Happily Ever After: (A Cinder & Ella Novel)

by Kelly Oram

  I fell asleep to the sound of his soft chuckle.

  When I woke up the next morning, I wondered if I would feel awkward lying in bed with Brian, both of us in only underwear. But when he shut his alarm off with a groan and pulled me against his warm, bare chest snuggling in like he had every intention of going back to sleep, I was too sublimely happy to be anything but relaxed. If only we could enjoy this moment longer. “Sorry, mister. You’ve got a seven o’clock call time in Glendale. You’ve got to get up.”

  “Five minutes,” Brian grumbled, hugging me tighter to him, as if I were his prisoner.

  “Fine. Five minutes, but then we’re getting up.”

  Brian groaned. “Why, of all mornings, did I have to be scheduled early today?” He took a deep breath, stretched, and pulled his face back to look at me. “You okay this morning?”

  His concern was touching. I smiled warmly. “More than okay. No regrets. I needed that.”

  Brian dropped a kiss to my forehead. “Me too.”

  “Sorry it ended with me being an emotional, blubbering mess. I promise I wasn’t upset over anything you did. It was the opposite. Last night was so incredible it hurt. That sounds crazy, but I don’t know how else to describe it.” I paused a moment, suddenly worked up emotionally again. “You’ve given me something that, since the day I came out of my coma, I didn’t think I’d ever get to experience.”

  Brian raked his fingers through my horrible mess of bed hair, grinning a little at how crazy it was, and then sighed when his eyes met mine. “Ella, you have more emotional trauma to work through than anyone I’ve ever heard of. I completely understood the tears last night. I can only imagine that the good moments are probably just as overwhelming for you as the bad.”

  “More overwhelming,” I admitted. “I’m used to the bad ones. The good ones still take me by surprise.”

  How a face could portray so much emotion I would never understand, but with just one look, Brian expressed a lifetime of love and devotion. “Sounds like I’ve got some work to do, then.” He found one of my hands and kissed it before holding it against his chest. “From now on, we’ll make so many good moments that the bad ones will be all but forgotten.”

  “Moments like this one,” I said, offering him a smile before lying my head down on his chest and letting go a contented sigh. I loved this man so much my chest constantly threatened to burst from it. “I wish you had a normal job that didn’t cost people thousands upon thousands of dollars if you called in sick.”

  It was Saturday, but film shoots didn’t exactly follow the normal Monday through Friday nine-to-five schedule. They were intense, packing as much work as possible into the shortest amount of time possible because they were so expensive and had to coordinate with a hundred people’s different scheduled projects. They were insane, and Brian missing a day would set back production, throwing everyone off. It was out of the question.

  Brian chuckled and hugged me tight. “I’m tempted to do it anyway.”

  “Not happening. I’d feel terrible.”

  Brian sighed. “Well, we don’t want that. How about you come with me today? My workdays are 70 percent sitting around waiting for everyone else to be ready anyway, and I have my own trailer. We could hide out there, same as here.”

  That was a true statement, if I’d ever heard one. I was surprised the first time I visited him at work at the amount of hurry-up-and-wait that goes on on a movie set. But when it takes a hundred people doing a hundred different things just to get one shot, well, that’s just how it goes. But it works out nicely for me when I want to go keep Brian company at work. No one ever cares that I’m there, and mostly we just get to hang out while he waits.

  “Tempting. But actually…” I pushed my lazy body into a stretch, hoping it would motivate me to get out of bed. “I was thinking I’d call Nash Wilson and see if he’ll meet me for lunch today.”

  Brian raised his brows in surprise, and I let out a breath I’d started to hold. “I’m going to tell him yes.”

  “Ella…” Brian sat up, taking on a sudden intensity I didn’t know he was capable of so early in the morning. My man was definitely not a fan of the a.m. “Are you sure?”

  The way he searched my face for clues and seemed on the verge of either panic or excitement was startling. I couldn’t tell what was going on inside his head, but he was holding his breath at the moment as he waited for my answer.

