Accidental Texting: Finding Love despite the Spotlight

by Kimberly Montague

  "I know." I smiled. "He's lucky. The first time I met him, he was flirting with my best friend, Annalisa. Thank goodness he turned out to be a good guy, or you'd be short a friend right now."

  "So you're the protective type?" Whenever I talked to Anthony, it felt like he was trying to size me up. He seemed to always be calculating how to get me to say something he wanted to know.

  "Yeah, I guess you could say that. Annalisa and Cerise are like sisters to me. They're the closest thing I have to family."

  "You don't have any real family—I mean, blood-related?"

  "Anthony," Sean warned underneath his breath.

  He put up his hands. "I'm just making conversation here."

  I stared down at my hands. This was getting uncomfortable. But if I was in his position, wouldn't I check up on the person in Annalisa and Cerise's lives? Hadn't I asked Sean about Stewie when he showed interested in Annalisa? "Yes and no. I never knew my father or his family. My mom's family—they're not—they—uh—"

  "Not nice people?" Anthony supplied. I nodded. "It makes sense then why you chose to make your own family. So both of your best friends work at your hotel with you?"

  "It's just an inn."

  "Just an inn?" Sean shook his head. "You'll have to see it Anthony. Her and her mom restored this huge old Victorian home. She did most of the work—carpentry and all. It's amazing."

  The pride in his voice caught me a bit off guard, and I tilted my head at the side of him I hadn't seen before. He winked at me, and I had the serious urge to kiss the man.

  "Yeah, I'd love to see it. My grandmother lived in an old Victorian. Things were falling apart all over the place."

  "It has its issues," I admitted. "But it's worth the time and patience."

  "Some things are." Again he gave me that narrow-eyed look of appraisal. "So what will we be doing today while these idiots are off shopping?"

  "A friend is coming over." I looked at my watch as Sean cut up the chicken he'd just grilled. "Should be here in another twenty minutes."

  "Cerise? She's hot—quite a mouth on her—I like that."

  I smiled a little uneasily. I wasn't sure I approved of his interest in Cerise, but she could hold her own against Anthony. She certainly had already. "No. Cerise is at the inn today. My friend Alvin is coming over."

  "Like the chipmunks Alvin?"

  I laughed a little. "It's funny you mention it. That's how we got to be friends."

  Sean signaled over to the kitchen table and brought plates over. I grabbed some napkins and silverware while Anthony carried our drinks. The chicken was delicious and spread over a salad with a tangy lemon salad dressing I watched Sean make.

  "You can really cook," I said, surprised.

  Sean winked at me.

  "This is nothing," Anthony commented, shoveling bites into his mouth. "We'll have to make him cook us up some of his lobster raviolis. Those things are the shit. Seriously, you could die a happy person after popping one in your mouth." After several minutes of eating, Anthony turned to me again. "So you were going to tell us about how you got to be friends with Alvin."

  I didn't remember saying I was going to tell them about it, but I obliged him with the story anyway. "In the sixth grade, I was a total dork. We didn't have a lot of money, but my mom insisted that you don't dress like a hoodlum to go to school. School was my job, so I was to dress like I cared about it. But I only had three dresses. This one kid used to pick on me a lot about it. He used to pick on Alvin about his name, and he picked on Annalisa because of her weight. We all just sort of became friends because of a mutual enemy. He called us the chipmunks. Alvin was Alvin, I was Simon, and Annalisa was Theodore. But together, it didn't matter much anymore. He sort of lost that power when we had each other. We've all been friends ever since."

  Anthony turned to Sean. "Sounds like a decent guy. Why do Stew and Sean hate his guts?"

  "Sweetheart, you don't have to answer him. He's just being pushy." Sean was smiling, but it wasn't reaching his eyes.

  I leaned closer to him and narrowed my gaze on him, smiling. "Sounds familiar."

  He smirked. "I've been called that a time or two by a certain ridiculously beautiful redhead."

  It wasn't sexual or embarrassing, but for some reason, the easy reminder of our phone conversations so long ago made me blush and bite my bottom lip. It was nice to know it could still be that simple between us. He reached over and squeezed my hand. I looked back at Anthony, who had the smallest smile on his lips, but wiped it clear of his face as soon as he saw me notice. I got the feeling he was a really good friend to Sean.

