“More than just a pretty face, I guess,” the second anchor responded with an incredulous laugh while she fanned herself.
Anger brewed in Dean. “Who is their credible source?” He looked back and forth from his brother to his dad. They knew the real story—that Riley and Rodel were the heroes and had saved Dean’s life.
“Don’t worry too much about it,” his dad said. “You know how the media likes to twist things. This story will be all over the news by the end of the evening, and you’ll be the hero we need you to be.”
The words stopped Dean. “That you need me to be?”
His dad’s eyebrows lowered. “You have been a media disaster for the last year. I took the opportunity to give them a narrative that would clear your name.”
“At the expense of the truth!” Dean said.
“I did what had to be done,” his dad said.
Dean shook his head. He loved his dad and was grateful to him for his support and encouragement, but he’d learned that he had to take his own path—even if it wasn’t in alignment with his dad’s. “And I have to do what needs to be done, too.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
◆◆◆
Riley stood alone in the greenroom of the television studio. It wasn’t green, like she’d assumed it would be at first, but looked like a nice waiting room. Someone from the studio had led her back there and told her that the host would be by in a few minutes to chat with her before the taped interview.
Riley adjusted the silk sleeve over her bandaged arm, making sure that it was mostly covered. The plum color of her blouse was one of her favorites, and the wide sleeves made it perfect for covering gunshot wounds. It was also one of her most flattering shirts, on the off chance that Dean just happened to be here, too. The chances of him showing up were pretty small, but she missed him in the kind of way that caused an ache deeper than the one left by the bullet. And an ache like that led her to hope, as unfounded as that hope was.
She paused at every sound in the hallway, hoping it was him. She didn’t know what she’d do if he did walk in the door right at that moment. Her cheeks still burned at the memory of that last kiss she gave him.
She hadn’t heard a word from him since he got home several days before, although his dad had called her to personally thank her again for saving Dean’s life. Which was opposite of the story the media had been telling all week, in which Dean was the hero who carried her to safety. But Riley didn’t mind as much as she would have only a few weeks before. In so many ways, Dean was a hero: for starting the Worldwide Care Project, for saving Malaya’s life, and for being the one who kept her going when it would have been easier to give up.
Homesickness for the people she’d met in the Philippines swept through her. She’d heard from Malaya, who had taken over the clinic in Riley’s absence. But without proper funding, Malaya wouldn’t have access to the supplies she’d need to keep it running for very long.
Riley found a chair to sit in, but was too restless to sit for more than just a second. The door opened, and she whipped around, disappointed when a semi-familiar woman walked in.
The woman smiled warmly and held out her hand. She wore a black pantsuit with an emerald blouse. “I’m Felicia, one of the Nightly News hosts.”
Riley shook her hand. “I’ve watched your show a few times.”
“I’m glad.” She motioned to the chairs, and they sat. “Let me explain how this is going to work. This is a taped interview, so don’t worry about messing up. We’ll have our editing guys go through and cut out any bloopers.”
Relief ran through Riley. She knew it wasn’t going to be live, but had been stressing about looking stupid on camera.
“Did you have a chance to go over the email my assistant sent you?” It had been filled with potential questions she might ask, with the caveat that they might ask other questions as well. But it had given Riley a chance to think back through the experience in the Philippines and make sense of what had happened. While living it, she’d been moving on adrenaline and hope, and it now seemed like a blurred painting in her memory. Except for Dean. The moments with him, being held in his arms, doing everything she could to save his life … those moments were clear and precious.
“I read through the questions,” she said. “I’m as ready as I’m going to be.”
Felicia glanced down at her watch and stood. “They should be done with the interview before yours, so let’s head over there.”
Riley followed her down a winding hall, until they arrived at a room set up to look like high-end living space with a love seat and a lone chair facing each other.
She scanned the room, her gaze landing on Dean. Her breath caught in her chest. He hadn’t noticed her walk in. He was deep in a conversation with another person she recognized from the news show. She drank in how good he looked in his dark suit and red tie, his hair freshly washed and combed to perfection. She scanned him for signs of infection or fever, but he looked as healthy as she’d ever seen him. There were a few thin cuts across his cleanly shaved jaw and chin, which were still healing, and his arm hung in a sling.
Dean briefly glanced around the room, stopping mid-sentence when he made eye contact with Riley. Her heart leapt when he took long, purposeful strides in her direction. Without a single breath of hesitation, he pulled her into a tight hug against his warm chest. She inhaled his familiar scent, falling back into the night when they’d held each other close.
“I’ve missed you,” he said.
She closed her eyes and let his words wash over her. She’d missed him too. Her mom had encouraged her a million times to just call him up, but Riley had hesitated. So much of what they went through felt like a dream. But here, in his arms, it was real once again. Everything they went through, everything she felt. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“Are you ready for this?” he whispered, his breath on her ear sending tingles of awareness down her neck.
