Gage: A Love Under the Lights Novel

by Paige, Rochelle

  I didn’t like soon because it was too open-ended but decided not to press the issue. She was understandably anxious, and I didn’t want to add to it. My job as her best friend was to let her know in no uncertain terms that she had support.

  “If you’re pregnant I’ll be there every step of the way,” I vowed. “We can raise the baby together.”

  She snorted. “So my baby would have two mommies and a Gage? I bet Mr. I don’t want children would love that.”

  “If he didn’t understand my commitment to you, I wouldn’t want to be with him anyway. Besides, it wouldn’t affect him since he wouldn’t be living with us. Obviously, I’d still be with him, but he wouldn’t be in the house for late-night feedings or diaper changing.”

  Allie arched a brow. “You know you don’t have to pack it up and move out of Gage’s if I’m pregnant, right?”

  “Of course I wouldn’t have to,” I agreed. “Besides, it’s a moot point. Now that Kerri has been caught and there’s no more threat to me, I’ll be moving back to the condo. Although if you’re pregnant, we should probably upgrade to a house…”

  “Morgan!” she snapped, startling me. “Are you out of your mind?”

  “What? I’m just saying that having a house with a yard would be smart if there’s a baby on the way. The condo is only a two-bedroom, and there’s no outdoor space. A baby will need outdoor time, and if we’re going to be outside anyway, we should get a dog. And obviously, if there’s a dog, we need a yard. It’s just common sense.”

  She looked at me like I was eleven eggs short of a dozen. “I mean this in the nicest way possible. Morgy, you are nuts. First, I don’t want a dog right now. Second, and far more importantly, Gage Ryan is not going to sit with his thumb up his ass while you roll your suitcases out of his house and into our condo.”

  I didn’t think she was right about that. “As amazing as he’s been about having me there, it was a spur of the moment decision for him. I haven’t lost sight of the fact that it was never meant to be permanent.”

  “I don’t think that’s true. I mean, maybe at the start there was no guarantee that it would be permanent, but I think you’re well past the point of living apart at this point.”

  I did my best to ignore the way my stomach fluttered at her words. I wanted to believe that Gage and I were in it for the long haul, but in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help thinking about how vocal he’d been about never getting married and not having children. He’d stayed single and unattached for a reason. I didn’t think a little over three months of dating me—one of those months being long distance— could have changed him that much.

  “We’re perfect together, and I love being with him, but I don’t want to have unrealistic expectations. He’s an amazing man and an incredible boyfriend, but since he’s never told me he loves me, I’m almost afraid to think too hard about what kind of longevity we might have.”

  Allie frowned. “Hey. Just because he hasn’t said the words doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel it. I mean, I know you love him, and I further know that you haven’t told him that. Just because he hasn’t said the words doesn’t mean the feelings aren’t there.”

  I figured only time would tell, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was hoping for a miracle.

  * * *

  “How was Allie?”

  Gage posed the question when he took his lips from mine after kissing me until I damn near melted into a puddle on his kitchen floor.

  “Um, good. Better once I told her that with the stalking threat over, we’ll be able to move home.”

  I had to force myself not to cringe because of the way I blurted the whole moving back home thing. In my defense, I’d been thinking about it the entire way home from the hotel. The closer I got to Gage’s house, the more anxious I felt. The truth was that I didn’t want to move back to the condo, but in addition to not wanting Gage to feel trapped, I was also damn sure I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of him kindly trying to point me toward the door. Even the idea of him having to tell me it was time to go made me ill. Therefore, I decided to face it head-on.

  He frowned down at me. “Move?”

  “Well, now that Kerri is no longer an issue, I can get out of your hair and move back to the condo,” I answered, my voice soft.

  The tension in his frame wasn’t an encouraging reaction.

  “Dammit Morgan, what the hell?” he asked, his voice tight.

  I stiffened and tried to step out of his arms, but he tightened his hold.

  “What do you mean?

  “I mean you came out of left field with that shit.”

  “Oh,” I said, frowning because I could see his point. We hadn’t discussed my leaving at all, and suddenly, I was tossing it out there like a Frisbee in a dog park. “Sorry about that. It was at the front of my mind because Kerri got caught and I just saw Allie.”

  He studied me for several seconds like he was searching my face for something. Finally, he nodded as though he’d gotten an answer to an unasked question. Letting go of me, he stepped back, went to the counter, and picked up his cell phone.

  “When do you want to move?”

  No sooner was the question out of his mouth than his thumbs were tapping something out on the phone.

  “I hadn’t gotten that far,” I answered. “Maybe this weekend?”

  He nodded but didn’t look up from the phone because he was still busy typing. To me, his reaction was confirmation of the fact that he preferred to live alone. I’d be sad to go, but at the end of the day what mattered was our relationship.

  “It’s all set for Saturday,” he said before setting his phone back down on the counter. “I told Shawn to book movers for first thing in the morning.”

  Damn, I thought, thank God Kerri got caught when she was because he clearly wanted me out.

  “I don’t need movers,” I said. “I’ve only got four suitcases.”

