He sat on the edge of the mattress and leaned his hand on the bed on the other side of her hips. "How are you? Everything okay?" he asked, brushing off her request. It'd be a bit before he could let go of the guilt that sat in his craw like bitter acid.
Andi nodded, though he caught the pinch at the corner of her eyes. "Oh, right..." He took her spare glasses from his breast pocket and slipped them over her ears. The tension lines around her eyes eased when she didn't have to squint to keep him in focus.
"What did the doctor say? Can you go home or do you need to stay?"
"It's a stage three concussion, he said. Because I lost consciousness, I guess." She took his hand and held it between both of hers, rubbing her palm against his. "They checked me out and he said I'll be fine except for the headache for a bit. I can go home whenever you want to take me. I was waiting for you."
"I'm sorry. I couldn't leave--"
Andi touched her fingertip to his mouth. "Shush. It's okay. I knew where you were. I've already given my statement to the police, too."
David wrapped his fingers around her wrist, turning his face into her hand to kiss her palm. He held it against his check, drawing a deep breath. She stroked his hair with her free hand. "David, what is it? What's wrong?"
He huffed. "Besides the obvious?"
Andi cupped his cheek and made him look at her. Her eyes shifted in the dim light of the exam room, studying his face. "It's more than just being angry at what happened. What is it?" Her eyes widened and she sucked in a sharp breath. "Is it Jake? Is he okay? What--"
"Jake's fine. He's upset, but he's fine. He's with Maggie."
"Then what?"
David took her hand from his cheek and held it in his lap, looking down at their joined fingers. Her hands were soft and delicate, her fingers long. She wore her nails short, she told him once she couldn't type fast enough if they grew long, with just a hint of pink polish. No rings.
"I talked to Theresa on the way over here. Told her what happened."
Her silence was as good as a prodding "And..."
"She's coming here, so we should wait for her."
"Why is she coming here?" Andi asked, her voice softer than before.
David couldn't look up, because he was afraid he might see in her eyes the thought that had stuck in his head since hanging up with her attorney. What if what he'd done -- what if laying Lawrence Bonherre out on his ass for hurting her -- cost her Jake?
"She said this could change things..." he forced himself to say.
"No assumptions." Her voice was rough, but firm. He shook his head, stroking his thumb over her skin. "David. Look at me."
Unable to deny her, he raised his chin and looked into her eyes.
"No assumptions. We wait until we talk to her."
He nodded. "Okay."
"I love you."
David released a long breath, never realizing how much three words could make him feel. He scooted further up the bed and leaned forward until he could rest his cheek on her breasts, supporting his weight on his arms on either side of her. Andi stroked her fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes. Her soft heartbeat thrummed against his cheek.
A soft knock at the door preceded Theresa's entrance, and David sat up as she closed the door. "Hey, kids," she said with a smile as she crossed to the bed. "Wow, got quite the dinger there, huh?"
David rose from the bed and walked around the foot to stand on the other side so Theresa and Andi could talk without speaking over him. As soon as he reached the side of the bed again, Andi held her hand out for him and he laced his fingers through hers.
"I'm fine," she answered Theresa. "I was just telling David he can take me home."
"Well, not until you sign some paperwork for me."
"I thought you were going to messenger them to me tomorrow?"
Theresa sat in one of the visitor's chairs and bent over to retrieve some paperwork from her leather attaché. "That was this morning, things have changed. Like I told David on the phone."
Andi's hold on his hand tightened by a small degree. "How so?"
Theresa sat up with a stack of paperwork in her hands. "This morning we were just filing for an amendment to his visitation rights. Now, we're filing a restraining order and a request of full withdrawal of visitation unless supervised. We can't take it away completely unless we get the right judge, but the chances of that are slim. The best we can do is take away his ability to yank you around and toss out threats like beads at Mardi Gras."
"Really?" Andi whispered.
David focused his attention on her, only listening to Theresa in his peripheral. Her smile was hesitant, and he imagined that -- like him -- she probably wasn't ready to accept that it could all be over easy as that. Could she really have Pinky tossed out of her life -- for the most part -- just like that?
