Scarlett glanced back up. “Beau and I aren’t anything. I mean, I won’t lie and say things didn’t progress beyond a working relationship, but that’s over.”
“Is it?”
Nodding, Scarlett chewed the inside of her cheek before continuing. “He hasn’t fully let me in. I know about the reasons he left here when he was eighteen. I know the issues with his brothers and his dad. But when he and Colt went to see their dad the other day, Beau shut down and wouldn’t let me help. I don’t even know what happened.”
Annabelle leaned back on the couch and released Scarlett’s hands. “Grant didn’t remember his sons,” she stated. “Colt said Beau took it pretty hard and wouldn’t even talk to him on the ride home.”
Oh, Beau.
“He has let you in,” Annabelle went on. “And I’m here to tell you that if you want to give it a try with him, I’m going to help. Alexa and Pepper are ready to join in, too.”
Stunned, Scarlett eased back and laughed. “Excuse me?”
Annabelle’s smile spread wide across her face. “We all three figured if you want to make a statement, it’s going to have to be bold.”
“The three of you discussed this?” Scarlett asked, still shocked. “What do you all think I should be doing?”
That smile turned positively mischievous and the gleam in her eye was a bit disconcerting. Annabelle reached for her hand once again.
“What do you say about going to your first movie premiere?”
Sixteen
This entire thing was absurd. The fact that she’d let Annabelle, Alexa and Pepper not only talk her into using the Elliotts’ private jet to fly to LA, but they’d given her a makeover on top of that. Somehow, in a whirlwind of deciding she couldn’t let Beau go without a fight and getting her hair curled and lips painted, she’d ended up at a Hollywood movie premiere.
Scarlett sat in the back of a limo—somehow the dynamic trio managed to get her that as well—and looked over at Madelyn in the carrier car seat. She’d guarantee this was the only limo arriving tonight with a car seat in the back.
Somehow the ladies had not only procured a dress for Scarlett, along with shoes and a fashionable bag, they’d found a red sparkly dress and matching headband for Madelyn.
As the limo slowed, Scarlett turned her attention to the tinted window. Bright lights flooded the night, cameras flashed, the roar of the crowd filtered in and nerves swirled through her belly at the sight and sound.
What was she thinking coming here? She was so far out of her element. She didn’t do crowds or glam or dressing up in a fitted, sequined emerald green gown with her hair curled and in bright red lipstick. She was more of a relaxed kind of girl who made homemade baby food and decorated with clearance Christmas decor.
“Ma’am, I’m going to pull closer to the red carpet entrance,” the driver informed her. “Please wait until a guard opens your door and escorts you out.”
Oh, mercy. She was really going through with this. Scarlett didn’t know how the incredible Elliott women managed the jet, the wardrobe, the limo and a last-minute invite to the red carpet to arrive just after Beau’s car. No doubt money talked and they had tapped into some powerful resources to make all of this happen in less than twenty-four hours.
The car came to a stop and Scarlett unfastened a sleepy baby from her car seat. She cradled Madelyn against her chest and adjusted the headband, which had slipped down over one eye like a pirate’s patch.
“You’ll just be around the block?” she asked the driver. “I’m leaving the rest of Madelyn’s things in here.”
“Yes, ma’am. You call me and I’ll be right back. I’m only driving for you tonight.”
Scarlett’s stylish clutch was just large enough for a couple of diapers, a travel pack of wipes, her cell and her wallet. She’d just fed the baby before Madelyn fell asleep so they should be good for a few hours. Besides, who’s to say Beau wouldn’t publicly reject her and she’d be right back in this car in just a few moments?
But what if he asked her to stay? What if he wanted to take her and Madelyn into the premiere and whatever party after?
She’d worry about that when the time came. Right now, her car had eased up and came to another stop. The lights and the screams intensified and Scarlett had to concentrate on the sweet child in her arms, still sleeping and oblivious to this milestone moment.
The door opened and the warm California air hit her. She already missed Texas and the laid-back life with cool evenings. Maybe city life wasn’t for her. Maybe she hadn’t only found the man—she’d found a piece of herself that clicked right into place. Perhaps the next chapter she was going to start was the wrong one. She had so many questions...and they were all about to be answered.
Scarlett laid a protective hand over Madelyn’s ears to protect her from the thundering noise, but she stirred and her eyes popped open.
Questions and microphones were shot in her direction, but Scarlett looked ahead, beyond the men in black suits with mics attached to their lapels. She ignored the questions of who she was, what part she had in the film, who was the cute baby.
Scarlett spotted a flash of the wide, familiar grin then broad shoulders eased away from one set of reporters to another. Beau was flanked by those men in suits who were unsmiling and whose eyes were always scanning the area.
A hand slid over her elbow and Scarlett jerked to see who was beside her.
“Right this way, ma’am.” One of the suited men clearly recognized the newbie on the red carpet and tried to usher her along. “There is extra security tonight with all the hype. I’ll make sure you and your little one get to the entrance of the theater.”
