by Jean Oram
“That was intense out there, man.” Austin grinned back at them as he drove away from the mob. “Welcome to the big time.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“No, that was insane. You hit something good.”
Finn peered out the back window at the fading flashes, the headlights tailing them. Was all this because of Hailey? He kissed her head again, keeping her close.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“For selling you out.”
“Was all of that you? The questions?”
“No.” She shifted away. “What was that about, anyway?”
He smoothed her wild hair, unable to refrain from kissing the top of her head yet again. “I’ll tell you later.”
They made eye contact and he wondered if this was it. If once she knew the real man—the one final layer he hadn’t shown anyone—she would never want anything to do with him again. She’d see what a failure he’d been and continued to be. How he’d made grand promises he couldn’t possibly keep, and how thin he’d stretched himself in order to hold his demons at bay.
Austin pulled up at some docks and everyone bailed from the car. The photographer stopped near a small boat.
“This yours, Hailey?” Austin asked. “It looks different.”
“It’s borrowed. We can take it.”
“Okay, in.” Austin shuffled them into the boat and cast off under the flash of frustrated paparazzi who were without the means to follow them out onto the lake. They scattered, phones to their ears, swarming a nearby teen who had an outboard.
“Don’t do it!” Hailey called out to the youth, hands cupped around her mouth.
He looked at her, uncertain.
Austin tore across the lake, cutting the engine as Evander reached for the edge of the listing dock on Nymph Island.
“Still have that wood boat out here—Big Bertha?” Austin asked.
Hailey shook her head. “Sold it years ago.”
“Well, we’ll take this boat back to the marina. Let us know if you need anything. Distraction. Security. A ride back tomorrow. In the meantime, Evander will escort you to the cottage and I’ll stand guard down here.”
“Thanks, Austin.”
Evander passed Finn his business card as they made their way up the dark path. “I’m in the area and it’s easy for me to get to you fast. My direct line is on there.”
“Can I get you on retainer?”
The big man nodded. “Consider it done.”
A boat roared between the small islands and Evander immediately dropped behind Finn, protecting him as Finn pulled Hailey closer.
“Want me to stay outside your door tonight?” the bodyguard asked.
“I think we’ll be okay, thanks.” Having some guy standing outside the cottage all night, being eaten by mosquitoes, didn’t seem fair even if he was being paid. “But I could use your services tomorrow, I’m sure.”
They made their way up the steps, the boards protesting under Evander’s weight.
“What headline do you think they’ll tack onto this?” Hailey asked Finn as she unlocked the cottage.
“I’m sure something about you and Jessica.” He regretted the comment even before she turned away, her brows pressed in a tight line under the solar lantern by the door. “Don’t let it bother you, our relationship was just a front—a publicity stunt.”
“Ours or Jessica’s?”
“Jessica’s. And it’s over. Was before I even stepped foot in Canada.”
“Want me to check the place out for you?” Evander asked Hailey.
She let out a laugh. “I’m sure it’s fine, but thanks just the same.”
Finn thanked the man, who promised to be by in the morning, and Hailey shut the old wood door behind them. For a second Finn wondered what he’d walked into. Stuck on an island with a woman who held his heart, but had sold him out.
“Do cell phones work out here?” He laughed as he patted his pockets, searching for his absent phone. “Or do you have a land line? This is starting to feel pretty remote.”
Hailey was a breath away, staring at him.
“When do you go back to Hollywood?”
“I haven’t decided.” He ran a hand through his hair and took a step back.
“Why not?”
Her hope was like a cutaway from a dark scene to a bright one.
“Because,” he said, as he stepped closer, his feet making the kitchen floor creak. “I think you were right.”
Her eyebrows shot up.
“I wasn’t being myself. And while this could all come crashing down around me, at least it will be more likely to happen on my own terms. Not like being a bad boy. Those days were numbered.”
“It won’t come crashing down.”
“I promised charities things I might not be able to deliver.”
She moved into the large living room, turning on a small lantern set on the table. She cocked her head. “What was all that back there, Finian?”
“The truth.”
She waited, face pale in the dim light.
“Schools. Medical care for families in need.” His chest tightened and he had to force himself to keep breathing regularly. “I have a charity where I try to keep families from falling into the world I did. The public persona you have come to know is an easy role for me to play because that’s who I used to be. I used to steal as a kid. I had to. Bread on the table and all that.”
She angled her body away, her bottom lip drawn between her teeth.
“We look like a great family now, but the truth is my two brothers and I used to run with a rough crowd. Julian was shot in a gang war.”
Hailey grabbed Finn’s arm as though he needed steadying.
“I didn’t kill him,” he whispered. “Not like they said out there.” His voice shook as his throat contracted. “I was there, but I didn’t kill him. I couldn’t stop the blood.”
He bent over, his head too light to keep him standing, the image of his red hands haunting him.
She was reaching for him, and before he knew it Finn was in her arms, tears streaming down his face. She stroked his hair, and without realizing what he was doing, he had her shirt off, her body pressed against the throw rug on the floor. He ran his hands through her hair, his fingers and eyes racing over her skin as if blindness was coming and he had to memorize every physical feature or he’d perish.
