Authors: Tessa Dayne
~*~
Paige stood on the porch, her arms wrapped around herself tightly, watching Jonas load the car.
“Come here,” William said, holding his hand out to his daughter. When she slipped into his embrace, he held her tight, squeezing her. “I don’t say it often enough, but I love you. And I am proud of you.”
Paige’s breath caught in her throat and it was all she could do to hold back the tears. Her father had never been demonstrative in his love for her. She knew he loved her, but he had not been one to show it openly.
“I love you, too, Daddy,” she whispered, hugging him back.
William pulled away, clearing his throat slightly. “Well, you had best get going. The traffic won’t be too bad, but it is still a holiday and a Friday on top of that. So be careful.”
“We will Daddy,” Paige promised.
“Goodbye, Sir,” Jonas said, shaking his hand.
Paige smiled as her father and Jonas say their goodbyes. It had never been like this with Darren and her father. They had hated each other on sight. With Jonas, it was as if he was a part of the family and had always been.
William stood on the porch, watching the two of them. Jonas opened the driver’s side door for Paige, and then closed it securely after she had slid inside. Running around to the passenger side, he waved once more to her father, and then slid into the passenger seat.
Paige beeped the horn as she pulled away from the curb and William smiled. His little girl was all grown up and about to have a baby of her own. Lifting his hand, he waved and watched the car disappear around the corner.
With a glance toward the heavens, William returned to the warmth of the house. He was alone again, but for once, he felt contented.
~*~
Jonas watched Paige as she drove, committing the profile of her beautiful face to memory. He had about a month left with her and the baby, before he had to leave for Spain. He was scheduled to meet with a master swordsman in Madrid the end of January to prepare for the swordplay he would have to learn for the film. He would be gone for close to six months, the biggest part of her pregnancy.
Feeling his eyes on her, Paige turned her head quickly to look at Jonas. “What?” she asked, realizing he had been watching her for some time.
“Nothing,” he said, turning his head to look out the window at the snow covered scenery.
“JD? What’s wrong?”
“I’m just second guessing my decision about staying with the
El Dorado
film. I don’t want to leave you and the baby.”
“And I don’t want you to go, but you have a commitment to the film. You should wrap up before the baby comes. I can fly to see you right up until the doctors say I can’t. I have no ties here, JD. I already quit my job before I went to New York. I just have to make it official. Stop worrying about me. I’m going to be fine. We both are going to be fine.”
“I know you are right. And I know that I have been the one telling you this the whole time, but I think it has finally hit me. I am going to be a dad again and I want to be here for the whole experience.”
“I want you to be there for everything too. I will video tape everything I do while you are gone. I promise. And I will fly out right after I get the doctor’s okay.”
“It won’t be the same, but it will have to do for now. Once this movie is over, I will find a better way to spend my time. I want to be home to see Ian more. I want to be there for you and the baby.”
“What will you do?”
“I have the publishing house, my photography, my painting. I will be fine.”
“I doubt that, JD. You love acting. It’s a part of you. If it weren’t, you wouldn’t pour so much of yourself into your roles.”
“Okay, I won’t decide now. We will get through this film, and play the rest by ear.”
Paige smiled. “Okay,” she agreed. She knew that he wouldn’t be happy if he gave up his acting career. He would try to hide it, but the misery would be there nonetheless. For now, she allowed him to believe she had agreed to his plans. For now.
Turning her gaze back to the road, Paige watched for the turn she knew was coming up. Spotting it, she turned onto the road that led to the lake and her family’s cabin. About a quarter mile along the lakeshore, she turned again and pulled in front of a cozy cabin. Parking in front of it, she turned the ignition off and turned to Jonas.
“Well, this is it. What do you think?”
Jonas looked at the tiny snow-covered cabin and sighed. “It’s beautiful.” He took in the majestic trees that lined the drive, the frozen lake behind the cabin, the sparkling sun and smiled warmly. “It’s breathtaking. I am glad I brought my camera.”
“You think I am going to let you out long enough to take pictures?” Paige teased, gathering her things.
“You have to sleep some time,” he said, the lines around his mouth deepening as he grinned.
Trudging through the snow to the porch, Paige stopped long enough to fish the key out of her purse. She heard the trunk slam closed and turned to see that Jonas had their suitcases.
“I would’ve helped you,” she said, unlocking the door.
“I got them. Wait here,” he said, slipping into the cabin ahead of her. He placed the suitcases down in the foyer and returned to the porch. In one swift movement, he scooped her into his arms and carried her across the threshold. “I’ve always wanted to do that,” he laughed, setting her on her feet.
