I recognize her as soon as I see her—Nova. Her hair is long, dark, and wavy. Her face is exotic and striking. She’s petite and lithe, and I can totally understand how Alex would have felt struck by lightning when he met her. I had imagined her with a more frenetic energy, but she has a sort of serene glow about her, even though her belly looks as flat as a board in those leggings.
“Miss Stiles?” she says, stepping inside.
“Yes.”
Why is she here?
“I’m Ryder’s mom. Nova Tully. Is it okay for me to come in?”
“Yes. I have a meeting to go to in a few minutes, but yes.” I put my purse down and walk over to meet her halfway with my hand extended. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
But instead of shaking my hand, Nova Tully pulls me in for a hug. “It’s really good to meet you.”
It’s unexpected.
And she’s a surprisingly warm hugger for someone who looks like she should be leaping and writhing around in a leotard on a big stage somewhere.
When she pulls away, I offer her a seat at my reading table and check the clock.
“Oh, don’t worry about your meeting,” she says, waving her hand. “Mrs. Woodard knows I’m talking to you. I was just in with her.”
That is also unexpected.
“Oh.” I take a seat opposite her.
She places her hands on the table and studies me. “You’re very pretty. And clean.”
“Thank you.”
“Actually, I came to thank you, Emilia. For finding my son the other day.”
“Oh. Well. Alex found him too.”
“Yes, but you found him first, and every minute counts.” She shakes her head, her eyes welling up with tears. “I can’t believe it happened. I can’t believe he didn’t want to see me.”
“He just needs time to get used to everything,” I offer.
She nods. “He needs a lot of things, and I’ve spent most of his life needing things from him. I can’t do that anymore. I’ll do whatever it takes to make him feel comfortable with Patrick. And the baby. I think a big part of what makes him comfortable is you. You being with Alex.”
“Oh…” I have no idea what else to say to that. I think she’s right, but it’s not the kind of thing you say to a child’s mother.
“You know,” she continues, stroking the tabletop as she looks down at her hands.
That’s when I notice the massive engagement ring—wowza.
“I asked Alex about you a couple of weeks ago. He was gloomier than usual, and I was like…what is going on with you? And he told me about you. About why he wasn’t able to see you for a while… I asked him how you met, and he told me you first met at a club and that he danced with you.” She laughs all of a sudden. “I didn’t believe him at first. Alex Vega hates dancing. Even when we were drunk-off-our-ass newlyweds in Las Vegas, I had to drag him out onto the dance floor and move his arms and legs for him… But he danced with you. For you. The first time you met. It says a lot. And it says a lot that Ryder actually wanted you to be with him.”
She reaches out across the table to take my hands in hers.
“I want to be a better mother to Ryder. But you’re a big part of his life now too. Having you around with Alex, when he’s staying with Alex, will make his life easier. And I want to make your life easier… Alex told me you were nervous about telling the principal that you’re dating again. And that you’re worried about what the other parents might think. I talked to Mrs. Woodard just now. I told her what’s been going on with Ryder ever since I got back. I told her how important it is for his wellbeing that you and his dad be together. And earlier today, I called every parent I know who has a kid in this class, and I told them what I told Mrs. Woodard. I told them not to judge you for it. I also stopped by Miss Farrell’s room just now, after the principal’s office.” A wicked little grin spreads across her face. “I gave her a piece of my mind.” She searches my face for a reaction, but I’m a little too stunned to have one. “I know you aren’t crazy enough to do something like that, but I am.”
I have to clear my throat. “What—what did the parents say?”
She shrugs. “Most of them said as long as you don’t show preferential treatment to Ryder and favor him over their kid, then what you do after school is your own business. People know you’re a good teacher. Your students only have good things to say about you. Mrs. Woodard knows this. She’s pretty cool.”
I try to suppress my smile. “And what did Paige say?”
“Not much. But I don’t think that pointy-faced twat will be a problem for you anymore.”
The tears in Nova’s eyes have been replaced by an impish glint.
I recognize that glint.
I thought Ryder got it from Alex, but he definitely gets it from her.
She gives my hands a squeeze before letting go of them.
“Nova, I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”
She nods once, like that’s the end of the discussion. “Now. Tell me about my son.”
No longer able to suppress my smile—I do. I tell her about Ryder. And I already know that this is the second best and second most important parent-teacher meeting I’ve ever had.
ALEX VEGA INSPIRATION JOURNAL – May
- Current mood…so in love
- Mr. Vega, I hope you don’t mind me writing in your journal. It’s such a handsome notebook, I just had to pick it up. And I just want to say that everything you’ve written in it is beautiful.
