by Tia Siren
Another woman opened a door, popping her head out. “Emily?”
“Yes,” I said, standing.
“Come with me, please.”
I walked with her down a short hall. We went into a small, windowless office that suddenly made me feel as if I were in an interrogation room. She gestured for me to have a seat in a wooden chair on one side of the table.
“I just have a few more questions,” she said with a friendly smile. “We have to make sure you are who you say you are, so we will need a quick picture to include with your application as well.”
I nodded my head. “I’m definitely me,” I joked, feeling nervous.
She asked me a few more questions, told me they would be running a background check, and then took my picture.
“As you know, the show will be starting soon. If you don’t hear from us by tomorrow, you can assume we’ve not chosen you. If we do call you, I need you to be prepared to attend a formal cocktail party tomorrow evening. We’ll tell you the location if and when we call,” she said.
I nodded my head. “Okay.”
“Thank you for coming in. I’ll walk you out,” she said, still very friendly.
Once outside, I called Sarah to see if she had a couple minutes to talk. When I told her I was at her building, she squealed and told me to stay put.
I waited outside, sitting on a small bench in a grassy area, thinking about what I had just done. Never in a million years would I have imagined doing something so out of character for me.
“You did it!” she shouted, bursting through the doors and rushing toward me. “I can’t believe you did it!”
“That makes two of us,” I mumbled.
“Did you get on?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. She said she would call me if I made it. If I don’t get a call tomorrow, I didn’t get on.”
“You’ll get one. You have to,” she said, squeezing my hand.
I sighed. “If I don’t, it’s plan B. I’ll stalk the man until I get his attention.”
She was silent for a moment. “Are you going to tell him?”
“Tell him?” I asked, trying to keep up with the two different conversations we were obviously having in our heads.
“About Tommy,” she said, as if it were obvious.
“Of course. That’s the whole point of talking to him.”
She shook her head. “I know you, Emily. I don’t see you running up to a man, who is essentially a stranger, and telling him he’s the father of your child.”
I wrinkled my nose. “You’re right. Assuming I get to go to this little shindig tomorrow, and assuming he recognizes me, no, I don’t think I’ll blurt out that he fathered a child. I need to get to know him a little bit. If he is some wack job, I don’t want him to know about Tommy.”
She chuckled. “He’s got a clean record if that’s any consolation. The studio’s lawyers made sure they ran a full background on him. They couldn’t promote a wack job and pair him up with women.”
I nodded. “Good. That’s very good to know. I still need to know about his character. Is he a jerk? Arrogant? Obnoxious?”
Sarah burst into laughter. “Usually, those are things a person generally knows before they have someone’s child.”
I shrugged. “Hey, I like to do things my own way.”
She burst into laughter again. “I’d say so. So, what if he recognizes you? Then what?”
I took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I hope to get a few minutes of his time or at least get a better understanding of who he is. I am still very leery of chasing after a man who puts on a reality show to find a wife. That seems like an asshole thing to do.”
“Okay. Understandable. Give him a chance. You don’t have to like him or love him, but he does need to help with Tommy’s support.”
I nodded. “I know. You’re right. But, if he is a complete jerk, I think I’d rather Tommy never know his father. I’ll figure out a way if it comes to that.”
“Good girl. So, let’s talk about what you’re going to wear tomorrow,” she said, grinning.
I laughed. “We don’t even know if I’m going to get the call.”
“Girl, please. You’re fucking gorgeous. If I wasn’t your friend, I would hate you for looking that good after having a kid, and seriously, you don’t look like you’ve aged a day since you were twenty-five. I’ve seen some of the pictures of the women who’ve made it through. You’ll get the call,” she vowed.
I released a sigh. “I hate to admit it, but I hope so. I want to see him again. Is that terrible?”
She smiled. “After the limited details you gave me about that night, I think you would be crazy not to want to see him again. Hell, if you hadn’t had him first, I would want to meet him,” she said, winking.
“I’m a jumble of nerves. I want to see him because, honestly, he has been haunting me for years,” I admitted.
“I know,” she said, patting my leg. “I think this could be good for you for a whole number of reasons. Go, have fun, mingle, and flirt and see if you two hit it off. Maybe he won’t remember you and you get a fresh start. That could be a good thing.”
I nodded. “I think I would actually prefer that scenario.”
“I have to get back to work. If I get the chance to put your application through, I will. I’m going to tell Gabe he has to put in my super-hot friend, and if not, I quit,” she said, standing and putting both hands on her hips.
I stood up, hugged her, and shook my head. “Don’t you dare. If I get in, I get in. If not, just call me Stalker Emily.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like the name, but you would look hot in all black with one of those cute little hats.”
She headed inside, and I walked to my car. I had a couple hours of free time before I needed to pick up Tommy. I thought about what I had in my closet and realized I would need a dress for tomorrow, assuming I got the call.
Instead of picking up groceries, I went to one of my favorite consignment stores to do a little window shopping. I looked for something off-brand, tried a few things on, but nothing looked or felt as great as the brand-name stuff.
