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"Nothing, everything is fine" I took Jack’s arhtly by his side

Jack abruptly dis with and turned to face me He lowered his voice "You’re upset Who were you just with?"

I looked up at Jack His beautiful green eyes looked sad and tired and it broke my heart "Myfor someone "What did she say?"

"Can we talk about it at home later?"

Jack clenched his jaw and looked into my eyes He nodded and kissed the top of o You need so relieved that he was letting go of his inquisition so easily I smiled up at him and reached up on my tippy-toes and kissed his nose

"After you tellto tell et a short reprieve

Chapter 17

Jack took the news about his father’s conversations with my mother better than I had expected He was still quiet, but he so even worse that had upset me The rest of the funeral was uneventful My parents and Sienna cah I was pissed at my mother I was happy that she had coain too She must have exhausted her conservative wear, because her outfit the second day was not typical funeral attire I watched as she turned every ust The woman oozed sex, but in a cheap and taay that seemed to attract men in droves, yet repel wo physical with Jack Jack was the type of man who intimidated people; unsolicited touches didn’t feel welcomed Yet Jenna touched him in a way that was familiar, and every time I saw her touch him it reminded me that Jack had once been with her I kneas trite and childish to be jealous of a wo her condolences at Jack’s father’s funeral, but I just couldn’t help myself around that woman

I was due to rejoin the tour the day after the funeral, but Sienna was great and had already spoken to the tour oing to open for Double Strife solo, with one of the backup singers pitching in for the songs that needed two people

Jack seeh he toldto be a problem I hadn’t really had a chance to think about what I would have done if the tour iven me a few extra days off, but I was certain that I wasn’t ready to go back quite that soon

Things quieted down after the funeral, although Jack had to go into the office once for an e Apparently, they had to elect an interiine that they didn’t already have too many overpaid executives that they couldn’t have just held off a few ain, I didn’t knowan international coet Jack to talk about how he felt, but he just kept telling me he was fine To an outsider, hewas still off It was hard to putwas different He was quieter than usual and definitely less sexual I didn’t expect him to jump back into nor that he would at least acknowledge how he felt But he didn’t, he just went on, steady and forward, never a tear shed It worried ress in the nor back on tour But a few days after the funeral, I was eventhe tour, but I couldn’t do that to Sienna She was excited that I was co solo to a crowd of the size she was having to entertain was a lot ht

Jack took ht and I cried in his arms before I left It was the closest I’d ever seen Jack co when he looked at me and saw ht, but he held it together The tour still had almost six full weeks left and the schedule between shoas tight I had thought it was bad enough to not see each other for six full weeks before Jack’s father died, but after everything Jack had been through, it was going to be torture to not be able to see him Touch him Hold him Give him comfort when the day finally came and he needed it Grief was a process, so I knew that day would eventually co back on stage in Spain the first night back on the tour was the easy part Spending the rest of the day trying to focus on anything but Jack, alone, thousands of miles aas the hard part We spoke on the phone twice a day, once when I woke up and once before he went to bed We seemed to fall back into the routine we had developed before his father had passed easily enough But soht and I knew it

I spent so process and what I could do to help, but everything see there when they needed you most That was the difficult part It was hard to accept that Jack ht need me and I wouldn’t be there when the ti back on tour the first asn’t bad enough, Justin was being an asole too He e of the tour and not being there those few days I missed after Jack’s dad’s funeral Butet of his rude co in Spain before I called Jack for ould becall because of the time difference The concert had lasted alain it had also started an hour later since Justin had showed up later and drunker than usual

"Hello" At first I thought I had dialed the wrong number when I heard a woman’s voice on the other end of the phone Then I realized who the voice belonged to I cringed at the sound

"Jenna?"

"Who else would answer Jack’s phone?" I envisioned Jenna’s wicked grin on her overly made up face as she spoke

"I actually don’t knohy anyone would answer Jack’s phone, Jenna?" I atte all the saccharin I couldit because Jack isn’t here to answer it for hi talk"

I wanted to juh the phone and smack her But the reality was I also wanted to knohat their long talk was about, and et ar