I smile at him and then drop my phone in my bag. “No, I’m good. I’ll wait till I get back to Vegas. Charge it up there.”
“You sure?” he checks. “I know how much you love it.”
“Not as much as I’ve loved being here.”
He stares at me for a moment and then comes over, resting his arms over my shoulders. I tip my head back, looking up at him.
“I’ve loved having you here,” he tells me.
I smile, my heart doubling in size.
“And I’m not going to charge my phone either.”
“No?”
“No. I’m not ready for this weekend to be over.” His eyes smile at me.
My insides light up. “Me neither.” I lift up on my toes and softly kiss his lips. “Let’s drag it out for as long as we can.”
“Forever?” he says.
I touch my hand to his face. “If only.”
He presses a kiss to the palm of my hand. “We’d best get moving. We’ve got that flight to catch.”
We get in the car, and Vaughn drives us over to his parents’. His dad is already outside, waiting on us.
“They’re here,” he calls out.
Every member of Vaughn’s family piles out of the house to see us off.
“You’re coming back once the movie’s wrapped?” Vaughn’s mom asks him.
“Yeah. I’ll be back soon.”
She hugs him and then comes over to me. “It was so lovely to meet you, Charly.”
“You, too. Thank you for making me feel so welcome.”
She hugs me. “I hope to see you again.”
“You will,” Vaughn says, smiling over at us.
“Guess I’ll see you soon then.”
His mom smiles and winks at me, and I laugh.
“I’m taking bets on how long it is before he asks her to move in with him,” Meg announces.
“I’ll put twenty on a month,” Gran says.
“I’ll take two months, babe,” Vic says to his wife.
“For fuck’s sake!” Vaughn grumbles.
“Vaughn! Delicate ears!” Sasha’s hands go over Nora’s ears.
“Too late, Mama. I already heard Uncle Vaughn say the naughty word.”
“Fuck’s sake!” George mimics.
“George!” Meg covers her hand with her mouth. Then, she narrows her eyes at Vaughn as she reaches over and punches him in the arm.
“Hey! No need for violence.”
“If he goes to school saying that, I’m telling his teacher where he learned it.”
“Sorry.” He laughs, rubbing his arm.
We continue saying our good-byes to everyone.
I feel like I’m in an episode of The Brady Bunch, receiving hugs left, right, and center. But in no way am I complaining.
I actually enjoy each and every hug I receive. Weird. Must be Vaughn rubbing off on me. He’s a huggy guy.
Then, we’re done, and it’s time to go.
I climb in the backseat, and Vaughn hops in beside me.
Vaughn’s dad gets in the driver’s seat and turns the engine on. “Ready to go, kids?”
Vaughn takes hold of my hand, linking our fingers. I look at him, and he smiles at me.
“Yeah, we’re ready,” he tells his dad.
His dad puts the car in drive, and I wave to Vaughn’s family as we go, as they’re all waving us off.
The farther away we get, the more I start to feel this weird tugging in my chest.
It takes me a moment, but then I realize that tugging in my chest is because I don’t want to leave here. Or them.
It’s not only Vaughn that I’ve loved being here with, but his family, too.
Not only have I fallen in love with him, but I’ve fallen in love with them, too.
And I want this with Vaughn. I don’t mean a family…well, maybe in time, but I want this, what we have right now, and more.
I want to share his life and share mine with him. I want us to live in each other’s worlds and make our own world together.
I don’t want to hide anymore.
I want everyone to know that we’re together.
Not because he’s Vaughn West, movie star. But because I’m crazy in love with him.
I’m in love with the Vaughn West who takes care of me and calls me Pins and makes me laugh and drives me crazy and fucks me like no man has ever done before.
I want to tell him that I’m in love with him.
But none of that can happen until he knows the truth.
He has a right to know. I should have told him weeks ago when I realized things were getting serious between us instead of hiding like a coward.
When we get back to Vegas, I’m going to put my big-girl panties on and sit him down, so I can tell him everything. And then I’m going to pray to God that he understands why I have kept it from him for so long.
Vaughn
“Jack’s been trying to get ahold of you,” Aiden says, taking the bags from me and putting them in the trunk of the blacked-out Mercedes he’s picked us up at the airport in.
“Hey, Aiden.” Charly smiles at him as she climbs in the back of the car.
“Hi,” he says flatly.
“My cell’s dead,” I tell him. “What does he need me for?”
“Not sure.” He shrugs, shutting the trunk.
He’s acting a little weird. He won’t even make eye contact. Seemed a bit off with Charly just then.
“Everything okay?” I ask him.
“Uh-huh. Let’s get you back to the hotel.” He holds open the back passenger door, waiting for me to get in.
I climb inside, sitting beside Charly and taking her hand. Aiden shuts the door with a soft clunk. A minute later, we’re pulling out of the airport.
I rest back in my seat. The peace I always feel after I’ve been home starts to ebb away, like it always does when I come back to work. Back to the reality of my life.