I looked at the price tags and mentally calculated how much I would have to make in tips to pay for the thing. My hand moved over my purse where my emergency credit card was waiting. Did I dare? Before I could talk myself out of it, I bought the royal blue cocktail dress with lots of sparkling diamonds sewn around the low-cut V-neck. If I was going to do this, I was going all in.
I skipped the shoe section of the store and headed across the street to a thrift store. There was no way I could spend what they were asking for their used shoes. I would stick with something cheap. If all went well, he wouldn’t be looking at my feet.
I ran by the grocery store and picked up a few things before picking Tommy up at daycare. It was the usual complaints all the way home. Hopefully, my diabolical little plan would work out and Tommy would be in a preschool that challenged him within the next few months. I smirked while thinking about the car rides home after a day there. He would probably complain that the work was too hard.
Chapter Nine
Tyler
When I opened my eyes at around four in morning, I felt an energy vibrating through my body. This was the day. After four years, I would find her today. At least, that was what I was hoping for. If I didn’t see her tonight, I wasn’t sure where to go from this point. I knew I would have to make a decision to either abandon the dream of finding her or keep searching. The rational side of me knew the latter wasn’t smart. I was wasting time and spinning my wheels.
I quickly dressed in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and found my way to my home gym. It was outfitted with everything you would find in a typical gym. The treadmill was my favorite. I did a few stretches, flipped on the news channel that would give me all the information about stock predictions for the day, and climbed on the treadmill for a grueling workout.
As my feet bounced off the black belt of the machine, I thought abo
ut her. My arms pumped, and I could feel the sweat trickling down the small of my back the longer I ran. It felt good. I was getting out all that pent-up frustration that had been building all week.
When I finally felt as if I had run far enough, I climbed off the machine and wiped my brow, walking toward my room on legs that felt tingly. I felt renewed and ready. Now I just had to get through a boring day at work.
I was sitting at my desk, staring at the screen on my computer and seeing nothing, when I heard a knock on the door before it opened.
I looked up to see Connor coming toward me with a stack of papers.
“What’s that?” I asked, noticing the smile on his face. He looked very pleased with himself.
“Hopefully, your future wife,” he said, laughing a little.
I raised an eyebrow and looked down at the stack of papers he set in front of me. “What?”
“These are the applications of the women the show has chosen to present to you. You said you wanted to know who the women were.”
I nodded my head, flipping through the pages. “There are no pictures,” I said.
Connor chuckled. “No, there are not. Your buddy Gabe wants you to be surprised. The cameras will be rolling, and they want to get your reaction to seeing the women.”
I growled while reading through the names and bios of the women. “This doesn’t do me any good,” I said, shoving the pages away.
I didn’t know her damn name. I wanted pictures!
“The party is tonight at seven. Do you want your tux delivered here, or will you be going home to change?” Connor asked, ignoring my frustration.
“I’ll change here.” I glowered, pissed I had to wait to find out if she was a name on the list.
“I’ll have your tux sent over,” he said and walked out the door, leaving me alone.
I stared at the papers. It was information I should have cared about. I didn’t. The only woman’s bio I was interested in was hers, and I didn’t know her damn name! I ignored the papers and got back to work, or at least I tried.
When it was time to go to the party, I felt out of sorts. So much was riding on this one night. I was escorted through a back door and met with Gabe and Jack, who gave me a rundown of how the evening would go. Basically, I would be announced to a room full of women who were all vying for the chance to be my bride. I would have a chance to chat with each of them if I chose. I was told to play it up for the cameras and talk to every woman.
“Got it. Can we do this?” I asked, anxious to see if she was in the crowd.
Gabe smiled, thinking I was eager for the show. Let him think whatever he wanted. I waited behind a closed door while the host of the show gave a spiel about who I was before finally introducing me. I walked out to a cacophony of cat calls and clapping hands. I ignored it all, scanning the crowd, looking for the green eyes that had captivated me. I didn’t see her.
“Here you go, sir,” a waiter said, handing me a glass of champagne.
I took the glass and headed into the crowd. It felt a little awkward to be the sole focus of attention. The women all looked similar, which had been my doing. There were various shades of brown and even a few redheads thrown into the mix. All the women were pretty in their own right, but none of them were her.
I made my way around the room, smiling and doing my best to be friendly despite the complete letdown happening inside my heart. I had just been snared by a particularly beautiful, exotic-looking woman—Cora, her name tag said—when there was a bit of a commotion at the door. I glanced over, saw the security team close the door, and heard hushed voices. I turned my attention back to Cora.
“Hi. I’m Tyler,” I said.
She smiled, showing off a perfect set of white teeth. “Cora. It’s good to meet you,” she cooed.
There was no denying the woman was extremely attractive. She had an it factor that drew me in.
“I’m sorry,” I heard. It was a woman’s voice, and my body froze.