She leaned her head back to look at him, but clung to him still. She didn’t care that everyone was watching. She only knew that it was impossible to let go. “We’re doing the interview together?” How was she going to think straight with Dean sitting beside her?
He winked. “We’ve got to set the record straight.”
“I don’t care about what everyone else thinks, Dean.”
His mouth straightened into a determined line, forming wrinkles around his lips that she wanted to smooth out with her finger. “Well, I do.”
Felicia called out to them. “We’re ready for you.”
They held each other another second longer, and when Dean pulled away, Riley missed his closeness immediately. Dean took her hand and kissed her knuckles while they walked, and Riley saw Felicia’s eyes light up. A cameraman directed them to the couch, where they sat right beside each other, still holding hands. The bright studio light shone down on them from above, making the moment feel even more surreal.
Dean was there. Beside her.
Felicia sat in front of them and indicated that they were going to start taping. “I have with me Dean Matthias, one of the heirs to the Matthias fortune, and Dr. Riley Rogers, the first doctor for the Worldwide Care Project sponsored by the Matthias Foundation. Riley, we’d love to hear about your experience in the Philippines, leading up to the kidnapping.”
“I started about six months ago and quickly learned how wonderful the people of the Philippines are.” Riley’s nerves melted away as she talked about a few specific patients, knowing she was going on too long about things that viewers wouldn’t care about, but glad for the chance to talk about the place she missed so much.
“Let’s talk about the day of the attack,” Felicia said. “What happened?”
Dean jumped in then, and told about his journey to the village and the gunshots that they heard.
“You were shot then, correct?” Felicia asked.
Dean nodded.
“He jumped in front of my assistant and saved her from getting shot,” Riley
cut in. “If he hadn’t, she’d most likely be dead.”
“But I’m not the real hero of this story,” Dean interjected. “That’s Riley and Rodel.”
“Rodel is the local man who helped you, correct?”
Dean nodded. “He was one of Riley’s patients and credited her for saving his life when she found a cancer spot on his arm.”
“What?” Riley asked. “How do you know?”
“I spoke with him before I left.” Dean twisted toward her. “He said that when we were drugged at Bria’s house, he sneaked away when the terrorists came to get us. Bria had heard that the terrorists were looking for us and called it in for a significant reward. She tried to give Rodel some of the money the terrorists offered, but he refused. He followed the truck for miles on foot because he owed you a debt.”
He didn’t owe her. Not at all. There was only so much Riley could do for Rodel’s cancer, and he’d known that.
Felicia leaned forward, taking control of the interview once again. “Dean, when you contacted us about this interview, you said it was to set the story straight. So what really happened in the Philippines?”
Dean was confident as he told her about their journey through the jungle and the terrorist shack where they’d been held captive. “Rodel paid off one of my kidnappers using money I had brought with me to the Philippines. He left the door unlocked, and I was able to get to Riley. I knew if we didn’t get out that night, there was a good chance they’d kill her.” His voice choked up, and he had to clear his throat.
Riley squeezed his hand in gratitude.
“How much money?” Felicia asked.
“Five thousand dollars.” Dean laughed and rubbed a hand over his chin. “I keep thinking about how many times things could have gone wrong—more wrong, I guess—but they didn’t. Mostly because of good people in the world. And we’re alive because of that,” Dean replied.
The truth of his words sunk into Riley, and she had to hold back her tears. Her heart swelled with happiness.
“So then what happened?” Felicia asked.
“Rodel created a distraction and broke the window with an ax,” Riley said. “Then we all climbed out.”
Dean shook his head. “Actually, Riley helped lift me out of the window, and then I passed out.”
“You passed out,” Felicia repeated.
“Yes. And I have no memory of the next twenty-four hours.” He paused to let that sink in, because it went against everything every other news outlet was reporting—that he’d carried Riley and Rodel to safety, fought off the terrorists at the dock, and collapsed only when the boat arrived safely in Manila.
“So what really happened?” Felicia asked.
Dean squeezed Riley’s hand. “Riley and Rodel carried me six miles to safety. They fought off the terrorists. And when Rodel was shot, Riley drove the boat into Manila, saving all our lives.”
Now it was Riley’s turn to blush as Felicia turned to look at her, impressed. “I’d love to hear more details.”
Riley went back through that night, something she’d hoped to never think about again, and explained how they’d made it so far on such little energy. “Rodel was the real hero,” she said.
“And what happened to Rodel?” Felicia asked.
“I don’t know—” Riley began to say regretfully, but stopped when Dean spoke.
“It’s not safe in the Philippines for Rodel after all he did to save us, so the Matthias Foundation is sponsoring his family’s request for asylum in the United States.”
Riley covered her mouth to hold back her emotion. That Dean had thought to do that touched her more than she could say. She’d been in contact with Malaya, who said that Rodel had come by the village once and was healing, but that it wasn’t safe for him to linger too long. Riley would always regret that he had to leave his home because he’d helped them. They owed him their lives.
