“I don’t have much,” Sierra admitted, her expression guarded and he didn’t expect anything less. She’d seen him for the first time about ten minutes ago. He had the distinct feeling that she trusted few people. Especially men.
Flicking a glance at his watch, he gave her what he hoped was his best reassuring smile.
“Why don’t we get those things packed up then? We need to get back in the air as soon as possible.”
He didn’t know why Sierra didn’t argue with him. Perhaps deep down she really wanted to go but didn’t want to admit it. Or maybe she was too exhausted to fight about it. It didn’t matter at the moment because she stood and walked into the bedroom, leaving him behind with Billie.
Scooting across the couch cushion, he wrapped an arm around her, dropping a kiss on her cheek. “It’s going to be okay.”
“She hates me,” Billie said, her voice thick with tears. He longed to be able to take away her emotional pain but he didn’t have a clue as to how. All he could do was try to help in the few obvious ways he could see. “And I hate myself. I never should have left.”
They’d had this conversation before but it looked like they might need to have it a few more times. “She doesn’t hate you, baby. And if you had stayed what do you think would have happened? Do you think Sierra would have left him any earlier? Do you think you could have somehow magically changed the situation? She told you she never wanted to see you again so you left and tried to make a better life for yourself. You don’t have to apologize for that.”
Wringing her hands together, Billie rubbed at her wet cheeks. “I would have been there when all this happened.”
Tyler wasn’t the type to carry a handkerchief so he did the best he could with his fingertips, wiping up her tears and pushing back the strands of hair that clung to her damp skin. “Okay, let’s say that you stayed. You didn’t get to see Sierra but you stayed. Would you have been in any position to help when she decided to get out? At least we can take her away from here.”
“Probably not,” Billie conceded, taking a shuddering breath. “I’d probably be at the same dead end job or one just like it. But let’s face it, Tyler, I’m not the one helping Sierra. You are. It was your money that paid for the divorce and the new life. It’s your money that’s bringing her back to California.”
“Don’t you ever say anything like that ever again,” he replied, warning clear in his tone. “We’re together and that means that everything I have is yours. Even if we weren’t together, I think you’ve earned that money over the years putting up with my shit. Don’t think I don’t know that you could have walked away from me and my antics a long time ago. Your friendship has kept me grounded and made sure I didn’t become just another Hollywood statistic.”
A smile curled on those full, pink lips. “You have been a handful at times.”
“There you go. Now let’s get your sister and get out of here.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
After zipping through several time zones east and now a few more going west, Billie was understandably passed out in her chair, seatbelt buckled. In deference to the delicate situation with Sierra and wanting to make the best time to Wisconsin and then home, Tyler had chartered a jet for their travels and he was glad that he had. After all the crap she’d been through, Sierra shouldn’t have to withstand the stares of onlookers regarding her bruises. It also gave them the privacy they needed. The last thing he wanted was for Sierra to get dragged into his life and end up on the cover of some trash tabloid.
Taking her out of that apartment had truly been sad. She’d come out of the bedroom dressed in a plain white blouse and a pair of what looked like new jeans that didn’t fit her very well, just like the earlier outfit. It was then that it hit him that she was probably wearing donated clothes and he’d practically slapped his forehead in shame. She’d walked out of her old life with only the clothes on her back. Damn, she was brave as hell, just like his Billie. Courage ran in the family. As soon as she was rested and the bruises faded, they’d take her shopping and buy her all new things. He couldn’t fix all the hurt and pain between these sisters but it was a small action he could take that might make her feel better about herself.
With Billie asleep, Tyler slipped out of his seat and went to the back of the airplane where Sierra was sitting and reading a magazine. A cup of coffee sat in front of her barely touched and growing cold.
He sat across from her and waited until she looked up. “Can we talk for a moment?”
Folding the magazine closed, she shrugged. “I suppose so.”
The charm offensive had been at the apartment but now he wanted to be honest. “First of all, I don’t think we’ve actually been introduced. I’m–”
“I know who you are,” Sierra interrupted, her expression solemn, giving nothing away as to her emotions underneath. “You’re the big movie star Tyler Gaylord. You’re marrying my sister. I saw it on television.”
“Yes, I am,” he easily agreed. “That makes us family too. I want to be sure you know that you have more than just Billie to help you, Sierra. You have me and I’ll do anything to make sure that you get a chance at a new life.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly, but nothing else. She wasn’t much of a talker.
“When we get to Los Angeles we’re going to go to my home. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like. Forever, if you want. There’s a guest cottage behind the main house that you could stay in if you like your privacy. Billie used to live there.” Tyler grinned at the memories. “That’s how we met actually. I was her landlord.”
Sierra lips turned up at the corners slightly. Progress. Almost a smile.
“I can help you get a job eventually. I have a lot of contacts and friends. It shouldn’t be too difficult.”
That little smile fell and her features took on a worried, almost scared look. “I need to find work right away. I’m a good waitress and I work hard.”
