Dreaming With A Broken Heart (Hollywood Legends #1)

by Mary J. Williams

  “I…” God, she wanted to say the words. It would change everything. Garrett was the kind of man who would want a wedding. Children. Forever. Jade was the kind of woman who longed for all of that without believing she could ever have it. If Garrett didn’t understand that by now, she didn’t know how she could explain it.

  “I didn’t tell you I loved you so you would feel obligated to say it back, Jade.” Though he had to admit, not hearing the words returned hurt. “I can’t hide how I feel. However, even if my eyes didn’t give me away, I would want you to know. I don’t want to hide anything from you. Especially my love.”

  “Full disclosure?” That would be new. Her father withheld everything. Garrett wanted it all out in the open. It would take some getting used to.

  “Yes.” He moved her off his lap, keeping her close. “Which leads me to something I need to tell you.”

  “There’s more?” After their run-in with the paparazzi, then Garrett’s declaration, she was already mentally exhausted. Jade didn’t know if she could take anything else. “Can it wait until morning?”

  “No,” Garrett said. “Would you be able to sleep wondering what I had to say?”

  “Probably not.” Jade rolled her eyes. “You’re right.”

  “Wait. Will you repeat that into my phone? I want to record it. Something tells me I won’t hear it very often.”

  “You are hilarious.” Jade hid her smile. “Tell me.”

  Garrett started with his initial call to Jack Winston. He explained to Jade about his suspicions concerning her father. Jade didn’t comment while he told her everything. When he finished, he squeezed her hand.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you from the beginning, Jade. I wanted to have some kind of confirmation before I accused your father.”

  “I’ve suspected him too.”

  “You never asked?”

  “It wouldn’t have done any good.” Jade closed her eyes. The exhaustion was quickly seeping through her body. Would her father ever be completely out of her life? “This Sable. The bodyguard. She’ll be here tomorrow?”

  “Around mid-morning, if there aren’t any travel delays.” Garrett wasn’t sure what to make of Jade’s reaction. She hadn’t said very much. Since her eyes were closed, he couldn’t tell what was going on in her head. “I’m moving in here, Jade.”

  “Oh?”

  Again. Very little reaction.

  “My house in Laurel Canyon is too secluded. The loft has first-class security. Sable can have the spare room.” Garrett swallowed. “I’ll take the couch. If you want.”

  “Don’t be an ass.” Jade slowly opened her eyes. They looked weary — not angry. “That was your one.”

  “My one?”

  “Not only did you keep a very big something from me,” she said. “You and your friends made decisions that directly affect me without consulting me. I won’t put up with that, Garrett. Never again. I lived with someone who made arbitrary decisions regarding my life. I can’t remember one single time when he asked my opinion. You did it this time because you didn’t want to hurt me.” She looked him directly in the eye. “Never do it again.”

  “I understand.” And he did. Taking away Jade’s choice was the worst thing he could do to her.

  “Good.” She held out her arms. “Take me to bed. Where, by the way, you will sleep. Every night. The couch is for when I get really pissed at you.”

  That sounded fair to Garrett. The chances of them living an argument-free life were slim to none. As his father always said, the only people who never fight are the ones who don’t care enough to bother.

  Garrett carried Jade into the bedroom, her head resting on his shoulder. He closed the door behind them, shutting out the rest of the world. For tonight, he was with the woman he loved. He didn’t want to think about tomorrow or the problems that went with it. They had these next few hours to themselves. He planned on making every second count.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “BREAKFAST IS NOT the most important meal of the day.”

  Jade watched in amazement as Garrett filled his plate with eggs, bacon, toast, and fried potatoes. Add a side of mixed berries plus a huge glass of orange juice? Jade couldn’t believe anyone looked like him while eating like that.

  “I agree.” Garrett popped a blueberry into his mouth. “The most important meal is the next one.” Seeing Jade’s lips twitch, Garrett picked up another berry. “Open up.”

  “You think you can hit my mouth from there?”

  Garrett gauged the distance. Jade was about five feet away, making herself a cup of tea. Easy. If she cooperated.

