Common Ground

by Wendy Smith

  “I’m fine. Some of them have basically camped out for days waiting to get a glimpse of you.”

  He grips my hand tight. “You are my focus right now.”

  “One of them helped me out there. A woman named Becky. She gave me a bottle of water.” I lick my dry lips. “She’s your biggest fan.”

  For a moment, he hesitates.

  “Josh. I’ll be fine. I’m not going anywhere. Can you do it? Please? For me? I don’t want anyone else collapsing.”

  He nods slowly. “For you. I’d do anything right now if it made things right between us. I fucking love you.”

  “I love you, too. Fighting with you sucks.”

  Josh stands, raising his free hand to my cheek and grazing his knuckles down it. “When I get back, we’ll talk. Are you sure I’ll be safe?”

  I shrug. “I have no idea.”

  “I’d better kiss you goodbye then.”

  His kiss is soft and gentle, and when I close my eyes, all I feel is his love.

  The thought of not belonging here still circles me like a vulture, but when he just shows me he loves me, the barrier between us crumbles.

  “I won’t be long. Make sure you have something to drink.”

  “Yes, boss.”

  His grin makes me laugh. “That’s right. I am. So stay here and do as you’re told.”

  “Oooh I hope you know what it does to me when you’re being all dominant.” I laugh harder as his eyes widen. “It’s a joke. You know I’m in charge.”

  He shakes his head. “I should have known that was too good to be true. Be back soon.”

  I do as I’m told and take a sip of water before settling down on the pillows.

  Closing my eyes, I enjoy the cool air flowing over me. Sleep pulls at me, and even though I don’t want to, I slide into its grip.

  “Delaney?”

  I open my eyes to see Becky approaching the bed. She’s as white as a sheet, and her mouth is hanging open.

  “You really are his girlfriend.”

  “I thought you might like to see her,” Josh says as he follows her into the room.

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  He walks to me, leans over and kisses the top of my head. “I told Becky how grateful I am that she helped you. I’m not sure she really believed it.”

  Becky sits on the side of the bed. “I thought that was a story to get past the guard. What an asshole, not letting you in.”

  “Reece got rid of him. I was ready to kill him, but Reece spoke to the big boss at the security company and had that guard moved on.”

  “Do you mean he lost his job?” I ask.

  Josh shrugs. “He’s nowhere near you, and that’s all that matters. I’m sure they just moved him somewhere else. Hopefully he loses that attitude.”

  “I hope so. He was nasty. The guard earlier in the day at least flirted with me,” Becky says.

  I laugh. “I could have handled that.”

  Wriggling over, I make space for Josh to sit beside me. I lean my head on his shoulder. “I’m just glad it’s all over. What about you, Becky? Are you going home now you’ve met Josh?”

  She laughs, nodding. “I haven’t been home in three days. It’s time. I still can’t believe I’m here.”

  “Well, I’ll follow up as we agreed, and get some signed merchandise sent to you,” Josh says. “And like I said, I’m so grateful you were there when you were and that you helped Delaney. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

  “I’m just glad Delaney’s okay. That must have hurt when you hit the road.”

  I shrug. “I can’t even remember it.”

  “Your face does, judging from the bruises,” Becky says.

  I raise my hand to the side of my head. It is tender, and there’s a lump that’ll take a while to go away.

  Josh kisses my hair. “I hate seeing you hurt.”

  “A bit of rest and I’ll be fine.”

  “I should be going and let you rest,” Becky says.

  “Thank you again.” I smile.

  “You’re welcome. I can’t speak for everyone out there, but I’ll leave you two alone. Have a good holiday, Delaney.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” Josh says.

  He pecks me on the head again. “I’ll only be a minute.”

  Becky pauses in the doorway. “If you’re ever back in Honolulu, give me a call. I gave Josh my details so he can send me some posters.”

  I nod. “I’d like that.”

