by Jenna Brandt
Bryce pulled back and stammered out, “Good thing we’ll be at the restaurant soon. I don’t know if I could stop kissing you otherwise.”
Lana brought a shaking hand to her forehead. “I can’t believe the effect you have on me. Thank goodness you broke that kiss. I’m not sure I could have handled much more.”
He nuzzled the side of her neck with his face. “Maybe I don’t want you to handle it. Maybe I want you to enjoy it,” he teased.
She let out a nervous laugh as she wiggled out of his grasp. “Stop it. I’m new at all this. I’ve only had one other boyfriend.”
“Really? I don’t know which shocks me more, the fact you’ve only had one boyfriend or the fact you called me your second.”
Lana froze. Did I do that? I can’t believe I let that slip out.
“Does that upset you?” Lana asked.
He shook his head. “On the contrary, I rather like the sound of it coming from your lips.”
“I wasn’t sure if we were at the stage where you would want to be exclusive,” she probed, wanting to know where she stood with him and whether they were on the same page.
“I am and I do.” He looked deep into her eyes and added, “I want you all for myself.”
Lana gulped, surprised he would make such a confession, but liking what it meant and how it made her feel. She realized she wanted to be all of his just as much as he did.
“Why did you only have one boyfriend? You are way too pretty and smart for it not to be your choice?”
Her eyes dropped to the car floor, and she fidgeted with her hands in her lap. She knew the reason had caused problems with men she had dated in the past. Would it be the same with Bryce?
He reached out and pulled her face up, forcing her eyes to meet his own. “You can tell me anything. I want you to trust me.”
I should just say it. If it will end the relationship, it’s better to do it now before I fall for him even more.
“I’m a virgin,” she blurted out. “My only boyfriend and I were in church together during high school so we both felt the same way about physical relationships. You mentioned you had a fiancée which I’m guessing means you probably were intimate with her. I want to be with you, Bryce, but it’s a non-starter for me. I won’t compromise my values to be with you.”
He flinched as a look of hurt crossed his face. “Your values make you so special, Lana. I would never want you to compromise them.” He pushed has hand through his hair as he added, “And for the record, I’ve only dated a handful of girls myself. I was a nerd in high school and then I focused on my business afterward. I only met my fiancée because of Roger.”
Lana shrank under her embarrassment. Why had she judged him so harshly? Based off his public image, she assumed he was like his friend. If she thought about the man she had gotten to know, however, it was clear he was never a playboy.
“I’m sorry. That was wrong of me. Can you forgive me?”
He nodded. “We’re good together, Lana. We need to not let anyone or anything come between us. If we trust each other, we can have something amazing.”
“I agree.”
He leaned forward and kissed her lips one more time before the limo pulled up in front of the restaurant. They got out and enjoyed a romantic lunch together.
11
Bryce unbuttoned and then re-buttoned the top of his shirt as he looked in the mirror. He wanted everything to be perfect, including the way he looked.
With a glance at his cell phone, he confirmed from the text that Mark was downstairs waiting with the car. Bryce planned to take Lana to one of his favorite restaurants.
He dabbed on a hint of cologne, then tucked his hair into place one final time before heading out the door to go pick up Lana.
He arrived at her place fifteen minutes later and texted his arrival:
Just got here.
Coming up to get you.
Lana texted back:
Sounds good.
I’m ready.
As he was climbing out of the back of his limo, he saw Gabrielle standing by the doors of the apartment complex. She was wearing her skimpiest dress with her hands on her hips.
“Is this where your twit of a waitress lives?”
“What is wrong with you, Gabrielle? Why would you show up here like this? How did you find me, anyway?”
“I’ve got my ways,” she said with a smirk, “but I’m not about to reveal that to you.”
She moved towards him, draping herself on his side as she whispered against his ear, “Why don’t you leave this dump and come away with me. I promise you won’t regret it.”
“Are you completely insane?” Bryce asked as he tried to pull free from her grasp without result.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” she chastised, tightening her hold on him. “You’re not getting away from me that easy.”
Gabrielle tried to force a kiss on him. He turned his head in time to avoid it landing on his lips, however, the timing was horrible. At that exact moment, Lana walked out of her apartment complex. Her eyes grew wide with astonishment as her hand flew to her mouth.
This time, Bryce jerked away from Gabrielle. He rushed to Lana’s side, reaching out to take her hand. He wanted to explain what happened, but he could tell from the look in her eyes, she wasn’t ready to hear anything he had to say. It confirmed his guess when she stepped back and folded her arms across her chest.
“Will you give me a chance to explain?” Bryce begged, hoping he could convince her to hear him out.
She shook her head. “I think how I found you just now speaks clearly on the matter.”
“No, it doesn’t explain what happened at all. Gabrielle is my ex-fiancée. I’m not even sure how she figured out I was here, but she’s been showing up everywhere I’ve been lately.”