She had to strain to hear him over the white noise of the crowd and she didn’t even bother to tell him this child wasn’t hers, but rather belonged to the star of the premiere. Had she made a mistake bringing Madelyn? Would Beau be upset? She wanted to show him they could all be a family—they could be one unit and build something solid together.
One thing she knew for certain: she wasn’t about to stop and talk to the different media outlets. For one thing, she had nothing to say that she’d want printed or quoted. For another, she was here for only one reason and it wasn’t to be interviewed.
Scarlett shifted Madelyn in her arms, still shielding the baby’s ears from the chaos. She leaned toward the security guard as she tried to keep up with the pace he’d set.
“I don’t need to talk to any reporters. I’m here with Mr. Elliott,” she informed him. Then she realized how stalker-like that sounded, so she quickly added, “And this is his baby.”
The guard looked at her then down to Madelyn, but Scarlett smiled, hoping he’d move this process along. She had a right to be here—she assumed since Annabelle assured her this was okay—and she couldn’t wait.
The man finally nodded and gripped his lapel as he talked out the side of his mouth and ordered the guards up ahead to stop Beau from moving to the next set of reporters.
Scarlett pushed through, ignoring the yells from either side of the roped-off area. If she tried to take in all the lights, all of the questions, all of the chaos around her, she would give in to the fear and the anxiety that had accompanied her all the way from Texas.
She never should have let Beau walk out of that cabin thinking he didn’t mean more to her. Their time together since she’d shut down had been so strained and she’d ached for him in ways she’d never imagined possible.
In her defense, she’d been hurt and thought it best if they made a clean break since their temporary arrangement was coming to an end anyway. Unfortunately, that clean break didn’t work.
Because she loved him.
There was no way to ignore such strong emotions and if she had to make a fool of herself and take the biggest risk of her life, then she was willing to try for the man she’d fallen for so helplessly.
&nb
sp; One of the escorts next to Beau tapped on his shoulder and intervened, pulling him from a current interview. Then the man leaned in and told Beau something that had Beau darting his gaze straight in her direction and their eyes instantly locked.
Scarlett wasn’t sure if it was the shock in his eyes or the wide smile on his face that had her nerves kicking in even more. She watched as he raked that sultry dark gaze over her body. Even at this distance and despite the chaos around them, the visual lick Beau gave her had her body instantly responding.
His eyes snapped back to hers and then he was taking long strides to come back down the red carpet. Scarlett didn’t think she’d ever seen him smile this much.
“Scarlett.”
Beau reached her and shook his head, as if still processing what she was doing here. That went for her, too. She felt as if this whole night was surreal.
“How did you... What... Annabelle texted me and asked if I could get a couple of passes and a limo. My agent pulled everything together, but I just assumed she and Colt were coming.”
Well, that explained how the quick red carpet treatment happened.
“Mr. Elliott, who’s the lady?”
“Beau, is that your little girl?”
“Is Jennifer James no longer part of your life?”
Reporters shot off so many questions, so prying and so demanding. Part of Scarlett wished she would’ve waited until he got home, but the other part was glad she’d allowed herself to be talked into coming. Standing here, supporting him, was the only way she knew to truly show him how sorry she was and how much he meant to her.
“I wanted to surprise you,” Scarlett told him. “This wasn’t my idea, but I needed to tell you—”
He slid his hands up her bare arms and stepped farther into her, with Madelyn nestled between them.
“Say it,” he demanded. “I need to hear it.”
Scarlett stared up into those dark eyes. “What do you need to hear?”
“That you love me.” A corner of his mouth quirked into a grin. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”
She shifted Madelyn, but Beau ended up easing his daughter up into his arms. He palmed her back with one large hand and held her secure against his chest.
Questions roared even louder, but his eyes never left Scarlett’s. The media might as well not even exist; all his attention was on her.
How did she ever think that his words weren’t genuine? That he didn’t think they were something special? He’d shown her over and over again just how much she meant to him and she’d shied away in fear. She firmly believed that everything he told Colt was to save her reputation, which only added another layer of respect and love.
“Scarlett.”
She smoothed her hand down her emerald beaded gown and tucked the clutch beneath her arm.
“I wanted to be the one to tell you.” Scarlett smiled, though her nerves were at an all-time high. “But you stole the words from my mouth.”
Beau’s hand went to her hip and he leaned down. If she thought the crowd was loud before, that was nothing compared to the roar now. They were yelling so much. She couldn’t make out full questions, but she did pick up on “romance” and “love.” Yes, they had all of that and so much more.
“Say it,” he told her again.
Her eyes darted away, but he raised his hand to cup her face, drawing her attention back to him.
“I’m right here,” he stated. “They don’t exist. It’s just the three of us.”
His sweet girl was a package deal and she absolutely loved how he always put Madelyn first. And she wanted them as a package because she couldn’t think of a better present.
