Impossible To Resist (BWWM Romance Book 1)(38)

“Okay. I will,” his mom agreed. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Mom. Bye.” Jared disconnected the call and fell back on the couch. His dad had a stroke and nobody told him. What the fuck else didn’t he know about? Being away from L.A. had given Jared some real perspective on just how fake his life had been before his injury.

He felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz seeing behind the curtain for the first time and realizing that the Great and Powerful Oz was just a man in a bad suit manipulating a lot of people for his own gain. Only his wizard was a sports agent named Derek and Jared didn’t need a pair of ruby slippers to get home.

“I’m gonna fuck up your universe now, Derek,” Jared said to the empty room, not caring that nobody was around to hear his promise.

**

“Time for dinner, Jaida!” A.J. called from the kitchen.

“Alex! Come here! Jared’s on TV,” Jaida hollered back, “and he shaved his face!”

“What?” A.J. rushed into the living room in spite of herself. Sure enough, Jared was larger than life on ESPN walking into some sort of welcome back event. He looked good, but not as good as the petite blonde on his arm who watched him adoringly. That woman was everything A.J. wasn’t. A.J. desperately wanted to hurl something at the TV, right at her perfect, porcelain face.

“Who’s that woman?” Jaida asked.

“I don’t know.” A.J. choked on the words. He hadn’t called, not even a text, and now, there he was, back to being the media darling with a Barbie doll on his arm at a lavish event.

“She’s not as pretty as you, Alex.” Jaida shook her head. “He doesn’t look happy. See, his smile doesn’t reach his eyes.”

“You’re just trying to make me feel better now.” A.J. smiled at her sister. “It’s okay, sis. I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not. I told you to call him. You should have listened to me.” Jaida frowned. “I’m telling you, something’s wrong.”

“Yeah, something is wrong, dinner is getting cold.” A.J. plastered on a smile and vowed to forget all about Jared Jackson. She didn’t need him or his media circus in her life, she just needed her sister and her work.





Chapter10

“Hey, Mom.” Jared leaned over and kissed his Mom on the cheek as she buckled in.

“Nice ride.” She studied him as they pulled away from the terminal.

“Xander Tate let me borrow it. He’s taking his wife on a date in my car tonight,” Jared said smoothly.

“You let somebody drive your car?” His Mom’s shock was justified, she had only been allowed to drive the Camaro once and that was just around the block. “Who are you and what have you done with my son?”

“Har. Har.” Jared smirked. His Mom looked tired, her face drawn and older somehow. “I thought we could stay in tonight. I’ll cook for you.”

“What!?” His Mom reached over and touched his forehead with the back of her hand as if checking his temperature. “Are you sick?”

“You’re just full of funnies tonight, aren’t you?” Jared chuckled. “I just need a break from the press. Xander let me use his van because it’s low profile and I figured if we stayed in we could talk about things without interruption. So, I hope you brought some comfy clothes.”

“I did, actually.” His Mom grinned at him, her eyes sparkled a little.

“Good. I really need to talk to you, Mom.” Jared felt his voice catch, betraying the frustration that had been building. He didn’t want to lose it now, not until he was safe at home again, no chance at cameras threatening to expose his weakness.

“Jared, what’s going on?” His Mom leaned forward to get a better look at him. “What happened?”

“Let’s wait until we get home, okay?” Jared fought back the tears. “A lot of stuff happened while I was away and I would rather hear about Dad first.”

“Okay.” True to her usual form, his Mom let it drop. “Your father had a stroke but we caught it early and he should recover most of his function. Of course, he’s not so happy about the lifestyle changes and being laid up right now. He had big plans to fly down to watch your first game. Now, not so much. He’s really proud of you, though.”

“He’s really okay?” Jared asked.

“Yes, he is going to be fine,” his mom assured him. “I actually just needed a break. Working at the restaurant has not been enough time away from your dad. He’s like a caged animal at home right now. Your siblings have been taking turns staying with him. It was their idea for me to visit you for a few days and take a break and your dad thought you could use some family.”

“Well, let’s see if we can get you some rest this weekend, okay?” Jared had arranged for a spa day but he’d get around to telling her about that.

She took his hand and squeezed. “It’s really good to see you. It’s been a long time. I know things have been kind of strained but I hope you know we are always here for you.”

“I know, Mom.” Jared blushed. “I’m sorry I was such a dick for so long. I promise that things will be different.”

“I wouldn’t say you were a dick,” his Mom began. He gave her a look and she retracted. “Alright, you’ve been a real shit, but we still love you.”