by Louise Bay
“You smell better now,” Ruby mumbled.
“Hey! I’ve showered almost every day.”
“Yeah, well don’t put that on your resume. It’s like telling people you’ve given up eating children. People generally have a higher bar.”
“Not showering is the same as eating children?” Ruby could be ridiculous at times, but that was exactly why I loved her.
“In this metaphor, yes. You want ice cream?”
Sugar had been my staple diet these last few weeks. “Actually, I don’t.”
Ruby snapped her head up at me. “Wow. That’s progress.”
I nodded. “I really think it is. I’m feeling a little better. But then again, I haven’t been online today.”
“There’s been nothing new for a week,” Ruby said as she reached for my laptop. “And there won’t be now. You’re all clear.”
She seemed so certain, but my heart still sped as she logged on.
“Look, nothing.” She spun the computer toward me. “Told you.”
I exhaled. Thank God. “It doesn’t even seem to be on the original site. I can’t find it anywhere.”
Ruby rolled her eyes. “I’m not trying to be mean, but you know you’re not Elizabeth Taylor back from the dead, right? The press really isn’t that interested in you.”
I tipped my head back on the headboard. I hoped she was right.
“Have you heard from Matt?” she asked.
I shrugged. He’d called me every day, but I hadn’t answered.
“He obviously really cares about you,” Ruby said, staring up at me.
“I cared about him, too.”
“Past tense?” she asked.
My insides twisted in pain at the thought I’d never see him again.
Even if he hadn’t lied to me, if we were going to have any kind of future together we couldn’t be sneaking around the whole time. But going public led to misery. “I think so. I mean, how can this possibly work between us? He lied to me and went behind my back and even if he hadn’t, you know I can’t deal with the attention.”
“This is different from New York though, isn’t it?”
I frowned and set down my damp towel and began to brush through my tangles. “If you mean worse, then I guess so.”
Ruby scooted up the bed and sat up, crossing her legs. “I don’t think so. New York was so ugly because Bobby betrayed your trust. Matt hasn’t done that.”
“Are you kidding me? He kept important things from me. And now so many more people have seen that picture.”
“But no one that you care about, so who gives a shit? None of the people who matter are judging you.”
“So, you’re telling me that you’d be okay that thousands of people had seen you naked?”
She sucked in a breath. “It doesn’t matter how I’d feel. It matters how you feel about it.”
“I think I could have handled it, you know. I think I could have weathered that storm. But knowing that Bobby contacted Matt for money and Matt didn’t tell me? He lied, even if only by omission. He treated me like I was a thing, not a person.”
“I really think he was trying to do the right thing.”
“Hey, you’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I am on your side. But I like you and Matt together. You deserve someone like him.”
“Someone who has paparazzi following him around the whole time? Someone who lies?”
“Someone who cares about you. Treats you well. Understands how special you are. He made a mistake. He was trying to protect you and he got it wrong. He knows that. The easier thing to do is to shut him out and run back to Worthington and pretend you never met him. But I don’t think that will make you happy.”
I closed my eyes to try to stop the tears. He had treated me as if I was special. Right up until he’d covered up Bobby’s blackmail attempt. “Ruuuby. Don’t.” My best friend might act tough, but she was a total romantic at heart. “I need you to tell me what a shit he is and how I’m going to be so much better off without him.”
“Well, if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ve got yourself the wrong friend. I’m not going to tell you something I don’t believe. I think he made a bad choice and you ran before you had a chance to work things through. His intentions were good.”
I didn’t think Matt had deliberately hurt me. I’d believed him when he said he was trying to save me the worry and pain. But he’d got it wrong. Made it worse.
“I think you’re mixing up being embarrassed by the photographs going public and being mad at Matt. Have you forgotten that he didn’t release the photos? That was all Bobby. Matt tried to stop him.”
Was I being too hard on Matt? Was I blaming him for things that were Bobby’s fault?
“I’m also going to say that you need to get your ass out of bed before it gets even flabbier than it already is.”
Reluctantly, I laughed. “You can’t tell me I’m getting fat while I’m going through the breakup blues.”
“I totally can.” She reached under my bed where I normally kept my workout gear. “Where are your sneakers? We need to get you running along the beach, not away from gorgeous, kind movie stars who are crazy for you.”
Before I could respond, she blurted out, “What are you doing with this trash?” She pulled out the tabloids I’d bought earlier that day.
She threw them on the bed and tore one open. “Oh God. He hated doing this.”
“How would you know?”
She didn’t say anything, just kept turning the pages, scanning the interview. Then she moved on to the next magazine.
Suddenly she snapped them all shut and gathered them up, hugging them to her chest then shifting to face me, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. She sighed and said, “I have a confession to make.”
The room swayed and I turned my whole body toward her. What could she possibly have to confess? We told each other everything.
“I don’t want you to freak out. Promise me?”
I crossed my fingers in front of her, making sure she knew that whatever I promised was bullshit. “Sure, I won’t get mad. Just tell me.”
“Matt called me.”
I jerked back as if she’d hit me. “What for?”
