by Morgan James
I blushed under the scrutiny. I met fans all the time, but it never got easier. I always felt like I was playing dress up, trying to fill a pair of shoes much too big. There were so many artists so much better than me, and I was constantly amazed that people found me even remotely interesting.
Abby continued. “Ink’s told us so much about you.”
I slid a look his way and caught a tiny smirk lifting the corners of his mouth. My gut tightened. I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to know exactly what he’d told them, but I held out a hand. “It’s so nice to meet you, Abby. I’m Jana.”
She waved away my hand and pulled me into a hug instead. I tensed as her arms tightened around me and awkwardly returned the embrace. Over her shoulder, I met Vince’s gaze. There was something there that I couldn’t quit read. Abby pulled back and tossed a look over her shoulder at the guys before turning back to me. “Are you ready for this?”
Not knowing exactly what this was, I nodded slowly. “I guess so.”
“Perfect.” She pulled a camera from the large handbag slung over her shoulder. “Go stand by that wall.”
I did as she bade and watched her glance around for a moment. My gaze lifted, and every muscle went tense as a pair of dark brown eyes latched onto mine. Though I’d met him a couple of times now, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to him. Con was... intense. He stared at me as if seeking something, and I forced myself to bear up under the scrutiny. I wanted to assure him that I would never jeopardize Vince, that this was only temporary. Instead, I remained silent and still.
“Ink, come here.”
He moved forward, and I forced my attention back to Abby. She had the same dark eyes as her brother, but hers were softer, framed by impossibly long lashes that I envied.
“Take a knee,” she directed. Vince followed her instructions and knelt on the floor in front of me. Despite the entire thing being staged, my heart gave a little flutter in my chest. As a little girl, I’d dreamed of the day a man would propose to me and make me his wife. But I’d never envisioned anything like this. The sight of this huge, dominant man on his knees in front of me sent my ovaries into overdrive. My legs shook with the urge to throw myself at him, and I locked my knees to keep from tackling him to the floor and having my wicked way with him.
He lifted a tiny black box then threw open the lid, and my eyes widened at the diamond inside.
“Holy... Is that...?” My gaze jumped from Vince over his shoulder to where Abby stood, camera obscuring half of her face as she took the photos.
“Just go with it,” she called from behind the lens.
Automatically, I lifted my hands to my mouth affecting the stereotypical surprised look. Mostly, though, I was trying to cover my true reaction. I hadn’t expected a ring at all, let alone the good-sized diamond nestled inside the velvet box.
“Good!” Abby called. “Now, Ink, take it out and slip it on her finger.”
My hand trembled as I held it out to him, and it took him two tries to get it on properly. I had a feeling he was shaking just as much as I was. From his position, his head reached my sternum, and he tilted his chin up to meet my eyes. Still holding my hand, he gave my fingers a reassuring squeeze. I heard the faint snap of the shutter on the camera as Abby clicked away, but in that moment, it seemed as if the rest of the world had slipped away, leaving only Vince and me. If I hadn’t been aware of how decent a man he was before, I was now. He’d chosen to put a virtual stranger’s needs ahead of his own wishes and desires, and I appreciated it immensely.
“That’s enough.” I jumped a little as Con’s voice shattered my reverie, and Vince dropped my hand before slowly rising to his feet.
Abby retrieved a laptop from her giant tote and met my eyes. “Where’s your kitchen?”
Relieved to have something other to do other than daydream about Vince, I eagerly moved toward her. “Follow me.”
In the kitchen, Abby pulled out a stool and situated herself at the bar.
“Can I get you something to drink?” I asked.
“No, thanks.” Abby shot me a smile. “I’m going to see what kind of magic I can work with Photoshop to whip up an engagement photo for you.”
The men entered the room at the tail end of the conversation, and I watched as Vince picked up the door handle the locksmith had removed from the garage door, then passed it to Con.
I met Vince’s gaze as he turned back to us. “How are we going to get word out?”
He lifted one shoulder. “I guess just start telling everyone and hope it catches fire organically.”
I thought on that for a second, then flicked a glance at Con. “When do we leave?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but Abby beat him to it. “I’ve got you guys on the second flight out tomorrow morning. Your itineraries are in my purse. Connor, will you go grab those?”
Her older brother rolled his eyes but did as she requested and returned less than a minute later, purple file folder in hand. He passed it to Vince, who opened it up and flipped through the documents.
Thoughts flitted through my mind as I debated my options. “So, we have a little less than twenty-four hours to get everything ready. Do we think that’ll be enough time to get word out?”
Con’s dark eyes pierced mine. “Do you have a better idea?”
“Well...” I spoke tentatively, afraid he would shoot down my plan. “I have a ton of followers on social media. What if I do kind of a blast of posts over the course of the day tomorrow, each one leading up to our engagement announcement?”
“Kind of like clues leading to the big reveal,” Abby piped up. “I like it!”
I shot her a quick smile. “Thanks.”
“That’s one way to do it,” Con said with a slow nod. “I’ll leave that to you, then.”
“Okay.” I was already brimming with ideas as Vince began to read the details aloud for all of us to hear.