  “I can get it there. The question is can you catch it?”

  Jade set her cup on the counter, then squared her body up to his.

  “Show me what you’ve got.”

  Five seconds later, Jade was enjoying the sweet, tart juice against her tongue while doing a victory dance around the kitchen.

  “Impressive.” Garrett laughed at her antics. “You have a lot of energy for a woman who kept me up all night.”

  “Ha.” Deciding his bacon looked good, she swiped a piece off Garrett’s plate. “I was being polite. You are the one who couldn’t keep your hands off me.”

  “Funny. I don’t remember it that way. Let me think.” In a flash, Garrett had Jade wrapped in his arms. “Oh, that’s right.” He nuzzled her neck. “It was me. Aided and abetted by your hands.” He kissed each finger. “And your mouth.” The kiss took Jade’s breath way.

  “I’ll concede I helped. If you’ll admit that this,” Jade cupped him between the legs. “This will not stay down. If I didn’t know better, I would swear you have a stash of those little blue pills.”

  “Pure Landis testosterone, honey.”

  “I’d ask Callie about that except it would be too embarrassing.” Jade frowned. “It’s bad enough that I’m sleeping with her son. And was doing so when she befriended me. God, what is she going to say?”

  “She will be thrilled.”

  “I hope you’re right. Not that I’m going to bring up the sex part.”

  “For which I am eternally grateful.” Garrett winked.

  “What are—”

  Jade was interrupted when the line to the lobby buzzed.

  “That must be Sable.” Garrett answered, confirming his guess, and clearing the woman to come up. “She’s early. That’s always a good sign.”

  For some reason, Jade felt nervous. A bodyguard was bad enough. Having a stranger follow her around all day? She couldn’t get used to the idea.

  “It will be fine,” Garrett assured her on his way by to answer the door.

  Jade followed, not knowing what to expect. Ex-Army. Tough as nails. A weapons expert with three black belts. She was ready to be thoroughly intimidated. When Garrett opened the door, Jade was certain there had to be a mistake. This was a supermodel, not a warrior.

  “Hello,” the woman smiled, holding out her hand. “Mr. Landis? I’m Sable Ford.”

  “Come in.” Garrett stepped aside. He met Jade’s surprised look with one of his own.

  “And you must be Jade.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jade said. “Where are my manners? It’s nice to meet you.”

  Jade held out her hand. The other woman’s grip was strong, though not aggressive. The calluses on her palms were encouraging. Still…

  “I’m going to come right out and say it. You don’t look like a bodyguard.”

  Unoffended, Sable waved off Jade’s concern.

  “Why don’t you point me to where I can stow my gear. After I get settled, we can form a game plan.”

  “Let me show you.”

  Garrett led the woman down the hall. Jade cleaned up the kitchen while she tried to make sense of Sable Ford.

  The problem, Jade realized, was that she had been expecting one thing and got something else altogether. Bodyguards were supposed to be big, strapping men with guns bulging at their sides. Sable was tall. A little taller than Jade. Dressed in loose, co
tton pants and a silk blouse, she looked like she stepped off the cover of Vogue, not a military base.

  “What do you think?” Garrett asked in a low voice. He took his empty plate, putting it in the dishwasher.

  “I have no idea. I hate judging anyone by her appearance. Still…”

  “Her nails are expertly painted some pale shade of pink. Her luggage is Louie Vuitton and she smells subtly like some high-end perfume.”

  “It’s French,” Sable informed them with a smile. She sat on the high-back stool that Garrett had earlier occupied. “It was a gift. I can never remember the name. I like that it has a light fragrance. Not too heavy.”

  “Sable. I apologize,” Jade said.

  “There’s no reason to,” Sable assured her. “I’m here to keep you safe. If you aren’t comfortable with me, I won’t be able to do that. You need to trust I’ll have your back. I need to trust you will follow my lead if the situation turns hairy.”

  “She’s right,” Garrett told Jade.

  “We need to get to that place fast.”

