School started in mid-August and I’ve been working in the office. At least I get a temporary reprieve from Austin-land as I file papers away, but I’m so bored. So. Fucking. Bored. I need to get back into the PR industry somehow, and soon.
Mom tried to set me up with some of her friend’s sons, but I’m really not in the mood to meet other guys. Besides, there’s no one that could possibly compare to Austin -- everyone else would just be a letdown. Who else could have rock hard abs, perfectly sun-kissed skin, pelvic v-lines so indented that I could run my fingers down the grooves, and such shiny, silky, touchable hair? But it’s not all about looks…I had a real connection with Austin, and I’m scared that I’ll never find that feeling with anyone else again.
Mandy keeps me up to date on all the latest Cassidy shenanigans, like the outrageous baby shower she had that was sponsored by ten different baby product companies and featured in one of the largest lifestyle magazines. She’s supposed to pop any day now. I’m freaking out. I shouldn’t be freaking out, but I am. I can’t help it. I’m so nervous for him. I hope he hasn’t been in a drunken depressed state since I left. I hope he’s healthy and happy.
A few weeks later, Mandy sends me a text letting me know that Cassidy’s on her way to the hospital. It’s really happening. I can’t sleep, I can’t eat…I feel like I’m the one about to give birth. I wonder how Austin is feeling right now. I want to call him and make sure he’s alright, but I can’t. I’m sure he’s a mess, and he probably has no one there with him. There’s no one from his side, besides maybe his manager, that would be there to make sure he’s staying sane and taken care of.
I finally manage to fall asleep, but when I wake up the next morning, there’s breaking news over every blog, TV and radio station. Cassidy had the baby last night. It’s a boy, but no photos have surfaced yet. I call Mandy after reading a few of the articles.
“I heard the news,” I say after she picks up.
“It’s been so crazy over here! I had to stay in the office overnight!”
“Ouch, that sucks.”
“Yeah, I’m so tired, I could fall asleep at my desk right now.”
“So, any details I can know about?”
“He was born around midnight last night and they named him Canyon.”
“Canyon?”
“Yeah, Canyon. Poor kid, right?”
“Awful, I’m sure that was all Cassidy’s doing.”
“Yeah, probably. She is crazy.”
“Do you know how Austin’s doing?”
“No, I haven’t heard from him or his people.”
“Well, I hope he’s happy being a dad. God, this is so weird.”
As I’m chatting away, there’s a knock on my bedroom door. “Um, Livvy, there’s someone here to see you…” Mom says.
Who would come see me at my house without calling first?
“I gotta get the door. I’ll catch up with you later,” I say to Mandy, ending the call.
I follow my mother to the front door and jump back when I find Austin standing in the doorway. Yes, Austin fucking Ford is at my house. What. The. Fuck.
I scan him up and down three times, making sure this not an illusion. His eyes are covered by aviators and he’s wearing a plain white t-shirt, black jeans, and black Converse sneakers. It’s him, it’s definitely him.
I can’t speak. I just stand there, on the other side of the threshold with my mouth wide open. It’s been nearly six months since I’ve last seen him in the flesh, and now he just shows up at my door unannounced?
Before I can ask him any questions, he swoops in, encircling me in his familiar embrace. He rests his head on my shoulder, and all of our memories rush back into my head as I breathe him in. I’m in shock. I must be dreaming.
He steps back and pushes his sunglasses up to rest on top of his head. “Hi,” he says softly, biting his lip.
“Hi,” I whisper back. I want to reach out and touch him again just to be certain that he’s real.
After a few moments of silent wonder, I burst out with all of the questions swirling around my brain. “What the hell are you doing here? In Florida? At my house? How did you even know where I live?”
He chuckles and shoves his hands in his pockets, raising his shoulders. “I’m here for you.”
I’m flattered, but I don’t understand. “Shouldn’t you be with your newborn son?”
Austin beams from ear to ear. “The baby’s not mine.”
“What?” My heart races from this revelation. “But, how do you know that already?”
I slip through the door and motion for him to sit with me on the front porch. I’d rather not give my mom easy access to eavesdrop on our private conversation.
“He has dark skin…and I obviously don’t.”
“Oh my God.” I’m stunned, but not surprised that she “cheated.” How could she straight out lie to Austin like that and lead him on this whole time? She’s more evil than I thought. Unless she thought it really was his baby…or maybe she just wanted it to be.
“I’ve never felt so relieved in my whole life after seeing that baby in her arms.” He sighs and takes his sunglasses off his head, running his fingers through his unruly waves. Stubble lines his jaw, and as I study him closer, I notice his blood shot eyes, rimmed with dark circles.
“Do you know what this means?” I ask.
“As soon as photos of the baby surface, then the whole world will know it’s not mine,” he responds.
“And no one would blame you for leaving her.”
“And we…” He turns to face me, placing his large hand on my shoulder. His touch sends a shiver down my spine “We could be together…if you still want to…”
I had been pushing him away in my mind for so long that I never thought this could become a possibility again. I slowly trace my finger along the waterfall that runs down his bicep. “I haven’t stopped loving you, Austin. Not for one day, not for one minute; not even for one second.”
