Bailey hurried and grabbed her coat. The wind chilled her when she opened the front door. Jackson stood at the edge of the walkway.
A silly grin took over his face. “You're not answering your phone?”
She pointed her finger at him as she inched closer. “I could say the same for you.” She didn't care that her family was spying on her through her mother's large windows. “You could have left a voicemail. Left a text.”
“Didn’t seem right. I wanted to say it in person.” Jackson rubbed his gloved hands together.
“How did you know where my mother lived?” Bailey asked. She bit back her squeal, giddy that he found her. Yet, she held her emotions inside.
“Small town, Bailey,” he said. Then his gaze turned serious. “I'm sorry about what happened when I—”
“Don't be. I shouldn't have said what I—”
“You were angry.” He motioned at the house behind her. “Are you and your family okay?”
“We're getting there.” She glanced back only to see them jerk back from the windows. Bailey giggled. As if they could be subtle. She returned her gaze to Jackson. “I saw the video. It was amazing what you did at the airport.”
His smile reached his eyes. “It also got the attention of other record labels.”
Bailey bounced on her toes. “Really?”
“It did. Some can't meet with us until after Christmas, but with almost one million hits on YouTube, we have people's attention.”
Bailey rubbed at her arms. “I'm happy for you.”
Jackson inched closer. “For the first time, I know I'm doing this for myself.”
She tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“My brother, Tony, loved music. After the accident, I tried to make up for what he missed. I'm not doing that anymore. I love music.” He reached out his hand and touched her cheek.
Bailey melted into his touch.
“I know you love it too. I can't decide for you, but I would love to go on this journey together.”
Her teeth chattered. “Can we get out this weather?”
Jackson laughed and then kissed her lips. Warmth flooded Bailey's chest. She snaked her arms around his neck, while he embraced her waist. Mali Music's song “Still” must have been on repeat. She heard the intro music once more. Did Jackson sway her as they kissed?
Bailey lost her sense of awareness as Jackson claimed her lips. His mouth was soft, and his beard tickled her mouth. Their kiss was deep and passionate. Did goosebumps surface on her skin?
Her bottom lip tingled, as his gloved fingers grazed her neck. Would her lips be swollen from all their kissing? Bailey didn’t care. Her mind numbed. Her heart drummed inside her chest. His mouth was tender but intense and when he drew back, her knees weakened. Thank goodness he still held her close.
“I needed to get that out of my system,” he said.
Bailey giggled.
“Bailey,” her mother called out. “Come inside before you both freeze.”
Bailey turned her head to face her mother. “Coming.” She glanced at Jackson once more. “You want to meet my family?”
He smiled. “Yes.”
She clasped his hand, and they walked to the front door. “By the way, they know how we met.”
“And?” he asked.
“Be prepared to answer questions.”