  “That’s true,” he agreed, “but I’ve got a lot more than four suitcases to take with me, so movers make sense. You need to tell Allie that I’ll need a corner of your living room to set up my computer.”

  My eyes were wide, and my jaw hung open like it was a trap door. “I… what?”

  “What, what?” he asked.

  “Why do you need movers?”

  He made a tsking sound as he pulled me into his arms again. “The past seven weeks have proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that we belong together. My home is with you, beautiful. If that means moving into a two-bedroom condo and rooming with your bestie, then so be it. I just hope the walls are thick enough to muffle sound since you and I get a little loud in the bedroom.”

  My head felt like it was working overtime. “You want to keep living with me?”

  “Of course I do. Having you here with me has been amazing. I don’t want you to leave, but if you feel strongly about going back to the condo, I’ll go with you.”

  “You’d really go from almost eight thousand square feet to twelve hundred for me?”

  He inclined his head. “There’s nothing a man in love won’t do for his woman. Square footage is just a number. You’re what matters.”

  My breath caught at the same moment my heart started galloping like a team of wild horses was chasing it across a field.

  “Are you . . . did you just . . . are you saying that you love me?” I stuttered.

  He brought his hands up so that he could cup my face. “That’s exactly what I’m saying, beautiful. I never thought I’d feel like this, but meeting you changed everything and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love you.”

  Between blinking back tears, I had to swallow twice before I could say a word. When I was finally able to speak, there was only one thing to say.

  “I love you too.”

  The expression on his face before he leaned in and kissed me was one I knew I’d never forget.

  Twenty-Eight

  Morgan

  I felt like the smile on my face was permanent. After Gage and
I had declared our love for one another, he’d taken me upstairs and made love to me until we were both too spent to move. Thus, I was high on life and love.

  He’d gotten up and gone out for a breakfast meeting with his agent, and I was on my way to the condo to see Allie, who had gone home to the condo after she’d checked out of the Sunset Tower earlier in the morning. I was surprised when she texted and told me she’d gotten right up and checked out of the luxury hotel, but once I talked to her on the phone, I knew it was because she was a nervous wreck. This was because once again, she hadn’t gotten her period, and the steady diet of excuses she’d been feeding herself wasn’t doing the trick.

  When I walked into the condo and didn’t see Allie, I headed to her bedroom. After putting the drugstore bag on her bed, I sat down to wait for her. She came out of the bathroom roughly ten minutes later, looking like something that cat dragged in. Throwing up was funny like that.

  “I brought pregnancy tests,” I said, gesturing to the bag on the bed next to me. “I feel like the sounds coming from your bathroom mean the tests are basically only going to confirm what you already know. All signs point to you having a bun in the oven.”

  Allie let out a strangled sound as she sat on the bed next to me. “That’s never happened before. I think it might be food poisoning.”

  “You look rough, but not need-to-see-a-doctor rough. All signs point to morning sickness.”

  She blew out a breath and nodded. “I’m picking up what you’re putting down, but I’m not ready for a test just yet.”

  “Allison Marie,” I groaned, throwing in her middle name so she’d know I was serious. “You can’t run from reality.”

  “I can’t run from it forever,” she agreed, “but I can avoid it for now. I need a day or two to get my mind around this.”

  I didn’t think delaying the inevitable was going to do much for her, but I wasn’t the one who was (probably) pregnant.

  “Take my mind off this and tell me what happened last night when you told Gage you wanted to move back here. Your text was light on details but heavy on exclamation points, so I assume it was amazing.”

  I couldn’t keep a goofy, dreamy smile from spreading across my face. Still, much as I wanted to share nearly every detail, I didn’t think waxing poetic about how amazing things were with Gage and me was appropriate given the circumstances.

  “Things went really well,” I said. It was the most generic and not over-the-top descriptive I could think of.

  Allie elbowed me. “Don’t downplay your happiness because I’m going through some shit. I’m still your best friend. Tell me everything.”

  Knowing that I’d say the same thing in her position, I caved and gave her the details about everything that happened. As I was wrapping up, describing how I almost hit the floor when Gage told me he loved me, Allie started giggling.

  “Did he really text Shawn to say he wanted movers?”

  “I never asked, but knowing him, I’m sure the answer is yes. I think he was covering his bases to make sure we would be living together no matter what.”

  Allie gave me a knowing grin. “That big lug couldn’t be more in love with you if he tried.”

  I figured the answering smile on my face was visible from space.

  * * *

  I grimaced when I saw a hoard of paparazzi camped on either side of the road as I arrived at the guard gated entry to Gage’s development. Their presence had been intrusive as hell in the first two weeks after Gage and I went public but since then they’d stopped showing up at the gate and had instead taken to finding us when we were out. There were ways to counteract that—mostly by not going to places the paparazzi were known to swarm—so we’d been getting by pretty well. Seeing them by the gate, close enough that they could get their photos but far enough away that they couldn’t be arrested for trespassing, was frustrating.

