Behind the Net

Jamie is proud of Pippa for her recording session and realizes that calling her “songbird” is a way of saying he loves her. He asks if she will be okay if he contacts Erin. He tells Pippa that touching her is a dream, and he would only be disappointed if she didn’t enjoy it.

Jamie expresses the goal of making Pippa experience two orgasms, and they have sex. Jamie reflects, “Sex has never been so playful, and I can’t think of another time I felt so comfortable around someone” (309). He feels it will be too risky to tell her that he loves her, but he wants this relationship to last.

Pippa’s pleasure is intense, unlike anything she’s experienced. She thinks, “Later, I’m going to write a song about this moment—being so connected to someone, feeling like nothing exists but me and Jamie” (318). She thinks nothing else has felt so real or so right.

Jamie meets with Erin, who is pregnant. He apologizes for how he handled their relationship. When he expresses his guilt for how he ruined her life, Erin laughs. She says she was happy to give up modeling. After she and Jamie broke up, she took time to reflect on what she wanted, which was less pressure in her lifestyle. She chose to act, is happily married, and likes her job. She tells Jamie the only person who could fix her was her, not him. She tells him about a boutique where Pippa can find a dress for the gala.

Pippa and Jamie wake up in bed together, and she eats breakfast sitting on his lap. Jamie takes her to the boutique, and Pippa finds the dress she wants. Jamie’s generosity makes her feel cherished. Hazel lets her know that Zach has a ticket to the gala.

Pippa decides she’s going to the gala anyway, and Jamie admires her bravery. He thinks, “This girl is everything to me” (335). Rory is arrogant and aggressive, and he and Jamie fight. Afterward, Jamie feels like the seven years of tension between them has been released.

Pippa admits it was hot watching Jamie fight. She takes him home to draw a bath and he brings her to orgasm with his fingers in the tub.

Pippa performs oral sex on Jamie and enjoys it, thinking, “I love making him feel this way. I love having this man at my mercy” (347). She’s hesitant to tell him she loves him, feeling that would make a breakup hurt more.

The gala is at the most expensive hotel in Whistler, and it looks like something out of a fairy tale. Jamie shows her their suite, which has a fireplace and a view of the mountains. He has arranged for her to get a massage, then hair and makeup done. Pippa reflects on their relationship and the way Jamie encourages her. Jamie gives her a necklace with a stone that matches her dress. She appreciates how much he’s done to restore her confidence.

Pippa is nervous about seeing Zach but realizes, “I can stand up for myself now. Jamie helped me develop that skill, and now it’s flourishing” (358). Pippa chats with Hazel and Rory, and she detects that Hazel likes Rory. Zach appears and asks to speak to Pippa alone. She refuses. He says he made a mistake with Layla, and Pippa feels sad for the other girl. She realizes, “He’s not sorry for hurting me. He’s not sorry for what he did. He’s just sorry it didn’t work out the way he wanted” (363). She reminds Zach he stole her song, and he says he fixed it, and musicians borrow each other’s work all the time. Pippa sees that Zach doesn’t want what’s best for her; he wants what’s best for him. Jamie informs Zach that Pippa recorded a demo with Ivy Matthews. Pippa decides she’s ready to move on.

After watching her confront Zach, Jamie realizes, “Pippa’s my forever person. I know that now. I think I always knew it” (366). As they have sex later, he tells her he loves her, and she says she loves him, too. Jamie feels he has everything he wanted.

They wake up together, and Jamie confesses that he had a crush on Pippa in high school. He planned to ask her to grad, the Canadian prom, but then found out she was dating Zach. She replies that she had a crush on him, too.

Jamie and Pippa are driving home along the Sea to Sky Highway when Jamie gets a call from the hospital. His mother crashed her car into a police officer’s vehicle and is in the hospital. Jamie wants to send Pippa home, but she insists on going with him to the hospital.

He confronts his mother and realizes that things need to change—he hasn’t been sticking up for himself. He is angry that his mother lied about getting a therapist and medication. Jamie is no longer willing to keep enabling his mother as her condition worsens. He tells his mother he is in love with Pippa, and he wants his mother to start taking care of herself. She expresses remorse, and he asks that she get help. Jamie realizes that, in being there for him, Pippa has become his family in addition to the love of his life.

Pippa’s parents attend a hockey game. They go out with the team afterward and hear Pippa perform one of her songs at the Filthy Flamingo. She sings about following her dreams, and her parents finally realize how much Pippa loves performing. They support her choice to turn down the marketing job. Her parents embrace Hazel and Pippa together. Pippa gets an email from Ivy Matthews offering her a recording contract.

Seven months later, Pippa and her band are opening on tour for a big-name musician after recording an album with Ivy Matthews. She thinks, “I’m here, living my dream, and I’m so grateful” (398). Two nights later, Pippa sings the national anthem to open Jamie’s game. The announcer stops her on the ice, and Jamie proposes. Pippa thinks, “I can already hear the song I’m going to write about this moment” (401). The ring matches the necklace he gave her, and Pippa thinks she can’t wait to see where their incredible life will take them. Hazel reports that Rory Miller is being traded to the Storm.