  “What do you suggest?” Jade asked.

  “Get me the biggest, toughest guy you know.” Sable rubbed her hands in anticipation. “And if he outweighs me by a hundred pounds or more? All the better.”

  “WHY ARE YOU making such a big deal about this?”

  Garrett held up his phone, making certain he had a good shot.

  “Because,” he told Jade. “Chances are my brother is going to get his ass handed to him. By a woman half his size. Why wouldn’t we want to see that?”

  When Sable asked for a tough guy, there was only one person who came to mind. They needed someone who had hand-to-hand training. Martial arts skills. Someone who could hold their own without getting carried away if things got out of hand. Garrett was almost certain that Sable would live up to the hype. Jack and Alex wouldn’t have sent her if she couldn’t protect Jade. However, there was a slight chance her sparring partner could get the upper hand. If that happened, they didn’t want some steroid-crazed idiot beating her to a pulp.

  Then there was the need to keep Sable’s identity under wraps. The idea was to introduce her as an old friend of Jade’s in town for a visit. The fewer people who knew they had hired a bodyguard, the better.

  Finding someone to take on Sable for a few rounds wasn’t a problem. Gym rats were a dime a dozen in a town that was always in need of hulking extras for the latest action film. No, they needed a combination of brains, brawn, and discretion. With a big, fat dose of family loyalty thrown in for good measure. Only one man fit that bill.

  “You want to see Nate get bruised and bloodied?” Jade asked incredulously.

  “No.” Garrett slung his arm around Jade. “Well. Maybe a little bruised.”

  “Garrett…”

  “Don’t worry. No one can take a punch like Nate. For all the rehearsing and blocking stuntmen do, it’s inevitable that they take a few hits.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

  They decided the best place for Sable to show her stuff would be at the Landis estate. It was the only place big enough, outside of a public gym, that they had access to. All it took was one phone call to his parents explaining the situation. Not only did Callie and Caleb offer their workout room, Callie insisted everyone stay for lunch afterward.

  Garrett had to chuckle. Only his mother would want to cater her own son’s ass kicking.

  “Nate is okay with this?”

  “Look at him.” Garrett nodded where Nate and Sable were huddled together. “He’s like a kid in a candy store.”

  “What if she takes him down?”

  “You mean will his big male ego be wounded beyond repair?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Nate appreciates the kind of skills on Sable’s resume,” Garrett explained. “He’ll do his best to win. If he doesn’t, he’ll shake her hand. Then he’ll try to recruit her for his stunt team.”

  “I find it strange that they can be so relaxed when the whole purpose of this is to beat on each other.”

  Jade watched as Nate and Sable taped their hands. Did some warm-up stretches. Even exchanged easy banter. Every now and then laughter would float over to where she and Garrett stood. Jade couldn’t understand the mindset.

  “This is what they do for a living, honey. Nate’s a physical guy,” Garrett explained. “He loves pitting his skills against an equally matched opponent. If that opponent can best him, that’s fine. You only get better if you allow yourself to be challenged.”

  “Do you really think Sable will provide that challenge?”

  Seeing her would-be bodyguard next to Garrett’s brother, Jade couldn’t imagine the slight woman taking out the man who loomed over her. Nate was a good six inches taller. Sable wanted someone who outweighed her by a hundred pounds? Jade estimated the difference was at least that. Where Sable was sleek, Nate was thick muscles. Jade started to worry. She knew Nate would never purposely hurt the smaller woman. Still, accidents happened.

  “Look closer,” Garrett told her. “You’re still seeing the stylish woman we met this morning. I see a trained fighter. Something tells me, when the time comes, she’ll be just fine.”

  “Did I miss it?”

  Jade looked around as Callie and Caleb entered the room followed by Wyatt.

  “You called him?” Garrett asked his father.

  “I did,” Callie said. She linked arms with Jade in an unspoken show of female solidarity. “It never hurts for a man to see what a woman is capable of when she puts her mind, and body, to it.”

  “I thought I was here to see Nate taken down,” Wyatt grinned at his father. “Now I find out it’s an object lesson.”

