Hollyn’s eyes widened. “I’m not an actor.”
“That doesn’t matter. You did great tonight, and you’re likable onstage. They can work you into games without you needing to be a full member of the team,” Fitz said. “Bringing in guests will keep it fresh.”
Jasper laced his hands behind his head. “I can’t believe this.”
Fitz gripped Jasper’s shoulder and gave him a little shake. “I told you not to doubt me.”
Jasper laughed. “My mistake, man.”
“Damn straight,” Fitz said. “Now, I’ll go bring the good news to your group. You take your girl and run.”
“I plan on it.” Jasper looked over to Hollyn, his chest filling up with so much he couldn’t sort it all out at once. “You ready to go, Hollyn Darling?”
She stepped into his space and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Give me five minutes to say goodbye to Cal and Andi and then I’m all yours.”
He lifted a brow. “Is Cal going to challenge me to a duel out back?”
She laughed and patted his chest. “It’s okay. We’ve worked it out. I let him know my heart was elsewhere.”
That gave Jasper pause, and he grabbed her around the waist before she could escape. “Wait, you told Cal your heart belonged to someone else even though you knew I was leaving?”
She gave him an exasperated look. “Jasper, don’t you get it? I love you. I chose you. Whether you were leaving or not, that didn’t change what is.”
I chose you. The words were everything he hadn’t known he needed to hear. This meant something more to her like it did to him. He’d loved a woman before. He’d thought he’d loved Kenzie. But from the very start with Hollyn, he’d sensed the shift. She was different. He’d tried to dismiss that feeling because he’d figured it was just his impulsiveness jumping the gun again, but his gut hadn’t lied. The feeling he had for her was singular.
He knew they were still new to each other in a lot of ways, but something deep in his DNA just knew—her, this one. It was why when he’d finally gotten on the plane today, he hadn’t had to wrestle with the decision about turning down the part. Sitting in that plane, heading back to New Orleans, to Hollyn…all of it had felt as if things were going exactly as they should be. Like all points in his life had been converging to get him to this moment.
Everything in LA had felt wrong, off. He didn’t want to give up improvising. He didn’t want to stick to script. He didn’t want to go hang out with the “beautiful” people. He didn’t want to spend all his days working with Kenzie. He didn’t want to be away from Hail Yes or his family. He loved this city. He loved improv. He loved his friends.
This theater. This life. Would give him what he’d always wanted. A place on the stage and a job he could feel proud of. His family and friends nearby. And most of all, this life would give him Hollyn.
Hollyn came back to him after saying goodbye to her friends. “You ready to go home?”
He dipped down and kissed her one more time. “I’m already there.”
He took her hand and they ran to the back door before anyone else could stop them.
* * *
Hollyn had so many questions running through her head as they made their way back to her place, Jasper’s hand firmly around hers as he drove. But she couldn’t seem to get any of them out. She was almost afraid to ask.
“You’re quiet,” Jasper said finally. “You okay?”
“I’m possibly in shock,” she said with a smile. “What happened since I saw you last?”
He glanced over at her as he stopped at a red light. “The short version is I went to LA, got offered the part, went out to dinner with the director and producer to celebrate, and ended up passed out in my ex-girlfriend’s bed.”
She stiffened.
“Nothing happened,” he said quickly. “Except that I woke up feeling like I’d been run over by a truck and had missed the flight. Which, God, I am so sorry about.” He started driving again. “But while all of this was happening, it hit me why I drank so much last night. I wasn’t celebrating with them. I was mourning.”
She frowned.
He glanced over. “I’ve been so focused on what could be in the distance that I missed how happy I already was here. Even if the theater didn’t come through and I had to keep slinging coffee for a while longer, I’ve never felt so…peaceful. I have my family here. I’ve reconnected with my group and with Fitz. I’ve always loved improv, but I never realized how much I’d enjoy teaching it. I’ve even thought about doing classes for teens once the theater opens because improv saved me, so maybe it could help some other ADHD kid who can’t find his place.”
Hollyn squeezed his hand.
He pulled into her driveway and brought her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. “And I couldn’t stop thinking about you. From the outside looking in, it sounded crazy to turn down a TV role to stay for a new relationship no matter how much I liked the woman. That’s what I was telling myself on the way there. That’s what you told me, too. We were being smart. Rational.”
“Right.”
He shut off the car and turned toward her. “But then I started thinking—we’re not giving up a new relationship, we’re giving up the possibility that the other person could be the one. We’re throwing out the lottery ticket when only a few numbers have been pulled. And if this turns out to be it, if we turn out to be the loves of each other’s lives, giving that up for a part in some TV show is ludicrous. It’s a really bad bet.”
Tears burned her eyes. “But we don’t know that answer. We don’t know if this is forever.”
“No, but the only way to guarantee it isn’t to give up now when things are just getting good.” He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Love isn’t rational. It’s a risk. It’s always a risk. So there’s only one thing we can do.”
“What’s that?”
He grinned. “We’re going to have to improvise this sonofabitch.”
She laughed, the sound getting caught in her throat. “Love improv.”
“Exactly. Life is one big improv stage anyway. You’re only as good as the people standing there with you. And you, Hollyn Darling, are the very best.”
He touched his forehead to hers, and she let her fingers slide into his hair. “You could be a famous TV star.”
“I’d rather be happy and surrounded by people who love me. And let’s face it, everyone here adores me.” He smirked.