"Wonderful to meet you dear, this is Roger and I'm Alice." The woman says in a cheerful tone, "We're Jackson's parents."

"You're-" My mouth drops in shock but then I quickly recover. "You're Jackson's parents?"

"Yes dear, we flew all the way from London to see this." Alice says genuinely.

"It's not every day your son is nominated for such a prestigious award." His father boasts in a thick British accent.

Jackson has mentioned me to his parents? I'm shocked they know who I am when he hasn't even mentioned them to me once.

Just then the man who was speaking to the crowd calls Jackson over to center stage and wants him to give a speech. We all glance towards Jack but he seems startled and unmoving. He stands staring for a few moments but he finally composes himself and grabs the mic.

He looks to the crowd obviously shaken and unable to speak. He's always so confident, arrogant even so much so that he usually gives off the 'I don't want to be here' vibe. I've never seen him this way. I take one step toward him and gently hold his hand.

The simple gesture seems to wake him from his revere and he turns to stare into my eyes. Attempting positive reassurance, I merely nod and smile then he begins to speak.

"I want to thank everyone for nominating me for this award. The only reason I'm even nominated is because of all the amazing people who've read my work and responded to it. I'm proud to have been able to reach in your hearts and touch each of you."

Then he looks to Alex who nods in his parents' direction. Jackson takes a deep breath and pauses in thought looking at our entwined hands then back in my eyes.

"I'd like to introduce you to the wonderful people who inspired me to write 'After All'. My parents are here tonight." He plants an unreadable smile on his face and gestures towards his parents. "Please give them a round of applause for inspiring me with their love, enough to write this book."

The crowd cheers and the flashes from what seems like dozens of cameras blind us. I can only faintly see an outline of Jack's face watching me through the flickering lights.

It's surprising for everyone that he would be so open to sharing his family with the world. In interviews he's like a recluse, always hiding from the spotlight and only showing himself when it's time to strike.  So much so in fact, that you literally can not discover much personal information about him online.

The most you can find is his biography that's been previously approved by him and some current photos. Of course, you can find what he's written and all of the work he's done in the past, but he's not one of those celebrities who shouts about their life on Twitter or Instagram.

Trust me, when I first found out who he was I googled and googled, I even asked Jeeves but I came up empty. There are no records of Jackson Porter before he became an author.

The cheers are deafening as his parents run to him muttering muted congratulations between planted kisses on his cheeks. I wonder where this sudden change of heart came from, but ultimately I'm happy for him.

From the few stories he told me of his childhood he seemed like he was alone with no one to turn to. Everyone needs family sometimes, whether it's the ones we're born with or the families we create in our friends.

We all exit the stage and Jack hurriedly pulls me to the side. "We need to talk."

"Are you okay?"  My hand caresses his face and the feeling of anxiety rises in my chest.

"No Maggie I have to tell you-"

But we're interrupted by reporters who want pictures with Jackson and his parents. I start to back away but he pulls me close by his side for the photo.

"Stay with me." He pleads, so I do.

I smile in the photos with him by my side and his parents to the left and right of us. We look like a big happy family and despite of the eerily timed, 'We need to talk.' gnawing somewhere in the back of my brain, I'm actually excited to be apart of this big moment for him.

After the photos, Jack is quickly dragged away by interviewers and I'm left alone with his mother.

"I'm so proud of him all grown up and making something of himself." Alice says wiping her eyes with a tissue.

"He's really wonderful. You did a fantastic job of raising him." I say with a smile as we both acknowledge him.

"Thank you doll. I'm glad he found himself a good girl like you." She smiles a sweet smile. "Some of the girls he would bring home were quite different." She says with a huff as if remembering distant memories.

I cringe at the thought of him being with other women. I have no experience in this area but he's been with so many women and experienced so many firsts. I'll never be a first for Jackson and the thought saddens me.

"Did he bring a lot of women home?" I inquire through a whisper, not really sure I want to hear the answer.

