She was just grateful Holly and Vanni had never released the news about Holly’s “pregnancy,” otherwise she’d never live it down.
He sighed. He knew it was a lot to ask anyone to take on, especially someone like Andy, who didn’t give a rat’s ass about his celebrity. She loved him, not his image. It wasn’t like it was with Holly, who made sure her name was linked with his at every opportunity.
Of course, Andy had already paid a heavy price for his notoriety when she had a gun pointed in her direction from a crazed stalker. It only made sense she’d want to protect their child from the ugliness that surrounded his life.
He wouldn’t have loved her if she had any other impulse.
But it did make things a bit more challenging. He couldn’t just walk away from his career, especially now that he had a family to support. And, truth be told, he wouldn’t have wanted to give up his hard-won success anyway. They’d have to find a way to make it work. Touring, however, was out for the foreseeable future. The band was in flux due to Julian’s departure… but he would have never left Andy while she needed him close by.
Suddenly Iain’s departure in London the year before made a whole hell of a lot of sense.
Vanni wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Dreaming in Blue, but he knew he wasn’t ready to hit the road again and be thousands of miles away from Andy while she was pregnant. He wasn’t sure yet how he’d juggle the two commitments, but his finances were such he didn’t really have to worry about it for the immediate future.
The biggest variable was how much of his nest egg he’d have to fork over to the Wilke family, to satisfy them after he nearly killed their daughter, Baylee, in the accident where he had been driving drunk. Graham had already obtained a lawyer to deal with their preliminary demands, which had reached into seven figures for things like life-long healthcare.
Baylee still lingered in her coma, and her medical bills were racking up by the day.
His stomach recoiled every time he thought about it. God, he had been so stupid, so careless. He wanted to punish the world simply because he couldn’t get what he wanted. He had been an emotional infant and cost someone her life. Though she was at least legal age by the time he propositioned her on a Hollywood boulevard, Baylee had lost her entire future just by stepping into the wrong car. She had been doing what she could to survive, and all he could see was his own selfish, primal need.
He had wanted to go see her but everyone discouraged him. He certainly didn’t want to run into Baylee’s family – specifically her unhinged brother, Donny. After what had happened with Talia in 2010, he knew he couldn’t risk stoking the crazy, especially now that he was going to be a father.
This was the main reason he didn’t push Andy to announce the pregnancy. He was just as worried as she was about the safety of their child.
Their child, he thought with a smile as he gathered Andy close. It was still so surreal to think this amazing woman was carrying their baby, a baby conceived when they had loved each other most and best – when she had healed the wounds of his past in her arms. No matter what else was going on, he knew that life had more meaning than ever before. He’d do anything for either of them.
He’d give up his career. He’d give up his money.
He’d even give up his very life.
All that mattered were the two women who now held his heart securely in their collective grasp – his Andy, and their daughter.
He knew it was a girl because he’d always dreamed of a chubby-cheeked little girl with brown curls and big blue eyes. She was the playful little cherub who would bounce on his knee and look at him like he could do no wrong. The specter of fatherhood had scared him for so long, he was terrified he could never live up to the title. This was the future he never thought he deserved and now Andy had given him the greatest gift of all. He’d dreamed of this moment for far too long. He knew he’d never, ever let them go.
In fact, it was suddenly his mission in life to make sure both his lady love and his child would never want for anything. Eventually this would mean resuming his career, but for now he focused on the little things. He threw himself into making a home for Andy, which showed her a side of him she’d never really seen before.
She sat at the counter near the kitchen as she watched him prepare a grocery list. He had memorized the list of foods her doctor had recommended for her to eat, and avoid, during her pregnancy. He had even taken over litter duty, now that Simon had joined their happy little beachfront home. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but I really wish I could go with you,” she said.
He gave her a smile. They’d already done their paparazzi test for the day when he went out for his morning run, he knew that shutterbugs would be waiting for him the moment he walked out his front door. They wanted to know what happened to Holly, and when they’d get to see Andy. They really weren’t fooling anyone, but Andy was reticent to put her face in the papers for good reason.
The Internet still buzzed from the last time she’d been caught with Vanni. Women who already believed they held a claim to Vanni because he was their idol had bashed her openly and viciously.
“Like I said, they’ll find something new to gossip about in the next week or two. Then you can take care of your man, like a good woman should.”
He gave her his trademark smirk and she giggled as she stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed as he rounded the corner to kiss her nose. “You’re adorable,” he said. “Be naked and ready for me when I come back,” he teasingly instructed as he grabbed her boob.
She laughed out loud before she stifled a yawn. She was so tired lately. “Naked and unconscious is more likely.”
He wrapped her in a hug. “That’s okay. I know how to wake you up.” They shared a deep kiss, reminded of their early morning aerobics.
“Then I’ll look forward to it,” she whispered. “Now go get my yogurt covered pretzels.” It had been her one craving so far; she couldn’t get enough of the sweet/salty combination.
