I only managed to take two steps and then Jason pulled me back against his chest.
“Easy there tiger. We can kill him together, but first wear some pants so he won’t have a legitimate reason to kill me first.”
I turned in his arms, rose up on my tiptoes, and kissed him passionately until his hands were framing my face and tilting my head to the side. I could’ve easily fainted with the intensity of it.
“I’m not sticky?” I asked once I could find the willpower to stop.
“I loved you. You were my little one. I would never call you sticky. And…” He let go of my face and suddenly lifted me up in his arms. “Now that you are all grown up, I don’t mind you being sticky at all. In fact, I can’t wait to get you home so you can get sticky all over me, sweetheart.”
Epilogue Jason
“Jason!” I lifted my head up and saw my wife running toward me.
My heart rate spiking up, I met her halfway. “What’s wrong, Olive? What happened?”
She held her chest and tried to catch her breath. “How could…how could you not tell me about…just a second, I think I’m having a heart attack.” She bent down and rested her hands on her knees.
I grabbed her shoulders and straightened her back up. “Olive, talk to me, what’s wrong?” She waved her hand dismissively. “Give me a minute, I’m angry at you.”
“What the hell for?”
“How could you not tell me that Adam Connor, the Adam Connor had moved in next door? Why did I hear it from Lucy instead of you? I trusted you, damn it!”
I blinked. “Sweetheart, I don’t keep tabs on the neighbors. I didn’t know Adam was moving in next door any more than you did.”
Her eyes widened slowly, making her look comical as she stared up at me. “You know him? You said Adam, like you actually know him,” she whined. “You know Adam Connor?”
She was trying the pathetic act with me. Again.
I tilted my head and gave her a pointed look. “Try not to faint over another guy in front your husband, little one. It’s not a good look on you.”
Her little fingers curled around my shoulders and she dropped her forehead against my chest. Taking advantage, I immediately wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer.
Wearing a goofy smile, she looked up at me. “You’ll introduce us? I mean me? And yeah, maybe, Lucy, too? Both of us? To Adam Connor? To the Adam Connor who is going to live right next door to us with his lovely kid? You will won’t you? Ah, I knew I loved you for good reason!”
“Olive,” I sighed. “Your husband is a movie star, too, woman. How fast are you kicking me to the curb for another one? You don’t see me running around to find other authors.”
She patted my cheek and sighed. “Can you introduce us soon? I don’t want to find Lucy hiding in the bushes trying to get a look at him over the short wall.”
I shook my head and forced her to turn around. “Come on, it’s time.”
She huffed, but started walking in front of me.
“Tell me again why I have to be part of this prank you all are playing on Lindsay?”
“Because you are helpful like that?” I was steering her toward our trailer where the makeup girls would put a wig on her so she could bear a passing resemblance to Lindsay. What she didn’t know, however, was that the prank was actually for her.
“When are you guys shooting the last scene?” she asked as she slipped her hand in mine. “I want to be there to watch that one. I want to hear Tanner yell, That’s a wrap, folks!”
“We’ll start that one right after the prank.”
“And when are you going to share what the prank really is? I’m gonna wear a wig and do what exactly? Jump on her or something?”
My impatient little firecracker. “You don’t have to do anything sweetheart, just standing there will be enough for the prank to work.” Lifting her hand, I kissed the back of it.
It wasn’t like I was lying to her anyway; all she had to do was stand on top of an X and do one simple thing. She gave me a sideways glance, but entered the trailer cooperatively when I gave her backside a little push. I couldn’t wait to get her home that night.
Half an hour later, the sun had gone down, and it was completely dark outside when we emerged from the trailer. I walked her back to the set where the last scene of her movie would be shot.
“People are giving me funny looks, Jason,” she hissed, leaning closer to me. “I thought you said there would be other people looking like Lindsay.”
“It’ll be okay sweetheart,” I assured her.
When Tanner saw us, he motioned for me to keep walking with his hand. From what I could see, everyone was exactly where they were supposed to be and they were waiting for us.
“I have a surprise for you, baby,” I said, once we were standing on top of the X taped on the ground.
“Jason what’s going on?” she asked urgently when the crew turned the low lights on and we were in the spotlight.
“We are shooting the last scene.”
Her eyebrows rising, she pulled at my hand, but I wasn’t letting her go anywhere, not again. “What do you mean we are shooting the last scene?” she squeaked.
“I love you, Olive,” I said, taking pleasure in watching her heart shine in her eyes. She did that every time I told her I loved her, and I told her how much I loved her as often as possible.
I was just as pathetic as her.
“And I love you,” she said back.
“This was our story from the very beginning, little one. If you hadn’t written this book, I would’ve never found you. Hell, maybe we were written for each other from the very first day we met, but it would’ve taken me a long time to find you on my own.” I kissed her nose. “So thank you for finding me. Thank you for writing yourself into our happy and inevitable ending.” I kissed her again. “I talked Tanner into letting me shoot this scene with you. Everyone will think it’s Lindsay, but when we watch it together for the first time, we’ll know that I’m kissing the woman I love and no one else.”
“Jason! Get ready. We’ll start with camera two for the first take!” Tanner yelled at us.
Olive’s face softened and her eyes filled with tears. “You’re going to kiss me? In front of the cameras?”
I pushed the hair behind her ear. It wasn’t anywhere near as soft as her own beautiful hair, but it would have to do. “You say that as if I never kiss you, wife.”
“You don’t kiss me nearly enough,” she murmured against my lips. She wasn’t fighting my pull or trying to escape any more, so I pulled her more firmly against my chest.
I was smiling when I murmured, “I’m trying to do my best, but I keep falling short apparently. Maybe you should take matters into your own hands.”
“Everyone lock it down!” Tanner gave his last warning and the set fell silent.
“What now?” Olive whispered. She was having a hard time standing still.
“Now,” I said, framing her face with my hands so the camera couldn’t pick up the small differences between my Olive and Lindsay.
“The curtain!” Tanner yelled; seconds later cold fake rain started to soak into our skin, making Olive squeal loudly.
“Jason! I’m going to kill you!”
Not letting go of her face, I smiled into her eyes.
“You’re turning out to be quite the murderer, baby. I thought a pluviophile like you would appreciate this. It’s a small change to your book, but I thought…”
“It’s perfect,” she said, tilting her head back and laughing. “They are pretty much hosing us down with water, but I’ll take it. Are you really mine?” she asked when she had hair plastered all over her face.
“Action!”
“I am, sweetheart,” I whispered against her lips as my chest tightened. “I love you so much, Evie,” I said, knowing Tanner would pick up our words and use them when he was piecing everything together.
Fake rain pouring down on us, I kissed her softly and slowly, countless times. At one point, Tanner switched cameras, but there was no one that could pull Olive away from me. She was mine. I wouldn’t let anyone take her away, not evil little bees and certainly not Adam Connor.