  "Alvin and I used to see each other."

  "Oh, he was your boyfriend? Like in high school?"

  "Not quite. Not my boyfriend and—well, much more recent."

  He raised his eyebrow at me. "Dated?"

  "Uh—friends."

  "Oh." His eyes widened. "Friends." He dragged out the word and looked up at Sean. I glanced over in time to see Sean clench his jaw before he put a bite into his mouth.

  I leaned over to Sean and put my hand on his, whispering. "You don't have to be okay with this. I wouldn't be." I huffed. "I wasn't."

  He put his hand on my cheek and pulled my ear closer to him. "I'm fine with this. It's just tough to—it's like Stewie telling you the prom story. It's not fun to hear." He kissed my cheek and leaned back in his chair.

  "So," Anthony pursued. "Friends with benefits. How recent?"

  I glared at him. "Why am I discussing my sex life with you?"

  Sean laughed. "I was wondering the same thing. Just don't start talking about our sex life with him."

  Anthony smirked. "I didn't think you had one. Ow! Shit, Sean!" Anthony rubbed his leg underneath the table.

  I'd finished eating, so I stood up with my plate and grabbed Sean's as well. In the kitchen, I cleaned the countertops and washed the dishes. After a few minutes, Sean came in to stand next to me, leaning against the sink.

  "I'm sorry, sweetie. He doesn't know when to shut up sometimes."

  "Most of the time," I corrected. "You know I was starting to like him. I was starting to think he was just a guy who was looking out for his friend, but he really does seem to have a problem with his—"

  "Mouth. I know. But he'll protect you no matter what. I may not be able to trust him to keep quiet or say appropriate things, but I trust him to keep you safe."

  "Why can't Nathan just stay with me? I like Nathan. He doesn't make me feel like shit for things he doesn't understand."

  "Nathan's fine when Rudy and I are around. He's good, but he just doesn't have the instincts Anthony does. Anthony picks at people until he figures them out then he calms down. He can't figure you out, love."

  "What's there to figure out? It's not like I'm hiding anything." I finished washing the dishes and dried off my hands. Walking around to stand in front of him, I stepped in between his legs and put my hands on his hips. "You know pretty much everything about me."

  He put his hands on my upper arms. "Sweetheart, you're complex as hell. I'm always trying to figure you out. Why do you think I push you so hard? But everything I learn, I love."

  "Yeah, I'm sure you love everything." I stared down at his chest, thinking about what he'd learned about me the night before.

  "Morgan, look at me." Instead I leaned into him and buried my face in the crook of his neck. The sound of the back door opening with several loud male voices made me try to pull back, but Sean wrapped his arms around me tighter. He lowered his head and whispered close to my ear. "It makes you who you are, love. Even the bad shit is a part of you. I wish I could take away the pain and the fear you feel now, but it shaped you. I wouldn't change that. I wouldn't change you." I kissed his neck.

  "Watch it, Sean. Her boyfriend's here," Anthony said loudly. The other guys started laughing.

  I turned to him with the strongest glare I could come up with. "Of course he is you jackass, it's his house!" I'd yelled it, and I noticed several widened eyes aroun
d him, but I was sick of his crap. He'd given me enough today, and it was time I stopped letting him. Turning back to Sean, I put my hands on his cheeks and pulled him down to my lips. He seemed a little surprised at first, but then his hand tangled in my hair, and his tongue slid into my mouth to make me moan and open my mouth wider.

  "Okay, you've made your point."

  I was clinging to him by the time Stewie's voice registered in my brain, and I pulled back. My knees were shaking a bit, and Sean wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me to him.

  He kept his eyes burning into mine as he replied to Stewie. "I don't have a point to prove, Stew."

  "Not you. Her." Stewie leaned against the counter next to us. "I think Anthony got it."

  I smirked at Sean. "I don't think he has the point yet. You think you could do a better job in helping me make it clearer?"

  He grinned back. "I thought we were doing a pretty good job already, but if you want more, we'll really need to take this to my room." His wink almost made me take him up on the offer.