  “Callie loves a twofer. Fun and learning rolled up into one colorful ball. She’s in mom heaven.”

  “They do know I can hear every word, right?” Callie asked Jade in a conversational tone. “When you mock the mom, you pay the price.”

  “What kind of punishment do you dole out for this kind of an offense?” Jade glanced teasingly at Garrett, letting him know she was taking notes.

  “Um, Mom,” Garrett interrupted. “Maybe you should keep those secrets to yourself. You don’t want to water down their effectiveness.”

  “It varies,” Callie continued, ignoring Garrett. “There is a beautiful strawberry cheesecake in the refrigerator. It would be a shame if it mysteriously disappeared before lunch.”

  “I cave,” Wyatt declared. He kissed his mother’s cheek. “No more mocking. I apologize for myself and every man who came before me.”

  “Impressive,” Jade said.

  “Wyatt really loves cheesecake,” Callie laughed with delight. She pulled her oldest into her arms, giving him a big, loving hug.

  “Looks like the show is about to begin,” Caleb observed, lacing his fingers with Callie’s. “I wonder how long this will—” There was a loud thud as Nate landed flat on his back. “Take.”

  “Maybe she caught him off guard,” Wyatt said. A few seconds later, Nate hit the mat again. “Or not.”

  Nate got in a few hits of his own, though none that did more than sting. Garrett called it. Some switch flipped when Sable went into fight mode. She morphed from an easygoing beauty to a warrior woman in the blink of an eye. Five minutes after they started, Nate held up his hands in defeat. Just like that, Sable was laughingly patting her opponent on the back — the intensity gone from her expression.

  “Holy shit,” Wyatt breathed. “Sorry, Mom.”

  “I’ll give you one,” Callie said, shaking her head in wonder. She turned to Jade. “I think that answers the question of Sable’s qualifications. I’d feel safe with her if the Cossacks were invading.”

  “High praise indeed,” Caleb nodded with a straight face. “Callie should know. She did a movie about the Russian revolution.”

  “Are you implying that all my knowledge of history has been gleaned from the movies?”

  “Not all, my love.”

  C
allie snorted. “This from a man who only knows who Wagner is because of Bugs Bunny cartoons.”

  “Are they arguing?” Jade asked as she watched the couple head upstairs, continuing their banter all the way.

  “Around here it’s called foreplay.” Garrett shook his head with a smile. “Soon they won’t be able to keep their hands off each other.”

  “How soon?” Jade asked. She found the Callie/Caleb dynamic fascinating.

  “They’ll make it through lunch. Probably.”

  “Only because they have guests,” Wyatt said. “They’ve been known to disappear during the salad course.”

  Jade sighed a little wistfully. How wonderful to grow up with parents who showed affection so openly.

  “Say the word and they can be your parents too,” Garrett whispered for her ears only.

  “Garrett…”

  “Too soon?”

  “A bit. Yes.”

  “Okay,” Garrett said, completely unconcerned about pushing Jade out of her comfort zone. He could wait until she was ready. However, now that he knew what he wanted — who he wanted — he planned on making sure Jade understood. He wasn’t going to change his mind. He was in. All the way.

  Before Jade could comment, Sable and Nate joined them.

  “That was impressive.”

  “Impressive?” Nate said to Garrett. “This lady is deadly. I’m lucky she wasn’t really trying to take me out. I wouldn’t be walking away under my own steam.”

  “I had excellent teachers,” Sable told them. “Plus a certain amount of aptitude.”

  “That’s one way of putting it,” Nate laughed good-naturedly. He rubbed his backside with an exaggerated wince. “My ass is going to be black and blue.”

  “I have an excellent ointment for that. A couple of applications.” Sable snapped her fingers. “It’s magic.”

  “Maybe you could bring it by my place later. I might need help… reaching.”

  Garrett and Wyatt exchanged smiles. Nate wasn’t just the easiest going of the brothers. He was also the fastest mover when it came to women. Colton was close. In a runoff, Nate would win by a nose.