If I wasn’t already in love with you and I found this sitting here on your coffee table, I would have fallen for you immediately. Now I just love you even more.
- Listening to the sound of my rapidly beating heart. The one that you taught how to love and trust again—for real.
- Watching Ryder play with Atticus on the porch while you barbecue us some tasty man meat out there.
Am I doing this right?
I should get back to grading papers now.
xoxo I love you.
Miss Stiles
P.S. I can’t believe you never told me you love the end of Cinema Paradiso too. We’re both such romantic nerds. I love us.
REASONS WHY YOU AND ATTICUS NEED TO JUST MOVE IN WITH US RIGHT NOW
1. So I don’t have to drive to your place to give you a spanking when I find out you’ve written in my inspiration journal.
2. You’re both coming over almost every night anyway.
3. I really like my son and all, but it no longer feels right when you’re not around.
4. Everyone knows you’re almost always with us when you’re not at school, so who cares?
5. Ryder and I won’t criticize your outfits nearly as much as Franklin does.
6. I even like your overstuffed reading chair and it will look good in one corner of my office. Where you can sit quietly and nakedly reading while I’m at my desk.
7. It’s not too soon. If anything, it’s not soon enough.
8. It would really piss Miss Farrell off. Do it!
9. You belong with us. We love you.
10. More sex. This was written in order of importance—least to most.
40
Alex
I used to think that my big-picture story was a second-chance romance. Ever since the divorce. Will our hero fall in love again? Will his half-empty heart ever be full again? Will he find the right person to love this time? Fuck that. The heart has a mind that wants to expand, and every person you meet is a potential new teacher. Every love story has a happily ever after if you look for it.
Ryder was the happily ever after for Nova and me.
Every woman I’ve been with, every friend I’ve ever had, my parents—they all taught me something about myself and relationships so that I’d know how to love Emilia.
She’s the best teacher I’ve had, along with my son.
Every kiss is the first of a million.
Every single day is another chance for romance with Emilia Stiles.
I will p
robably want to ask her to marry me many times, for the rest of my life.
But today is the day I do it for the first time.
It’s time to raise the stakes in this marriage plot.
Don’t get me wrong—I love coming home to my live-in girlfriend and her dog. So does Ryder. But now that I’m about to go into preproduction on my indie film with Shane, it feels like I need to come home to my fiancée. We finally settled on a new title for this love story. It’s called All the Stars.
And that’s why I brought Emilia and Ryder here to the planetarium. Well, that and because it’s hot as Satan’s balls at the end of June, for some terrible reason, but it’s cool and dark in here. And meaningful. I knew as soon as I got that speck of dust out of Emilia’s eye that I’d want to come back here with her again. Someday when she wouldn’t run away from me. When I could hold hands with her as we wander through the observatory and learn about the wonders of the universe.
I’m confident that she won’t run away from me today.
This show is thirty-five minutes long. We’ve learned about astronomy and dark matter and where we fit in the universe. We’ve learned about all the stars in the Milky Way, and we’re coming to the end of the presentation.
Ryder is sitting to the left of me. He knows what’s up, and so far, he’s keeping the secret like a champ. I glance over at Emilia, to my right. She nudges her glasses up the bridge of her nose and then places her forearm back on the armrest between us. Looking back up at the screen, I lift my hand and gently stroke the skin of that V between her index and middle finger with my fingertip. She shivers. Her thighs clench together, as I knew they would. And I can see them clenching together because she’s wearing jeans instead of that crazy pink skirt this time. I stroke the space between her ring and middle finger now, all the way down to her wrist.
Moving my hand away from her, I reach inside my pocket. The classical music soundtrack reaches a crescendo and then becomes soothing again. And that’s when I slide a diamond ring onto her ring finger while she’s taking in a deep, calming breath and looking up at the domed night sky.
I could not have directed this scene—or her reaction—better.
The way her head subtly jerks my way and then tilts down to stare at her hand.
The way she lifts her left hand to examine it and covers her mouth with her right one.
Her widened, watery blue eyes as they meet mine.
The way she nods and grabs my face to kiss it.
The first of sixty-five million kisses.
At the end of the movie and the new beginning of our lives together.
“Yes,” she says into my ear. “Yes.”
Ryder taps on her arm, wanting to see the ring on her finger.
She shows him and then reaches across my lap to grab his face and kiss it too.
He still pretends to hate it when she does that, but I know he loves it almost as much as I do.
She’s the big bang. The big picture. The biggest dork we know. And every little magical thing that reminds me we’re made of stardust—old as the universe and new as each breath.
Miss Stiles is about to get married—eventually—Vega-style.
Epilogue One
EMILIA: Hi. How are you? I’m naked.