He leans in slowly, pressing his soft lips against mine, needing, wanting, searching for the answer he wants to hear. I pull away and touch my forehead to his. “I love you Austin, but I don’t know if I can come back to LA with you.”
He jolts back, seemingly stunned. “Why the hell not? I’ve been up for nearly 24 hours straight and the first thing I thought of when I realized the baby wasn’t mine was that I needed to come get you. I want you back. I need you back.”
I rest my chin on my curled fist and glance to the side. I don’t need his guilt right now.
“I don’t have a job, Austin. I have nowhere to live. Plus, the paparazzi are going to be up your ass and I don’t know if I’m ready to be in the spotlight as your girlfriend.”
He steals my arm away, twisting my body toward his again. “Liv, you’re coming back to LA and living with me. I’m breaking my contract with the PWR Group now that this whole charade is over, so I’m going to need a new publicist. And don’t worry about those tabloid fuckers; I won’t let them hurt you.” He rubs his hands up and down my arms in a comforting manner.
“I’ll think about it,” I respond, getting up from the front steps. “Why don’t you come inside?”
I’m hoping my mom can cause enough distraction for me to be able to think things through a bit more.
“I’d love that,” he says, hoisting himself up. We head back into the house where I find my mom standing suspiciously close to the front door.
“Mom, this is Austin. Austin, this is my mom.”
“Nice to meet you Ms. Kelly,” Austin says, extending his hand. I can’t believe he’s meeting my mother. This is so weird. Oh God, I hope she doesn’t say anything too embarrassing.
“Likewise,” she replies, then turns to me. “Is this him? The actor?”
Austin laughs as my face grows warm. “Yes…” I reply. “That’s him.”
“How nice of you to visit! I wish I knew you were coming, I would have made something to eat,” she says, hurrying to the kitchen.
“Thank you,
but that’s not necessary. Just meeting you and seeing where Olivia grew up is wonderful enough. I can see where she gets her generous heart from.”
Now my mom’s blushing worse than me. Oh dear Lord…
“Okay then,” I interrupt. “Austin and I are going to take a walk. We’ll be back later, k?”
“Alright, well it was very nice to meet you,” Mom says.
“Nice meeting you too,” Austin responds, shaking her hand again. He is such a charmer.
It’s an unusually non-humid day, perfect for walking around the neighborhood with a movie star who wants you to move across the country with them…
We slowly tread down the street, kicking pebbles along the way.
“You look hot,” he says, gripping my hand.
“Thank you.” I know he’s trying to butter me up…and I hate to admit it, but it is working a little.
“Honestly Liv, I was angry when you first left. But then the more I thought about it, the more I understood your reasoning. It just stung…especially after everything we discussed…you know…what I’ve been through.”
“I know, I’m so, so sorry that I put you through that. I wanted to be there for you, really, but I thought it would be easier on all of us if I didn’t stick around with Cassidy having your baby. And I didn’t want to pretend anymore. To live a lie. It was too hard.”
He stops to face me, grabbing my other hand. “But now we don’t have to do that. Right? We have nothing to hide. Everything’s in our favor now.”
“I know…but…”
“But what? What’s stopping you?”
“I don’t know,” I respond. “I guess I’m just afraid to take the leap; what if it doesn’t work?”
“Well…then at least we can say that we tried.”
I stare into his bright blue eyes, full of hope. I do love him, and I do want to be with him. If being away from him for half a year has only made my feelings for him grow stronger, then maybe actually being with him would be even better.
I look up to the sky, waiting for some sort of sign, but nothing comes. I guess I have to make this decision on my own.
“Okay,” I blurt out before my brain tries to stop me.
“Okay?” he asks, waiting for confirmation.
“Yes, I’ll come back to LA with you.”
He lifts me up by the waist and practically throws me up in the air with joy. “I honestly don’t know what I would have done if you said no,” he says, pulling me in close. “And you better not leave me ever again.”
I exhale heavily, feeling my own warm breath absorb into his shirt. “I won’t.”
Chapter Forty-One
I don’t think my mom imagined that I’d be heading back to Los Angeles again. She took it pretty hard, but I assured her that I would be safe with Austin, and that I’d call her more often now that everything was out in the open.
I felt like puking the whole plane ride back to Los Angeles, and it wasn’t from the turbulence. I just want everything to work out between Austin and me, and I’ve heard horror stories about people moving in together too fast and screwing up their relationships. Although, his house is probably big enough that if we ever got into a huge argument, I could just live in the other side of the mansion and not have to see him for a few days.
Mandy meets me at LAX, sprinting toward me with her blinding platinum hair bouncing behind her.
“That is an awful new trend,” I say, pointing at her outfit of high-waisted denim shorts and a tucked in tank top. She laughs and throws her arms around me. I missed her more than I realized; I think we grew even closer while we were apart.
“Shut up, I look hot and you know it,” she replies, sticking out her tongue.
I grab my luggage and head to her car. “I’m totally freaking out.”
