Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 80074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
The last photoshoot we had scheduled on the press tour was for Home and Garden Magazine. They came out to our house. Took some pictures, interviewed us, includin’ Bailey, and recorded some video of our daily life for their social media. We were portrayed as the perfect couple, the ultimate family goals.
Except, I caved. I couldn’t take the pressure of portrayin’ somethin’ we weren’t. My panic attacks were gettin’ worse and more frequent. I had a massive one in my walk-in closet when I was gettin’ dressed to head downstairs and play my role in all this. Jackson found me on the floor in the corner with my head in between my legs, desperately tryin’ to catch my next breath. Flippin’ the hell out.
That was only two months ago.
Now here we were, doin’ it all over again...
Lights.
Camera.
Action.
With no end in sight.
“Jackson, can you tell us about your marriage to Mrs. Pierce? How do you keep the spark alive?” a reporter for CNN asked.
Just breathe, Harley. In and out. Don’t. Stop. Breathin’.
Jackson reached for my hand, bringin’ it up to his mouth. He kissed it, smilin’ only at me. Fully aware I was dyin’ inside, he extended the gesture to comfort me. Not because he was tryin’ to show the reporters we were somethin’ we weren’t.
I smiled back, and Bailey giggled. Lovin’ how her daddy adored her momma.
“I worship the ground my wife walks on. Have since we were kids,” he stated, still gazin’ solely at me.
“That’s right!” another interviewer exclaimed, catchin’ both our attentions to have the chance to ask the next question. “You guys have known each other all your lives. Your relationship started when you were young, correct?”
He nodded. “Since the first time I tripped her when we were in her diapers, and she got back up and kneed me in the balls.”
Everyone laughed.
His eyes still hadn’t wavered from mine, like they were suddenly fused together.
Was he sayin’ this to me or them?
More reporters yelled out, tryin’ to get their inquiries answered.
Nonetheless, we couldn’t tear our stares off one another.
What was happenin’?
“Can you tell us about your first kiss?”
He softly smiled, reminiscin’ right in front of my eyes.
“She was my first kiss. We were each others actually. Harley is the only woman I’ve ever kissed.”
My eyes widened, caught off guard entirely. I didn’t even know that.
Was he lyin’ for the cameras, or was he tellin’ me the truth?
“In fact, it was after my mother’s funeral,” he shared with everyone, his intense glare only focused on me. As if he was relivin’ it right then and there. “I was twelve years old, and she was eleven. I went up to the roof of my childhood home, needing to get away from everyone. I could never hide from her, she always found me. Our souls are connected like that.”
I swallowed hard, slightly gaspin’. Hangin’ on his every word like the reporters were. Waitin’ for what he’d say next.
“We fought. We always fought. It was our thing. Still is.” He lovingly smirked, caressin’ the side of my face. “I started tickling her, and before I knew what was happening, I was on top of her. I just remember thinking if I didn’t kiss her, if my lips didn’t touch hers, I was going to die.”
“Jackson...” I breathed, loud enough for him to hear me.
“Her lips were so soft, and it was the craziest sensation I ever felt. She tasted like chocolate cake and vanilla Coke. From that point forward she went from the girl I hated the most to the one I needed more than anything in this world.”
I frowned, my eyes fillin’ up with fresh tears. There was no holdin’ them back. Not when he was expressin’ all this to me.
“And then once I was done claiming what’s always been mine, in true Gremlin fashion, she kneed me in the balls.”
I laughed, and he wiped away a tear that had suddenly escaped from my eye.
“Oh my goodness! I think every woman in this room just fell in love with you, Mr. Pierce,” a female reporter hollered while the rest of the room started clappin’ from his genuine reaction.
Even the loud rupture in the room didn’t steal this moment from us.
“To follow up on that question,” a new voice added. “What moment in time did you know you were in love with Mrs. Pierce?”
He’d never told me he loved me before.
Ever.
Never have I heard those three words pour from his mouth.
So when he rasped, “She was six years old, and I was seven,” I almost fell out of my chair.
“Her mom went into labor with her youngest brother, Owen. Harley had to stay the night at our house while her parents tended to the new baby. We used to prank each other all the time, some of my favorite childhood memories came out of our battles. That particular time, I stuck a walkie talkie under the mattress of the guest room she was sleeping in and scared her enough with voices that she hauled ass to my parents’ room.”