Page 118 of From Me to You

He pulled back suddenly and peered into my eyes with so much intensity that it made my heart skip a beat. “Do you know how much I missed seeing you laugh like that?” His voice was so hoarse.

I swallowed as tears started to burn my eyes, but I pushed it all away. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

“Hmm, maybe because you want me to take it off you tonight.” This time, he swirled his tongue behind my ear.

“Jay, that tickles.” I laughed so hard that tears were streaming down my face.

“Okay, okay. I will answer it myself,” I said through my giggles.

He kissed my nose. “Okay, tell me.”

“Because it matches the color of your eyes.” I grinned and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Now let’s go. You can’t be late for your own event.”

“Now, do we really have to go? We can stay here and do some fun things all night. Starting with getting that dress off you.”

I rolled my eyes as I dragged him outside. “Let’s go. We have an album to announce.”

The event was happening at the Beverly Hills Hotel. I let Jay go and take pictures with everyone on the red carpet while I stood on the sidelines. I told him to maintain a good distance from me so no one would notice we were together because there were so many photographers outside. He agreed because he knew I wanted to keep our relationship out of the spotlight.

Lily stood with me—she just mumbled a ‘hey’ before going back to gawk at Mikey. The Crash Riders were here too. Things between Jay and Will were still sour, but Jay seemed to tolerate him for now.

I watched the band grinning at the camera and doing funny poses. The photographers made Jay uncomfortable but he put on his media mask and tried to get through with it for the band’s image. Behind them was a huge, blown-out picture of the album cover—it was so simple. All the guys were wearing black suits with their shirts unbuttoned while they sat on a polished wooden floor. Papers were littered all over the floor, with Firebird on Jay’s lap. That was the only pop of color on the entire cover. While the others looked elsewhere, Jay was the only one who looked straight ahead, grinning. It felt like he was looking at us through a picture. I loved it.

I watched as Jay talked to a few fans while he signed their pictures. He even gave an interview to a press reporter while speaking animatedly about the album. His eyes gleamed with so much excitement that it made me so happy. He looked so in his element like he was meant to do this, and he was. I was so proud of him. And I was willing to sacrifice myself for that.

We soon headed inside, and I opted for water tonight.

“Are you having fun?” I asked Jay as I squeezed his hand that held mine.

“Yes, sweetheart,” he said, kissing my nose. “It feels like I have everything I ever wanted.”

“I am so proud of you, Jay. Know that I will always be proud of you, and everything I ever do will always be for you.” My voice was raw as I said that.

His brows furrowed, but soon someone came to greet and congratulate him.

I sighed. I almost gave myself away there. Jay was usually very observant, especially when it came to me. It was a good thing that he was pretty busy these past few months, or he probably could have picked up something. Although I had been hiding things pretty well, Jay could always tell when something was wrong with me.

My eyes bugged out when a tall man in an expensive suit came to greet Jay. Oh wow, he was a very famous rapper. Actually, there were so many celebrities here that I almost lost count. I smiled to myself. One day Jay was going to be like this. Who am I kidding? I think he already was.

Soon, it was time to announce the name of the album. There was a small stage with a big banner that was closed with a velvety red cloth.

The event organizer introduced the band, and all of them stepped on the stage and waved at everyone. But I was most excited for the next part because Jay was going to be making a speech.

“Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us this evening.” Jay started, in his usual confident self as his warm, husky voice washed over the room. “So, we all know why we are here tonight, but I will tell you all anyway.” The crowd laughed with him. He was so good at this. “We, The Four Foxes, are so excited for our debut album to be released soon. Now I have kept the album name a secret because I wanted it to be a surprise. Not to you guys but to someone special in my life. My brown-eyed girl.” Jay locked his beautiful blues with mine.

All the blood rushed from my head as my heart started to pound so hard in my chest. Oh God, he was talking about me.

“She inspired me to write every single song on this album. She is my muse, my forever muse. She swept me off my feet and added color to my dull gray life. She is the reason this album is here today. I couldn’t have done anything without her by my side. And I love her, and I will always love her. This one’s for you, sweetheart.” He grinned as he lifted the cloth.

“Our debut album ‘My Whole Wide World’ will be releasing on January twenty-third.”

The crowds cheered excitedly, clapping for them.

My vision blurred as tears burned my eyes. This was all too much. I loved him so much. How could I ever leave him?

I stood there shocked as he made his way to me.

“Do you like it?” Jay asked, engulfing me in his arms.