“Just give me the damn address,” Mandy says, pulling out her GPS. She types it in and then we’re on our way to Austin’s house. Where I’ll be living. With him. Living with Austin Ford, in a mansion, in the Hollywood Hills. What the actual fuck am I doing?
“I don’t know if I can do this,” I say, bouncing my leg up and down.
“Yes, you can. You’ll be fine. Just chill out,” she responds, turning up the music.
I nod and close my eyes, resting my head against the passenger seat headrest. After an hour of horrible LA traffic, we pull into Austin’s estate, where a few paparazzi are already camped out. I don’t think they’re interested in snapping photos of someone driving up in a Prius, they probably think we’re his stylists or something.
The gates open and Austin’s waiting for us at the top of the driveway. He’s shirtless. A half-naked welcome? I’ll take it.
Mandy helps me unload the car and greets Austin. “You better not screw her over or I will kill you,” she warns.
“Be nice!” I yell with a laugh.
“I’ll take care of her, Mandz. Promise.”
Mandy’s assisted some of Austin and Cassidy’s events since I’ve left the PWR Group, so they’ve become a little closer, but she’s still cautious.
“Pinky swear?” she asks.
“Yes,” he says, holding out his pinky to hook with hers. “I pinky swear.”
“Ok, goodbye love birds! Don’t forget to invite me to the wedding!” she yells, returning to her car.
“Ha. Ha. Bye, boo,” I respond, waving as she pulls out of the massive driveway.
Austin turns to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “You’re here.”
“I’m here.”
He smiles and leads me into the house, and at that moment, I’m no longer scared or worried about what will happen. I’m just happy. Really happy.
Epilogue
“Come here you,” Austin says, pulling me onto his lap after the “fasten seatbelt” sign goes off. We’re flying high above the Atlantic on a private jet, on our way to the Cannes Film Festival.
The flight attendant brings us each a glass of champagne and I raise my glass to his. “Here’s to a successful film debut,” I toast.
“And here’s to joining the mile high club,” Austin says, clinking his glass to mine with a wink.
We sip from our glasses and I stare out the window at the clouds below. Austin’s career has blossomed since he separated from both Cassidy and the PWR Group, forgoing cheesy teen flicks to more serious roles. The critics have been amazingly accepting of his switch, praising him with whispers of Academy Award nominations. Austin thinks it’s because of my work re-branding his image into someone more “adult,” but it’s all him. His acting skills have grown and he’s become much more professional and responsible on and off set.
Austin kisses the back of my neck and breathes in softly. “Remember where we were a year ago?”
I smile. “I do.” We were at Cassidy’s movie premiere…and it was the night we first met.
“I wasn’t kidding when I said I was there to pick up hot chicks like you. I just didn’t think it would actually happen,” he says with a laugh. “It must have been the way you handled my chewing gum, such a turn on.”
“Ha, ha,” I reply, turning to face him. “I was actually really nervous to meet you.”
“Yeah?”
I nod. “I might have had a little, tiny crush on you…even before I met you.”
“Oh, really?” he responds with a smirk. “You just couldn’t resist all this.” He waves his hand down his body then wraps his arm around me.
I roll my eyes. “Exactly.”
He brushes his lips against mine briefly. “Did your mom have a good visit last week?”
“Yeah, I think she really enjoyed Hollywood, but I think it was your house that won her over.”
“Our house,” he insists.
I kiss him again and pull back with a grin. “Our house.”
He squeezes me tight and pulls a blanket over us.
“When we get back from Europe, Mandy really wants us to go to one of Mike’s games. She can get us courtside tickets,” I say.
“Hell yeah. Yo
u know I’m down for that.”
Mandy’s been dating a basketball player for the past few months. I knew she’d meet someone special, and tall enough, to go out with her. They met at an event she was working at and now they’re crazy about each other. It’s nice to be able to double date, and not have all eyes in the room just on Austin since Mike’s pretty recognizable too.
I’m glad I took a chance to try again. To take a leap of faith and put in some hard work through challenging times because being with Austin is something I’ll never regret.
The lights dim in the jet as the sky turns dark. I curl up on his shoulder and close my eyes.
“Sweet dreams, baby. I love you,” he murmurs in my ear.
I nuzzle closer into his body, embracing him tight. “I love you too.”
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my husband, who is my biggest supporter in all of my endeavors, and a great proofreader! Thanks Mom for listening to me talk about writing and publishing and book stats – I’m sure it’s not that exciting, but you always listen! I also need to thank my beta readers, my author friend Nikki Godwin and my Goodreads friend Tracy S. – your feedback truly helped move the story along and gave me the motivation I needed to keep going on this publishing journey. Thank you to all of the book bloggers and reviewers who have been so kind in helping me promote my previous Young Adult novel, Merch Girl. And last, but not least, this book is dedicated to the readers – I hope you enjoy this new genre and would love to hear your feedback.
Other Books by Rebecca Lewis
Merch Girl – A Young Adult Novel, is available in both eBook and Paperback at the following link: Amazon (Kindle):http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CN0HNQO
How To Meet Your Favorite Band: Tips, Tricks and Secrets for Gaining All Access – A non-fiction guide to meeting celebrities, is available on Amazon at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E50RIJW
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