by Leslie Kelly
“Why would I do that?” she asked, genuinely puzzled.
Candace had followed her downstairs, and Simon had come in from the kitchen. He ignored them both.
“I don’t know, Madison, I don’t have any idea what you might be thinking. But I do know one of those fucking articles is saying lover boy here can’t have kids so you went out and had an affair only so you could give him the baby he wants.”
Her legs went weak as dismay washed over her. How could people invent such horrible, vicious lies? She lifted a hand to her forehead, suddenly feeling light-headed.
“Mad?” Tommy said.
Leo didn’t speak. When he saw that her weakening limbs were about to betray her, he launched himself forward and caught her in his arms. She fell into them gratefully, inhaling his unique scent, feeling the heat of his body and finally allowing herself to believe he was really here.
And then, for the second time in her life, she fainted.
12
LEO DIDN’T KNOW his way around this gaudy California mansion, so when he realized Madison had passed out from shock, weariness or the pregnancy, he simply strode through the nearest doorway, hoping there was a soft surface on which he could place her.
It turned out to be a dining room. The rich wood table was as big as his own kitchen. Jesus, had Madison really been living like this?
“In here,” Shane said, gesturing toward another doorway.
Glaring at the man, not wanting his help with anything, Leo nonetheless carried her into the other room. Spying a large plush sofa, he gently lowered her onto it. “Get her some water and a cold cloth.”
“Here.” Someone thrust a wet facecloth toward him, obviously having gone for it the moment she’d fallen. He glanced up long enough to realize it had been Madison’s twin sister, Candace. He nodded his thanks, thinking she might be identical in features, but she certainly didn’t make his heart dance around in his chest the way it did when he looked at Madison.
He placed the cloth on Madison’s brow, not liking the paleness in her face and the circles under her eyes. She looked like she hadn’t slept at all in the weeks since he’d seen her. There were hollows in her cheeks that hadn’t been there before, and her hands and arms looked so much smaller and more fragile than he remembered them being.
“Madison, sweetheart, wake up,” he whispered.
Her eyelids fluttered. A pause. Then they flew open.
“It’s really you. You’re really here.”
“Yeah. Did you think it was a dream?”
She nodded. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
So she’d been dreaming about him? Well, that was only fair, wasn’t it, considering she’d inhabited his dreams and his fantasies every day since he’d walked away from her at that airport?
“You haven’t been taking care of yourself,” he scolded.
“You’re not looking so great yourself.” She lifted a slender hand and brushed her fingers across his lips. “You’ve lost weight.”
“So have you. And you should be gaining it, shouldn’t you?”
Her hand immediately dropped to her waist. She again displayed that protective instinct he’d already seen when there was just the possibility of a baby.
How could she be a cheat and a liar? How was something like that even possible?
He no longer believed it was. Which was why he’d gotten on that plane this morning, right after Mike had shown him the article, and flown out here to get to the truth.
“I was coming to tell you,” she said, as if reading his mind. “I have my tickets booked.”
“Really?”
“Really,” she assured him. “The confirmation is in my purse. I was coming in two days. I never wanted you to find out about the baby like you did.”
“Okay,” he said, believing, because, as always, he could sense no deceit in the woman.
“I’m so sorry you had to read about it in the damned tabloids. That’s so wrong.”
“It’s all right. They’re like piranhas, aren’t they?”
“Wish you’d run a few of them over when you flew through the gate,” said the world’s sexiest man.
Leo stared up at him, his expression hard and unyielding. Although the rest of the world was boo-hooing about poor Tommy Shane and his broken heart, Leo knew—knew—there was more to this whole thing. Madison was the one who’d been hurt. She was the one who’d been nearly crushed by the weight of all this, and he believed she deserved it about as much as he believed in the Easter Bunny.
“Ooh, fierce,” Tommy said. He held his hands up, palms out, in a conciliatory gesture. “Take a breath, big guy.”
“What the hell is going on?” Leo asked, looking away from Tommy and down at the woman trying to sit up on the couch. He put a hand under her arm and helped her. “Explain this to me because I’ve read all the stories and the gossip and the innuendo, and I don’t believe a word of it. So somebody needs to start talking.”
Madison glanced first at Tommy, and then at the other man, who was dark haired, well dressed and standing close to the famous actor. Then at her sister. “Would you excuse us, please?”
They all immediately mumbled apologies and scurried out of the room, leaving them alone.
Leo ached to reach out and pull her into his arms, to hold her again, this time while she was conscious. He held back, though. They had to clear the air and he didn’t want to make this any harder than it was already going to be.
“I’ve missed you so much, Leo,” she said. “I’ve thought about you every minute of every day.”
He dropped onto a nearby chair, surprised those had been her opening words, though he certainly echoed the sentiment.
“Wow. I hadn’t planned to start off like that,” she said, swiping a hand over her brow. “I’m not trying to manipulate things, gain your sympathy or anything.”
He didn’t reply, still savoring that admission, still wondering what was yet to come.