“Yes, Bean,” he said as he bent to kiss her tummy, which had a pleasant curve but no hint yet of all the magical transformation taking place inside. When he rose he caressed Andy’s face tenderly. “Love you,” he said.
“I love you, too,” she responded happily. It felt so good to say it – and hear it – as much as she wanted.
He had a skip in his step as he left for the store, and Andy went to cuddle Simon on the couch as they listened to the waves crashing against the shore.
Not even five minutes after he left, someone knocked at the door. Andy knew better than to answer, so she kept low on the couch until long minutes after the knocking had subsided. When she was certain whoever had knocked was gone, she went to long windows on either side of the door to check if the coast was clear.
A package sat on the welcoming mat on the doorstep. Her brow furrowed as she tried to make out the sender’s address, but it was blank. Even more curious she noticed that there were no markings of postage of any kind.
Someone had just come up and left an unmarked package on their doorstep. She backed away from the door and reached for her phone.
CHAPTER TWO
Malibu, California
January 10, 2011
“Just a couple more steps,” the redhead urged from her spot at the other end of the parallel therapy bars. “You can do it, Graham. Come on.”
Beads of sweat ran down his reddened face as Graham Baxter took each step with great effort. He was nowhere near winning a marathon anytime too soon, but the steps he could take independently had grown exponentially since he walked toward Andy in a New York hospital room. It was mostly thanks to his tireless cheerleader, who beckoned him to take just one more step than he thought he could, who urged him now with open arms and a tireless devotion.
He grabbed the bars in a white knuckled grip to keep his balance as he finally reached where she stood. “You’re a slave driver, Maggie Fowler,” he growled with a playful scowl on his face.
“That I am,”
she happily agreed. “If you don’t like it, you can fire me,” she added as she assisted him back to his wheelchair.
The days of his threatening to terminate her tenure as his nurse had ended the minute he realized she was the one who could get him mobile again. And even though his reason for getting well had walked into someone else’s arms, he knew he was nowhere near finished with his therapy and his recuperation. This was largely thanks to the butt-kicking Maggie gave him when he got home. She told him in no uncertain terms that he was going to walk again if it was the last thing she did, Andy or no Andy. She railed at him he was a fool to ever pin all his hopes on another person, and that if he couldn’t get off his butt and on his feet then he wasn’t half the man she thought him to be.
After her little sermon was over, Graham quietly reminded her that he wasn’t finished with his therapy, and therefore neither was she.
“Good,” she had pronounced. “Because if you think you can get rid of me that easy, you’ve got another thing coming.”
He had smiled at her red-faced furor. She had truly expected when he had returned from New York alone that she’d have to pull him, kicking and screaming, back to the land of the living. It was actually kind of amusing to see her befuddled how to handle their new relationship dynamic, where she could be the sole focus of his attention.
Even though they had spent significant time together in the past, without the ghost of Andy and his hopes for their future hanging overhead, it had shifted the balance somewhat. Now when they spent time alone together, it was as two people who had no other main goal than what they could get from each other. It was a strange relationship, but one built on deep trust. He knew that Maggie would never let him down. As such, he never wanted to fail her.
It had only been a few weeks, but their progress had been undeniable. He was working hard to meet their next goal: his return to the office to oversee Baxter Mega-Worldwide Media Corporation.
Andy had done much for his business, but ever since her return from New York with Vanni she had laid low. It was almost a honeymoon period for them, which still gnawed at Graham’s gut. He had loved Andy for a long time – still did – but she had chosen another man. Even if that man was totally wrong for her, had betrayed her and manipulated her, and even put her life in danger, she had made her choices.
Graham was quite over chasing after her to change her mind. Maggie kept him focused on those things he could change, those things he could control. In fact she never even mentioned Andy at all, even though he knew she must have been curious.
“She has chosen to stay with Vanni,” was all that he said on the matter, which is what launched her into her tirade that he better not give on himself as a result.
Oddly enough, despite how heartsick he was that he would never have a future with the woman he still loved, he had never considered giving up on Maggie, their therapy, or his future. So he wasn’t going to be walking down the aisle again, at least he’d be walking.
Besides which, he’d already done the marriage thing. Twice. It hadn’t worked out before, why was he so certain he would get lucky the third time around? Given that the woman he loved still loved someone else, it was a virtual certainty it would have failed eventually.
Much better he lose her now than later.
So Maggie and Graham built a new relationship. They talked about things other than his failed romance with Andy. They talked about music, watched movies and discussed books. They indulged their mutual love of cooking to experiment around the kitchen and prepare gourmet meals. They discussed politics and world events. As people, they found they were surprisingly compatible. They were closer in age and had learned certain hard truths in life, especially rebounding from the worst kind of crises. In the last few weeks they had become the best of friends who laughed a lot and treasured the little things.
It was dangerous territory for Maggie. When Graham had returned from New York without Andy, it struck fear in her heart he’d send her away; too despondent over the loss of his relationship he wouldn’t want to continue their therapy together. While his recovery remained a priority, Maggie realized that wasn’t the main reason she was scared he’d turn her away.