Alice puts her hands on my shoulders. "Never ask questions you don't want the answer to Love."

I nod my head in response almost thankful she didn't tell me but then I realize she probably was hiding the fact that there were so many. The little green monster in my chest rears its ugly head and the pressure to ask more questions threatens to choke me.

"So how long are you staying in Arizona?" I change the subject, forcing my monster back to its hiding place.

"We'll be here until Tuesday but I would have loved to spend more time with our little Jackie." She confesses sadly.

"Maybe we could get dinner! I'd love to hear more about Jackson." I'm excited to hear more about his childhood, the good things of course.

"Oh, I just wish I brought the family photo album! I would have loved to show it to you! We'll have Jackson set up a time before we leave." Alice says happily.

"It's a date!" I say excitedly as Jackson silently sneaks up behind us.

"What's a date?" He says glaring at his mother and I smack his chest.

I grab his hand in mine and place a kiss on his palm. "We're having dinner with your parents before they leave."

"We are?" He looks at his mother then back at me. "I don't think that's a good idea." He says quietly while looking in my eyes. He looks like he wants to tell me something but he can't.

"Nonsense!" I assert, "Of course it's a good idea. Jack, they're your parents and they flew all the way here from England!"

He looks to his mother and then to me again and sighs in defeat. "Alright."

"Yes!" I jump up and down clapping until I remember I'm in a silk gown and heels. I quickly compose myself and regain my balance.

"Tomorrow night then?" I glance at Alice and she beams a bright smile while granting me a nod.

We continue mingling, really mingling now and work our way through the room. Jackson schools me on the simple fake smile and handshake he uses along with a simple but polite way to exit conversations.  He makes it a point to inform me that very few of these people are genuine and all we have to do is make a decent impression on as many guests as we can.

I get to meet Alex's wife and she seems so sweet. I'm tempted to tell her about her cheating bastard of a husband but before I can Jack seems to read my mind and pulls me away.

"Not tonight Maggie." He says in a stern voice.

"She deserves to know, it's so- so dishonest." Is all I can come up with. "What if that was me?"

"It won't ever be you." He says calmly.

I clear my throat, "If that were me, not saying it ever will be, I'd want to know. I am a very forgiving person and I can take a lot of shit, but there are two things that I will never be okay with."

Jackson watches me patiently waiting for me to continue. "I don't tolerate liars or cheaters."

He nods and I search Jackson's eyes but his won't meet mine. My gut is telling me somethings wrong about tonight but I can't pinpoint what it is.

We mingle a while longer but I can tell Jackson's heart just isn't in it, more so than earlier anyway.

"Are you ready to go home?" I ask him.

"God yes, I'm bloody exhausted and this smile plastered on my face is almost impossible to keep up.  My mouth isn't used to this kind of exercise." He says through grit teeth.

We get into the limo the same way we arrived but the energy is completely different.

"Does the driver know we're dropping me off?" I ask, but I'm really asking if he wants me to go home alone tonight.

"You're not coming home with me?" He asks disappointed.

"Do you want me to? You seem off." I ask although I'm afraid to hear the answer.

He pulls me into his lap and nuzzles his head in my neck. I could swear he's smelling my hair. "I always want you." He whispers.

"What's wrong?" I whisper back even though we're alone.

"You seemed really happy tonight," he seems to struggle, "talking with my parents."

"They're lovely people Jackson and I'm happy to see you have a support system. Is that what you're worried about? You were worried I wouldn't like them?" I ask.

He's quiet for a while as if he's debating something in his head. "Yes." He says simply.

"Well you have nothing to worry about, I love them." He smiles slightly at my confession. "Just like I love you." His smile disappears and his head goes back to nuzzle my neck.

What has gotten into him?

"Are you smelling me?" I ask trying to lighten the mood.

"You always smell so good, it reminds me of something but I can't tell what." He says nuzzling his head further into my neck.