  I close my eyes again as they leave. I’m vaguely aware of the bed sinking soon afterward.

  “Now I’ve got you all to myself.”

  “I’m too tired to do anything.”

  Josh laughs softly in my ear. “That’s why we’re going to sleep.”

  I snuggle back against him as he spoons me.

  His warm hand on my stomach is the last thing I remember.

  Thirty-Seven

  Josh

  By morning, Delaney’s feeling a lot better.

  The colour’s back in her cheeks, and her eyes aren’t as sunken as they were last night.

  She’s propped up in bed, eating breakfast, and no longer talking about going home.

  I dodged a bullet. And I have to make sure that she feels comfortable in this life with me before I stand a chance of her and Amelia being with me full-time.

  “I’ve got a treat for you this morning,” I say.

  Her smile lights up her whole face. It’s a far cry from the miserable Delaney I brought home from the hospital. It does my heart good to see it.

  “What is it?”

  I lick my lips. “I got a text from Reece. He wants to see you’re okay for himself. So, I’m going to FaceTime him.”

  “You’re FaceTiming Reece Evans?”

  I laugh. “If he hadn’t been such a man whore, you would have met him back in LA. I don’t know why you’re fangirling over him.”

  She pouts. “I’m allowed. Besides, I didn’t think I could fangirl over you.”

  I laugh. “If you’d met him back in LA, you’d be giving him the same shit you give me. At least this way I get to keep that all to myself.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “About you.”

  I sit on the bed beside Delaney and dial.

  Reece’s smiling face fills the screen. “Dude. Took you long enough.”

  I laugh. “I had to warn Delaney what I was doing so she didn’t die of shock.”

  He chuckles. “Introduce us.”

  I grin. “Delaney, this is Reece.”

  Her eyes widen as I turn the iPhone toward her. “Reece Evans, this is Delaney.”

  “Damn, Carter. You done good.”

  Delaney blushes. “Can we keep him?”

  I scowl. “Hey.”

  “I’ve seen all his movies.”

  “Your girl has good taste.” Reece laughs, and the sound of Delaney joining him makes me smile.

  “You’ve seen all his movies, and never watched mine?” I stare at her.

  She shrugs. “There’s a reason I never watched yours. Him, I never had a problem with.”

  Reece lets out a low whistle. “She’s got you there, Josh. It’s very nice to meet the famous Delaney after all this time.”

  Delaney shifts her gaze to me.

  “He’s been talking about you for years. You were the one who got away. But I guess there’s no chance of that happening again. Such a shame.”

  His eyes drift down the screen, and I look from the phone to Delaney. One of the straps of her nightgown has slid down her arm, and …

  I tilt the phone up.

  “Dude.”

  “That’s my girlfriend you’re perving on.”

  Delaney giggles, and I arch an eyebrow at her.

  “She’s cute.” Reece winks and I just shake my head. “Anyway, Delaney, I wanted to make sure you were okay after yesterday. I heard all about it from my housekeeper. She was very upset.”

  Delaney nods. “I’m okay. Another day or so out of the sun a
nd I’ll be fine.”

  “That should never have happened. The security company is usually so good at keeping track when I have guests stay. They really dropped the ball with you, and I’m sorry. Any time you need somewhere to stay in Hawaii, you’re welcome at my place.”

  “Thanks, Reece. I really appreciate it.”

  “I’ve got to run, I’ve got a scene to shoot. Go look after our girl, Carter. I will definitely call you another time. Hope you’re enjoying your holiday otherwise.”

  Delaney shoots me a heated gaze, and I damn near drop the phone.

  “I’m sure the rest will be fantastic,” she says. I suck in a breath as her hand lands in my lap.

  “Gotta go, Reece. Bye.” I terminate the call and Delaney giggles when I launch myself at her.

  “So, you’ve seen all his movies?”

  Delaney nods. “Every one.”

  “Do you want to see more of mine?”