"Really. His strong arm display today pretty much nailed shut his casket. I'm glad you took my advice about the security guards. I figured--"
"You thought he'd do this?" David cut off.
Theresa looked to him and shrugged. "I've dealt with men like Larry Bonherre for most of my career. It's family law, and unless someone is a total butthead you're probably not in family court. I've seen his type before. They're civil when they believe their manipulations are working, but once they're undermined, their control slips. It's just a matter of time."
"Andi could have been seriously hurt."
Andi squeezed his hand with both of hers and he realized he'd shouted the accusation. "But I'm fine. I'll be fine."
"Why do you think I wanted you there, David? The security guards gave you credible witnesses but you gave her protection. I couldn't tell you that ahead of time because it was important that everything happen naturally. If you knew you'd be conscious of every word... are you instigating him? Would it be seen as instigation? Are you doing enough? Should you do more? You did exactly the right thing. You protected her."
"She's still in the hospital," he forced through clenched teeth.
"If you hadn't been there, she could be upstairs." Theresa's expression was flat, decisive but he caught the flicker of something in her eyes. Experience, maybe. "Or worse, downstairs in the morgue." Then with a huff, she held out the papers and a pen. "I need your signature on these and then I'll let you two be on your way."
David retrieved a rolling table from the corner of the room and brought it to the bed to give Andi a writing surface. As she looked over and signed the paperwork, she glanced up briefly. "So, what now?" she asked.
"You go about your lives. Don't let Bonherre change anything. You wanna go to the movies? Go to the movies. Go to dinner. All of you... bring Jake. Don't be afraid to be public. We have a rare opportunity here to use the press to our advantage." Theresa winked at David. "Haven't you ever wanted to do that?"
David smiled. "Hell, yeah."
"We can't avoid the press simply because of who you are. Both of you. Hiding will just make the court wonder what you're keeping behind closed doors. Let them see you together."
Andi finished signing the forms and handed them back to Theresa. "How long will this take?"
Theresa shrugged as she set her attaché on the edge of the bed to shove the papers inside. "Hard to tell. The restraining order will go through immediately, so he won't be allowed to approach or contact either you or Jacob. That is going to play into the custody hearing. It could be two weeks, could be up to six months."
"Six months?" both he and Andi said together.
Theresa smiled. "Cute. You do that often?" She waved her hand. "I doubt it will, but it has happened, so be prepared for the worst. Meanwhile, just be you. Be Dandi... that's what they call you two, right?"
Andi groaned and David chuckled. "Don't bring it up. It's a sore spot with her. That and the world girlfriend."
"Either way, just being your cute and adorable selves."
"I think we can manage that." Andi's smile shoved aside his worry.
"Good--"
"Would i
t help if we got married?" The question was out of his mouth before he even registered that it was in his head.
"What?" Andi gasped.
"No," Theresa answered without even hesitating and he wondered if she'd expected the question. "If you even got engaged it would look like you're doing it just to affect the case. Just... just keep being David and Andi and leave it at that. If you're planning on getting married, don't announce anything until the case is settled. Then, by all means, throw a party the likes of which Hollywood has never seen."
Theresa picked up her case, zipping it closed as she continued. "One more thing. David, I know you're not going to like this, but then again you're not my client -- Andrea is -- and I'm watching out for her."
"What is it?" Andi asked, looking from Theresa to David and back to her attorney.
Theresa focused on him, looking over the top of her glasses. "I want you seen in public with her, but when it comes time for Andrea to be in court, you stay clear--"
"Why--"
Theresa raised her hand, and he stopped. "As much as we can use the press to our advantage, your face and your influence can also hurt. Andrea is fighting for her son, and it needs to be her fight. The judge will need to see her standing on her own as much as he sees your support. Because this is Family Court, and the entire system is based on the breakdown of the family. He's going to figure -- and don't get mad or defensive with me, because this is just the way it is -- the odds are seriously against the two of you lasting more than a few years at most. If Andi does this on her own, it'll mean she can stand on her own when you're gone."