Graham had wormed his way into her heart when she wasn’t looking. She had more than a reason to wake up every morning, she had a reason to smile, to laugh… to enjoy life again. She hadn’t felt this way since Mitchell died, and nothing scared her more than to lose that feeling again.
Before, with Andy as a buffer, she had been able to deny the feelings that had started to take root. It was easy to defer to someone else as the objective third party, who merely played a supporting role. It was only after she faced off with Andy during Graham’s bout of pneumonia that she truly knew she was in over her head.
The day Maggie had confided to Graham about what had happened with Mitchell, he had taken her into his arms as a gesture of comfort. It was the first time she had leaned on anyone else for support in a long time. She noted how strong his arms were, how steadfast his embrace. When he took her out on the town afterwards, she truly felt like a woman for the first time in a long time. She had indulged that feeling only to put Graham’s health at risk. She had challenged his compromised immune system with prolonged exposure to the outside world on his first real outing. When he came down with pneumonia, Maggie was panic-stricken that she had been the cause, not his shock over learning Andy had been with Vanni in New York.
It was just easier to blame the younger woman, who had bounced between the two men she loved like a ping pong ball. It was also easy to blame her for being too stupid to realize what kind of man she had in Graham. To Maggie there wasn’t even a choice between the two men. Vanni was immature and selfish and entitled. Graham had been devoted and selfless, to the point of taking a bullet for her.
Andy totally didn’t see how lucky she was, and that pissed Maggie off most of all.
It was then Maggie had the inkling that her anger at Andy was more than just defending her patient. When Andy returned, Maggie was relieved. Falling in love with a patient would have been an unnecessary complication.
Now, as she helped him into his whirlpool bath, she feared that ship had sailed. She averted her eyes from the lower half of his body, reminded of the time she walked in on his private moment pleasuring himself.
It had awakened something in her she thought long buried, and those thoughts had no place in her job as his nurse.
She didn’t say much as she left him to soak. If Graham noticed he didn’t say anything. They hadn’t really talked about things of a sexual nature since that day, even though she knew he had resumed a fairly active love life when Andy had returned to the house after the New York debacle. Andy had slept in his bed almost exclusively until their last trip to New York, and since Maggie had an adjoining bedroom she didn’t need to be a psychic to figure out what sounds meant what.
He hadn’t said one way or the other if they had been intimate, and it wasn’t really Maggie’s business anyway. She knew he was curious about fathering children in his current condition, but as far as she knew their efforts had not been successful.
Maggie couldn’t even imagine how complicated that would have made everything.
She headed for the kitchen to make herself a snack as he soaked. She decided to make him a treat as well, just to spoil him a little for all his hard work that morning. He was making tremendous strides toward his goal – both literally and figuratively – so she felt he deserved a little pampering. She smiled to herself as she prepared him a plate of fruit and cheese. It made her feel domestic and womanly to take care of the man she loved. It was such an old fashioned notion when she took time to think it through, but thanks to a ringing telephone she didn’t have to dwell on it much.
“Graham Baxter’s residence.”
“Hi, Maggie. It’s Andy.”
Just the sound of the other woman’s voice made Maggie’s smile evaporate. Her tone was stiff as she replied, “Hello, Andy.”
The t
ension between them was palpable, even over the phone. “May I speak to Graham?”
Maggie cleared her throat. “Graham’s busy in therapy at the moment. Can I give him a message?”
“It’s kind of an emergency,” Andy said.
Isn’t it always? Maggie thought to herself. “Fine. Hold on.”
She went back to Graham’s private bath, and knocked on the door. “Come in,” he responded from the other side.
The minute she entered she took note of how youthful, strong and masculine he looked reclining in the bubbling whirlpool. She felt her heart swell despite herself. She hated having to disrupt their perfect little bubble with anything related to Andy, but it was clear that as long as she was with the lead singer of his biggest act, they’d never really be done with her.
So complicated, she reminded herself again.
“Andy’s on the phone,” she replied tersely. “Says it’s an emergency.”
He nodded immediately and held a hand out for the phone, so she handed him the cordless handset. “Yes, Andy?” he said, and it tore at Maggie’s heart to hear the hopeful tone in his voice.
He needed to be needed, and no one needed him more than Andy.
Maggie watched as concern drew his face into a scowl. “Maybe you should call the police,” he said. After a pause, “No, of course you wouldn’t want to draw that kind of attention… but if there’s something in that package that is dangerous…”
Maggie sighed as she stood helplessly by and waited.
“Okay, listen. I think I know who we can call. Just stay inside, okay? And Andy,” he said quietly, “thanks for calling.”
He disconnected the call and reached for a towel. Maggie wanted to ask what the big emergency was, but she quietly did what she always did best: her job.
She dried him off, got him into his robe and then helped him get into his chair. He wheeled down the hallway and into his office without another word.
The Complete Groupie Trilogy Page 56