But having Charly here beside me makes it feel easier somehow. She makes everything feel easy. Better.
We drive through Vegas and reach the hotel in good time. As we drive up, I notice the press is loitering outside.
“For fuck’s sake,” I sigh.
“What’s wrong?” Charly asks, leaning forward to look at what I’m looking at.
“Press is out front of the hotel.” I wonder if they’ve found out I’m staying here. Or it could be for a number of reasons. This is Vegas after all.
“We’ll go in through the underground garage,” Aiden says.
He drives around and pulls in the parking lot, taking a spot close to the elevators.
I climb out. Charly gets out behind me.
“I’ll bring your bags up,” Aiden says.
“Okay. See you up there.”
We walk toward the elevator, and I catch hold of Charly’s hand.
“Weekend’s not over yet,” I tell her. “Not until we get upstairs.”
She smiles warmly at me. I press the call button and wait.
The elevator’s empty. We get in, and I press the button for the penthouse. Then, I get my private access card and swipe it. The doors close, and the elevator starts to ascend.
I turn, taking her in my arms, and I press a soft kiss to her lips. “So, I’ve been thinking.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
“Funny. Look, I know we’ve talked about this before, and I know all your reasons for wanting to keep our relationship private, but I don’t want to anymore. I want the world to know that you’re mine. I’ve just had the best weekend of my life with you. I’ve had the best few months of my life with you. I want to take you out on dates. I want to kiss you in public. Yes, I initially asked for us to be a secret, but things have changed now. I didn’t know we would become more…this. I know I’m asking a lot. I’m asking you to give up your privacy to be with me. But…” I take a deep breath. “I love you, Charly. I’m in love with you.”
She’s staring at me with a mixture of emotions on her face. I can definitely pick o
ut happiness in there, but there’s fear, too, and that worries the shit out of me.
“God, Vaughn. I…” She squeezes her eyes shut.
“Okay, I’m gonna be honest here, Pins. Not the response I was hoping for.”
She opens her eyes. “I’m sorry.” And she really looks it. “There’s just something you need to know. Something I need to tell you before we go any further. It’s important.”
“Okay.” My head starts to ring with warning bells. I step back from her just as the elevator reaches our floor. “We can talk inside.”
I turn to step out of the elevator, and Jack is standing there, waiting for me.
“Jesus, Jack! You scared the shit out of me. What are you doing here?”
His eyes flicker past me to Charly. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for hours.”
“My cell is dead.”
“I called your mom, but she said you’d already left.”
“Well, I’m here now. What’s the problem?”
His eyes go to Charly again, who’s still standing behind me. I don’t like the way he keeps looking at her.
Did the press find out about her and me? Do they know that her dad murdered her mom?
Would make sense with the way that Jack has a face like thunder.
“Let’s go inside and talk.” Jack jerks his head in the direction of my suite.
“How did you get in?” I ask, following him.
Charly is lagging behind me. I reach back and take hold of her hand, pulling her to my side. I give her a reassuring smile. She gives me a tight one in return.
“Alex let me in. He’s here, too.”
He looks at me holding Charly’s hand, and his expression tightens.
Guess the cat’s out of the bag. Oh well.
We step inside, and I shut the door behind us. Alex is sitting on the sofa. He stands when he sees us. I jerk my chin in greeting at him.
His smile is tight.
“Okay, so what’s the problem? I’m guessing you know Charly and I are together—”
“Vaughn.”
“I’m not just fucking her. I’m in love with her.”
“Jesus.” Jack rubs his face. “He doesn’t know, does he?” He’s looking at Charly.
I feel her tense beside me, and I hate that Jack is making her feel uncomfortable.
“Jack, let me stop you there.” I hold a hand up. “If you’re talking about Charly’s dad, then I already know everything.”
“Do you want to tell him, or should I?” He’s talking to Charly again.
“Tell me what?” I look down at Charly, and she’s paled. The expression on her face makes my stomach sink.
Then, her words in the elevator ring clear in my head.
“There’s just something you need to know. Something I need to tell you before we go any further. It’s important.”
Releasing her hand, I step back to face her. “Charly? What’s going on?” My voice betrays me and wobbles, giving away the fear and dread I’m feeling inside because I know for certain that, whatever this is, it’s not going to be good.
“I, um…” She runs a hand through her hair.
I see that it’s shaking. She glances over at Alex and Jack.
“Charly?” I say her name.
But she doesn’t look at me.
So, I say it again louder this time, “Charly.”
Her eyes snap to mine.
“Just tell me what the fuck is going on.”
“I’m married.”
The words drop in the silence of the room, and they hit me like a wrecking ball. I feel pain in every part of my body.
“What?” I breathe.
“She’s married,” Jack pipes up.
“I fucking got that!” I yell at him. My eyes swing back to her. “You’re married?” The words fall out of me.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you.”
She steps toward me, and I step back.
“Preferably before you let me fuck you!” I roar.