  "Alvin's on the road coming up to the house," Stewie informed us. Sean's arm tightened around my waist as Stewie continued. "I don't have a problem with you two groping each other in front of him, but I think it might be considered poor manners."

  "I'll stay here and stay inside the whole time, just please leave Nathan with me instead of Anthony," I begged.

  He ran his hand through my hair. "I'll be worried the whole time, sweetie. I just can't handle that. I need to know you're safe." I let my head drop against his chest, and he pressed his lips into my hair. "I'm sorry. I'll talk to him before I leave."

  I nodded and pulled away from him. "How long will you be gone?"

  "A few hours. I'll try not to be gone long."

  "No. Don't rush for me. You don't get to enjoy yourself, take your time."

  "Enjoying myself is being with you, sweetie. I'll be back in a few hours."

  "He's pulling up," Stewie informed us. I turned to see the familiar wire in his ear.

  Something about the wire triggered my memory of that awful night on the red carpet. "Do you have the place hooked up with cameras and microphones already, too?"

  Sean smiled. "No. Not yet. But we'll pick up some more equipment while we're out."

  "No cameras? Is that why Anthony's staying with me? To make sure I don't—"

  Sean put his fingers to my lips and moved closer to my ear. "Stop, Morgan. I trust you. I really trust you. I don't trust him, but I don't need to watch you or have someone spy on you. I fucked up before, but—"

  I shook my head and pulled away, realizing I was overreacting. "I didn't mean it. I just—" I glanced at Stewie. "Something just reminded me of—it was too similar—I'm sorry."

  He looked over at Stewie, probably trying to figure out what had been so similar, but then turned back to me. "I love you."

  Suddenly Stewie was Mr. Manners. "Morgan, go greet him at the door at least." But he was right. I couldn't let Alvin be greeted by Anthony and the hoard of huge men. Not that Alvin wasn't just as big, but I didn't want him to be uncomfortable.

  Sean rubbed my arm. "We can talk later."

  I nodded and jogged to the door. Through the massive windows, I could see Alvin step onto the porch. Before he could knock, I opened the door and stepped outside.

  You Deserve Better

  "Hi." He smiled at me—a real Alvin smile. It was encouraging. "This house suits him. Great view of the lake."

  I stepped farther onto the porch and realized I hadn't spent any time there. It really was a beautiful view. "It is isn't it?"

  "You hadn't noticed?"

  "He only just bought it yesterday. With moving in and everything, it's been pretty crazy."

  He looked surprised. "Yesterday? So you moved in with him the day you found out Brent was back. That makes a lot more sense."

  I let my head fall back. He thought I was only with him for protection. Was I? It was protection for me and protection for the inn, but that wasn't the real reason I'd moved in with him. I wanted to be near him. "No—I mean, yes, it did just happen yesterday, but that wasn't the full reason."

  "So tell me about it."

  I needed to just lay it all out there and see if we could really be friends again. I didn't want to lose him, but I wasn't willing to deal with any attempts to win me over or convince me of Sean's weaknesses.

  "I wanna be with him, Alvin."

  He shook his head. "And how do you know that he really wants you, like permanently?"

  "He told me," I said simply. He raised his eyebrow and leveled his disbelieving look on me. I lifted my hands. "Why would he lie?" I asked as a form of defending myself. "He could have any woman in the world. The truth is," I said, staring down at my boots, "every time he says he loves me, I feel like I should look around because he must be talking to someone else." I looked him firmly in the eye again. "But he really and truly loves me. We've—we've been through a lot."

  "You've known him what, a few weeks."

  "No," I said pointedly, but then looked at the ground again. "It's been a month, but a lot has happened. It's not a normal relationship with him. It's kind of on fast forward."

  "And you want that?"

  "Look, Alvin. I want to be friends with you again, but only if you can accept Sean in my life. He's not going anywhere."

  He nodded. "I get that. I'm just worried about you."

  "Thank you—for worrying about me. But I can take care of myself. I've been doing it for a long time."

  "What's he doing about Brent?"

  I didn't even hear the door open, but Sean stepped out onto the porch between Alvin and me. "He'll be handled." He put his hand on the small of my back and winked at me. "Introduce me to your friend."

  "Sean Wilder, this is Alvin Cruz. Alvin, this is my boyfriend, Sean."