“You are both healing from a pretty traumatic experience. Do you know what you have planned for your future?”
Dean looked to Riley, so she spoke first, wishing she had more to say. “I’ve been mostly focused on healing, but I’ve applied for a few jobs with private practices right now.” The truth was, her heart wasn’t in it. She tried to picture herself back in the hospital, doing what drove her to the Philippines in the first place, and knew that she’d never go back. Maybe she could find a nice, quiet family clinic to practice in.
“And you, Dean?”
“Well, I’ll be healing for a long time, too. But that will give me plenty of time to focus on continuing to build Worldwide Care.”
Riley gripped his hand tightly in hers, afraid she’d misheard. “I thought the Matthias Foundation pulled funding from Worldwide Care.”
He smiled sardonically. “They did. We’re going to start small, working off of what I can personally cover with my trust fund, and then we’ll work on finding new investors.”
He was going to use his own savings to keep the program going. Her heart swelled with love toward him. She forgot about Felicity and the cameras for a moment. “Why would you use your trust fund for this?”
“Because I believe in the program and the difference that it can make, and I’m willing to do what I need to in order to keep it going.”
Felicity cut in before Riley could ask anything else. “That sounds like a big project to undertake.”
“It will be,” Dean replied. “I’m going to need an experienced doctor to help run the program.” He glanced over at Riley. “I have someone in mind, but I need to make sure it’s something she wants to do first.”
Riley stared into his eyes, wanting to fall into their depths.
“And the two of you,” Felicia continued. “It seems like you grew close during your experience.”
Dean only smiled mysteriously, while Riley still tried to wrap her mind around the fact that Worldwide Care wasn’t closing after all. Felicia closed the interview with a few more questions, but Dean answered them, Riley barely hearing what was said in her daze. The lights dimmed, and Felicia stood, shook both of their hands, and left them alone. Dean tugged Riley away from the cameras and lights to a quiet corner.
“Will you work on the Worldwide Care Project with me?” Dean asked her.
She looked at him, still feeling dazed. “What about your dad?”
He grinned, his face lighter than she’d ever seen it. “I think he’s proud of me, even if he doesn’t understand. Although he wishes I wouldn’t have done this interview.” He gave her a wry smile.
“I think you came off pretty nicely,” she said, her mind still on his proposal. Work with him on Worldwide Care. Do the job that had become her dream.
His smile turned strained at her silence. He took both of her hands in his. “It’s going to be a ton of work with not a lot of money in return, but I can’t imagine doing this with anyone else but you.”
Riley gave in to the urge to throw her arms around him. Happiness wanted to burst through her chest. “You’d better not do this with anyone else but me! Of course I want to do it.” She leaned back and found him smiling at her.
“It will mean a lot of one-on-one time working with me,” he warned, relief emanating from him.
She cocked her head to the side. “I think I can handle that.”
“We’ll have to travel around the world.”
“I can’t wait.”
He brushed his nose against hers. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” Miss wasn’t a strong enough word to describe what she’d been feeling in his absence. Having him close again made her feel whole. Complete.
Dean stared into her eyes, and she saw their future flash before her: traveling to different countries, making a difference for the people they met, teaching other assistants to take over when they left, providing care for thousands of people, being together. And then Dean’s lips pressed against hers, and it sent all of her thoughts fleeing except how wonderful it was to be in love.
OTHER BOOKS BY KAYLEE BALDWIN
◆◆◆
Take A Chance On Me
Silver Linings
Six Days of Christmas
Coming Soon:
Making the Play
One Little Kiss
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A glamorous day in the life of Kaylee Baldwin includes: chasing after her four children, checking for a new season of Serial, writing her latest book, binge-watching reality cooking shows, hanging out with her husband, and reading in every spare second she can find.
She graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in English lit and currently lives in southern Arizona with her family. Her books include the Whitney Finalist Meg’s Melody, Hearts in Peril, a story in the Timeless Romance Anthology: California Dreamin’ which was recently translated into Norwegian, and Take a Chance on Me.
You can reach her on Instagram @kayleebaldwinwrites.
Follow Kaylee on Amazon by clicking here and then clicking “follow.”
Excerpt From Take a Chance On Me
Between working two jobs and taking care of her five-year-old son, opportunities for fun for Madelyn Stewart are few and far between. So when she’s given tickets to take her son to see a live taping of the MyHeartChannel show Take a Chance, they go, even though it means she’ll have to stay up all night to turn in her latest article on time. To her shock, the daredevil star, Chance Risk, is none other than Graham Sawyer, the quiet accounting major she’d dated in college before leaving him heartbroken. When she makes a major mistake on her article, she has to swallow her embarrassment and reach out to Chance for an exclusive or risk losing her job.
Hearts In Peril (Billionaire Romance) Page 14