Page 31 of The Infiniteness of Yesterday
Turning to see who she’s speaking to; it’s the girls from inside again. Irritation bubbles in my veins but I clench my fists, damming it back. I can’t lose my shit anytime someone recognizes me or her because of Spencer.
Jameson places his hand on top of mine, sensing I’m about to lose my shit but trying not to.
“Ladies”—he speaks up— “can I help you with something?”
The mouthier one speaks up, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “We were wondering if we could get a picture?”
“With who?” His brows dig together in confusion.
“With her.”
They point to my daughter and I see red.
Monroe is a child. A regular kid like any other. Just because Spencer is a celebrity it doesn’t make our daughter one, and why these girls would think it’s okay to ask for a picture with her is baffling to me. Let alone why they’d even want one.
“I’m sorry, girls”—Jameson says in a calm tone— “but we’re going to have to say no.”
I see one of the girls open her mouth to argue, but another tugs on her arm. “That’s okay. Thanks, anyway.”
Thankfully, they turn and walk away. I’m surprised they didn’t argue. But my day and my meal is ruined now. Sensing this, Jameson packs up our food without a word, stuffs it back in the bag, and in a hushed tone tells Monroe we’re going home.
I smile at him gratefully, but inside I’m still seething.
CHAPTER 11
HARLOW
“Am I overreacting?” I blurt out, one of the decorative pillows from my bed clasped in my hands.
Across the bed, Jameson pauses in folding back the covers. His hair is damp from a shower. A pair of gray pajamas hanging loosely on his hips and he dons a white t-shirt that reads; I don’t know, I just work here. The black framed glasses slide down his nose the tiniest bit, and he reaches up automatically to adjust them.
“About what?”
“Those girls.” I set the pillow down, nervously chewing on my lip. “Am I crazy for being irritated by it?”
Jameson doesn’t answer right away, mulling over what he wants to say. After a moment he says, “No, I don’t think you’re crazy or overreacting. That’s your daughter and you want to protect her. But”— I bristle at the word, and he chuckles— “I think you have to accept that with what Spencer does, she is going to get attention from strangers. You are, too.” He gives a small shrug of his shoulders. “I don’t see Spencer leaving the spotlight anytime soon. He’s a damn good actor and people like him, so I imagine things will only get worse in the comingyears. It’s probably better to learn to cope with it than pretend it doesn’t exist.”
I pick up the pillow I sleep on and throw it at him. He catches it easily, grinning at me. “I hate it when you’re right.”
“Look”—he tosses the pillow back on the bed— “I’m not telling you that you need to love the attention, and I think boundaries are good. You don’t have to take pictures with people. You’re not famous. You didn’t choose this path. But you and Monroe are going to get recognized from time to time. It’s probably better to expect the inevitable, than to pretend it’ll never happen.”
My shoulders droop and I look away. “Most people would eat this shit up, right? Love being famous or knowing someone who is, but I hate it. I wanted things to stay normal. I wanted Roe to have a normal childhood and Spencer…”
I trail off, not wanting to finish my thought because it hurts too much.
Spencer never dreamed of being famous, but we also didn’t plan on being teen parents. He thought he was doing the best thing for us by signing with that agent.
I’m happy with my life now, I really am, but sometimes I wonder if he ever thinks about what might’ve happened with us if he hadn’t signed that original modeling contract, that quickly led to him being cast in TV, and things had remained normal?
Forcing those thoughts from my brain, I climb into bed and Jameson gets in on the other side. Rolling over, I bunch the blankets up to my chin and face him.
He stifles a yawn, giving me a sheepish look. “Work kicked my ass this week. I can’t believe it’s Monday tomorrow, already.”
“I’m sorry.” I frown, tracing the shape of his full lips.
He clutches my hands, placing a gentle kiss on the outside of it below my pinky finger. “You didn’t finish before, you said youwanted a normal childhood for Roe and then you were going to say something about Spencer.”
I roll my eyes up to the ceiling. I shouldn’t be surprised that he caught on to my avoidance. Jae notices everything.