"If I'm gone," David bit out. "I'm not going anywhere."
Theresa smiled, but it was the type of smile you gave a kid when you were just humoring a crazy idea. "Of course you're not, sweetness. Just... trust me on this. Okay?"
David clenched his teeth until his jaw hurt, not wanting to make the promise. Just the idea of leaving her to face Pinky alone at any time stuck in his throat. She looked up at him, and he remembered the promise he had made... he wouldn't be the reason she lost her son. One promise just led to another.
"Fine," he answered Theresa, focusing on Andi. "I'll stay clear."
The exam room door opened and a middle-aged man with thinning white hair and a hefty waistline came inside, Dr. Sandoval embroidered on his white lab coat. "Good to see you awake, Ms. Parker. Let's give you one last check before you go home."
Theresa headed for the door, pausing before she left. "I gotta know... and remember, whatever you tell me is covered under attorney/client privilege... are you? Planning on it?"
David looked down at Andi, who stared up at him with wide eyes and parted lips. Her cheeks flushed a becoming pink, and he smiled. "We'll get back to you on that," he answered, but didn't look away from Andi to see Theresa's reaction.
"Fair enough."
David leaned over and kissed her flushed cheek before getting out of the way so Dr. Sandoval could give her a final look... and he could take her home.
Chapter Twenty
"So, I was thinking..."
Andi chuckled, rubbing her cheek against the warmth of David's forearm. The house was quiet, well after midnight, and she floated in the heavy space somewhere just before sleep. But, his fingertips followed a repetitive trail up and down her arm, down her side to her hip and back again; the action definitely distracting enough to stave off sleep. Sometimes he stopped at her hip, massaging the tight muscle she'd pulled when she fell, and sometimes he worked at the tense knot between her shoulder and her neck. Hours after the fall, her body now made her aware of all the different ways she'd abused it -- or rather, Lawrence had abused it -- when she went down.
"What were you thinking..."
His lips brushed her shoulder, his breath warming her skin when he spoke. "I was thinking about what Theresa said today."
"Yeah?" He nodded, his cheek rubbing against hers. Lying so still, every sensation was heightened from the warmth his body created under the blankets to the firm feel of his thighs against the back of her legs. Andi drew in a long, deep breath and enjoyed the scent of his body. "Which part?"
"About us being seen. Not letting Pinky affect us, affect our lives."
She giggled at the new nickname, probably more than she would have if she were really awake. Instead, the name brought back the memory of Lawrence's shocked face and in her near dreamlike state, she saw his head expand like a giant red balloon and steam blow out his hears. She giggled harder, making a rather unattractive sound somewhere between a snort and a raspberry, and it only made her laugh harder.
David moved his hand from her hip to her stomach, sliding it beneath the hem of her nightshirt. The slight touch drew her onto her back so she looked up at him, and the amused grin on her face made her laugh all the harder. Maybe she really did scramble her brains when she fell.
"What are you giggling at?" he asked, shifting so he could brace his weight on his lower elbow and hover over her, the light of the moon coming through her window highlighting the planes of his face. The lightness in her chest mellowed and smoothed into warmth spreading out into her limbs like a hot toddy at Christmas.
Andi drew in a long, deep breath -- only giggling a little bit when she released it -- and laid her palm against his bare chest. "The great lightness of being."
David smiled, his gaze shifting over her face and down her throat before meeting her eyes again. His thumb stroked her hair near the small bandage near her hairline. "Was I this silly after my whack on the nose?"
Andi giggled, she couldn't help herself. "You were worse." She huffed, a miserable attempt at focusing on the conversation at hand. "You were saying something before I so rudely interrupted. Something about a long vacation on a beach somewhere. Where all the drinks have little paper umbrellas and the water is never cold." Andi closed her eyes, tilting her head on the pile of pillows so she leaned into his biceps. She sighed. "Somewhere with beds draped in white netting and the air smells like salt and pineapples."
