Love United (Hollywood Series Book 3)

by Avery Michaels

  When I got to Max and Aimee, I grabbed their hands and told them to just keep walking. They did.

  Mick got a little too close, and it caused what I can only describe as a feeding-frenzy type behavior. They swarmed us.

  Max pulled both Aimee and me into him and screamed, “Back up, she’s pregnant!”

  They paused only for a moment. Long enough for us to get by them. Then they pursued us with vigor, demanding to know who the father was.

  Oh no. I wanted to whirl around and explain that it was Aimee who was pregnant, not me, but we had to get out of here. Besides, they wouldn’t believe me. They’d proven that they had it out for me. It was something that needed to be handled in a more appropriate setting. Perhaps an exclusive interview with an up-and-coming journalist. Certainly not Mick Lennox, who I would probably slap with a slander lawsuit just for fun for falsely reporting that bit about Trase and me.

  When we got to the car, Max sped off. He apologized immediately, but I knew he hadn’t meant to cause a problem. He was just protecting his love. I sat behind them, watching him soothe Aimee. She’d never experienced that kind of mania. I watched him kiss her hand and rub it against his cheek. I would apologize to her but not now. I didn’t want to interrupt such an intimate moment.

  When we got to the house, things were quiet. They wouldn’t be for long. I apologized to both of them, told them to pack their things and head up to the cabin in the Smoky Mountains for a few days. I told them I would meet them there later. I didn’t explain that I’d made a promise to the new man in my life. I didn’t explain anything because we all had to go before the press arrived, or we would be followed to our secret hideout. Also, I knew if I didn’t get away before they got here, I wouldn’t go to Blake’s parents’ house because I wouldn’t take this drama there.

  As soon as I got Max and Aimee on the road, I got in my car and took off in the opposite direction. I was hours early and pulled over along the way, browsing through a few flea markets.

  I knew I shouldn’t go. I knew I should talk to Blake before showing up on his parents’ doorstep. I also knew that if they were truly fans, they would think the worst of me right now, but I couldn’t help but want to be close to him, and this was the only way. Most importantly, I didn’t want to break my first promise to him.

  I picked up a few things then went to a diner not too far from Blake’s hometown. I’d looked up reviews and found that they made a pineapple upside-down cake. Blake had said that was his favorite. I thought maybe his mom had made it for him, so as a gesture, I would take one, plus a couple of pies, just in case.

  In the south, it was always good to show up bearing gifts, especially food. I bought two pies: apple and cherry, the cake, ordered a coffee, and waited. No one bothered me. I was the only customer there. Normally, I would find it lonely, but under the circumstances, it was nice.

  My phone rang with an unknown caller ID. I rejected it. No, thank you. There’s no telling who might have gotten ahold of my number at this point.

  Immediately, a text came through from Trase: Westin is calling you. He says you aren’t answering. Are you okay?

  I felt a pang of regret in my side for rejecting the call. I should’ve thought of that. It was just that we had only used Skype to communicate since we’d been apart. Of course, I hadn’t enabled that either, so I wouldn’t even know if he was trying to call. My mind was occupied by the shitstorm that had just exploded all around.

  Yes, I’m fine. I didn’t know it was him. Can I call him back? I texted back to Trase. Then the phone started ringing again.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, pretty girl,” Blake said. The sound of his voice brought a smile to my face.

  “Hey, I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting you to call. Did you try to Skype already?”

  “No. That’s why I was calling. I’m using the satellite phone now. It’s going to be another hour before I can get to the computer to Skype. Will that be all right?”

  My inner Roxy wanted to get aggravated, but I held back. “I guess. I’m already here.”

  “You’re at my folks’ house?”

  “Just down the road at this little diner. I can’t remember the name of it. Listen, I have to talk to you, Blake.”

  “That doesn’t sound good. Don’t tell me that you’re giving up already.”

  “No,” I nearly shouted. “Nothing like that. I just need to tell you some things that have been going on.”