Promises he’d made were about to be broken. She’d opened wounds and uncovered secrets, and yet he couldn’t step away from her. He needed Hailey and her forgiveness. He needed her to make it all better. Drag him through hell so he could find heaven. Not only in her arms, but in the world. His life.
Starved for her to save him, he ravished her with kisses. He craved her like a balm for all his open wounds.
“Heal me, Hailey.”
“I can’t.” Her voice was breathy with need as he skimmed his lips over her warm body.
“Please.”
“You have to do it yourself.”
“Help me.”
She pulled his face to hers, kissing him soulfully. “Always,” she breathed. “Always.”
“Forgive me.”
“Nothing to forgive.” Her lips were moist on his bare shoulder. “I’m sorry. I crossed a line.”
“Cross another one with me now.” His mouth moved down her chest, flicking the clasp of her bra and baring her breasts. “I trust you, Hailey.”
“Ohmigod, that feels good.”
He tugged off the rest of her clothing, and she pulled him into a room with a patchwork-quilt-covered bed.
“I wanted you to reveal me, Hailey.” Finn watched her face as he lay wrapped in her arms, softly stroking her cheek. “I just didn’t realize you’d see me. I was like an invisible soul no one had noticed for years. And then there you were. Seeing me. And it all became love and rumors. Somewhere along the line I started to believe I could be me. With you. With the world.”
She let out a shaky breath and
he knew she’d heard him, just like she saw him when nobody else did.
“I love you,” he said.
“That’s the rumor,” she laughed. “But is it the truth?”
“No, really, Hailey. I love you with all my heart.”
She pulled his body to hers. “I love you, too, Finian Alexander.”
CHAPTER 16
Finn smiled at Hailey and held her loosely in his arms. “Sure this will work?” he whispered, eyeing the reporters gathered for his outdoor press conference.
“Of course. It’s my plan, and as you are aware, my plans always work when we’re talking about your career and image. Look what I’ve done for you so far.”
He laughed and kissed her hair. She’d definitely turned him from a bad-boy disaster with a sagging B-List career into a multilayered man in the week and a half he’d known her. He couldn’t wait to see what the future had in store. He might just be a lucky son of a bitch and get it all.
He hugged her closer, pressing himself against her warm body. “Let’s see. Since I’ve known you, you chased off my ex-girlfriend, led me to fire my agent of five years, convinced the world I’m an endangered-turtle-eating environmentalist—”
“Hey, that wasn’t me. You did that one on your own, but thanks by the way. The government is suddenly very interested in all the things she’s been telling them for years and she’s well underway in terms of saving their habitat.”
“That’s wonderful.” He gave her a light squeeze. “But I need to clarify that you drove me to that bender, Miss Hailey Summer, by not waiting around for me to finally show up after your opening.”
She gave him a pouty frown and he continued, “Let’s see…where was I? Oh, yes. A family man, a bad boy with a gangster past, a charity creator…oh, and how could I forget? Totally in love with an award-winning photographer who is now on New York’s hot list.”
Hailey spun out of his arms, laughing, sunshine dancing on her face.
He tugged her back, never wanting to let her go. Not until he knew absolutely everything about her and more. He loved Hailey, from the way her hair smelled to the way she curled her toes in her sandals every time he gave her a kiss.
Hailey’s reporter friend, Rick, waved Finn over to the microphone. Evander, brick wall that he was, was stationed behind and to the right, arms crossed, shades on, and looking every bit the professional bodyguard.
“As you may have heard,” Finn said to the crowd, “I’ve turned over a new leaf.”
A group of women in the front row screamed their approval, and he flashed a grin at Hailey, who was waiting off to the side. She gave him a thumbs-up as he turned his attention back to the gathered fans and reporters.
“It does not mean I’ve become a vegetarian. It doesn’t mean I am going to rehab. It simply means that I have been living two lives, and thanks to Hailey Summer, my hot new photographer girlfriend, I have discovered that it isn’t authentic, genuine, nor fair to you.
“So I have decided that the two lives I’ve been living are going to merge. I’m still going to enjoy myself at parties.” A group in the back let out a whoop. “However, that does not mean I’m going to indulge in wild shenanigans that get me into trouble, as well as the limelight.” The group let out a low groan. “Yeah, sorry, guys.”
Finn ran a hand through his hair, doubting where he was going with this, and whether he could sustain his new identity. Could he be Mr. Artistic Movie Guy? He trusted Hailey, but this was a wild leap into the unknown. He glanced over his shoulder and made eye contact with her. She gave him a small smile, her arms wrapped around herself. He took a deep breath and turned back to the microphone.
“There are many actors I deeply respect. Actors who have made a difference in this world. I have been working, secretly, on becoming one of those men. Someone who can make a difference in this world instead of creating a little diversion from real life and real life problems.”
“What’s wrong with that?” someone called, and the crowd chuckled appreciatively.
“For the past few years I have been donating everything I can afford to the charities and scholarships I set up in my old neighborhood. Meaning some months I almost had to go to the food bank myself—”
“Finian!” someone hollered. “Tell us about your brother.”