  She runs her tongue slowly over her bottom lip. “Maybe.”

  “I’ll pick something out for tonight.”

  With a sigh, she lies back on the pillow. “I like that idea. What are we going to do today seeing as I’m not supposed to get any sun?”

  I grin. “Oh, I can think of a few things.”

  Delaney captures one of her curls with her index finger and twists. “What kind of things?”

  “Let me show you.”

  She laughs as I brush my lips over her neck. “Oh, I like the way you think, Mr. Carter.”

  “I won’t stop until you tell me you’re still mine.”

  “Josh,” she says softly.

  I raise my head. “I know you’re struggling, but I want this to work more than anything. I’ll make things better, Delaney. I swear.”

  She nods, but the sadness in her eyes tells me she’s not sure if she believes me. “I know you will.”

  “You’re my whole world.”

  Her lips twitch into a smile again. “I’m yours, Josh. Always was. Always will be.”

  I trace my fingers down her cheek.

  “Thank you for calling Reece. It was fun.” Her smile widens. “I also met Gabby when I was out.”

  It takes me a moment to register what she’s said. “Gabby Reynolds?”

  She nods. “She was shopping. Or, rather, Antonio was.”

  I laugh. “Those two are joined at the hip.”

  “They’re really something. Gabby recognised me from the apparently million photos of me you had in your trailer.”

  “I might have gone a bit overboard.”

  “Josh, I know you love me. I don’t ever want you to think I doubt that.”

  “As long as you remember that whatever happens. Life with me won’t always be easy, but I will always do my best to protect you.”

  I mean what I say. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Delaney and Amelia safe.

  But it only takes a few days to feel like some of that unravels.

  Thirty-Eight

  Delaney

  My dad was a big fan of Joe Jackson.

  It’s one of the few things I know about him.

  Mum played his Look Sharp album a million times when I was a kid. Apparently they were both fans. The refrain of “Is She Really Going Out With Him” played throughout so many of my childhood memories.

  It’s the song I hear in my head now as I look at the headline on this story. I really shouldn’t be reading it, but it’s hard not to.

  The headline reads: Is he really going out with her? And there’s a photo of us leaving the hospital, my hand in his as he helps me into the back of the limo. I’m leaning toward him, my head against his shoulder. It’s actually a really nice photo of me. I bite my bottom lip as I open the image in a new tab and save it as Josh’s wallpaper.

  The column’s written by some nasty, bitter gossip columnist who probably wants a piece of him for herself. And I could let it drag me down, but I’ve already learned I need to harden myself against the bad stuff. It’s hard when it’s right in your face.

  “What are you looking at?” Josh walks into the room, towelling his hair dry. The humidity is pretty high today, and we’ve both been trying to cool down. Not easy when we end up tangled in the sheets right after showering most times.

  “This lovely photo someone took of us.”

  He leans over my shoulder to look at the computer browser. “What the fuck? She’s got your name and everything.”

  “You know, you did just fire Mac. He doesn’t like me.” The words are out before I can stop them, but Josh just nods.

  “You’re probably right. I’ll get my publicist onto it. I thought we might have more time to ourselves before the world caught wind of us. I’ll ask her to watch out for stories about Amelia.”

  I turn in my seat, looking up at him. “I’ll call Pania too. She’ll keep Amelia safe.”

  “I’ve been on the receiving end of her glares. I have faith in her.”

  This was what I always feared, but at the same time, I knew it would come at some point. “Are you okay with this? I mean, if they go digging …”

  He leans forward so his face is inches from mine. “They’ll find a pair of teenagers who just had some things to work out before they got their lives together. And they’ll also find a pair of adults who don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks because they’re crazy in love.”

  I grin.

  “Where’s your phone? You have social media, right?”

  I nod. “Mine and the diner. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.”

  “You should turn off all your notifications. There’ll be people who have already tracked you down. I wanted to protect you from all of this.” He sighs. “There’ll be some nasty messages and posts aimed at you.”

