“It doesn’t matter,” Timber interrupted. “I’m here now.” But to Timber, it did matter. She shouldn’t have been there. Alex or no Alex, she wasn’t ready to see Brian with another woman. But thanks to Eva, it was too late to worry about that now. And while she didn’t think that she still had feelings for him, this entire situation was making her rethink everything.
The elevator doors opened. Timber took a deep breath as they walked down the long hallway. They arrived at the double doors to the suite. Eva opened them and walked in. Timber followed. The large suite was packed with people. Familiar faces were everywhere. The majority of them had been mutual friends of hers and Brian’s.
Timber put on a happy face and kept her eyes focused on whatever was directly in front of her as they moved through the room. She didn’t want to see Brian. She definitely didn’t want to see his new girlfriend. Guests came up and said hello, hugged her, then said things like “long time no see,” “where have you been,” and “we really miss you.” Eva became engulfed by family and friends and was eventually swept away. Timber was left alone to fend for herself.
She walked over to the bar and ordered a glass of wine. The moment she slipped a tip inside of the bartender’s cup, Timber felt a hand on her shoulder. A couple of fingers were on her neck. She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. That warm, firm touch was all too familiar.
“Hi,” she said, spinning around slowly and smiling coolly. “How are you?”
“I’m doing well,” Brian said, his expression filled with surprise. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Eva asked me to come. She’s having some…issues.”
“What else is new?” Brian chuckled.
Timber opened her mouth to say something, but a couple who she’d never seen before approached them and began talking to Brian. As they chatted, Timber discreetly gave him a once-over. She had to admit that he looked good. Really good. He was wearing a dark gray suit that she’d never seen before. She inhaled a cologne that she’d never smelled before. And noticed a new watch on his wrist and new shoes on his feet. Before she knew it, Timber was being bombarded by pangs in her chest. All this newness was confirmation that Brian had moved on. But she didn’t understand why that was bothering her, because so had she.
“Yes, she’s here,” Brian told the couple, his eyes dancing and lips smiling. “Let me introduce you.” Then he turned to Timber and said, “It was good seeing you,” before walking off.
“You, too,” Timber said to his back. And that was it. Brian didn’t even bother to introduce her to the couple. He was too busy trying to introduce them to his new girlfriend.
Timber was anxious to see who she was. What she looked like. How she carried herself. How she interacted with him and his family and friends. She watched as he led the couple over to a couch. They stopped in front of his parents and shook their hands. Then they shook the hand of a woman who was sitting next to his mother.
The woman stood up, and she and Brian wrapped their arms around one another. She looked to be around the same age as him. Her straight, jet-black hair hung down to the small of her back. When she laughed it swayed like small waves frolicking in the ocean. Her prominent features were stunning. Her smile lit up the room. Her clingy black dress accentuated a yoga-toned figure. When she looked up at Brian, her eyes were filled with adoration.
“My father got a really good turnout, didn’t he?” Eva asked as she approached the bar.
“He did,” Timber replied blandly, her eyes still on Brian and his new girlfriend. “I shouldn’t have come.”
“You’re fine,” Eva reassured her. “And I couldn’t have come alone. You did it for me, remember?”
“What time are we leaving?”
“You haven’t even said hello to my grandparents! They saw you come in. Everybody’s asking about you. Why don’t you go over and talk to them?”
“Do you see what’s going on over there?” Timber asked. Brian and his girlfriend were standing near his parents, giggling and whispering in each other’s ears. “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me about her.”
“I didn’t think you’d want to know.”
“But you told Brian about Alex and me.”
“That was different.”
“How?”
“Because Brian showed up at your place unexpectedly that night and figured you were out with another man. What was I supposed to do?”
“Tell him it’s none of his business,” Timber shot back, pissed that Eva had kept Brian’s relationship from her. Because no matter what’d happened between them, it was still hurtful seeing him with another woman.
“Look, you and my dad had a great relationship. But it’s over now and you’ve both moved on. I think you should just appreciate it for what it was and focus on Alex.”
“Easy for you to say,” Timber said, folding her arms. “Your relationships don’t last long enough for you to get to this point. You have no idea what this feels like.”
Eva shot Timber a look before rolling her eyes and turning around, but she remained silent. That was one thing Timber loved about her. She knew exactly when to stand down.
“So what’s his new girlfriend like?” Timber asked, unable to shake her curiosity.
“She’s nice. Divorced, two teenage sons. Brian says she’s accommodating and uncomplicated. She seems to be good for him.”
“She seems to be everything that I wasn’t,” Timber said. As soon as she turned around to order another glass of wine, her cell phone rang.
“I’m going to go make sure the food is being replenished while you get that,” Eva told her.
Timber didn’t recognize the phone number on her caller ID. She walked over to the door before answering. As she stepped out of the room, she saw Brian watching her and his girlfriend watching him.
“Hello?” she said, closing the door behind her.
“Hey, baby.”
Timber’s heart leapt. It was Alex. “Hey, sweetheart. How are you?”