Taking a chance, Tyler reached out and placed his hand over her much smaller one. It trembled but she didn’t pull it away. A small victory. “I bet you are. Billie’s a hard worker too so I bet it runs in the family. But let’s not worry about that for a few days, okay? You need to get settled and heal a little bit.”
Her fingers flew up to her still discolored cheek. “He was really angry this time. Normally he’d only hit me where the bruises wouldn’t show.”
Tyler was definitely going to kill this guy. Slowly and painfully. The fucker had put that much thought into his beatings.
As sorry as Tyler felt for Sierra – and he did feel sorry for her – he had something he needed to say.
“Sierra, I know that you and Billie have a few issues to work out. And damn, I know you’ve had a rough life. Billie told me about how you two grew up and I’m real sorry all that happened to you. But I need you to understand that I love Billie more than anything in the world and it’s my job to protect her. I understand there are things that I can’t keep from hurting her but there’s one thing I won’t allow you to do. I won’t let you hurt her.”
Tears welled up in Sierra’s eyes and she nodded. “I’m not mad at Billie and I don’t blame her. Not at all. This is my stupid mistake.” She shoulders shook as the sobs came harder. “I’m just so ashamed. Look at what a fucking mess I’ve made of my life.”
He moved to comfort her but suddenly Billie was there, inching him over so she could embrace her sister.
“You don’t have anything to be ashamed of,” Billie said, pulling her bruised sister into a careful hug. “Brian’s the asshole here.”
Sierra shook her head, more tears baptizing her pale cheeks. “I should have left but I just couldn’t. I was afraid. I was afraid of so many things. He convinced me that I was worthless and that I couldn’t stand on my own two feet. Then when you left he said that even my own sister didn’t want me and that he was all I had in the world. If I left him bad things would happen.”
That little son of bitch. He’d done quite the m
ind fuck on Sierra.
Billie’s nose wrinkled in distaste. “He’s the worthless one, and you did finally leave. You’re going to be fine and we’re going to get you a new life. He can fucking go to hell. You didn’t deserve any of it. No one does.”
Sierra turned to Tyler. “And I won’t hurt her. I promise.”
Whipping her head around, Billie gave him a dirty look. “Just what did you say to my sister?”
Shit, he’d better watch himself. They were going to gang up on him and it was two against one.
“It’s fine,” Sierra assured her sister. “He was being protective, that’s all. He wanted to be sure that I wasn’t going to try and blame you.”
Billie’s lips turned down. “I should have–”
“Gone and built a great life for yourself,” finished Sierra. “Staying wouldn’t have helped me. The social worker and the therapist have helped me understand that I had to help myself. I had to want to get away more than I was afraid to leave. And that last time he beat me it happened. As I lay on the kitchen floor I thought to myself that this was it. I was going to die this time and I realized that I didn’t want to die. I wanted to live and get away from him.”
A few tears slipped down Tyler’s cheeks and he quickly wiped them away. At this rate, they were going to drown over dry land. He didn’t cry much either but if any event warranted a few tears it was this one. His beautiful girl finally had her sister back. She’d never complained but she’d been in a great deal of pain losing Sierra. Now they could heal.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Billie said simply, giving her sister another hug. “We’re a family again. I’ve missed this so much.”
“Hey, I’m part of this family too,” Tyler complained playful, trying to lighten the atmosphere. “When do I get a hug?”
Both women grinned and Billie launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing a big kiss on his lips. Sierra was much more restrained but at least she was wearing a smile. It was the first one he’d seen.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Billie led the way to the guest room in the main house. Although Sierra could move into the guest cottage at a later time, they wanted her as close as possible while she was recovering. It also made Billie feel more secure to have her sister just down the hall. Frankly she didn’t think Brian could scrape together the gas money to get to Hollywood but just in case, they’d keep Sierra close until they were sure he’d received the message.
Brian needed to stay the hell away.
“This will be your room.” Billie set the grocery bag of clothes and small toiletries on the long dresser. It had been painfully sad to see her sister’s life encompassed in one plastic sack. Billie hadn’t had much more when she’d left Wisconsin but at least she’d left on her own terms. “You’ve got the run of the house including the workout room, the sauna, and the pool in the back. You might want to stay out of Tyler’s office though, not because he doesn’t want anyone in there or anything, but because it’s kind of a mess. If he sees you in there he might put you to work looking for whatever he’s lost.”
Her attempt at humor failed spectacularly. Sierra simply nodded as she stood in the middle of the room, her gaze darting here and there but never stopping for long.
“There’s an ensuite bathroom over here,” Billie continued, desperately trying to get her sister to speak. Say anything, even if it was only to yell and scream. Tyler had pulled Billie aside as they’d loaded into the limo after the plane touched down and asked her to give Sierra some space. Her sister had never been outside of Wisconsin until today so the transition from living in fear all the time to being safe was probably going to be a bumpy one.
Despite his goofy behavior sometimes, he could be wise. Especially in situations that he could see from the outside. Clearly she was too close to all of it to be unbiased. She just wanted her sister back.