  “I’ll turn off my messaging everywhere. Facebook’s already locked down to friends only.”

  “Oh, you’ll have friend requests. I don’t need to tell you to be careful.”

  I pick up my phone.

  “Clear them. There’s no point in trying to keep up with that.”

  “Reece Evans friend requested me.”

  Josh laughs. “Typical. Just let me double check that it’s actually his account.”

  It takes a moment for him to check. I just stare at my phone. Reece Evans wants to be my Facebook friend. What planet am I living on?

  “That’s him alright. There’s a request from Gabby too.”

  “You can accept that one. She suggested we get together for dinner before we all leave.”

  Josh nods. “We should. I’ll give her a call later to organise something. Do you use lists for your Facebook friends?”

  I shake my head.

  “Maybe you should start. Then you can keep posts just for us.”

  “Well, there aren’t any nudes.”

  Josh laughs. “Save those for me.”

  I lean over and peck him on the cheek. “They’ll only be for you. I’ll sort the lists out later.”

  I rub my face with my hands. “This is all so much.”

  “This is my life, Delaney. I’m not known for dating, so my friends, the ones who want to be friends with you, know that it’s serious.”

  My phone pings a bunch of times, and he sighs. “I’ll turn your notifications off too. I didn’t want it to yet, but your life is going to change. You know that, don’t you?”

  “I do.”

  “Still want me?”

  I take the phone from his hands and throw it on the bed. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I push myself against him and give him a kiss that’ll leave him with no doubt just how much I want him.

  “We are never going to leave this bedroom again, are we?” he asks.

  “Another week and I’ll be going home, so yes, we will at some point.”

  He looks at me with so much love it takes my breath away.

  “Why don’t we see if we can FaceTime Amelia and then I’ll take you to dinner. If our relationship is out there, we’ve got nothing to hide.”

  “Are you sure?” He h
as his own world to protect—especially now he’s cut ties with Mac.

  “Am I sure I want to take my beautiful girl out, and not hide her from the world? Yes. Reece told me about a great place to eat. Let’s try it. But first, Amelia.”

  After checking the time, I FaceTime Pania. She grins when she answers.

  “I’ve just been reading this really terrible story about you. The photo’s hot though. You two are on fire together.”

  I laugh. “That’s what I just told Josh.”

  “I’m guessing you want to talk to this girl who went crazy the second she heard your voice?”

  “Yes please.”

  Josh leans over me as Melly’s face fills the screen.

  “Daddy!” she shrieks.

  “Hey, baby.”

  “I miss you.” She pouts, and my heart melts at the sight.

  “I miss you too, but I’m coming to see you soon. Just gotta finish this movie, and I’ll be all yours for a few weeks.”

  Turning to him, I shoot him a look that I hope says really?

  “My plans have changed a little during the past week. I got rid of something that was holding me back, and now I can pay some attention to you.”

  Melly claps, and I swallow hard. He’d better come through for her.

  “I’m going to take your mother to dinner, but I just wanted to say hi and tell you that I love you very much.”

  “I miss Mummy.” She sniffs.

  “I know you do, baby, but I’ll be home in a week. And then it sounds like we’re getting ready for Daddy to come and stay with us.” I nudge Josh’s arm.

  “Pania makes nice pancakes. We have them every morning for breakfast,” Melly says.

  “Do you? Better than silly old cereal.” I smile. My heart pangs seeing her. This is the longest we’ve been separated, and I can’t wait to get home to her. Especially if Josh is following me.

  We make small talk for a bit, and then Pania calls her in the background.

  “We gotta go to the diner, Mummy.” She purses her lips.

  “Okay. Be good for Pania. Love you, baby.”

  My heart lunges as the screen goes blank and I lose sight of her. That little girl has been my whole life for the past few years. I feel like I’m missing a limb without her.