How had she overlooked the fact that Jack was a miserable son of a bitch? She’d been with him for two years, she’d given him all the space he’d needed, he’d had six thousand miles, and still it hadn’t been enough. She hadn’t been enough.
Somehow, for nearly two years, she’d been so blinded by her first leap into love that she hadn’t looked twice. She’d followed him, waited for him, and, now, had been humiliated by him. Would the ones she loved always, always betray her heart?
When the memories of that horrible night just over two years ago flashed through her mind, she shut them out, shut them down. She wouldn’t think about that but focus on the present. It was the present that had her trembling with rage, hurt, and tears.
It was Thanksgiving.
Taking slow, deep breaths to relieve the pressure in her head and chest, she tried to think positively. Her food had been good, and she’d been proud of it. The company, besides Jack, had been great. She owed Nick for standing up for her. He hadn’t needed to, but he’d done it.
Of course, part of that was probably for himself, too. Jack shouldn’t have brought Paris up. After the confrontation the night of her first film premiere, she knew, no matter the time distance, Paris would always be a sore subject for Nick. He’d been covering for himself first, she thought, but she was still grateful that he’d helped her save face.
Not that her best friends hadn’t been ready to take Jack down and bury his body in a shallow grave, either. And, speaking of the son of a bitch, she thought as she heard the front door open.
When the light flicked on in the den, she didn’t bother to stand as he stood in the doorway and watched her with…was that disinterest?
“Autumn.”
“Hello, Jack.”
He inclined his head and stepped into the room. “Why are you still up?”
“It’s not because I was waiting for your sorry ass,” she said quietly, temper sneaking behind the words.
Jack waved her words away. “Don’t be a drama queen, Autumn. It doesn’t suit you.” He paused. “Then again, maybe it suits you perfectly.” When she didn’t say anything, merely continued to watch him silently, he seated himself in an armchair and studied her. “You’re probably wondering where I went.”
“I’m wondering why you’re back.”
His lips twitched, and he fought the smile back. He’d always liked her smart mouth. When had he stopped loving the whole package? “I guess I figured I owed you an apology. And I wanted to get my things, see you and Lily one, last time.”
“You’re done here then?” Though she said the words dispassionately, she could feel what was left of her heart disintegrating bits at a time in a painful process.
“It was inevitable, wasn’t it?” He looked down at his hands then up at her. “I’m not what you need, and you’re not what I need.”
Will I ever be what anyone needs? she wondered. “You’re right.” Then, “You had no right to insult my guests, Jack. Whatever we were fighting about, it should never have extended to people I consider friends and family.”
“Since when is Nick Carter part of the family?” Jack demanded.
She shook her head. “This isn’t about Nick. This is about our arguments lashing out and hurting other people. Innocent people. It shouldn’t have happened, and it won’t ever happen again.”
“No, it won’t.” He stood. “I’m going back to Ethiopia day after tomorrow, so we won’t have to worry about each other for too much longer. I’ll just get my things and go.”
When he started for the door, Autumn bit down on the tears and stopped him. “Stay the night. I don’t want you to have to roam LA looking for a room at this time of the night. You can say goodbye to Lily in the morning. She’ll be hurt if you go without seeing her.”
Jack simply watched her for a moment before sighing. “I guess Carter was right,” he said quietly. “You really are more than a guy like me deserves.”
After he’d gone, and she’d heard the door shut upstairs, Autumn let the tears pour down her cheeks as she curled into a ball and wept her heart dry.
“You whore!”
Nick winced as AJ slapped his back in lieu of a congratulatory hug. “Uh, thanks, I think?”
AJ grinned wildly as he turned to the other two men in the room. “Can you believe this kid? He goes over there because your wife-” He pointed to Brian. “-wanted to set him up with Autumn Evans. So he gets an invite to the home of a beautiful and talented woman, and what does he do? He walks away with a date with her agent.” He wiped away a fake tear. “I’m so proud to call you a friend.”
Brian rolled his eyes good-naturedly before shifting his gaze to Nick. It had been years since he’d looked closely at the man who’d once been his closest friend, his best confidant, but he was beginning to remember where to look to spot trouble signs. Today, there were none.
“So I take it you’re happy to go on a date with…what’s her name?”
Nick pulled out a chair and sat. “Liz. Elizabeth Barnes. She’s like this breath of fresh air, you know? Yeah, she’s in the business, but she’s not in front of the cameras. She knows all about hard work, and she’s pretty and kind. She’s also one hell of a best friend,” he added, remembering the way she’d stuck by Autumn’s side during the dinner.
“She’s a brunette,” AJ emphasized. “That’s new.”
“Hey! I’ve dated brunettes before,” Nick protested.
Howie exchanged glances with Brian, and both of them shook their heads before Howie turned back to Nick. “So, when’s this date?”
“Friday. Three days,” Nick replied, thoughtfully twirling a pencil through his fingers. He could see her face in his mind and smell that barely there perfume she’d been wearing. “It’s weird because I can’t wait to see her again. I feel like I’m fourteen years old and about to go on my first date.”
Brian laid a hand on his shoulder. “Then this is important. She’s going to be someone important for you.”
Nick looked over at him. “Maybe. I don’t know. I guess we’ll see.”
Later, as he listened to AJ and Howie running through scales together to warm up, Nick turned to Brian as they stood watching their bandmates. “Can I ask if you felt the way I’m feeling right now when you were about to go on your first date with Leighanne?”
The surprise showed in his eyes for a moment before Brian blinked it away. “Yeah. Yeah, I did.” He sighed and just barely remembered not to chew on his fingernails. “Nick, are you thinking that seriously this fast?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just see her face in my head all the time, and I want to call her everyday. She was just so easy to talk to and didn’t play all those stupid flirty games or anything. Hell, I had to convince her to go on a date.”
“You had to work the Carter charm? She didn’t fall for it without effort?” Brian’s brows rose in surprise. “Good for her.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too,” Nick said quietly. “I wonder what’ll happen.”
Brian just patted his back. “What’s meant to happen will happen. Just go with the flow. You’ll know what to do.”
“Three days,” Nick repeated. “By the way,” he added as an afterthought, “what flowers are better than roses to give to a woman?”