Sierra still hadn’t said anything and Billie was tired and cranky from all the traveling. Reining in her patience, she tried one more time.
“I’m going downstairs to the kitchen to fix us some dinner. Is there anything special you want? Curtis, Tyler’s assistant, said we’re fully stocked with food. You can come down and keep me company while I cook.”
“I think–I think I’ll lie down.”
The rejection felt like a slap in the face but Billie had to steel herself for more. Sierra was going through some serious stuff, had been through hell, and this wasn’t about Billie’s feelings. Frankly they weren’t that important right now. What was vital was keeping Sierra safe and getting her set up in a new life. Billie’s hurt feelings were going to have to take a back seat.
“That sounds like a good idea,” she said instead. “Come down in a little while to have some dinner.”
Tyler was already in the kitchen rummaging around through the cabinets. “What do you think we should have for dinner, babe? I was thinking something carb heavy.”
Because Sierra desperately needed to put on some weight. She’d noticed it too.
“How about spaghetti and meat sauce?” Billie suggested. “If Curtis bought everything I put on the list we should have all that we need to make it.”
Rolling his eyes, Tyler retrieved a package of dried spaghetti noodles from the pantry. “Of course he got everything on the list. Can you imagine a world where Curtis forgot something?”
“No,” she said, sputtering with laughter. “He’s turned out to be pretty efficient, hasn’t he? I thought he did a good job in San Diego. Other than that mix-up with our hotel rooms.”
“Really? I kind of liked that mix-up.”
Honestly? So had she.
“I bet you put him up to it.” She placed the frying pan on the stove and dumped in the hamburger.
Tyler waggled his brows suggestively. “I wish I’d thought of it. I really do need to give the kid a raise.”
The meat sizzled in the pan as Tyler sprinkled salt into the boiling water for the spaghetti.
Billie began chopping up some fresh garlic, her mind still upstairs with her sister. “Do you think we should have her checked out by a doctor? I mean, she just got out of the hospital.”
“I think you should let your sister be an adult and make those decisions. Don’t treat her like she’s a child. She needs to feel like she has control of at least a few things in her life. Take the lead from her.”
“I know, I know,” Billie replied, setting the garlic aside and working on the basil. “I just want her to be okay.”
Tyler came up behind her and pulled her back into his front, his arms wrapped around her, more comforting than sexual. “She will be. We’ll make sure of it. But think of it from her standpoint—we just dragged her to a home and state she’s never known. There’s going to be some adjustment there. Be patient. I know you want to help her. I do too. We’re going to have to take things slowly.”
Turning in his arms, she looped her arms around his neck as his lips descended on hers. It had been far too many hours since he’d kissed her like this. This was about so much more than just fucking. This was love and being there for one another.
The sound of a clearing throat had them jumping away from one another. Sierra stood there quietly just sort of watching them and Tyler was actually blushing bright red. It wasn’t something she saw often and it was damn cute on him.
It was kind of embarrassing being caught out by her sister, like two teenagers necking on the couch but Billie was determined to play it off as if it was no big deal. She was an actress, after all.
“Hungry?” she asked brightly. “Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes or so.”
“It smells good,” Sierra replied, sliding onto one of the island stools. “This kitchen is nice.”
That was an understatement. The kitchen was gourmet with nothing but high end finishes. Even the pots and pans were copper and cost a small fortune. Tyler had hired a designer to pick everything out while he was on location shooting a Thunder movie.
“You
know, I really need to check some things in my office.” Tyler began backing toward the living room. “You know that stuff we talked about? I better do that now.”
He ducked out, leaving Billie and Sierra alone.
“He didn’t have anything he needed to do, did he?” Sierra asked. “He just wanted us to have time to talk.”
“He did,” Billie confirmed. “But we don’t have to. You’re probably talked out.”
Throwing all the ingredients into a pot for the sauce, Billie turned her attention to the garlic butter for the bread.
“I want to but I don’t know what to say.”
“Say whatever you want.”
Folding her hands on the granite countertop, Sierra was silent for a long moment as if gathering her scattered thoughts.
“First I want to say thank you for coming to get me. I know that you didn’t have to.”
It was probably better not to say too much and simply let Sierra do most of the talking.
“I wanted to but you’re welcome.”
“I also wanted to say I’m sorry about the last time I saw you. I know that I hurt you and didn’t mean to.”
“Yes, you did,” Billie replied quickly. If they were going to talk then they needed to be honest. “You knew what you were doing.”
Sierra sighed, her cheeks red. “Alright, yes. I knew what I was doing. Brian had me so twisted around I actually thought you were trying to tear me away from the one person who loved me. The day you came to tell me you were leaving and wanted me to go with you I was angry with you. So I said those awful things.”
“That you hated me.”
“I never hated you but I was angry and conflicted. Looking back, I think I was so furious because there was a part of me that wanted to go with you but I was scared. At that point, I was scared of everything and you weren’t scared of anything. I’ve always admired that about you.”
Wild on the Red Carpet (The Hollywood Showmance Chronicles Book 3) Page 21