Someone Else's Fairytale (49 page)

The drive to the airport was not fun. There were several other cars in hot pursuit. At the airport it was a mad dash to the waiting jet, with flashbulbs popping and reporters yelling in our wake, but inside the jet, all was calm. Just a nice, plush interior with couches, rather than seats, and the co-pilot (it looked like, given the epaulettes on his shirt) offered us champagne.

Jason watched out the window as we taxied towards the runway. “They're going to be in
New York
too,” he said. “They know where we're going. You want to just run away to
Montreal
or something?”

“No. Come on. You deal with this all the time.”

“This is different. They're bothering you. Totally not the same thing.”

“Like I said, I need to get used to it now, right?” I looked down at the ring, then around at the private jet. My life had changed in the last twenty-four hours. I gripped the back of the seat as the plane shot forward down the runway. Soon we were aloft. I stared at the ring some more.

Jason frowned and turned back from the window. “You can have a different one if you want.”

“No way. I want the one you surprised me with. I guess we should get to planning a few things?”

“Will you let me get you a place in New Orleans now?”

“Us a place, yes.”

“Well, for you until we get married. When do you want to get married?”

“I assume your lawyers will want to do a prenup-”

“What? I don't want a prenup.”

“And I don't want you skinned alive by your lawyers. That would make me sad.”

“Chloe, you're missing the point here.”

“Sorry... what's the point?”

“You gave me my fairytale.”

“Good.”

“You sure you don't have one I can give back?”

“Um...” I shrugged.

“Even a little one? Your perfect wedding?”

“Perfect wedding? One without media coverage, I guess.”

“Sure, but if you want a real wedding, the media are going to find out about it. They'll figure out where we've booked a site, when we get a license, who we hire for a caterer. Someone will leak the information, no matter how careful we are.”

“How do you keep it a secret, then?”

“Well... you do it fast and with as few people as possible, but it's your
wedding.
You don't want to do that. Whatever wedding you always wanted, you should have.”

“I'm supposed to have it planned already?”

“Surely you've got some idea?”

“No... Isn't this supposed to be jointly planned thing?”

“Nah. I don't care. I'd go to Vegas and the Elvis Chapel if you want and you are
missing the point.
Think ideal. Wedding of your dreams.”

“You can't put that kind of pressure on me.”

“Really? There's no dress you always dreamed of or favorite song? Cake flavor?”

I shrugged. “Is that bad?”

“No, it's not bad. But are you serious?”

“My mom was the one always planning her wedding in our house,” I said. “I never went near any of her bridal magazines or anything like that.”

“But come on. Surely when you were a little girl you have some kind of fairytale you wanted to have come true. What was it?”

“I dunno.”

“What daydreams did you have when you were a child? You wanted to be a princess or have a dress with a train. Or...” He waited.

“I never had daydreams like that.”

“Not ever?”

“No. The daydream I always wanted to come true was the one where I bought Beth a birthday present and showed up at her party.”

“Beth, your sister?”

“Yeah. I dreamed that I'd go buy her a present and wrap it and show up at her party, and she'd be glad to see me. I wasn't invited, but she didn't care. She'd be in her house with all her friends, her perfect family, and there'd be balloons and cake and games, and she'd give me a big hug and say, 'I'm so glad you're here!' and then tell everyone, 'Look! My sister came.' And then she'd take me inside and I'd play with her friends and eat cake and just stay with her family forever.”

“You used to wish that?”

“Don't ever tell my mother.”

“This was before Chris shot you?”

“Yes. That kind of busted that fairytale.”

“I also don't see any way to fulfill it. You already got yourself out of that situation. You aren't that little girl anymore. Any way we could update it somehow?”

“Why? What's this got to do with our wedding?”

“Just... is there?”

“Jason, I'd be fine with the Elvis Chapel too, but I think your parents would kill you.”

“I want to know your fairytale. Think about it.”

I leaned my head against his chest and thought about it.

The jet sliced through the air, its engine so quiet, it was little more than a whine. Wisps of cloud formed at the wingtips and streamed away behind us. The sky was deep blue and the ground beneath us was brown, flat, and endless. The little bubbles in my champagne glass zipped upwards and gathered at the surface.