  “Okay, but can it wait? Like I said, I’m not in a place where I can really get into a conversation.”

  I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Right. Sure.”

  “Great. Talk to you in a bit.”

  “Okay,” I said, but he’d already hung up. Who doesn’t say “bye” to the person they care about before hanging up? It was weird.

  One hour and another cup of coffee later, I found myself pulling up to a quaint, little, light-colored brick house with white shutters and an American flag flying from the rectangular porch. It wasn’t in a subdivision. Instead, it was off by itself in a more rural part of town. This city was more rural than anything, so it fit in…or out as the case was.

  It didn’t look like anyone was home. There was a dirt driveway that led around back, but I didn’t feel comfortable pulling behind their house when I didn’t know them. I just parked in the gravel that led from the street to the garage, enabled the Skype app, and waited for Blake’s call.

  What had seemed like a fun idea yesterday felt foolish now. I shouldn’t be meeting Blake’s parents. I shouldn’t have come… The Skype ringer made me jump.

  I clicked the button to answer. “Hey!” he said excitedly. He was looking so handsome. “Are you there?”

  “Yeah, but I feel like we should talk before I meet your parents. There are some things…”

  “This is going to be so much fun. Thank you for doing this.” It was like he hadn’t heard me at all.

  “Blake, I don’t think your parents are going to be as happy to see me as you think they will.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! Turn the phone around so I can see if you’re at the right place. It’s out in the middle of nowhere—” I turned the phone. “Yep, home sweet home.”

  “I don’t think they’re home.”

  “I’m sure they are.” I glanced in the rearview mirror, dabbing at my gloss. “You look amazing,” he reassured.

  “Thank you.” I got out of the car, feeling very nervous. I just knew that this was about to blow up and Blake would never call me again. “I really wish we could’ve talked before I came over here,” I told him as I knocked on the door, realizing I had forgotten the pies.

  “Turn the phone so I can see their faces when they answer the door.” I did as he asked. I could hear heavy footfalls nearing the door, so I put on my best smile.

  Chapter 14

  I almost bolted as the door swung open, but instead, I screamed. “How did you…?” I looked at the phone and back up at Blake in front of me.

  “I flew all night and all day.”

  I jumped up, wrapping my legs around him. He hugged me tight then pulled back to kiss me. He stepped back into the house, closing the door.

  I kissed him with fervor. I couldn’t believe that he was here. In fact, I had to know, so I broke the kiss. “Are you home for good? Why didn’t you tell me that you were about to come home?”

  “No, babe, this is just an R&R visit: rest and recuperation. It’s a couple of days off. I have to go back.”

  “You can just leave whenever you like?”

  He laughed. “No, but I’ve been there for almost a year, and I was only supposed to be there for nine months, so I put in for a home visit, and they granted it. I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t sure it would go through. It was really last minute. I only put in for it the day you left. I knew then that I had to see you again.”

  “But you said you didn’t think we could be together…”

  “I know what I said. I was insecure and stupid.
Who was I kidding? I couldn’t have you the way I did and just let you go. No way.” His words made me hold him tighter. “I meant to fly all over the country to find you if that’s what it took, but you came to me instead. It worked out perfectly.” He smiled widely.

  I kissed him again. I had to feel him again before I told him everything that was going on. I hoped that he already knew but just didn’t care.

  I let my legs slide down his body until my feet touched the floor. I pulled his head down so that his forehead was on mine and our eyes met.

  “I have to talk to you, Blake. I have some things to tell you.”

  He closed his eyes and shook his head. “No.”

  “No?”

  “Well, it depends. Are you okay?”

  “Well, yeah, but…”

  “Do you still want me, or did I come all of this way for nothing?”

  “Yes, I want you.” I felt my brows draw together at the implication. “Of course, I do,” I repeated. His body relaxed.

  “Whatever it is can wait. I just flew across the world to spend the night with you. Let’s enjoy it.”