I turned to the door just as a woman wearing a blue dress walked in. She was looking down at her chest, adjusting her name tag. I waited for her to look up, holding my breath. I watched as she turned away from me and took an offered glass of champagne.
“Look this way,” I muttered under my breath.
“Excuse me?” Cora said.
I ignored her. All my attention was focused on the girl in blue. I wasn’t the only one watching her. She had made quite the entrance and the other women in the room were checking her out as well.
Then, as if in slow motion, she turned to scan the crowd and it was like I was hit by a speeding train. The breath I had been holding gushed out when our eyes met.
It was her!
I couldn’t move. I stared at her, drinking in the sight of the woman who had been flitting through my dreams for too long. Seeing her in person, I realized she was far more beautiful than I had even remembered. Her high cheekbones, perfect skin, and long, flowing chestnut hair were all so much prettier in person than in my memory. The two of us stood in the crowd of women, staring at one another. I knew people were watching us and didn’t care.
I started to move toward her.
“Tyler?” called a voice from behind me.
I stopped to look back and saw Cora looking at me with irritation.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled and turned back to find her.
She wasn’t there. I quickly scanned the crowd; my height was no match for the killer heels most of the women were wearing. All the brown heads in the room made it even more difficult to find her.
“Hi,” a woman said, reaching out and touching my forearm.
I smiled. “Good evening,” I said, still looking for my mystery woman.
“I was hoping we could chat for a few minutes,” the woman said.
I didn’t want to be rude, but I didn’t want to chat with anyone but her.
“You know, I’ll be around. I need to take care of something real quick,” I told her, extricating my arm and moving toward a blue dress.
I was close but was stopped once again by Gabe.
“Hey! This is an amazing turnout!”
I nodded, my eyes focused on the back of the blue dress moving farther away from me. “It is.”
“Have you had a chance to talk with most of the women?” he asked.
I finally gave him my attention. “Not all.”
He chuckled. “You don’t need to talk to them all. Have you found anyone you’d like to get to know better? We need to announce who you will be going on the first date with.”
“What?” I said, blinking several times to try to focus on what he was saying.
“You need to announce the first date. That’s what they’re all waiting to hear,” he said in a low voice. “They’re getting restless.”
I looked at my watch. “It’s been an hour.”
“For you. We had to get on-camera interviews with them and get shots of them mingling and talking about who they thought would win and that kind of thing,” he said.
“Fine. Give me a couple minutes,” I said, hoping to find her and at least get her name.
I made my way toward the last place I’d seen her. She wasn’t there.
“We’re ready for you, sir,” announced a young man wearing a shirt that identified him as part of the production crew.
I went with him and stepped onto the small stage, scanning the room once again. I saw her toward the back of the room, looking unsure and out of place. I smiled. I knew she recognized me. I could see it in her eyes. She looked a little embarrassed. I wanted to race to her and tell her how glad I was to see her. I couldn’t. Not yet.
The host of the show was standing in front of a podium, giving a little speech about the way the dates would be chosen and making a big deal about the first date of the show. I watched her the entire time, drinking in every detail about her. Her little sparkling jewels highlighted a healthy amount of cleavage. I remembered those breasts in my hands and wanted them again. I saw her squirm a littl
e and smiled again. She was remembering our night together as well.
It was my turn to speak.
“I’m told I get to ask one of you lovely ladies out on a date, and I have it on good authority you’ll say yes,” I said with a smooth smile.
There was a collective laugh from the room.
“You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t remember all your names. I’ve met a lot of lovely women tonight, and I promise, I will learn to keep the names straight.”
My eyes went to her. “The woman I’d like to take to dinner tomorrow is you,” I said, pointing at her. “The woman in the blue dress who clearly doesn’t have a watch,” I teased. “Would you please go out to dinner with me?”
Everyone turned to look at her. Two men holding cameras on their shoulders cut through the crowd, racing to get an up-close shot of her. I saw her blushing and smiled.
I raised an eyebrow, silently asking her again. She nodded her head and gave a shy smile. “Yes,” she said.
I barely heard the word; it was masked by moans in the crowd. I stepped off the small stage and tried to make my toward her. I was consistently snagged by eager women hoping to get the next date. My eyes kept roving around the room. I saw her disappear through a small door with Gabe and Jack and wanted to follow. I never got the chance.
When I caught up to Gabe, I asked where my date had gone. He informed me she had left for the night. I wanted to scream in frustration.
“Relax. You’ll see her tomorrow,” Gabe said, assuring me with a big grin. “She’s pretty. The camera loves her.”
I nodded, not giving a shit about the camera. “I’m ready to call it a night.”
Gabe looked to the producer, who had been standing nearby. “Another thirty minutes.”
I looked at him, ready to tell him to kiss my ass, but was waylaid by the lovely Cora. I’d stick around for a bit more and leave when I was damn well ready.
Chapter Ten
Emily
“Mom!” Tommy hollered from the living room. “Someone’s knocking on the door!”
Nerves danced around in my belly as I walked to the door to let Sarah in.