieces of her broken heart back together, and she wanted to be whole again. Taylor Ranch held the key to getting over the hurt, but what would she do when Jordan wasn’t around anymore? What would she do when these people who were stitching her back together said good-bye?

She’d never see them again, and that might be worse than losing her family.

14

JORDAN

Jordan hung another strand of garland over the doorway leading into the kitchen. How much garland could one family own?

“Are there anymore?” he asked, climbing down the ladder.

His mother pointed toward a box in the corner. “Can you get the star out of that one? The silver one that goes on top of the tree?”

Alicia didn’t look up from the box of ornaments in front of her, but her grin said she was enjoying seeing him being bossed around by his mom.

Alicia had been curled up on the floor untangling strings of lights for the last half-hour, and the tension in her jaw faded a little more with every minute.

After the grueling morning, he’d decided decorating for Christmas was the lesser of many evils. The woman had been on the phone or computer all morning doing interviews and listening to boring meetings.

When the meetings were over, they ventured into town. Thankfully, no one had mobbed her. It seemed most of the people of Redemption Ridge either didn’t know who she was or didn’t care to fangirl over the pop star.

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