  I bit my lip knowing that I should just tell him, but instead I nodded. “Okay.”

  At that, he scooped me up and carried me across the living room and into the bedroom. It wasn’t much, a bed and dresser mirror combo. Very plain and homely. It was just what I would imagine his bedroom to look like. I liked it. He laid me down on the bed and kissed me softly.

  “I wish we could replay our first night together all over again,” he whispered into my lips.

  “We can,” I assured him, tugging at his belt. He was wearing a white T-shirt with his camo pants. Belts sucked. I pulled his shirt off instead, noticing again the small cursive tattoo on the inside of his bicep. It read Emmy. I guessed that was his ex’s name.

  My thoughts quickly shifted when he nipped at my earlobe, making me giggle. He whispered, “I can’t get you off my mind. You’re in my head. How did you get in my head like this? No one gets to me like you have.”

  “Likewise,” I told him honestly. I had dated several men, but none them made me feel like Blake did.

  “Can I be honest?” he asked. I nodded nervously. “I want to ravage you.”

  “Who’s stopping you, soldier?”

  At that, I saw a side of Blake that I hadn’t seen in the perfect night we’d spent together. He wasn’t timid at all. He was sure of himself, assertive and confident. He took control and didn’t waste a moment dilly-dallying, yet every kiss was intimate, every touch, meaningful, still.

  He made love to me in a way that exceeded even our previous experience, which I didn’t think was possible. I wondered if it would be like this always—each time getting better and better.

  As I lay in his arms, drifting off to sleep, he kissed my head. “Is this real, Maddie?”

  “I think so,” I whispered, a little afraid of the fact. It was happening so fast. I’d never fallen for someone like this before. I supposed this was what head-over-heels felt like. I’d written songs about it but had never truly experienced it…until now.

  I awoke the next morning to a loud banging noise. I sat straight up in the bed. I blinked wildly, remembering where I was.

  “Blake,” I called out, wondering briefly if I’d dreamed it. Surely he wouldn’t leave me again without telling me. I don’t think I could deal with that.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” He ran into the bedroom already dressed in the same clothes he’d had on the day before. Did the man own anything other than camouflage? “I was just wondering what to do about breakfast when company arrived.”

  “Company?” I asked nervously. “What do you mean?” Had the press found me?

  “My family is here.”

  “What?” I yelled. I jumped off the bed, dressing haphazardly, as though I’d been caught doing something wrong. “What do you mean your family is here?”

  “I called them and told them that I was coming home on leave. I want to see them too. I meant to tell you, but I got so caught up in you…” he said. His words and movements were calm. I was running around the room like a chicken with its head cut off.

  “What will you tell them about me being here? What will they think?”

  “Well, I suppose they’ll think that I’m a grown man.” He shrugged. “Relax. They love you already.”

  “You told them about us?”

  He nodded with a sly grin.

  My shoulders sagged with relief. When I got my clothes straight, I looked in the mirror over the dresser and did my best to fix my face. I used my thumb to remove smeared eyeliner and mascara, but my hair was a mess so I gathered it up and tied it in a knot.

  Blake watched with amusement. “You know you would look just as nice in a toe sack.”

  “Hush up. First impressions are important.”

  “They don’t care what you look like. They’re just happy that I found someone to care about and who cares about me. It’s been a long time since I’ve had that. I didn’t think I would find it again, and certainly not like this—so quickly I mean. Everything between us has happened so fast.” He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, kissing the top of my head. “Now come on. Let’s not keep them waiting.”

  “All right then,” I said, fiddling with the hem of yesterday’s blouse. I’d come here to meet his folks, but I hadn’t imagined it would be like this: doing the walk of shame.

  He walked out of the bedroom first and basically pulled me out by the hand. I saw who I took to be his parents sitting at the kitchen table with a young girl. They were talking amongst themselves as they divided up breakfast sandwiches from a grease-stained paper bag.