“Don’t try to cover up the truth, Bryce. I’ve been showing up because it’s only a matter of time before we end up back together.”
Lana’s face changed from angry to hurt before she glanced away.
“Ah, she looks so devastated, Bryce. Did she think you would end up together?” Gabrielle teased. “You should have told her you belong with me.”
Bryce turned on Gabrielle and snapped, “That’s enough. I don’t know how you’ve stalked me, but I’m putting an end to it right now. You need to leave or I’m calling the cops. You should know, first thing Monday morning, I’m filing a restraining order.”
“How dare you threaten me,” Gabrielle shrieked, letting her temper fly. Her eyes grew wide with rage and she looked like she wanted to do something reckless but was barely keeping herself in check. “I’ll have you know, I’m the best thing that ever happened to you.” She turned her attention to Lana and glared at her. “And a far better catch than this simpleton ever could be.”
Lana gasped in shock as Bryce stepped forward towards Gabrielle with rage emanating from his very pores, causing the model to shrink back in fear. “Don’t you ever talk about her that way. You don’t know the first thing about Lana. She’s strong, smart, and kind. She’s a loyal friend who cares deeply for others, which is far more than I could ever say about you. Lana’s the woman I want to be with, and you need to accept that and leave us alone.”
Gabrielle looked like a truck ran over her as she listened to Bryce. Her usual confident veneer cracked as tears formed in her eyes. She shook her head and muttered under her breath, “You will live to regret this—both of you,” before rushing away without looking back.
Bryce turned to Lana and reached out to put his arm around her. He wasn’t sure if she would accept the gesture, but suddenly he felt her weight against his chest.
“I’m so sorry about all of that. It shocked me she would take it this far. She seems to get more unstable each time I see her.”
Lana nodded without saying a word.
“Are you all right?” Bryce inquired.
“I will be,” she whispered. “I just need to rest.”
“Do you want me to take you upstairs?�
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“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Celeste is there and I don’t want to explain why we didn’t go on our date.”
“Why don’t you come over to my place? We can order in Chinese, and when you feel better, I can bring you home.”
As Lana and Bryce entered his penthouse apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan, she looked around at the modern designed home filled with grey and white decor and glass windows that stretched along each wall facing the city. Each room sported the most modern technology.
“What would you like to drink?” Bryce asked as he opened the refrigerator inside his gourmet state-of-the-art kitchen.
Lana leaned against the counter and answered, “Water would be great.”
He pulled out a bottle of high-end sparkling water and handed it to her, then grabbed a bottled root beer for himself.
“Wow, even your water is fancy,” she said with a smirk. “I feel like I’m standing in the middle of a five-star hotel.”
“I’m not responsible for any of it,” Bryce stated with a chuckle. “Roger had his decorator come over and fix up the place as a housewarming gift.”
She shook her head. “I'm shocked such an extravagant gift seems normal to both of you.”
He shrugged. “I never said that. It’s just easier to let Roger do what he wants rather than fight him all the time. I save my energy for the big things.”
“What do you consider big things?” Lana inquired.
“Who I spend time with and what I believe in, for starters. I want to minimize regret as much as possible. You regret what you didn’t do far more than what you did, so if something is important I want to pursue it.”
“I agree. It’s why I keep going after my acting dream. I don’t want to give up and regret it later.”
Bryce twisted the top off his root beer and took a swig. “Do you have any other dreams?”
Lana wondered if she should confide in him. She knew she could trust him, but she had never talked about her dreams with anyone else. As she looked into his eyes, however, she realized she wanted him to know. “I guess my biggest dream is to get married and raise children with my husband someday. My family is big, so I want to have at least three children, but it would depend on what my husband wanted as well and how it would fit into my career.”
“That’s admirable that you want to start a family someday. I haven’t really considered it much since I focused on building my business.”
“Do you want children?” Lana probed, worried they might not hold the same views on the matter.
Bryce took another drink and paused for a couple of moments before answering. “I do. I worry I won’t be as good at it as my father was with me.”
Lana reached out across the counter and placed her hand on his arm. “You’re attentive and you put others first. You’ll be a great father once you’re ready to settle down.”
“Thank you,” he said with a smile. “Your vote of confidence means a lot. Besides having a family and thriving acting career someday, are there any other secret dreams you have?”
“I do, but I’ve never told anyone.”
“Why not?”
“Because, it’s so cliché,” Lana confessed, averting her eyes. “You’re just going to think it’s stupid.”
“Try me,” Bryce coaxed.
Lana let out a sigh, then told Bryce her final dream. “I want to visit Paris and go to the theater there.”
Bryce’s brows furrowed together as he tilted his head. “Why would you consider that stupid? Paris is amazing. You should go,” then almost as a passing thought, he added, “I should take you there sometime on my private plane.”
“That would be amazing,” Lana proclaimed. Not wanting to sound like she was using him, she quickly amended, “But you shouldn’t feel obligated.”