“We’ve got a 10:20 flight out, then a driver will meet us at the airport to take us to Anna Maria Island.”
My ears perked up at that. “Where is that?”
“Know where Tampa is?”
I nodded at Con’s question. “I’ve never been there, but I know the general vicinity.”
“It’s about forty miles south, along the Gulf Coast.”
Inside, I bubbled with excitement. “Has anyone told Maggie or Harvey yet?”
Con gave a brief shake of his head. “I’d prefer not to reveal this to anyone yet. If they need to get a hold of you, any communication will go through me first.”
“Oh. Okay.” It made sense, but I felt a little adrift not being able to talk to anyone.
“Vince will have his cell on him at all times, and he’ll be the main point of contact,” Con said, “but I ask that you don’t tell anyone where you are or what you’re doing. You can keep your phone for emergencies, but I suggest leaving it off unless you absolutely need it. Or, better yet, leave it here completely.”
“So—” My words were cut off as the doorbell rang. Con immediately turned on a heel and headed that direction. My eyes widened as I threw a look at Vince. “Who is that?”
Abby glanced up at me, then over to Vince before dropping her gaze back to the computer in front of her. That didn’t exactly bode well.
His chest rose and fell on a deep breath. “Come with me.”
I reluctantly fell into step beside Vince as we followed the sound of voices to the living room. Con stood next to an older man dressed in a suit. As soon as we entered, he turned our way and a bright smile wreathed the man’s wrinkled face. “Ah. So here’s the happy couple.”
Oh, God. I knew this was all part of the plan, but it seemed to be happening so fast. My steps faltered, and I threw a look at Vince. He met my gaze and gently squeezed my waist, urging me forward. “Breathe. Everything is fine,” he said quietly, for my ears only.
Heart pounding in my chest, I turned my attention back to the minister standing in the middle of the living room. “Nice to meet you, R
everend. I’m Jana.” I extended one hand, and he clasped it within his own.
“You can call me Bob.”
His eyes were kind, and a flurry of butterflies kicked up in my stomach. I didn’t know if Con had told him the whole story, but I suddenly wanted to spill my guts about every terrible thing I’d done in my life to this man of God.
The reverend turned to Vince and shook his hand. “Are you the groom?”
“I am.”
I winced internally, waiting for a bolt of lightning or something equally ominous to appear for our deception. A small hand wrapped around the inside of my elbow, and I tossed a look across my shoulder at Abby.
“You ready for this?” she asked just loud enough for me to hear.
I swallowed hard and pressed one hand to my stomach in an effort to calm my riotous nerves. “I don’t know.”
She studied me with those huge dark eyes for a moment, then smiled as she gave my arm a gentle squeeze. “Everything will work out.”
God, I hoped so, because things certainly couldn’t get any worse.
Chapter Nine
Vince
Beside me, Gemma bounced in her seat as she stared out the window of the plane. “There’s so much water.”
She moved to one side as I leaned toward her and stared out at the vast expanse of dark blue ocean beneath us. “Crazy, huh?”
She turned to look at me, her big blue eyes pleading. “Can we go to the beach while we’re here?”
“We’ll see.” It really wasn’t the best idea, so we would have to play it by ear, see how many people were around.
Her face fell, and she turned back to the window. “I’ve never been to the beach before.”
That surprised me. Gemma seemed to be the kind of girl who had everything at her fingertips, had seen everything. “Really?”
The plane began to descend, and she buckled her seatbelt then shook her head as she settled back in her seat. “I grew up in a tiny little town in Kentucky. I never even left the state until I was sixteen when I went to Nashville.”
I really didn’t want to have this conversation in public, but she had piqued my curiosity. “But you’ve been so many places.”
She lifted one shoulder and stared longingly out the window. “We’re always in a hotel or something. There’s never any time to go explore or do things.”
In that moment, I made the decision that before we left Florida, she would get to see the beach. Exiting the plane took a long time, and almost thirty minutes later we grabbed our luggage from the carousel and headed toward the front doors.
“There should be a driver waiting for us.”
I scanned the people standing by the doorway, but Gemma beat me to it. She lifted her hand and gestured toward the last set of doors. “Right over there.”
A man in a suit held a small sign with my last name, Incarnato, written in big, bold letters. Settling a hand on her lower back, I guided her toward the man, pulling our luggage along as we fell into step together. The man smiled at us as we approached. “Are you Mr. and Mrs. Incarnato?”
For a moment, I was completely caught off guard at hearing Gemma’s name used in conjunction with mine. The silver band on my finger felt a little too tight, and I clenched my hand into a tight fist.
“We are,” she responded with a huge smile, covering my blunder. “Sorry, we’re still getting used to the new titles.”
The older man’s eyes brightened. “Newlyweds?”
“Yep.” She beamed up at me. “I keep forgetting we’re married, myself.”
An itchy feeling started between my shoulder blades, and I shifted restlessly at the talk of marriage. I was worried that someone would call our bluff, and I didn’t want to draw more attention to ourselves than necessary. Gemma, thank God, had better acting skills than I did, because her eyes shined with glee as she grinned up at me. Pasting on a smile, I awkwardly looped an arm around her shoulders.