“Exhausted. I just got back to the hotel and I’m dead tired. I have to be on set again tomorrow at five in the morning. This schedule is killing me. I wish you were here.”
“I could be,” Timber told him.
“If you were we wouldn’t be able to spend any time together. I’m just ready to come home.”
“I’m ready for you to come home, too,” Timber said, disappointed that Alex hadn’t invited her to come and visit him yet. “Maybe you can take another trip home soon.”
“I’ll see,” Alex sighed. “How’s the party?”
“It’s okay,” Timber replied, debating just how much she should say.
“How are things with your ex?”
“He’s here with his new girlfriend.”
“I wish you were here with your new boyfriend.”
Timber paused. Did she hear Alex correctly? Had he just referred to himself as her boyfriend?
“Don’t worry about them,” he continued. “You just have a good time and think about me.”
“I will.” Timber smiled. “You do the same. And stay away from those actresses!”
“Goodnight,” Alex laughed.
“Goodnight.”
Timber hung up the phone feeling brand new. Alex had managed to lift her spirits that quickly. She couldn’t wait to get back inside to tell Eva what he’d said. But right before she opened the door, it opened from the other side, and Brian came walking out.
“Hey,” he said, closing the door behind him. “Can we talk for a minute?”
“Sure,” Timber said nonchalantly, trying to appear as unaffected as possible.
“I just wanted to make sure that you’re okay. I don’t want you feel uncomfortable because of my—”
“I’m fine,” Timber interrupted, stepping to the side and walking around him. “We’re not together anymore, so you can do whatever you want.”
Timber opened the door. Standing on the other side of it was Brian’s girlfriend. She look
ed at Timber, then leaned to the side and looked at Brian.
“Your parents are looking for you,” she said snippily.
Timber turned around and looked at Brian, then back at his girlfriend. When neither of them budged, she excused herself and quickly slipped back inside the party. She saw Eva standing by the buffet and walked over.
“What is going on?” she whispered, watching as Brian’s girlfriend strutted past them without making eye contact. Brian followed her, looking at Timber sympathetically on the way over to his parents.
“Brian came out into the hallway trying to talk to me about his girlfriend being here. Then she came out and saw us talking, and didn’t seem too pleased about it. She didn’t bother to speak to me, and Brian didn’t introduce us. The three of us seemed to be in some sort of awkward standoff, so I excused myself and came back in.”
“Wow. That’s weird. So who was that called you? Alex?” Eva smiled.
“Yes,” Timber gushed. “Or ‘my boyfriend’ as he just called himself.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“So it’s official?”
“It’s official.”
“Ooh I love it! And see how Brian saw you leave the room to take a call and came running after you? I told you he’s still in love with you.”
“I don’t think so,” Timber said, shaking her head. “He really seems to be into his girlfriend, and she really seems to be into him, too. The only reason he came out there was to make I wasn’t uncomfortable.”
“I think he came out there for much more than that. He just didn’t get a chance to elaborate because he was interrupted and summoned back inside the party.”
“I doubt it. She seems to be what he wants. She’s mature, probably doesn’t want to get married again and have more children—”
“And she’s a chemistry professor,” Eva added.
“Is she?”
“Yes, she’s new at the university this year. That’s how they met.”
“Oh, then she’s really everything he wants.”
“And Alex is everything you want,” Eva said reassuringly. “He’s attractive, successful, ambitious, supportive…and I’m sure he wants to get married and have children one day. So maybe you and Brian have both found exactly what you need.”
“Looks like we have,” Timber agreed, thinking about Alex then looking over at Brian, who was once again holding his girlfriend in his arms. The twinge in her chest didn’t quite seem to agree with what she’d just said.
“We’ll leave in a minute,” Eva told her. “Let me make one last round.”
Eva walked off, and Timber was left alone to fend for herself again. She smiled and waved at many of the guests, but didn’t feel comfortable going over to speak. She tried hard to stop staring at Brian out of the corner of her eye. But when she stole one last look, he was staring right back at her. She quickly turned around and faced the buffet.
Eva came back up and linked arms with Timber, and they left the party. Cool air fanned her face as they walked down the hallway. She took a deep breath, relieved to be out of the room. She’d needed this. Because now she could truly let go of the past and start focusing on her present and future with Alex.
Chapter Seventeen
Timber felt her eyes flutter from the sunlight that was shining through her bedroom blinds. She rolled over and stretched, feeling happy and content. It was almost nine o’clock on Saturday morning, which meant it was time for her to get up and start getting ready.
Alex had finished shooting his film the day before and flew back into town last night. When he called Timber a couple of days earlier and asked if she wanted to meet him at the airport and spend some time together, she was ecstatic. After greeting him at the gate with a long embrace and lingering kiss, they went for a wonderful dinner, and afterwards, a romantic carriage ride. As they rode through the park and attempted to count all of the stars in the sky, they drank hot mocha lattes and caught up on everything that they had missed while he was gone.