“I love you,” she told him as she reached up to lay her hand over his. “I’m sorry I didn’t have the courage to say it before, but I got scared the other day. All of this happened so fast, but everything I feel is so, so real.”
He closed the distance between them and touched his lips to hers. And that set the media into a tizzy.
“Beau, is this your new leading lady from the picture?”
“Does she have a name?”
“Is this the rumored nanny?”
“Are you planning a Christmas proposal?”
Beau pressed his forehead to hers. “Are you sure you’re ready for all of this tonight?”
Scarlett wasn’t sure, but if this was what Beau’s life consisted of, she’d find a way to make things work.
“If you love me, then I’m ready for anything,” she said, easing back to glance up at him.
“I love you, Scarlett. As crazy as it is, as little time as we’ve known each other, I love you more than I ever thought I could love any woman.”
Her heart swelled and she knew the risk she’d taken had paid off.
“I know I could’ve waited for you to get back to Texas, but Annabelle thought I should make a statement.”
Beau chuckled as he slid an arm around her waist. “Baby, that dress is quite the statement and I plan on showing you when we get back to my place tonight.”
She hadn’t thought that far, but the idea of ending the night at his house in the Hollywood Hills, of seeing even more into his world had her giddy with anticipation.
Scarlett smoothed a hand over Madelyn’s dark curls. “You mentioned wanting a big family and you know that I can’t give you that.”
“Adoption,” he said, using one simple word to put her worries at ease and further prove just how amazing he was. “We’ll have that large family when the time is right.”
She chewed on her bottom lip and then smiled. “Is it too late to tell you that the farmhouse you bought is perfect for us?”
Beau tapped her forehead with a quick kiss. “That place was always for us,” he explained. “I just didn’t get a chance to tell you before Colt showed up and then you kicked me out of your room.”
He’d planned that house to be for the three of them all this time? Scarlett’s eyes welled with tears, but she couldn’t cry. It had taken a small army to get this makeup so perfect.
“I think we need to give the reporters something to chew on before they break the barriers.”
Scarlett nodded. “Whatever you think.”
Beau cradled Madelyn in one arm and kept his other firmly around Scarlett’s waist. He angled them toward the front of the red carpet so both sides of the aisle could see them. As soon as they were facing forward, the crowd seemed to hush, waiting for that next golden kernel of a story.
“I’m happy to announce that Scarlett Patterson is in fact my next leading lady,” Beau declared. “And my future wife.”
Wife? Scarlett jerked her gaze to his, which warranted her a toe-curling wink that set butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
“Is that a proposal?” she asked, shocked her voice was strong.
Beau kept that wide grin on his face. “What do you say? Be my leading lady for life, Scarlett.”
“Yes.” As if any other answer was an option. “There’s nobody else I’d ever want for the star in my life.”
Flashes went off, one after another, causing a strobe light effect. As people started yelling more questions, Beau waved and smiled. Scarlett wasn’t sure what world she’d stepped into, but the strong man at her side would help her through.
She never thought she’d have the title of leading lady, but as Beau escorted her into the venue, Scarlett realized there was no greater role she could think of—besides wife and mother, of course.
Once inside, Beau ushered her down a hallway to find some privacy.
“I’m taking a break from Hollywood,” he told her when they stopped in a quiet place. “I decided that before you came, but now that I see a better future, I’m not sure I’ll want to come back here at all.”
She didn’t know how to respond, but she didn’t get a chance. Beau backed her up a s
tep until she came in contact with the wall. He held Madelyn in one arm and reached up with his free hand to stroke the side of her face, then sifted his fingers through her hair.
“You take my breath away, Scarlett. I want you forever, so if we need to take things slow before we marry, I’ll do whatever you want.”
He kissed her, pouring out his promise and love. When he eased back, he kept his lips barely a whisper away.
“This is the greatest Christmas present I could have ever asked for,” he told her.
Scarlett rested her hand over his on Madelyn’s back. “Me, too, but I don’t know what to wrap up and put beneath our crooked tree.”
He nipped at her bottom lip. “How about more of that cookie dip?”
She wrapped her arm around his waist and smiled. “I think I can manage that, but first we have a movie premiere to get to.”
“And then we have the rest of our lives to plan.”
Epilogue
“What the hell is that?” Colt demanded.
Scarlett smiled and held up her hands in an exaggerated fashion toward the tree. “It’s our Christmas tree,” she exclaimed.
“Why is it crooked?”
Beau stepped into the room after putting Madelyn down for the night. “Don’t ask. Just go with it.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes. “He loves it, don’t let him fool you.”
Colt’s brows drew in before he shook his head and shrugged. “Whatever makes you two happy.”
Oh, she was most definitely happy. Christmas Eve was magical here at the ranch and tomorrow was Christmas where all of the Elliotts—spouses, fiancées, and children—would gather and start a new chapter.
“I just wanted to come by and let you guys know that I spoke with the nursing home and they’re okay with us bringing Dad home for the day tomorrow.”
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