ALEX: I’m a little busy, but I require proof of nakedness. Also, Shane’s about to do an important scene so I have to pretend to watch. Why are you doing this to me when I’m on set, devil woman?
EMILIA: Text me when you’re on a break. In your trailer. With the door locked and the windows covered. And don’t forget to check your backpack because I put a bottle of unscented lotion in there.
ALEX: You’re getting really good at this.
EMILIA: Or am I getting really bad…at this?
EMILIA: Never mind. Pretend I didn’t send that last text.
ALEX: I’ll never let you forget it. But I still want proof.
EMILIA:
ALEX: Fuuuuuck, babe. Cut and print.
ALEX: Now Shane’s gonna think I’m aroused by his performance. This could get awkward.
EMILIA: Or dirty. Really dirty.
ALEX: Okay, I’m putting you on a timeout, young lady. Back to work.
EMILIA: Back to being naked.
ALEX: Stop it. I mean it.
EMILIA: Yes, Mr. Vega.
ALEX: All right, I’m alone in my trailer. The door is locked. The windows are closed. The pants are off and the lotion is where it needs to be. I’ve got about fifteen minutes. Where were we?
EMILIA: Well, I was just over here on my chair. In the corner of your office. Naked. Reading a book.
ALEX: What are you reading?
EMILIA: Your texts. Duh.
EMILIA: Oh. Forget I said that. I’m reading a dirty book. A really, really dirty book. The kind you won’t find on the shelves of a library. Unless it’s a library of erotica.
ALEX: Go on…
EMILIA: It’s about a naked woman who’s reading a dirty book. And she gets so horny that she sends a dirty text to her fiancé, even though she knows he’s at work and it’s very, very inconvenient for him to be turned on when there are hundreds of people waiting for him to tell them what to do.
EMILIA: And she’s just one little girl, all alone in a house, waiting for him to give her some direction.
ALEX: He’s got some directions for her. Here it is… One. Squeeze those legs together real tight. Two. Grab your tit with one hand and make a V with two fingers of the other. Three. Massage that beautiful tit while sliding those fingers down between your legs. Slowly. Up and down along the sides of that wet, aching clit. Slower, Emilia. Slower. Imagine I’m kissing your mouth. You nibble and suck on my lower lip and it always drives me wild. I lick all the way up your long, slender neck to kiss that spot just below your ear. Four. Spread your legs wide enough for my head to fit between them. Hold your fingers together and pretend they’re my tongue. You know how to do it. Licking quick and soft at first. Sliding a finger or two in and out of your sweet, warm pussy. Then my tongue circles your clit. When I know you want more, I start to add a little more pressure. And then I flick the tip of my tongue until your hips start bucking and you squeeze your thighs around my ears and repeat my name. Over and over. When you think you can’t take any more pleasure, I fuck you with my tongue. You grab my hair, and that’s when I suck on your clit and you scream. And then you beg me to put my cock inside you.
ALEX: And then what do I do?
EMILIA: That’s when you groan and call me baby. You tell me how hot I am and how hard you are and that your cock was made for my pussy. I tell you to shut up and fuck me. You push into me and hold my arms up over my head so I can’t touch you. I want to touch you. But the weight of you on top of me. The way you fill me up is enough. For now. It’s enough but it’s also never enough. No matter how many times we’ve done this, it always feels like the first time. You always seem to be bigger than you were the last time. The urgency and the hunger never go away. I bend my knees and wrap my legs around your waist. Rolling my head from side to side because it feels so good. I can never believe how good it feels. You’re breathing so fast and hard and you’re…you’re ramming into me. You’re so close. I lift my legs up straight so they’re up alongside your ears and my pussy is so tight around you. Tight as it can be. I tell you to come inside me, baby, and your voice gets deeper and then higher and you pump faster and faster and then you go still and make that sound. That beautiful sound you make when you release into me. I love it so much and I love you so much. I wait until your arms bend, and I lower my legs and squeeze them together because I want to keep you inside me. You collapse onto me and whisper I love you, and we stay like that for a minute or so, and then you have to get back to work.
ALEX: Aaaaand that’s a wrap!
EMILIA: In case you missed it, I also packed a couple of towels and an extra pair of boxer shorts and jeans in your backpack this morning, FYI.
ALEX: You are the fucking best. Mar
ry me.
EMILIA: Oh, I will. Next year.
ALEX: Yeah. Next year. You and Ryder should come by the set for dinner tonight. Willa and the kids will be here.
EMILIA: We’ll be there. I will be fully clothed, but my mind will be filled with dirty, naked thoughts.
ALEX: Putting my phone away. See you later. I love you.
EMILIA:
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