"It's vanilla." I say with a giggle, almost embarrassed. "I sort of- Um- Well, let's just leave it at vanilla." I immediately start to blush.

His diamond eyes narrow and his smile turns devious, "You're clearly leaving something out and if you think I'll just let you get off so effortlessly, you don't know me."

He's right, I do know him and I know he'll be pestering me about this until he gets a straight answer.

"Okay, Jackson." I sigh. "It's vanilla."

"You said that." He says rolling his eyes.

"No, you don't get it. It's not a perfume, it's vanilla extract." I bit my lip in anticipation of his reaction.

His eyes grow wide and he stifles a laugh. I'm embarrassed, but It makes my heart feel lighter hearing the melodic sound of his laugh again.

"Alright Margaret, please explain." He asks as if he's on a talk show interviewing me.

"Well I loved to bake with my mother as a child, the scent of vanilla always reminds me of cookies. So for a decade at least I've been dabbing a bit of extract on my wrists and neck before I go out." His laugh echoes beautifully through the limo.

"That's not all, I've heard men love a woman who can bake, you know food is said to be the key to any man's heart." I wink at him. "So subconsciously on some level, you might just associate me as your mate because of my scent." I say proud of my cleverness.

"So you're saying this entire time we've been together I've been essentially drunk under the influence of your aroma?" He asks with a smirk.

"Maybe, you'll never really know." I announce teasingly.

"Well I suppose I'll just have to get you into the shower to be sure." The corners of his lips turn up in a devious yet handsome grin as he lays them gently on mine.

The driver pulls up slowly outside of Jackson's complex and Jack carefully helps me out of the limo. We walk to the elevator hand in hand, in silence. I can feel the tension in my chest begin to once again build.

The iceberg that has been following my mind is surely around the corner. I can feel it coming. I just wish I knew which direction it was coming from so I could stop stoking the fire.

When we enter his apartment he walks directly to his room and I follow behind him. He immediately begins unbuttoning his shirt and I watch quietly until they're all undone, but I'm unable to stay quiet any longer.

"Are you acting weird because I told you I loved you?" I almost choke on my words and they come out as a whisper, I wanted to sound strong.

I'm afraid of the answer, but I have to know. Did I ruin everything by telling him how I feel?

"What?" He was about to slide off his dress shirt but he turns to me quickly and caresses my face with both of his hands. "No baby, of course not. Hearing you tell me you loved me brought me so much joy. I haven't felt this way in a long time."

"Then why are you suddenly distant?" I ask trying to look him in the eyes but he avoids my gaze.

"I just- I started thinking about losing you and my heart couldn't bear it." He breathes.

"Why would you lose me?" I ask hesitantly.

"You want a future with someone, maybe children eventually, a family." He pauses. "One day I'm going to do something incredibly stupid or fucked up like always and you're going to realize you're too good for me Maggie."

I feel tears start to well up in my eyes and I begin to speak but his finger against my lips stops me. "Then someone else is going to swoop in and realize how truly amazing you are. Someone else will kiss your lips, tuck your hair behind your ear, someone else will take my place and someone more deserving will receive your love."

I wait until his eyes meet mine and his finger is removed from my lips so I can speak, "I love you and nothing will ever change that."

Jackson's lips crash passionately into mine and he effortlessly lifts me into the air. My legs instinctively wrap around his waist and pull him flush against me. My fingers roam through his soft chocolate hair and tug which propels him to moan into my open mouth.

He lays me onto the soft mattress and trails delicate kisses down my neck. I gasp for air as my heart beats out of my chest and the tears that were pooling at the edge of my eyelids have plummeted down my cheeks.

I love him truly, madly, deeply, so much so that those words have lost their meaning in comparison. He makes me crazy and wild, but I love who I am when I'm with him. I was a lost girl living in the black and white pages of my books but he's breathed life into me. He's shown me passion, strength and above all how to truly love when he isn't even capable himself.

"I want you to make love to me." I whisper.