  Sean put his hand out and, Alvin took it. Alvin was definitely sizing him up, but since Sean was a few inches taller and much more muscular, I was guessing he was coming to the conclusion that Sean could handle himself.

  Alvin sighed loudly. "By handled you mean—"

  "He'll get what he deserves and then some."

  Alvin seemed satisfied, nodded, and dropped Sean's hand. Well great, they were bonding over beating the shit out of my ex-fiance. This was going well. I rolled my eyes and Sean stepped back to put his hand gently on my lower back again.

  "Alvin." Stewie came out on the porch. It was getting a little crowded. Stewie extended his hand and Alvin shook it.

  Alvin looked really uncomfortable. "Look, man. I wanted to—uh—to thank you." Stewie raised his eyebrows as Alvin continued. "I was drunk and pissed. I'd never take that out on her—I—thanks for stepping in."

  Stewie nodded once. "You took down like twenty drinks that night. I'd have a tough time holding my tongue in that situation as well."

  I rubbed my arms, starting to really feel the freezing temperature. Sean put his arm around my shoulders. "It's too cold to stand around out here. Why don't you come on in? There's a decent TV in the living room, and there's a pool table in the basement. Make yourself at home. I'm actually headed out for a bit, so you're doing me a favor by keeping her company. I don't like her being alone."

  We walked inside, and Alvin mumbled to Sean. "You were leaving her here alone?" I got the impression that he didn't want me to hear him.

  Sean shook his head subtly. "Anthony!" he shouted across the room, and Anthony jogged over. "This is my good friend Anthony and Morgan's bodyguard. He'll be with her at all times."

  "Shit, Morgan." He turned back to me. "You're okay with this?"

  "You don't think her safety is—"

  "No." He waved his hands in the air. "I wasn't talking about her safety. I'm impressed you have a bodyguard on her, but—" He pointed to Anthony, but then turned back to me. "You told him, right?"

  I nodded, and Sean looked back at me. I explained, "He's talking about the fact that he looks so much like Brent." Sean nodded in understanding.

&
nbsp; Anthony threw his hands up in the air. "Hell, I need to shave my head or something. I cannot be mistaken for that son-of-a-bitch!"

  Alvin nodded at him. "The goatee doesn't help, either. But you're taller than him and a hell of a lot bigger. I didn't know about any of it until he split, or I would have taken him down." Alvin looked back at me. "I tried to find him myself when Gypsy told me he came in, but he had a ten minute head start, and Lee called me with an emergency at the shop."

  "We know where he's at," Sean said calmly.

  My stomach started to churn at their conversation, and instinctually, I took a step away from them. Knowing Brent was somewhere nearby was one thing, but this was really specific. It was too close. "Can I get you something to drink, Alvin? Water, soda?" I moved toward the kitchen.

  "Water's good. Thanks."

  They toned down their conversation, but the high ceilings made their voices carry.

  "He'll try to get to her," Alvin said not quietly enough. "I don't know if you'll believe it, but I was really relieved she moved in here with you. I've been worried he'd—well—do you know about all of it?"

  "Yeah, she told me." Sean's voice was quieter.

  "She told you? She doesn't talk about it. Has nightmares all the time, but won't talk."

  Urgh. I wanted them to stop talking about me. "You want lemon in your water, Alvin?" I tried to keep my tone even, but it went a little higher at the end.

  "She told me," Sean said simply.

  "No lemon," Alvin shouted.

  I stood at the counter, gripping the edge, trying to keep the shakiness from my hands. He thought Brent would try to get to me. Was Sean waiting for that? Was that why he was keeping Anthony with me? What would Brent do if he got to me?

  "Morgan," Sean said quietly as he came up behind me. He placed his arms around my waist, letting them rest on my stomach. "I'm sorry, love. Please don't worry." He put his hands on mine and pried them away from the countertop. "We'll stop talking about him. I promise. He won't come here, sweetie. You're safe."

  I took a deep breath and tugged away from him. "I'm fine." I smiled at him, but the way he looked at me, scrutinizing me, told me he knew I was full of shit. I couldn't let it show, though. He grabbed my hand, but I pulled free from his hand, not wanting him to notice mine shaking.