“He wanted my opinion on a few things.”
“What things?”
Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times as if she was struggling to find the right words. “I can’t keep this from you.”
More secrets? I sat down, staring up at her. What had Matt done now?
“He explained that he and his publicist were working on a deal with some of the gossip sites and tabloids to stop them from running the pictures of you.” She took a seat opposite me.
“What do you mean, a deal?”
“A trade. Inane interviews in exchange for the rights to the photo.” She tipped the tabloids onto the bed.
I spread the magazines out, his beautiful smile beaming up at me. I had no idea that he’d been working to protect me like this.
“I think he contacted Bobby again. Paid him off. Made sure any other photos were destroyed.”
I covered my face, relief washing through my body. He’d gone further than I’d ever thought possible.
“I think he felt really guilty. But you wouldn’t answer his calls, so he came to me for permission to fix this. He didn’t want you to think this was about him or his career, or that he was doing it behind your back. He just wanted to protect you. I told him to do whatever it took. And if you hate me for not telling you, then …” She shook her head. “I’m going to toss you out of the window.”
“Of course I don’t hate you,” I replied. She’d just been trying to do the right thing and keep me from worrying. A lot like Matt had.
Ruby took my hairbrush from me and finished brushing out my hair. “Whatever happens, it’s a really nice thing that he did. And even before, I know he should have told you that Bobby was blackmailing him, but he was trying to save you pain.”
Matt was s
heltering me from the storm, proving he was worth getting rained on for.
“And there’s another thing.” She dropped the hairbrush and began to scan through the articles. “Take a look at this.”
Ruby handed me the tabloid. I squinted at the paragraph she pointed at, trying to skim what was written. “He turned down Anthony Scott,” I said, almost to myself. “Shit, you don’t think he did it to punish himself, do you?” I asked but continued to read. No, the article made his motivations clear. He’d met someone who’d helped him find himself. Focus on what mattered.
Me. He was talking about me.
My heart swooped.
“I think he’s a really good guy, Lana.” Ruby rested her head on my shoulder.
“I’m in love with him.” I tilted my head, resting it on hers.
“Of course you are. He just made a mistake. You need to decide whether he deserves another chance. In case you were wondering what I think? He absolutely does.”
“I’m going to top up our wine,” I said, then stood and headed into the kitchen. I gazed out onto the deck as I unscrewed the bottle. That was where I’d first kissed Matt Easton. Where we’d watched the thunderstorms together. My insides ached. I missed him. I could find a thousand pictures of him on the internet and as handsome as he was in each one of them, none of them showed how beautiful he was on the inside. Or what it felt like to be loved by him.
He’d listened to me. Heard me. Tried his best to honor my wishes.
He deserved a second chance, didn’t he?
And so did I.
Twenty-Seven
Lana
I slipped my sunglasses over my eyes just before exiting baggage claim. The flight from Portland to LAX had been uneventful, but it had felt as if it lasted weeks. Once I’d decided to give Matt a second chance, every second was too long away from him.
There were no photographers as I turned right toward the taxi stand. Hopefully Ruby was right. I was yesterday’s news. I wasn’t the movie star, after all.
I wanted to be able to talk to Matt face-to-face. I didn’t want to tell him the things I had to say over the phone. He’d accused me of running away from him. And I wanted to show him that I was back if he’d have me.
I slid into the back of the cab and tried to relax, to tell myself I was doing the right thing. I really didn’t know how Matt would react when I showed up. Thanks to social media, I knew where I’d find him this afternoon, and I’d managed to get a ticket to the same charity lunch. It had cost me a month’s profit from the shop, but he was worth it.
It seemed fitting that it was a big public event. Perfect to prove to him that not only was I not running anymore, but also I’d forgiven him about Bobby and accepted the attention from the press was a part of him that couldn’t be changed. I wanted him to understand all that mattered to me was that we were together.
Sooner than I expected, we pulled up to the Beverly Hills Hotel. My stomach twisted with anxiety. I’d thought this would be the perfect setting for a reunion. But now that I was here, I realized I hadn’t considered what it would do to me if I had to bear a very public rejection.
A red carpet had been laid outside and photographers were snapping away, shouting questions and requests as guests made their way toward the entrance.
The cab came to a standstill a little way down from the start of the step and repeat and I got out, craning my neck to try to find Matt.
I turned to the driver and gave him a huge tip in return for him delivering my overnight bag to reception.
I had a red carpet to walk.
Trying to muster the courage to take that step toward Matt, I took a deep breath, hovering at the velvet rope. My knees almost gave way as I caught sight of Matt’s bright-blue eyes and too-long hair further along the line of guests slowly making their way up the red carpet. I wanted to push past everyone and launch myself at him, but that would attract a little too much attention.
Carefully, I stepped inside the velvet rope, never taking my eyes off him. I willed him to look over at me. He was smiling, chatting to photographers as he made his way along the carpet. There were about eight or ten people between us but the walkway wasn’t wide enough for me to overtake anyone.