  “Yeah,” I said, surprised at how confident that answer sounded. I thought about it again and then nodded. “I’m sure.”

  Something sparked in Brian’s eyes, and then he surprised me with a hard kiss. “What was that for?” I asked when he let my face go.

  “I’m so proud of you.” He wasn’t even smiling. He was too full of whatever emotion was overwhelming him. “I’ve been hoping you’d decide to do this.”

  “Really?”

  I blinked. Where was this intensity coming from? Everyone had had an opinion on this subject since it first came up, but Brian was the only one who never said anything one way or another.

  “I didn’t want you to feel pressured,” he said, “but Ella, I want you to take those photos more than anything.”

  I knew he was serious, so when I joked it was only halfhearted. “You just want to see me all decked out as a mostly naked faerie goddess.”

  Heat filled his eyes, and I knew I was at least partially right.

  “You bet your cute little ass I do,” he said.

  The growly wolf-man voice was starting to make a comeback. He had to shake himself from his lustful thoughts in order to stay focused. “Ella, you are beautiful. I know you think I’m biased—and maybe I am—but it’s still the truth. And Nash is going to make you believe it. He’s that good. He won’t be transforming you into something you aren’t; he’ll be shining a spotlight on you in a way that makes everyone see what I see. Even you will see it. That’s what I want.”

  I grinned a little. “You want me to do the photo shoot just so that I can have some pretty pictures of myself?”

  He still wasn’t playing when he nodded. “Yes. I do. You need them. And so does the rest of the world. You need to believe in yourself. It’s just like last night. Forcing yourself to let me see you even though you were scared—what was the end result?”

  “Um…” I looked at myself and then at him and wondered what, exactly, he was asking. “Spending the night with you in our underwear…?”

  “Confidence, Ella.” He smirked. “Though, spending the night with you in our underwear was definitely a nice perk, too.”

  His eyes dropped down my body, making me blush again. I’d hoped I might get over the shyness after last night, but when he looked at me that way…I was probably going to blush for the rest of my life.

  He took my hand in his. “You got past the fear, and you have more confidence this morning. I can already see it. It’ll be the same with the photos. It’ll be scary, but once you conquer the initial fear, you’ll find your courage.”

  That’s exactly what I was hoping, too. I was sitting here with all my scars exposed to Brian, and none of the crippling anxiety and insecurity I’ve felt since the day we met was there. I was comfortable with him. I was in my underwear, for heaven’s sake, and I was just sitting here having a conversation with him as if it were completely natural.

  “You said you want to love yourself,” Brian said with a soft smile. “You said you want to feel as confident about yourself as Ellie did. Do this photo shoot and release the pictures. Give the haters the metaphorical middle finger. I think it will free you. I think it’s exactly what you need to get past your accident once and for all and really find the strength to live your life. To love it, Ella. To truly be happy.”

  His speech was exactly what I needed. His faith and support solidified my resolve, and now I’d be able to meet with Nash confidently. Brian was right. I needed to get past this hurdle of insecurity, and if it took giving the world the metaphorical middle finger, then so be it. Any scorn and
ridicule that came my way wouldn’t matter because Brian would be there to hold me at night and kiss any doubt away.

  Brian seemed to be waiting for me to say something, so I grinned at him and slid my arms over his shoulders. He wasted no time pulling me tightly against him so that our chests were flush against one another. I shivered, even though all I felt was heat. “I already love my life,” I promised. “You’ve made me as happy as any person can get.” I kissed him with just enough passion that it was going to be difficult for him to get out of bed, and then I grinned. “But I’ll do the shoot anyway, so that you can have a picture to keep in your wallet for bragging purposes.”

  “Hmm. A woman who understands what’s really important to a man. I have the best girlfriend in the world.”

  Brian laughed and pressed his mouth to mine again, forcing my lips apart because he wanted a deeper connection.