  Although my window was rolled up, I could hear them calling my name. Fortunately, the guard recognized my car and the permit in front, which meant she waved me through so I didn’t have to stop. I gritted my teeth and silently cursed Kerri Anderson as I made the three-minute drive from the gate to Gage’s house. I figured word of the restraining order had gotten out, which meant we’d be besieged by vultures wanting to know every bit of the story. I’d known it was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier to stomach.

  I was grateful that Gage lived in a gated community because it meant that once I got past the checkpoint, the paparazzi were left twiddling their thumbs. I didn’t know what I’d do if they’d been able to camp right outside of the house.

  * * *

  Since Gage wasn’t home from his meetings yet, I poured myself a glass of cherry Kool-Aid, picked up the new Cosmo that I’d bought at the drugstore earlier, and headed outside. Taking a seat on the outdoor couch, I perched my feet on the table in front of me and opened up my magazine. I was just starting to read about the latest must-have face cream when I heard the door to the patio open. Turning, I smiled at Gage as he stepped outside. As he came closer, I realized he looked anxious about something.

  “Did everything go okay with your meeting?” I asked, worried that maybe something had happened that he didn’t like.

  He waved a hand dismissively as he sat on the couch next to me. “It was fine. Let’s talk about you.”

  I furrowed my brow. “Okay?”

  “Anything new or noteworthy you’d like to share?”

  I grimaced. “Aside from the fact that the paparazzi down at the gate means the news about the restraining order got out faster than I’d have liked, no. How about you? You seem a little keyed up.”

  He blew out a breath. “That’s not why they’re at the gate, beautiful.”

  “Are you sure? Because they were definitely calling my name and there’s no other reason they’d be hanging around right now.”

  “Don’t be so sure of that.”

  Closing my magazine, I set it on the empty cushion on the other side of me. “Clearly you know something I don’t. What’s up?”

  The way he studied me while I spoke made my heart flutter.

  “You stopped at a drugstore this morning,” he said.

  I wrinkled my brows. “And?”

  “There are photos of you coming out of the store with a massive smile on your face holding a bag full of pregnancy tests. The way the sun hit the bag meant it was practically see-through. Twitter and Facebook are on fire right now with speculation that you’re pregnant.”

  I gasped. “Oh shit. Dammit. I didn’t see any paps, and it’s not like the bag was clear. I’m so sorry, Gage. I never would’ve bought the tests if I thought anyone would take two plus two and make eight million.”

  “Fuck the paparazzi,” he said dismissively. “Talk to me about the tests, beautiful. How late are you?”

  My eyes widened as the pin dropped, and I realized what he was thinking. “No, no,” I assured him, waving my hands back and forth. “They weren’t for me. I’m neither late nor pregnant. The tests were for Allie. We’re good—you don’t need to panic.”

  Something strange passed across his face as he let out a long breath. “I wasn’t panicked,” he said. “In fact, quite the opposite. I was excited.”

  I think my heart stopped for a good three seconds. “You were?”

  “Yeah, I really was. I had all these thoughts about you being pregnant and what our baby would be like and I wanted all of that.”

  “Really?” I squeaked.

  I was twenty-seven, which meant I’d had plenty of time to think about what I wanted in my life. One of the things I knew I wanted to experience was becoming a mother. Every time I’d thought about the future for Gage and me, I’d done my best to avoid thinking too much about the fact that children wouldn’t be a part of our lives.

  “Yeah. And when you said the tests weren’t for you, I was disappointed.”

  “What happened to Gage I never want children Ryan?” I gasped.

  “I met you,” he answered.

/>   “I’m blown away,” I admitted.

  “We’ve never talked about it, and we really should. Do you want children, Morgan?”

  I swallowed nervously before answering. “I would love to have at least one.”

  He considered that and then nodded. “Then we’ll start with one.”

  I was so stunned it took me a few seconds to form words. “You’re full of surprises.”

  “I’m sure there will be plenty more to come,” he laughed before he reached out and pulled me in for a kiss.

  I melted into him with a smile. He never ceased to surprise me, and I loved it.

  Twenty-Nine

  Gage

  Morgan’s suggestion that she move back into her condo had been the swift kick in the ass that I’d needed to make things more permanent between us. Her admission that she loved me and wanted to continue living together hadn’t been enough. And if that hadn’t driven it home for me, my reaction when I thought she was pregnant would’ve. I wanted forever. In order to get it, I asked Shawn to set up an appointment for something I never thought I’d do in my lifetime. But here I was, sitting across from Lorraine Schwartz—one of the most popular jewelers on the red carpet—going over engagement ring options.

  “Do you have a preference for the cut or size of the stone?”

  I scanned the collections of diamond rings she’d laid out on my dining room table and pointed at one of the displays. “I think these are more Morgan’s style.”

  “An excellent choice.” She flashed me an approving grin as she wrapped up the other displays and slipped them back into her briefcase. “Emerald-cut stones are elegant and timeless.”

  Timeless. I liked the sound of that since I intended for Morgan to wear her ring for the rest of her life. “As for size, I’d like for the diamond to be big enough that any man who looks twice at her can’t miss it but not so big that she feels weird wearing it. Morgan is pretty down to earth.”