My ears popped as I swallowed a few times. Jason moved to pull me closer. I brought my knees up and rested them across his lap. It was hard to imagine I'd ever wanted to be just friends with him. How many months had I wasted that way?

Now I had a wedding to plan!

“I don't have a fairytale that would apply,” I said. “You want to update my childhood fairytale? My new fairytale would be that my kids never, ever have my old fairytale. They may not like me every minute of their childhood. They might wish their real mother was a princess in some mythical land, but everything they wish for, I hope it's stupid.”

“Stupid how?”

“Like, that they get chocolate for breakfast and new toys every day.”

“Or a boyfriend who also happens to be a movie star with a private jet and a mansion?” He chuckled.

“Right. Stupid stuff. Stuff that doesn't matter, because all the stuff that does matter? Like parents who love them and a safe and stable home? I don't want them to even have a clue what it would be like not to have those things.” I shrugged. “Doesn't apply to a wedding.”

But Jason's arms were tightening around me. “Yeah, it does.”

“What, chocolate and toys?”

“No, the other stuff. I can give you that. I can make that fairytale come true, and I will. You can count on me, okay? I promise.”

A strange sensation welled up in my chest and I felt a tear slide down my cheek. I dabbed at it with surprise.

"That happiness? I hope?" said Jason.

And I realized it was. More tears streaked down after that first one. That part of me I'd thought was broken past repair, wasn't so broken after all. I hadn't forgotten how to dream, I'd just stopped paying attention. I'd kicked aside every glimmer of hope and made do with what I had left, which was reason and hard work and all those things that made my life livable, but now I remembered what it felt like to not just look forward to a future of carefully won accomplishments, but to feel excitement, like I was embarking on an adventure and didn't know where it would lead, but couldn't wait to find out.

Jason dabbed my tears away with his fingertips. "You okay?"

I couldn't answer him, only grin. I think he got the idea.

When we landed in New York, the media were out in force. I turned on my cellphone and had five messages. Jason and I exited the cool interior of the plane and descended into the hot muggy air outside. A team of security all closed in around us, making a wall of black shirts, and ushered us to the waiting car.

Jason muttered something about stupid gladiator movies while we climbed back into the cool, air conditioned air. I laughed and ignored the commotion outside while I dialed my voicemail.

“Chloe, it's Kimmie.” My boss at the coffee shop. “It's a mob scene here, and I'm sure you know why. Congratulations, by the way. It's going to be very hard for you to keep working here the next couple of weeks. I'm not firing you, but I strongly suggest you quit.”

“I lost my job,” I said to Jason.

“Sorry.”

“No big deal.”

“Chloe, it's Lillian,” said the next message. “Honey, we're practically on lockdown in our house. I hope you guys are doing all right. The media's just gone crazy with this, and honey... they're also at Dr. Winters's house. They're doing a lot of digging into your past. I hope this doesn't get ugly, but I wanted to warn you. They think it's a modern day fairytale, Jason choosing a non-celebrity that no one really even knew about. Anyway, call us when you get in. We love you.”

The next message was her again. “They found your old court case. It's up on the internet now.”

The next message after that was Steve. “Hey, Chloe. Um... so your restraining order is up on the internet, and Chris's incarceration status is on TMZ. Just forewarning you. The media finally put everything together, like, from when he was on
The Tonight Show
and said he was dating someone and I guess something from an old magazine interview? They've turned you into a fairytale princess.”

The next message was my mother. “Honey? Can you call me? I had this odd dream this morning that I'm not sure was... hang on... Ohmigosh! You're on the news!!!” I had to hold the phone away from my ear for that one.

Jason gave me a questioning look.

“My life is all on the internet now,” I said.

He shook his head. “I am so,
so
sorry. This is beyond stupid.”

“It's okay. You're worth it. But I'm going into hiding for the rest of your shoot. I'm going to become a clingy fangirl and just hang out in your trailer all day.”

“Understood.” He grinned.