  It took us another five minutes—or maybe it was ten—before Brian finally got out of bed and got ready for work. A few hours later, when the rest of the city might finally be awake, I called Nash and asked him to meet me for lunch. Then I called my father, because a plan had formed in my mind over the course of the morning that I couldn’t let go.

  “Ella?” he sounded worried.

  “Hey, Dad.”

  “Hi, honey. It’s good to hear from you. What’s up? Is everything okay? You looked like you weren’t feeling well last night. Jennifer and I were worried.”

  A smile crept over my face as I listened to his concern. He wasn’t perfect, but he did love me. That could be enough for now. “Nothing’s wrong,” I said. “It’s great, actually. I was just wondering if you’d be able to meet me for lunch today. All of you, Jennifer and the girls, too?”

  “I—” Dad sputtered, surprised by the request. “Well, yes, I suppose we could make that happen. I’m at the office going over some depositions for court on Monday, but I can sneak away for an hour. A man’s got to eat, right?”

  I smiled again. “Great. Can you meet me at the Ivy at one?”

  “The Ivy?”

  I chuckled. It had been Nash’s suggestion, so I told him I’d make the reservations.

  I’d never been to the restaurant, but it was infamous for business lunches in the entertainment industry. Many a deal had been made at the quaint little café on Robertson Blvd. Apparently, Nash was hoping this would be a productive lunch date.

  “Yeah. A friend made the suggestion, and it seems to be the place to go among most of Brian’s friends, so I figured I’d give it a try. I’ve got some news I’d like to share with you all. A proposal, really.”

  Dad made a choking noise. “Have mercy, Ella! Are you telling me you’re getting married?”

  He sounded scared, but there was no hostility in his voice. I don’t think he was scared of me marrying Brian; I think he was scared of weddings. Brides and cakes and centerpieces and having to give his little girl away.” I laughed. “Relax, Dad. It’s not that. I’m not engaged. I’m also not pregnant.”

  The gush of air he breathed into the phone made me laugh again. “Dad.” My voice softened as sympathy seeped into my chest. “I may not be your eight-year-old little girl anymore, but I’m not in a rush to grow all the way up, either. I need the adjustment time as much as you do. And, I promise, when marriage and babies and all of that does come, I’ll give you as much warning as I can.”

  “Thanks, honey.”

  I chuckled again at his relief. Was that a thanks for not being ready for marriage and babies yet? Or thanks for the promise of warning?

  “You’re welcome. So can you meet me at one, or should I change the reservations?”

  “One is fine. We’ll be there.”

  “Would you mind picking me up? Jennifer and the girls can meet us there. If you’re at the office, it’d be on the way, and a little one-on-one time might be nice.”

  Dad cleared his throat, and when he spoke, his voice was a little gruff. “I’d love to.”

  “Thanks. Twelve thirty?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Great. Oh, and Dad? Can you tell everyone to dress nice?”

  Dad laughed. “You think Jennifer or the girls would be seen at the Ivy in anything less than their absolute best?”

  I laughed. “You have a point. I’ll see you soon. And…” I hesitated a moment before I managed a quiet “Thanks.”

  There was a slight pause before Dad’s reply as well. “Anytime, honey. I mean that.”

  Dad and I didn’t talk about my news on the way to the restaurant. Instead, I asked him how he liked the premiere last night and what he thought of Janice Bishop. He admitted the premiere wasn’t as bad as he’d expected it to be and relented that red carpet events weren’t the same as what we’d gone through on Christmas Day. And then he’d gushed about Janice Bishop for the rest of the ride. Someone had a serious author crush. It was cute, and I was proud I’d been able to do something so special for him.

  Things were comfortable between us when we reached the restaurant, which seemed a miracle in itself. Then we were shown to our table, where Jennifer and the twins were already waiting for us. Ana was just as anxious and excited to figure out what my big secret was, too. “Let me see the ring!” she demanded, nearly pushing Juliette out of the way to get to my hand first.

  I laughed. “Sit down, you bridezillas. I’m not engaged.”

  “Then what is it?” Juliette asked. “I’m dying. You’re killing us.”