“What’s your name, please?” one of the photographers in front of me asked. My attention was pulled from Matt.
“Me?” I asked, half relieved that he didn’t know and surprised that he cared. When he nodded, I took a breath and replied, “Lana Kelly.”
I heard people ahead of me mutter and they turned to glance in my direction. I didn’t care. As Ruby said, I didn’t know them and their opinion of me was none of my business. I kept my gaze on Matt as I took a few steps forward.
Someone whispered in Matt’s ear and he lifted his head up and our eyes met.
I couldn’t help but smile at him. I’d missed him so much and even being this close to him made me feel better.
Matt looked like he’d been turned to stone. His expression wasn’t fierce, but it wasn’t joyful either.
People were looking from him to me and back again. And I didn’t care one bit. I just wished he was close enough to touch, to pull into a hug.
The line kept moving forward except Matt stayed still. I inched closer and closer to him until finally he was right in front of me.
“Hi,” I said, my voice trembling.
“Hi,” he replied, then froze as if he didn’t know how to greet me. What I wanted him to do was pull me into his arms. “You’re here.”
I nodded. “I’ve stopped running.”
His eyes widened. “Does this mean that …”
“I know what you did. Ruby told me everything.” I sucked in a breath. “It proved you were the kind of man who would do his best to shelter me from any storm. But no more secrets, right? I feel like I can handle anything if we’re together, side by side.”
“I promise,” he said. “And I’m so sorry.”
“And I promise I’m done running. When I’m with you, I’m where I need to be.”
His face burst into a grin and then he glanced around at the photographers taking picture after picture.
I reached up and stroked his jaw, bringing his attention back to me. “As long as I have you, I can handle whatever strangers have to say about me. Or whatever pictures. I didn’t understand how if I let myself love you, the other stuff just dissolves into noise.”
He frowned. Had it been the wrong thing to say? It was a risk to tell him I loved him, but he deserved to know. And if he didn’t love me back? Well, that was what ice cream and reality show reruns were for.
“You love me?” he asked, his voice a low rumble.
“I do,” I admitted. “I’m sorry if that’s too much, but we agreed no more secrets. I am in love with you, Matt Easton.”
“Thank God,” he gasped as his gaze dipped to my mouth, then back to my eyes. “I’ve loved you since the moment you rescued me from the Worthington bandstand,” he said. “And I thought I’d lost you.”
Relief burst through my body and he pulled me toward him and cupped my face.
He wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb. “Don’t cry. I only want to make you happy.”
“You do. I’ve never been so happy.”
He pressed his lips to mine and I sank against him. No matter where in the world I was, I was home if I was with Matt.
The snap of cameras drifted out of my hearing. Nothing mattered. Not if I was with this man.
He snaked his tongue into my mouth and I set my palms against his shoulders. I might not care that everyone knew Matt and I were together, but my views on PDAs hadn’t changed.
He pulled back. “Did I hear someone suggest we get a room?” His hands circled my waist.
“Nope, but I think that’s an excellent idea. As much as I don’t mind being in public with you, I like being in private with you even more.”
He might be one of the world’s most famous movie stars, but no one knew the Matt Easton I did. No one knew quite how s
exy he was. Or how kind, generous and thoughtful. Because when the cameras were gone, it was just him and me. Boy and girl. Two people in love.
Forever.
Twenty-Eight
Matt
I pulled Lana inside the suite and pinned her to the door with my hips. I couldn’t believe she was actually here. I’d missed her scent—the ocean breeze mixed with summer flowers. Missed the way she looked at me as if I were her everything. How had I survived without her for so long?
Seeing her today was the last thing I expected. I was a guy who normally took things in his stride, but the sight of her sent a bolt of shock through me that almost had me paralyzed. I’d been terrified that she’d come to end things.
Before things went any further, I needed to tell her everything. Something I hadn’t told Ruby. I put my arms around her and held her body against mine as I moved us away from the door. “I have to tell you about Bobby.”
She nodded. “Ruby told me you paid him off. Thank you.”
“We could have called the police but that would have just attracted more attention.” I dropped a kiss on her forehead.
“I agree. You were protecting me. I wouldn’t want to go through a court case.” She swept her fingers over my lips.
“There’s more.”
Her eyes narrowed as she looked up at me.
“Sinclair told me that he would handle it, that I shouldn’t go with him to hand over the cash.” I focused on the dining table across the room. I couldn’t bear to see disappointment in her face. “I told him I’d stay in the car. I just wanted to see the fucking weasel—to see if he’d have the nerve to show up. When he arrived, I couldn’t help myself. I ended up punching him. In the face. I think I might have broken his nose.” I winced. “I’m sorry, I just lost it.”
When she didn’t respond I glanced down. She was rolling her lips together as if she was trying to stop herself from smiling.
“You’re not in trouble are you?” she asked.
I shook my head. “He knows he can’t go to the police—he’d be charged with extortion.”
She pushed her fingers through my hair. “I think I love you even more.” Lifting up on her tiptoes she pulled me down to meet her mouth and I sighed, so relieved she wasn’t mad.