“Tommy Shane and I were engaged, but we were never planning to get married. He’s been one of my dearest friends all my life, and that’s all we have ever been to each other, and all we ever will be.”
About twenty pounds of weight lifted off his shoulders. But a lot more remained.
“So why the engagement?”
She gestured toward the window. “You think they’re ruthless now? Imagine what they’d say if word got out that the hottest action star in the country...is in love with a man.”
The lightbulb clicked. The presence of the dark-haired guy made sense.
Leo closed his eyes and dropped his head back onto the chair, letting out a heavy sigh. It was as if somebody had set a domino in motion and all the other pieces began to fall down, one after another, everything sliding into place.
When he thought his voice wouldn’t shake, he said, “You were his beard.”
“Exactly. It wasn’t supposed to last forever. And when he got serious with his partner, we decided the time had come to break up. Only, we needed a reason. A really good one.”
“Why?”
“Because what woman in her right mind would break up with the sexiest man alive? Unless he did something horrible. Which would really take a chink out of that superhero-of-Hollywood image.”
Right. Nice guys didn’t cheat. Not when they had relatively new careers and a big secret to hide.
“So you pretended you’d had an affair.”
She nodded.
“You took the fall, carried the burden for weeks while he...while he...”
“While he offered to come out in the open, to throw away his career and his life and his privacy,” she said gently. “Tommy’s heart is breaking for me. I’m the one who won’t let him make this more of a spectacle than it is.”
Spectacle. Yeah, that pretty much described the life she’d been living lately.
“To be honest, I also didn’t want to let those bastards win. Why should they get their way?” She punched the seat cushion. “Why should they be free
to hound people to death, prying in their closets, and under their beds and...and in their trash cans!”
He’d read the articles about her pregnancy and knew where that information had come from. How low did somebody have to be to dig stuff out of the garbage? He supposed only someone who wallowed in it for a living.
“I never thought it would be such a big deal...slow news month, I guess.”
“It’s not news,” he snapped. “It’s gossip and slander and they’re all sick, miserable people with black souls, no lives, and...small penises.”
She smiled weakly, nodding in agreement.
“You went to Costa Rica to hide, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Never planned on meeting anyone, I’ll bet.”
She peered at him and her voice throbbed with intensity as she replied, “I never expected to meet you. Not in Costa Rica. Not anywhere. Not in my whole life.”
She was baring herself, laying out her every emotion, exposing herself to more heartache—on top of the mounds of it she’d already been dealing with. All for someone who’d never once told her how he felt about her.
“And I never thought I’d find you, either,” he said softly.
Unable to stay away from her any longer, he rose from his chair and sat beside her on the couch. He put his arms around her and gently—oh, so gently—pulled her onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tucked her face next to his.
“I missed you, too, Madison.”
He couldn’t see her smile. But he could feel it.
Maybe they were being cautious, telling the truth, but not telling all of it. What he felt for her was a lot more than absence making the heart grow fonder. He’d missed her, yeah. Because he loved her like crazy.
Unfortunately, they were in someone else’s house, with three strangers right outside the door. They hadn’t seen each other in weeks. She was exhausted, pregnant, emotionally wrung out.
And she hadn’t said she loved him, either.
She does. He knew she did.
But maybe it wasn’t quite time to say it yet.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come find you sooner.”
“And I’m sorry I didn’t come tell you the truth sooner. I was going to, I just had to make sure Tommy knew and understood, since it’s his secret that’s at risk of getting out.”
He thought about her friend, considered the life he led. Tommy Shane was an international sensation. He’d risen out of relative obscurity just three or four years ago and had become a superstar. He made millions, lived in a mansion, had women hanging on his every word, turned down movie offers that other actors drooled for...and could never really be who he was.
He never would have imagined it, but he truly felt sorry for Shane. It was one hell of a choice to have to make.
“How are we going to get out of this mess, Madison?” he whispered, tenderly kissing her temple. “Because I want it over. I want you in my life and I want our baby.”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I honestly don’t know.”
* * *
ALTHOUGH LEO HAD hit it off with Tommy after Madison told him the truth, and also got along great with Candace and Simon, they decided to leave for Chicago that very night. For one thing, he needed to get back to work, having used almost all his vacation time in Costa Rica. And Madison needed to get out of this atmosphere. It was toxic and she knew it was bad for her health, and for the baby’s.
More than that, though, she just wanted privacy so she and Leo could spend some time together in the real world. Time to accept all that had happened, to explore the feelings they had for each other and see if they were really as strong as she suspected they were.
They could also use some time to get used to the idea that they were going to have a child together.
They couldn’t do that here, certainly. Nor did Leo intend to leave her here, living like a bug under a microscope, while he went home alone.
They’d thought about how to slip away, and it had been Candace who’d come up with an idea—which was why, late in the day, a limousine with blacked-out windows pulled up in front of the house, parking at an angle to help block the view from the road. Each of them wearing a jacket, hat and dark glasses, Madison and Leo said their goodbyes and dashed to the car. The driver let them in, closing the door behind them.