  “Just sit down already. I’ll explain in a minute. We’re still waiting for one more person.”

  “I thought Brian was filming today,” Juliette said.

  “He is. We’re waiting for a friend of mine.”

  Jennifer and the girls sat, and Dad pulled out my chair for me, but before I could sit, Nash’s voice called out across the room. “Ella, my beautiful doll! Please tell me that this lunch is your way of accepting my offer.”

  I laughed as I greeted him with a hand squeeze and a cheek kiss. “It is.”

  His eyes lit with delight as I presented him to my family. “Nash, I’d like you to meet my family. Everyone, this is Nash Wilson.”

  Dad shook his hand, nodding cordially, having no idea who he was. Juliette and Ana looked surprised, but they’d both known I knew him and that he’d asked to take my pictures, so their surprise was nothing compared to Jennifer’s shock.

  After a few minutes of Jennifer’s gushing—which Nash proudly accepted with enthusiasm—everyone got seated and gave the server our orders.

  Ana was the first to bring up the subject the second we were alone again. “You’re really going to take his offer?”

  “Yeah.” I grinned at Nash. “If you’re still feeling inspired, anyway.”

  Nash brought his fisted hands to his pursed mouth, as if trying to keep from cheering out loud or possibly trying to hold tears at bay. Then he suddenly took my face in his hands and kissed both my cheeks with so much flourish that my whole family laughed. “You lovely, courageous woman! You are going to be my pièce de résistance!”

  “I hope so, if we’re really going to release the pictures to the entire world,” I joked.

  Nash sobered instantly and took my hand in his. “You have my word, Ellamara. You are going to be the most beautiful, ethereal, heavenly being ever to be captured on camera.”

  I swallowed a lump of emotion. “Thanks.”

  Our lunch arrived, and I gave everyone a chance to dive into their meals before I brought up the reason I’d requested they all come. Once we were all settled in, I finally broached the subject. “So Nash…are you still thinking faeries in an enchanted forest?”

  Nash cocked an eyebrow at me. “Is it not a perfect idea for the mystic druid priestess and her beloved druid prince?”

  I grinned. “More perfect than you know. I just wanted to make sure you were still thinking that direction, because I wanted to run an idea by you.”

  Nash put his soup spoon down to give me his full attention.

  “Okay, I
know this is your shoot. I understand you have to be inspired and all, and I’ll trust your judgment, but I had a thought this morning after I decided I wanted to really do this.”

  I took a breath and cast a quick glance around the table. “What if we make it a family session instead of just me?”

  Jennifer gasped, so startled she dropped her salad fork, while both Juliette and Ana looked at me with wide eyes. Dad frowned, as if he was trying to figure out what the big deal was.

  I held Nash’s gaze while he narrowed his eyes on me. “Look at them,” I said. “And tell me what you see.”

  Nash humored me and looked—really looked—at my family. He took his time, and I could see him really thinking about my question. “I see a beautiful, picture-perfect family,” he said, shaking his head as if they were nothing more than ordinary.

  “Exactly,” I said. “You see perfection. You see beauty, elegance, and grace. You see Hollywood’s mold wrapped up in a perfect package. And then there’s me…”

  Nash’s eyes flashed to me.

  “One of these things is not like the others, Nash.”

  His eyes widened, and he sat straight up in his chair, looking at my family again but seeing them with a new perspective. I could tell he understood what I was getting at. “You’re absolutely right,” he whispered reverently. “They’re perfect. They’re exactly what the world demands. They’re so beautiful and perfect that they’ll blend together.”

  His head snapped back to me, and then he rose from his chair to take a step away from the table and see us all together as a whole. “It’s brilliant,” he muttered. He held his hands up, as if putting us all in a frame together. “The most beautiful and perfect creatures all together, and among them, you will shine. Your differences—your imperfections—will stand out among them and set you apart. And imperfect truly will be more beautiful.”

  His eyes met mine, and I knew he was onboard.

  “Brian will be disappointed not to do it, but—”