She visibly flinches.
“It’s all over the news, Vaughn. The press got pictures of you two together in Oregon. Intimate pictures. They somehow found out Charly’s name, and they looked her up. Digby exposed it on his show a few hours ago,” Alex says quietly.
“Oh no.” Charly covers her face with her trembling hands.
“I don’t fucking believe this!” My hands are in my hair, and I’m pacing.
Jack says, “We need to get on top of this, Vaughn. Put out a press release straightaway—”
“Stop! Just stop right fucking there.” I point at Jack, silencing him.
I turn back to Charly. “You’re actually fucking married?” I can’t believe I’m saying this when, moments ago, I was telling her that I was in love with her.
“I am, but it’s complicated.”
“Are you separated or getting divorced?”
She briefly closes her eyes, biting her upper lip hard. “It’s complicated,” she repeats.
My head explodes.
“There’s nothing complicated about the question! It’s a simple yes or no answer!”
I see her eyes flicker to Jack and Alex.
“Don’t fucking look at them! Look at me!” I yell, grabbing ahold of her by her upper arms, forcing her to look at me. “Are you separated or getting divorced?” I repeat.
There’s this awful, painful silence where her eyes fill with tears, and her bottom lip quivers.
She shakes her head.
And my heart breaks. I actually feel it break in two.
I drop my hands from her like she’s burned me.
Because she has.
“Then, we have nothing else to talk about.” And I turn around and walk out of there to the sound of her crying out my name.
Charly
Four years ago, I made the best decision of my life.
I married my best friend, Nick.
Not because we were in love—though I do love him. I love him like a sister loves her brother. But I married Nick because he needed a visa to be able to stay in the country.
Nick is from Canada. He was here in the US on a student visa. When he finished studying, he couldn’t find a company to take him on permanently. He was temping, going from job to job. He applied for a temporary work visa, but because he couldn’t get a job with a fixed time period, it was denied.
So, he was either facing deportation or staying as an illegal.
He didn’t want to do either.
You see, like me, Nick is alone in this world. Nick’s parents were deeply religious. When he took the risk and told them he was gay, they rejected him. They threw him out of the only home he’d ever known. Nick couch-surfed for a while, staying with friends. Then, he made the decision to come to the US. So, he applied to some colleges and was accepted into The Art Institute of New York City. After being accepted, he was granted a study visa.
So, he bought a plane ticket to New York and left for the US.
I met him a month later.
I guess that’s why we gravitated toward one another when we met. Two lost and lonely souls looking for something…looking for a home.
We found that home in each other.
From the moment I met Nick, he became my family, and I, his.
When it was looking like I could possibly lose him, I panicked. I couldn’t lose Nick. He was all I had. I loved him. And, selfishly, I didn’t want to go back to being alone.
So, I came up with the idea of Nick and I getting married. That way, he’d be able to stay in the country. When I told him about my idea, he shot me down. He said he wouldn’t let me do that for him.
But I argued that it was no big deal. I was twenty-one, so it wasn’t like I was going to be getting married anytime soon. And we just needed to stay married for two years until he got his permanent residency visa.
Okay, we were breaking the law. But keeping Nick in New York was more important. For me, the reward far outweighed the possible consequence. And, like I
said to Nick, we were practically married. We lived together. Spent all of our time together. Knew each other inside and out. We were best friends.
We just didn’t have the physical aspect that came with a relationship.
It would be easy for us to convince an immigration officer that we were in love. I adored Nick, and he adored me. We knew everything about each other. Convincing someone we were marrying out of love wouldn’t be hard because we were. It just wasn’t the kind of love that people usually entered into marriages for.
So, after a lot of talking and me convincing Nick, we decided to do it.
We also agreed to stay married for four to five years to make it seem more real to the authorities. And we decided to keep our marriage to ourselves.
We were both temping at different jobs, so it wasn’t like we had work colleagues that the immigration office could interview to find out about us. And we didn’t have any other close friends, so it was easy to pass off.
A week later, we bought some cheap plane tickets to Vegas, left, and got married.
Nick got to stay in the US. He applied for permanent residency two years later and was approved.
We could have divorced then, but like we had agreed, to make it appear real to the authorities, we decided to stay married for another two to three years.
There wasn’t any rush for us to divorce. Neither of us had met anyone special. We dated other people, of course. It was probably risky. But we figured, if we did get found out, then we would pass it off that we were swingers or had an open marriage. There’s no law against that.
So, the time passed, and everything was great. We were actually approaching the time when we had agreed to get divorced, but it wasn’t something that was at the forefront of my mind.
And then I met Vaughn.
And everything changed.
I didn’t expect to fall in love with him. Or for the press to find out about us and expose my past before I had the chance to tell Vaughn the truth.
It was naive of me. I know that now.
I just didn’t know marrying Nick all those years ago would cost me the love of my life today.
I don’t regret marrying Nick. I wouldn’t change what I did. I would marry him again in a heartbeat.
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