Forcing Gravity (53 page)

He
pulled back and said, “
I felt bad bailing on Ellie, so I wanted to provide her with a
legitimate date who would probably think she was a pretty cool girl
.”

“You set them up?” I whispered.

He smiled at me. “I sure did.”

“That was nice of you.”

He kissed me once
more
. “I told you I’m a nice guy.”

“You are.”

“Okay, so what would you both like me to tell the press?”
Andrea interrupted.

Jase’s
arms squeezed me against his chest.
“Tell them Logan is my girlfriend.”

“
Are you sure about this, Jase?”
she asked, and I could read in her expression that once we put our relationship out there, we couldn’t take it back.
“They’re going to have a field day.”

“Yes,” he said, looking at only me. “I’ve never been
more sure
of anything in my life.”

Damn, that boy was intense
and amazing and so stinking cute
.

“I love you,” I mouthed to him.

He smiled his secret smile and mouthed the same words back to me.

“What about you?” she asked Ellie.

I watched Garrett watching her speculatively.

“Tell them Garrett and I met through a mutual friend, but we’re just friends.”

Garrett nodded in agreement, liking that story.

“Okay then,” Andrea
said,
getting
the stories straight in her head
.

Then she directed her attention to me and started
in on what I could expect,
what to say, who to say it to
, what not to say, who to avoid,
etc
,
etc
, etc.
There were a lot of rules, that was for sure, and i
t was extremely hard to focus on what she was saying
, because Jase kept planting tiny kisses all over my neck w
hile I tried to listen to Andrea
.

“She’ll be fine,” he muttered. “I’ll have her hand the whole time.”

“Jase, what if the
y want you to pose solo?” Erica
asked, and I knew it was her way of telling him he would need to let go of my hand at some point.

“Not happening,” he said firmly.

Erica
just rolled her eyes.
“You are so stubborn.”

“He’s a romantic,” Andrea said, winking at Jase.
I was glad
to see
she was on his side.

“Okay, fine. Whatever,” Erica said, shaking her head. “
Are you guys ready?”

I was suddenly very aware that we’d stopped and realized we’d reached our destination. The butterflies in my stomach suddenly multiplied and took flight, making me just a little lightheaded and a lot nauseous. Then Jase squeezed my hand and smiled
,
and everything
else
melted away.

“It’s going to be crazy and overwhelming,” he whispered, his lips against my ear. “But I’ll have your hand. Just walk with me, smile
and stop when I stop. If any
of the reporters ask you direct question, you can answer it, okay?”

I
nodded,
suddenly afraid I would put my foot in my mouth and let him down.

“You’ll be great,” he assured me. “You look beautiful.”

“Keep your knees together as you get out of the car,” Andrea barked, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Then I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I was about to face.
Everything
would be fine. I would be okay.

That is until the door opened, and the flashbulbs started. It was then that I
truly
realized that my life was about to change forever, and
I thought to myself, is it all worth it?

I stole a glance back
at Jase
,
and
as soon as my eyes
met his, I
had my answer.

Hell yeah, it was
absolutely
worth it.

To be continued . . .

About the Author

Thanks so much for reading
Forcing Gravity
, my fifth full-length novel
.
I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it and developing the characters that helped bring the story to life. My other novels,
Just Watch the Fireworks,
Aftershocks, Broken Fairytales
and
Buried Castles
are also available in e-book format online.

Books have always had a big part in my life, and I probably spend way more time reading that I should, engrossed in the stories that keep me captivated. I am a total sucker for romantic comedies in all forms, because at the end of the day I just want to laugh and see some really great people fall in love. When those stories are mixed with an awesome soundtrack, it just doesn’t get much better than that.

In addition to books, I have a serious love for the Florida Gators and the Boston Red Sox, I am addicted to fashion, and I never go anywhere without my iPod. Give me a
grande
non-fat vanilla latte from Starbucks and chips and
queso
from Tijuana Flats, and I am a happy girl.

You can read more about me online at:
http://www.goodreads.com/monicaalexander

I listen to music constantly, so inevitably songs have a way of working themselves into my stories. Below is a playlist of the songs I hear when I read th
is
book. Some songs I
referenced in the book itself
, and others are just ones that I felt fit in nicely with story. Enjoy!

It’s Time – Imagine Dragons

Californication
– Red Hot Chili Peppers

Runaways – The Killers

Disturbia
– Rihanna

The (Shipped) Gold Standard – Fall
Out
Boy

Handwritten – The Gaslight Anthem

Long Way
Down
–
Goo
Goo
Dolls

Anna Sun – WALK THE MOON

Eyeoneye
– Andrew Bird

Everybody  Talks
– Neon Trees

Your
Touch – The Black Keys

Domino – Jessie J

Wide Awake – Katy Perry

Red – Taylor Swift

Disaster Road –
Needtobreathe

Injection – Rise Against

Innocent – Taylor Swift

Between the Raindrops –
Lifehouse
(featuring Natasha
Bedingfield
)

Push and Shove – No Doubt

Whirring – The Joy Formidable

Drop to Hold You – Matt
Nathanson

LOST IN THE ECHO –
Linkin
Park

Ghosts That We Knew – Mumford & Sons

State of Grace – Taylor Swift

California – In Like Lions