Timber loved the fact that she was the first person Alex wanted to see when he got back into town. While he was on location, they had talked, texted, emailed and video chatted often, and Timber actually felt as though his absence had brought them closer. Last night during their carriage ride, Alex promised Timber that he would spend every waking moment with her until he had to leave town for his next movie. That meant three straight months of uninterrupted bliss.
Today Alex and Timber were planning on going apple picking, then to a charming new farm-to-table restaurant for lunch located near the orchard. Later that evening, Eva had invited them to an album release party that was being hosted by one of her clients. So Timber had quite an exciting day ahead of her that she was really looking forward to.
Eva was going to the listening party with Cameron, which surprised Timber considering how just a few weeks ago she’d said that she was over him for good. But when she told that to Cameron, he begged and pleaded with her to change her mind. He knew that he hadn’t been able to spend as much time with her as he had in the past due to his hectic schedule, but the last thing he wanted was to lose her. Suddenly flowers were being delivered to Eva every day, and Cameron was calling at least three times a day, insisting that they start seeing one another on a regular basis again. Even though Eva would never admit it, Timber knew that she was loving every minute of the attention.
Timber showered, flat ironed her hair, applied her makeup, and threw on a warm teal sweater, skinny jeans, and a pair of boots. The minute she slipped on a pair of earrings and grabbed her coat, the doorbell rang.
Giddy excitement fluttered through Timber’s stomach as rushed to the door. When she opened it, Alex scooped her up and held her tightly.
“Good morning!” she laughed, wrapping her arms around him.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he replied before stepping back and staring at her. “I am so glad to be home….”
“I’m so glad to have you home,” Timber said as they headed to Alex’s car. “I was getting lonely being here all by myself.”
“Yeah, right. So lonely that you had to go and hang out with your ex-fiancé?” he quipped.
“Stop that!” Timber laughed, nudging Alex playfully after they climbed inside. “You know I did that for Eva.”
“Of course you did. When I leave for my next shoot I may just have to take you with me. Keep you safe and away from all your admirers.”
“Actually, I would love that,” Timber said seriously, excited at the thought of being on a movie set with Alex. “I’m sure it would be relatively easy for me to run Soothing Bliss while on location with you.” She waited for his input, but he remained silent and stared straight ahead. Then his eyebrows furrowed and he turned towards her.
“Could you pull up the directions to the orchard on your phone?” he asked. Timber looked over at him as he kept his eyes on the road. She uploaded the directions, then waited for him to continue their conversation about her visiting him on the set. When it became apparently that he wasn’t going to, Timber sat back in her seat and stared out of the window, not wanting to make an issue of it.
During their car ride, Alex kept Timber entertained by telling her about all the mishaps that had occurred on the set. He hadn’t gotten along with one of his costars, and news of their dissention ended up leaking to the press. Stories about how behind schedule and over budget filming had become were all over the internet. Alex couldn’t wait for the shoot to wrap. He’d begun to loathe the intrusiveness of the media and hated the unflattering photos of himself that kept popping up everywhere. Of course the exposure was good, but if it wasn’t positive, he didn’t think it was worth it.
Timber told Alex about how she’d finally begun selling her new line of scented products and researching commercial spaces that were available in the area. He listened in as Timber briefed him on Eva and Cameron’s love story, and how Cameron had made a drastic change for the better when she threatened to leave him.
/> “There’s nothing like a good, solid threat to force a man to pull himself together, now is there?” Alex laughed.
“Apparently not!” Timber agreed.
The pair fell silent for several moments, then Alex glanced over at Timber with a serious expression on his face.
“So, tell me, how was Brian’s party?” he asked.
Timber’s upbeat mood suddenly took a downward turn at the sound of Brian’s name.
“There really isn’t much to tell.” She shrugged.
“You just sounded strange when I called you that night. I figured something must’ve happened.”
“No, nothing happened. Brian was there with his new girlfriend, which was a little awkward, but—”
“Really? Why was it awkward?” Alex interrupted.
“Well, considering the fact that we were once engaged and all….” Timber’s voice trailed off. She felt Alex’s eyes on her and turned and stared out of the window, becoming more and more uncomfortable as the conversation continued.
“Hey, I’m sorry, but I have to ask you this. Are you sure you’re over him?”
“Of course I am,” Timber said defensively. “Why would you ask me that?”
“Because I just need to make sure that you’re all in with me. And that you want to be with me and only me.”
“I absolutely am,” Timber said firmly. “And what about you? Do you want to be with me and only me?”
“Of course I do,” Alex said, reaching over and taking her hand in his.
“Good,” Timber said, relieved that the conversation was over and glad that they had managed to end it on a high note.
Alex pulled into the orchard’s parking lot, and the pair hopped out and grabbed their baskets from the trunk. After they checked in at the main farmhouse and grabbed coffee from a kiosk, they strolled hand-in-hand into the orchard and began picking from the abundant assortment of apples.
* * * *
Later that day, Alex and Timber pulled into her driveway, exhausted from their afternoon outing.
“I had such a good time today,” Timber said as they got out of the car and carried their apples into the house.
The Road To Bliss Page 14