“You never got to do that in a movie?” she asked, her eyebrow arched.
“No, I don’t recall being able to be gallant like that before.”
“Well, Mr. Gallant, there are still bags of food in the car.”
Jonas grinned. “I’ll go get them. Be right back.”
Paige laughed as he ran back out to the car. She could have helped. She was not an invalid. Shaking her head, she headed to the living room and turned the light on. Thankfully, the neighbors down the road watched over the place, kept the wood stack filled with wood and made sure that the heat and other utilities were always working properly. She didn’t know what she would do without Sam and his wife, Margie.
Stomping on the porch alerted her to Jonas’s presence and she returned to help him with the bags of food they had brought. She took the lighter one from him and headed into the kitchen. Jonas followed her, absorbing everything around him.
The living room was beautiful. Hard wood floors glistened in the light, the sofa and winged back chairs, although elegant, saw use and were worn in places. The greenery welcomed you, bringing the outdoors in, even though it was cold and wintry outside. As he stepped into the kitchen, Jonas smiled.
Oak cabinetry, with wicker baskets abounded. A center island, with two stools close by sat in the center of the room and in the corner was a small breakfast nook table with benches. The cabin had the rustic feel he had envisioned when Paige had first told him about this place.
“I couldn’t believe how much food Bernie kept packing into these bags,” Paige commented, putting things away in the cupboards. “By looks of things, she knew I hadn’t been here in a while. There‘s not much here.”
Bernice, or Bernie as all affectionately called her, ran the general store in town. She was a plump little woman, almost as wide as she was tall, but she was the friendliest woman Jonas had ever met. She had sparkling blue eyes, surrounded by crow’s feet and silver hair that she wore in a bun on the top of her head. Her laugh was infectious and the more he had spoken to her, the more Jonas had liked her.
“Well, Bernie told me I needed fattening up. That I was too skinny for my own good. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I would be, in fact, losing weight for my next film.”
“It was really sweet that you signed her
Gypsy Prince
memorabilia for her. I never realized she was such a huge fan.”
“I always get a little freaked out when I see those life sized Luca cut outs,” Jonas chuckled. “Makes me wonder what women do with those things.”
“Well, rest assured, Bernie will only tell everyone that comes into her store that you were there. She will brag about how handsome you truly are in person, and how kind and generous you are. She will show off her now most prized possession and glow brightly every time she retells the story of when she met Luca, her knight in tattered flannel,” Paige teased.
Jonas groaned. “She won’t tell anyone where I am, will she? I never thought about that when I met her.”
“Bernie has been a friend of the family’s for more years than I can remember. Your secret’s safe with her.”
Jonas handed her a package of herbal tea and smiled. “That’s a relief. I don’t want the paparazzi trailing you here. This is a quiet place for you to relax, where we can be together without the spotlight shining on us. I don’t want to spoil that with idle gossip.”
“Bernie isn’t like that. She’s the sweetest woman I have ever known,” Paige said, pausing half sentence. “Besides, she’s my godmother. She’ll protect me with her life.”
Jonas rolled his eyes heavenward and groaned. “Well, that explains the twenty questions I dealt with while you shopped for a few things. You could have warned me.”
“And miss seeing the look on your face when she asked you about your affair with Ollie? No way!” Paige laughed.
Jonas tugged on his ear and sighed. “I’m sure the look on my face was one of complete and utter shock.”
“You didn’t know about all the speculations? There are women out there that just dream about you and golden boy getting it on hot and heavy.”
“I knew about all the speculation threads out there. Hell, I knew about the stories too. I have people that keep up with all that. I didn’t expect my future wife to know about all that.”
“Honey, not only do I know about it, I’ve read the stories too. They are really hot!”
Jonas groaned, hanging his head as Paige laughed with undisguised glee. She was really enjoying making Jonas squirm a little. She would have to make it up to him later, but for now, she was enjoying the slight pink color his cheeks carried.
“Are you hungry yet? It’s a little early for dinner, but we skipped lunch,” she said, pulling a white package out of the small freezer. “I have steaks.”
“Sounds good. Baked potatoes and a salad to go with them?” he asked, opening the fridge.
“We can start dinner as soon as the steaks thaw. It shouldn’t take more than an hour,” she said placing the steaks on a plate.
Jonas took the plate from her and set it on the counter. “Dinner can wait. Show me the rest of the cabin.”
Paige reached for his hand and nodded, pulling him into the living room.
~*~
Chapter Five
~*~