Page 210 of My Five Daddies

24

Tara

Iwake up,a little groggy, and there’s a guy in mybed.

It takes me a second to realize that it’s Jackson. He slept over lastnight.

I can’t believe it. Jackson slept over, in my bed, and we cuddled all night. His body is still against mine, and it feels sogood.

I snuggle closer to him, not sure what the hell’s happening. He wasn’t drunk and neither was I. We just had sex, and then… we fellasleep.

Booty calls don’t normally sleep over. So maybe that wasn’t just a bootycall.

I watch him sleep for a second, surprised at how vulnerable he looks. He’s breathing deep and slow, handsome as always, but there’s a softness to him while he’s unconscious. He looks like the teenager I fell in love with all those yearsago.

I slowly slide out of bed after a few minutes, not able to wait anymore. I use the bathroom and rinse my face off before looking at myself in themirror.

For a second, I see that teenage girl I used to be. I was angry back then, hated everything about my hometown and dreamed about so much more. I wanted to get out, come to Hollywood, and live a life that my parents could never have dreamed of. And I wanted to do it withJackson.

I remember the way I was after he left, so broken and sad. But those feelings don’t feel current anymore. I can’t relate to that anger and that hurt. Those emotions used to be very present for me, the hurt and the betrayal, but now… it feels like just another memory. My anger toward Jackson is gone, and that teenage girl is mypast.

When I sneak back into the room, Jackson is sitting up inbed.

“I thought you were running away,” he says, smiling atme.

“No, that’s your move,” I say, surprised that I can joke aboutit.

He laughs and throws a pillow at me. “Get overhere.”

I get into bed and crawl up next to him. He kisses me, wrapping his arms around me, pulling meclose.

I let him hold me like that, not sure what any of it means. We talk about nothing, mostly just work, and mostly just gossip. He laughs and he makes me laugh, and an hour passes thatway.

He looks over at the clock and sighs. “We should get going,” hesays.

I groan. “We have to work, don’twe?”

“Lionel will castrate us both if we’relate.”

I sigh and get up. “Fine, fine. Do you need to shower oranything?”

He shakes his head. “No, I can do all that onset.”

“All right.” I hop out of bed. “Let’s get going.” I head into the bathroom and quickly getready.

I take a short shower and I’m dressed and ready to go in record time. I find him idly looking at his phone in bed, fully dressed now, which is disappointing. We walk together back out into the living room and there we find Laney, looking like we never lefther.

She looks over at us and takes her headphones off. “What?” sheasks.

I realize that I’m staring at her. “Did you go to sleep atall?”

She shrugs. “What time isit?”

“Morning,” Jackson grunts. “Early.”

“Oh. Then no.” She goes to put her headphones backon.

“Wait,” I say. “Hold on. Did you come up withsomething?”

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