  Blake cleared his throat, and they all turned their attention on us. I leaned into his arm, clinging to him.

  “Hey, everyone, this is Maddie. Maddie, this is my family.”

  They all stood up. His mom stared with her mouth agape. Surprisingly, his dad was the first person to say something.

  “You know, you bear a striking resemblance to that girl. Who’s that singer you’re always going on about?” He spoke to the girl.

  “It is her!” the girl yelled. “It’s Roxy Royce!”

  “Emmy, go to your room, please,” Blake’s mom said sternly, giving Blake the eye.

  “No way!” she said, running up to me. She wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me. “Are you going to marry my daddy?”

  “Your what?”

  “Ah…” Blake laughed. “Yeah, I was about to introduce you. This is my daughter, Emily, my mom, Janice, and my dad, William.”

  I stood there, momentarily stunned. The little girl was hanging off my waist; his parents were staring at me. Then my manners kicked in.

  “It’s very nice to meet you all.”

  Blake picked up the girl. She looked to be about seven or eight. She whispered that she thought it was really cool that he was going to marry “Roxy Royce.” I didn’t take it to heart. I remember being that age. Everything was love and marriage then.

  It was obvious that they had already had their big reunion while I was still asleep because there were no running hugs. They all just stared at me.

  “What’s wrong with y’all?” Blake asked his parents.

  It seemed to prompt them. They came forward, extending their hands. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Royce.”

  “Maddie,” I said. “Roxy is just a stage name.”

  “I suppose that’s where the confusion came from then,” his mother said, forcing a smile. “When Blake told us he’d met someone, he didn’t mention who you were.”

  We all just stood there staring at each other. I couldn’t stand it. “All right, well, thank you for having me,” I said. “I will let you all spend some time together.”

  Blake’s eyebrows dipped over his beautiful eyes. “What? Don’t be ridiculous. Sit down. Have some breakfast.”

  I looked at his mom and back up at him. I could tell that she was not at all pleased with the situation. I didn’t
want to ruin his time with his parents and daughter. Wow, his daughter? I guess we did have a lot to learn about each other. With a heavy heart, I kissed his cheek chastely.

  “Walk me out?”

  “I don’t understand. Do you have somewhere to be?” He put down his daughter, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

  “Of course, son,” his mom said. “I’m sure that Ms. Royce is very busy.”

  I nodded, tears suddenly clouding my vision at the validation that she was trying to get rid of me. Obviously, she didn’t approve. I felt my head still bobbing up and down as I headed for the door.

  “Wait!” Emmy said. “Will you be back?”

  “Oh, maybe.” I smiled.

  Blake stared at me in disbelief. He had this look on his face that I would never forget. His brows were so tight they looked spring loaded, and his shoulders were tensed to his ears.

  As soon as I walked outside, he was behind me. He came off the porch in one leap. He took my elbow. “Why are you leaving? You didn’t mention having to be anywhere.”

  I stood there wanting to tell him everything but knowing I had waited too long. He would find out from his parents.

  “I don’t want to lose you,” I said as a lone tear escaped my lashes.

  “Hey,” he said, taking my face in his hands. “It’s okay, babe. I’ll be back soon. Don’t cry. Please, don’t cry. I’m sorry. I forget that this life is new to you.”

  He pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. He’d assumed I was upset by his way of life: the military life. I didn’t want him to go back, but that wasn’t what I meant. I didn’t want him to leave me for good when he found out about the craziness that my way of life carried.

  I cried hard in his arms. I cried for all the bad press. I cried for the hatred that had been thrust upon me by those I didn’t even know. I cried for a little girl whose daddy had been away for almost a year and was wasting his time out here with me instead of holding her. I cried for the way I felt about Blake, and how hard it would be for me when he was gone again. Mostly, I cried because I was afraid that he would hate me when he found out everything that had gone on, but I couldn’t tell him. Not now. He’d asked me not to ruin his rest and relaxation retreat. I would honor that.