Some of the photographers ran to their cars as if to follow. But before they’d even left the driveway, Candace had come outside, waving enthusiastically at the limo as it departed.
The press stayed. Madison could see the confusion on their faces as they peered at the limo, trying to see who was inside.
Somehow, they’d missed her sister’s arrival the other day and had no idea her twin was on the premises. When she’d shown up, they’d probably just assumed it was Madison—that she’d gotten out of the mansion under their noses and was returning.
Whatever the case, the press mistook the sisters for each other again now. Ignoring the mysterious vehicle, they focused instead on the fresh meat standing in the driveway, waving happily, acting as though she didn’t have a care in the world.
Madison glanced back, her heart twisting as she saw her brave sister standing there, sticking up for her. Their lives had gone in very different directions, and she doubted they’d ever live in the same state again. But some things never changed—like the instant connection they shared, the way they would drop everything on a dime to be there for each other.
They had each found love with great men. But they would always be twins.
She continued to stare, sending warm, loving thoughts out to her sibling. Suddenly, Tommy walked out of the house. So did Simon. That hadn’t been part of the plan. Both of them walked up to Candace, stood on either side of her, and slid an arm around her waist. They laughed together and all three waved, looking like one happy family.
She giggled. “I have no idea what the vultures are going to make of that!”
“Hopefully it’ll give them all aneurysms just thinking about it,” Leo said, sharing her laughter as he pulled her close on the leather seat, draping an arm across her shoulders.
“I hope my father doesn’t have one,” she said, shaking her head.
She’d called Florida right before they’d left. Her parents hadn’t been thrilled that she’d run away the moment she’d found out she was pregnant. Nor were they happy to have found out about it from friends who read the tabloids. But she’d heard the excitement in their voices and, at the end of the conversation, they’d admitted they were thrilled to be having their first grandchild.
“Let me kiss you, woman,” he growled. “It’s been way too long.”
She didn’t hesitate. The privacy screen was up. Needing desperately to feel him, touch him and know he was real, she moved over onto his lap, twined her arms around his neck and pulled him close for a long slow kiss. He cupped her face in his hands in the way she so loved—so tender, yet sexy. Sultry but sweet. They kissed and kissed, laughing and whispering between each brush of their mouths.
“I could get used to traveling like this,” he said. “Think he’d drive us all the way to Chicago?”
“Sure. We’ll send the bill to Tommy.”
Chuckling, he kissed her again. “Don’t I wish. I do have to go back to work, though.”
“Too bad. We could get him to drive us all the way to Florida. My parents are dying to meet you.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting them, too,” Leo said, sounding sincere.
“They’re wonderful. They’ll love you.” She sighed heavily. “They’ve known Tommy forever and are in on his secret, so they won’t hate you on sight like your folks will me.”
She was more than a little terrified about meeting his family, having them think of her as some tramp loathed by the entire world.
“Stop it,” he ordered. “They’ll love you as much as I do.”
She froze. Still, so still. Surprised, happy. Wondering whether he’d meant those words or they we
re an expression.
Love. He’d said the word love. She hadn’t misheard it, had she?
As if reading her mind, he lifted her chin so their eyes met.
“I love you, Madison Reid.”
Her heart thudded, practically escaping from her chest. That was fine. She didn’t own it anymore, anyway. This man did. “You’re sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
Slowly nodding, she allowed the truth of it to fill her up, let it sink in to all those empty places that had been hollowed out by the days and weeks of being without him.
He loved her.
He’d come for her.
He wanted her and he wanted their baby.
She could face anything.
When she was able to speak, she said, “I love you, too, Leo. I am totally and completely yours.”
“I know.”
She couldn’t help poking him in the ribs. “You cocky Italian.”
He grinned up at her, that gorgeous dimple appearing, his face glowing with utter happiness. “Come on, what’s not to love? I mean, you’ll never do better than me, babe. You must’ve hated life in that huge mansion with the beach and the pool and the art and the movie stars dropping by all the time.”
Giggling, she replied, “Oh, definitely. The horrors!”
“I ask ya, what could be better than a little two bedroom house right around the corner from a noisy fire station?”
“Two bedrooms are enough for me.”
In fact, it sounded like heaven to her.
She realized they’d both just assumed she would live with him. This didn’t feel like a vacation. It was crazy. She’d left most of her things behind in California or in Florida, but it felt like she was on her way home. At last.
As long as she had a computer on which to write and a phone with which to make and receive calls, she could continue pursuing her screenwriting career. If that didn’t pan out, well, there was always the Chicago Tribune, or another big city paper. Most of them would probably be chomping at the bit to scoop up a journalist with a masters from Columbia.
“Southern California? Who needs it?” Leo asked as they cruised up the coast. “Limos and Porsches and beaches? Screw that. Nothing beats the Windy City. Lake-effect snow, crime, cold that cuts right through your bones.”