A Perfect Fit

26

Jackson

I hold Isabelle closely, noting the way she fits perfectly in my arms.

I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't been tempted to finish off what we started at the hotel in Washington when we first lay together in bed four hours ago. But now, I've pushed any semblance of those thoughts out of my mind—she's just woken up from a nightmare, and the only thing I want to do right now is to make sure that she feels safe.

"When I was young, I wanted to be a make-up artist," Bella suddenly says.

"You'd be amazing at any job you choose," I murmur as I stroke her hair.

A shy look passes her face. "I used to love playing make-up games on the internet when I was a kid and pretend that I was a make-up artist."

I'm quiet for a moment, picturing a young Isabelle in front of a computer.

"Anyway, my mom said I needed to focus more on school," she continues. "Knowing that she'd probably monitor my internet usage, I cut down my screen time and that's when I started drawing again, which was something I'd always loved as a kid."

"So that's how the most talented person I know first discovered her passion," I chime in.

Bella shifts her body slightly and runs her fingertips along my biceps, causing a tingling sensation throughout my body. "You're going to distract me from my life story."

I let out a light chuckle. "Please continue."

"Around the same time, I started reading Sparkes Magazines and I instantly fell in love with all the fashion designs I saw in the pages," Bella adds. "Then, fast forward to middle school when I had my first textiles class and it was...magical. I loved the process of creating and transforming a simple piece of fabric into something else. But still, I never thought of pursuing fashion design as an actual career. I thought that sketching designs and creating could just be something I could do as a fun hobby, and that being a lawyer was what I should aim to be because it was something my mom had always instilled in me."

I move a piece of hair away from her face as she talks.

She blows a breath. "When it came to college applications one night it just hit me that I didn't want to be a lawyer, and I decided to apply to fashion school, which Jen also really encouraged me to do. My mom saw me working on my portfolio for my application and tried to talk me out of it, but I kept going. We ended up having a major argument because of that. When I got the acceptance letter from FIT, I thought she would finally just accept that I was chasing after my dreams and be happy for me, but I guess the rest is history."

Her voice quietens when she says that last part and I gently rub her arm. "It's a reflection on her, not you that she can't be happy for her own daughter."

"I know." Bella reaches for my hand. "I mean, I feel like she does care about me in her own way, but I think I'm done trying to seek her validation. I'm just going to do whatever makes me happy."

"Your happiness is the most important thing," I say, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Not what anyone else wants for you."

She lets out a tiny smile. "I feel like I owe you an explanation with the whole Oliver thing as well."

I hold her tighter in my arms. "You don't owe me an explanation for anything, Bella."

"I still want to tell you," she insists and then takes a deep breath. "Long story short, Oliver broke up with me over text after six years without giving a reason and then ghosted me afterward."

What the fuck? Six years and that fuckhead ends it over a text?

"He's a coward," I say, my jaw clenching.