His lips whispered over hers just before he spoke. "Not quite... but sounds good to me." Andi opened her mouth beneath his, anticipating the kiss. "Sounds like a topic we're going to have to revisit."
Andi scooted closer to him when his lips covered hers, and didn't even try to disguise the low purr in her throat. David broke the kiss with a smile, his laughter thrumming against her hands. "Sweetheart, did you forget we're at your house?"
"Is that supposed to mean I can't make love to you?"
He blinked slowly, tilting his head to the side with a pleased smile. "No, we're just not alone in the house. And noise carries, sweetheart."
She licked her lower lip, running her hands over his shoulder and neck. "Can't help myself."
"You're distracting me from my point. If I didn't know better, I'd think you're doing it on purpose."
Andi shook her head. "Nope." She rolled her lips together and snuggled closer to him. He shifted down the bed so his upper body draped partially over her and he looked up at her, his hand resting across her lower ribs and his chin on the back of his hand. She stroked his hair, feeling drunk on the intoxicating feeling his nearness created in her. "I'm sorry. I won't interrupt again. So... see and be seen, go to dinner, movies, Best Buy for that new game you -- I'm sorry -- Jake -- wants..." David grinned and chuckled, shifting enough to push her shirt off her stomach and kiss her abdomen above her bellybutton. "Hey! Who's being distracting now?"
"Can't help myself," he mimicked. "Too much Andrea Parker to enjoy."
Her insides warmed and liquefied, making her sink deeper into the bed yet making her skin tingle and spark at the same time. "Well then, make your point so we can move on to other topics." His attention shifted up from the strip of skin above the waistband of her pajamas to her face. Andi smiled slowly, enjoying the jump in her pulse. "Sounds like you had something specific in mind... about being seen, that is."
"Maybe, yeah." David shifted back up her side so he leaned over her again just about eye-to-e
ye. His pendant reflected the faint moonlight. "Maggie had something she wanted to tell you at dinner--"
"I thought she did," Andi interrupted, shifting just enough to see his face more clearly. "She looked ready to pop. But when I asked her what was up, she blew me off. Said I'd know eventually."
"I asked her to let me tell you. And since Avi said he's pretty sure it's going to hit the wire either tomorrow or the next day, I figured I'd better tell you soon."
Andi squinted at him, trying to figure out what he tried to lead up to. "Okay..."
"Well, while you and I have been enjoying the last month without filming schedules and promotional junkets, your agent and my manager have been diligently working behind the scenes -- your agent more than my manager, I think, but that's beside the point. While we've been..." He smiled the slow, sexy grin that usually inspired her to insanity. "...busy falling in love, they've been working with The Powers That Be."
A cold flush of excitement flashed over her skin from heat to toe, making her feel like she'd run into a snowstorm after jumping in a lake... exhilarated and terrified at the same time. She knew exactly what Maggie had been working on... the same thing Maggie'd been pushing since well before that fate-changing kiss in her trailer months before... the contract negotiations for The Forgotten. When the filming of Rise of Dawn began, Andi had been beyond ecstatic -- especially as she experienced David bringing Jason to life. No other actor existed in Hollywood that could have played Jason with the same conviction for her. In all aspects David practically was Jason.
So much had changed... The potential success of Rise of Dawn, and the possible filming of the sequel The Forgotten, had once been the determining factor in her entire future -- now, she had almost all but forgotten.
Because of David Bishop.
How ironic.
The star of her future was now her future.
She hoped.
Andi blinked and swallowed against the Mojave-like dryness that glued her tongue to the roof of her mouth. "And..."
David pushed up and made a faux-serious expression, dropping his tone as he spoke. "Contract negotiations are in their final stages with the representatives for David Bishop and Andrea Parker. Contract sticking points have included the wish of the production team to keep Ms. Parker actively involved in the script adaption and interpretation, her ongoing input into the filming process, and the participation of David Bishop in the next film. Representatives for both parties have reported that all contract points have been hammered out and filming will begin in late November, three months before the scheduled cinema release of Rise of Dawn on--"
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