Bryce came around the counter and took her hands in his own. “Nothing to do with you is an obligation. I want to make you happy.”
“You have no idea how special that makes me feel.”
“I’m glad.” he said, placing a peck on her lips, before pulling her towards the living room and over to the plush white leather sofa in front of a massive flat screen TV. “Let’s watch a movie until the Chinese food gets here. What type of movies do you like?”
“I like all sorts, but I’m partial to romantic comedies and classics.”
Bryce picked up the remote from the metal and glass coffee table and turned on the TV, causing a black screen with a list of movies to pop up. “Name your favorite. It's probably on here.”
Lana thought for a moment, then said, “The Princess Bride. It always cheers me up.”
“Really? That’s one of my favorites. My mom and I—” a distant, haunted look took hold of Bryce’s face for a couple of seconds before he shook it off. “It should be in my favorites list. Let me go check,” he said, clicking on the remote.
Lana could tell he was trying to avoid talking about his mom, but she knew he needed to. She reached out and gently placed her hand on his arm. “Bryce, what were you going to say about your mom?”
“I was just remembering how my mom showed me that movie for the first time when I was going into junior high. It was the greatest movie ever. The best part was whenever something funny happened, she would laugh.” He blinked several times before adding, “She had the best laugh.”
“She sounds wonderful. I think I would have liked her.”
Bryce nodded. “It would have gone both ways. She would have been glad we found each other—” his voice hitched at the end before he added, “—I wish she could have met you.”
“I would have liked that as well.” Wanting to spare him any additional pain, Lana offered, “If it’s too hard to watch The Princess Bride, we can pick a different movie.”
“No, I want to watch it. It brings back happy memories. It isn’t often that I let myself remember her.”
“You should change that. I can see you want to. Why don’t you do something in honor of her memory? When my grandma passed away, my parents put a bench in the local park in honor of her. You could do something like that to honor your mother.”
Bryce put down the remote and turned to face Lana on the couch. “I've told no one this, but I’ve been contemplating starting a foundation in honor of my mother—one that supports breast cancer awareness.”
“What’s stopping you?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. In the beginning, the pain was too fresh, and then I got too busy focusing on making money to protect my dad.”
“Well, it seems money isn't an issue so you can slow down and focus on what really matters.”
A smile formed on Bryce’s face. “You have a way of making things clear. I love that about you.”
Lana’s heart fluttered with excitement. Not only at the compliment, but the fact he used the word love regarding her. She didn’t want to read too much into it, yet the mere idea he might be falling in love with her made her giddy.
Bryce leaned forward to erase the distance between them. “When I close my eyes, you fill my mind. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
He pulled her into his embrace, then let his mouth find hers. The kiss was warm and sweet, filled with a tenderness that made Lana’s stomach somersault.
A knock at the door interrupted the kiss.
“I’m presuming that’s the Chinese food,” Bryce whispered against Lana’s cheek, causing the skin to prickle under his warm breath. “I’ll be right back.”
As Lana watched Bryce walk away, she realized she was falling for him too.
12
The papers in front of Bryce waited for his signature. Scrolled across the top was Miranda’s Cause, reminding him the importance of this project compared to all his others.
He glanced through the legal documents one more time even though he had already read every word at least a dozen times. Bryce wanted everything to go smoothly in setting up his mother’s foundation. Signing the papers to transfer the initial funds was the first an
d biggest step to start the process. He placed his pen on the line, took in a deep breath, and signed.
The lawyers, the foundation’s trustees, and the breast cancer awareness representatives all clapped and shook hands over the new venture. He knew his mother would be proud that her foundation would create state-of-the-art buses with mobile mammograms to help those in low-income and rural areas receive early screening for breast cancer.
As he walked out of the building, he texted Lana:
It’s done.
I can’t believe how good it feels.
Lana responded:
It should feel good.
What you are doing is amazing.
Your mom would be proud of you too.
He texted back:
I want to tell my dad.
Can I pick you up so you can go with me?
She answered:
Sure, I’m at home.
Text me when you get here.
Mark was waiting for Bryce by the front of the building. He got into his limo and told him where to take him next.
On the drive from the business district to Soho, Bryce thought about how much he had changed since getting involved with Lana. He was grateful God brought her into his life, knowing he wouldn’t have done anything to get out of his rut if it hadn’t been for her.
As Bryce’s car turned the corner onto the street for Lana’s apartment building, something was off. Lana was already outside the building and glancing around in confusion.
Suddenly, Gabrielle was running towards Lana with a menacing look on her face and her arms in the air. There was something shining in her hand. Lana’s hand flew up defensively as she stumbled backwards trying to escape.
“Stop the car now,” Bryce yelled through the partition. “Lana is in danger.”
Without waiting for Mark to respond or completely park the car, Bryce jumped out and sprinted towards the women.
He reached Gabrielle just in time, grabbing her around her center, trapping her arms by her side before she could drive the knife into Lana.