Finn swallowed and tried to ignore the rush of adrenaline that pumped through him as the reporters surged forward, sensing this tidbit would be bonus-worthy come payday.
“I wasn’t always famous, living in a nice house. There wasn’t always food on the table. It’s a familiar story for kids growing up in poverty and in inner cities. Gangs were common. Deaths just as much so. I didn’t break that stereotype. I come by my image somewhat honestly.”
He paused and took a sip of water, hating the way his hands were shaking, his heart pounding. Slowly, he unraveled his past to the crowd, explaining how his brother Julian was shot in front of him and his other brother, Adrian. At that moment he had vowed to transform his neighborhood into a safe place to live.
The sun was hot on his face when he finished his tale of how he’d promised his inner city neighborhood the moon—everything from ridding shop owners of gang-related problems, to after-school programs, to scholarships, and free health clinics. He’d promised everything his family hadn’t had. And every dime he hadn’t required for clothing and food in Hollywood had gone straight back to his old neighborhood. Yet he wasn’t sure he’d made a difference.
The crowd was so quiet he could hear the highway running beyond a grove of trees. He looked out into the sea of faces, wondering how much this Canadian crowd would understand about poverty, gangs, and medical bills ruining lives. Probably not a whole lot.
“I thought I could change my community, and I believed I could do it on my own. I’ve been trying to live up to my promises, scrambling from movie to movie in hopes that somehow, if I could just get famous enough, get paid enough, I could solve the problem.”
A murmur went through the crowd.
“But I can’t. Not all at once and not on my own.”
Rick held up a tin can. “I’m taking donations to Finian’s charities! Pass it around.”
“Thanks, Rick.” Finn gripped the microphone and pushed away the emotions he was feeling. He cleared his throat. “As for my career…I’m off to film Man versus War II as scheduled. I was not fired from that film, despite the rumors.” He smiled. “Hangman’s Destiny is coming out in…I’ve lost track of the days. Somebody help me out.”
The crowd laughed and someone shouted out a date that felt entirely too soon.
“Thank you. There will be plenty more movie surprises in the coming months, as well. Stay tuned.”
He turned, facing Hailey, the love of his life. The woman who had not only given him a chance, but had given him the chance to really live. A chance to start over. To be humble and honest. And real.
Most of all, to be real.
“Thank you for being by my side and seeing the real me.”
He stepped to her, letting Rick wrap things up. Finn slipped his arms around Hailey, breathing her in. “Thank you for fixing my brokenness, Hailey.”
She tipped her head back to gaze into his eyes. “Anytime, sugar buns.” She lifted herself onto her toes and placed a kiss on his lips that made the crowd go wild. Breaking it off, she flushed, her eyes full of love.
He could get used to this.
“Will you come to my movie premiere with me?” he asked, nuzzling her ear.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
“I want to be everywhere you are, Hailey.” His lips made their way across her cheek to her waiting lips. “All the time.”
“All the time?”
“Every single second.”
“How are we going to manage this?” she asked.
“One project at a time.”
“I can work just about anywhere there is nature. And I’ve always wanted to go to Europe. Any movies planned out there, Finian Alexander?”
&
nbsp; “I’ll see what strings I can pull for you. Oh, and I meant to tell you that Julia Roberts was asking who took my new head shots. Maybe you could make it in Hollywood, too.”
Hailey gave Finn a playful shove. “Yeah, right.”
“It’s true.”
Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight and he fell a little more in love with her.
“Don’t you have reporters waiting for a one-on-one with you?” she asked.
“I hope they’re not the only ones.” He gave her butt a pinch and turned to the line of waiting journalists, knowing his life would never be the same, now that Hailey was in it.
* * *
Hailey tried not to smile as her sisters and mother looked from her to Finian and back again, puzzling everything out.
“You guys forgave each other?” Maya smiled. “Nice!”
“Days ago. We wanted the same things, just…differently.” Hailey gave Finian’s hand a squeeze and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close in the wicker love seat on the cottage veranda.
Melanie poured a margarita from the pitcher and handed it to Maya, who took a grateful slurp.
“Love conquers all,” Daphne said in a wistful tone.
“So, what are we going to do about the cottage?” Maya asked. “Are we selling it?”
Hailey blew out a deep breath and leaned forward. “I almost have enough money, but…” She shook her head, looking to her sisters.
“It’s up to Hailey,” their mother said. “She’s carried the burden long enough, so she makes this decision.”
“What if destiny makes it for me?” Hailey teased.
“That would be fine, too.” Her mother smiled, and Daphne clapped her hands together.
Tigger, who was just off the veranda, trying to tame chipmunks by bribing them with sunflower seeds, said, “I got one! Ohhh, he ran away.”
“Don’t move, Tigger,” Daphne called over the railing. “You’re scaring them. Be very still. And quiet.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Maybe we should sell the place,” Maya said. Her eyes roved over the veranda as though checking the structure and estimating its real estate value. “We could take the proceeds and rent something each year. Maybe in Florida one winter?”