“Are you here on your honeymoon?”
“We are.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Jana, by the way.”
I called Gemma by her stage name so often that I’d almost forgotten it wasn’t her real name. Now that we were technically married, I supposed I needed to start addressing her by her actual name.
“Donald.” Our driver shook her hand. “That’s wonderful. Congratulations.” He turned to me. “You must both be so excited.”
If he only knew. I released Gemma—Jana, I reminded myself—and held out a hand for the man to shake. “I’m Vince. Nice to meet you.”
He gestured towards our bags. “Do you have everything?”
I nodded. “This is it.”
“I’m parked in the upper lot,” Donald said. “It’ll take me just a few moments to get down here if you’d like to wait.”
“We can walk,” I immediately offered. Almost as an afterthought, I turned to Jana. “As long as you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” Her eyes hadn’t stopped moving over the palm trees tropical plants lining the building outside.
“Would you like me to carry anything?”
I waved off Donald’s question. “I’ve got it.”
The older man kept up an easy stream of conversation as he led us to the car then stowed our bags in the back and climbed inside. “Have you been to Anna Maria Island before?”
I shared a quick look with Jana. “No, this is our first time.”
From my right, she piped up, “It’s actually my first time going to the beach.”
“Oh, that’s fantastic,” Donald said. “There are so many wonderful things to do here. Although...” the older man chuckled. “With it being your honeymoon and all, staying in is always good, too.”
Jana grinned. “I hope so.”
I rolled my lips together and slid a warning glance her way. She met my gaze with a look of challenge, then turned her attention out the window again, practically pressing her nose to the glass. As we turned onto the freeway, Jana bombarded Donald with questions that he patiently answered, all the while pointing out local attractions and places of interest. Jana’s head swiveled left and right as she took in every little detail, her lips parted slightly, and I couldn’t help but smile at her obvious joy.
“Oh! Look!” Jana placed one hand on my thigh as she leaned into me, pointing out the window as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge came into view.
“Longest cable stayed bridge in the world,” Donald boasted from the driver seat.
The heat of Jana’s touch burned my skin through the fabric of my jeans, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. I lifted my gaze from her hand to the profile of her pretty face as she stared out the window in fascination. I was certain she had no idea what she was doing, and I didn’t want to embarrass her. Ripping my gaze away, I turned my attention outside.
The bridge itself was incredible. In the middle of the five-and-a-half-mile long bridge, the cables rose into two triangles pointing toward the sky, giving it the appearance of two giant sailboats. Jana sucked in a breath, and her fingers tightened on my leg as we started across the bridge. It was a strange sensation, suspended more than a hundred feet over the water with seemingly nothing beneath us for miles.
With nothing but ocean surrounding us, Jana sat back against the seat. Her gaze dropped to her hand in my lap and, finally realizing what she’d done, snatched it away, reaching to fiddle with her purse. I missed the feel of her touch as soon as it was gone, and I mentally berated myself for feeling that way. God, I was such an idiot sometimes. This whole thing was a complete farce, yet here I sat, excited as a teenager who’d just rounded second base for the first time.
We finished the ride mostly in silence until we finally crossed the Manatee Avenue Bridge that connected the island to the mainland. We turned right on the main road, and I watched through the window as we passed several plazas, churches, even a sign for a school, then turned down a side street. A few blocks later, the white sand of the gulf came into view. From the front of the car, the GPS announced that we’d reached
our destination, and Donald pulled into the driveway of a tiny beach house at the very end of the street.
I glanced around as I stepped from the car. The street was lined with palm trees, lending a feel of quiet solitude. Though it was only midafternoon, things seemed calm. I wondered how things would progress over the course of the afternoon and into the evening once kids were out of school and parents were home from work.
I tipped Donald as he pulled our luggage from the trunk. “Let me just make sure the key works and everything looks good, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course. Would you like me to bring the bags in?”
I grabbed my own and pulled out the key Con had given me before we left. “Just hers if you wouldn’t mind.”
I cleared my throat, but Jana remained transfixed, staring in every direction, taking in every little thing from the gulls squalling and swooping overhead to the tiny little shells pressed into the pavement. “Jana.”
She jumped at the sound of her name then rushed forward, a huge smile on her face. “Can you believe this? We’re right on the beach.”
I held back a smirk as I inserted the key and unlocked the door then held it open for her as we stepped into the living room. I could only imagine how much it was costing the studio to put us up here for the next two weeks. After the shit they put her through, I thought she deserved every overpriced minute of it.
I thanked Donald as he dropped off our bags, then I locked up behind him and watched through the window as he backed out of the narrow driveway and left. I turned to Jana. “Stay here. I want to check the place out.”
No one knew we were coming, so I really didn’t expect anything, but I also wasn’t going to take any chances. When she rushed to join me, I pointed to the sectional that took up most of the living room. “Sit.”
Her brows lowered, and her face fell into a mutinous expression. “Why?”
“Because it’s my job to keep you safe, and it’s your job to listen. Now sit and stay until I’ve checked everything out.”