Then she glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight. She couldn’t really do any of the other things that needed doing until tomorrow because she didn’t want to risk waking Tami up.
She should probably go to bed, but she couldn’t do that either. She was still too keyed up. Dominic had told her that he loved her. And she had finally been able to admit how very much she loved him too.
For some reason, that gave her the strength to do something she’d wanted to do for a while now. She pulled her laptop out of its case and set it up on the kitchen table. Then she composed an email to Albert Price.
Dear Mr. Price,
I wanted to thank you for the opportunity that you gave me in working on Sunset Island. I truly enjoyed working with you and Mr. Ainsworth. I know that you all took a chance on me, and I sincerely hope that I met all of your expectations.
Secondly, I would like to apologize for the issue with the contract. Not for breaching it, but for signing it in the first place. I can understand your concerns given what happened on your last production with Dominic, but you had no cause to make me party to any of those lingering issues.
At the same time, I understand your anger in the studio today, and I apologize sincerely for not being honest with you once the relationship began to develop. I should have informed you sooner.
I hope that the fact that our behavior remained completely professional and that we met every deadline will make you rethink what you tell people about your experience in working with me. Even if it doesn’t, please understand that it was my pleasure and honor to work with you on this film.
Yours sincerely,
Juliette Dietz
She scanned over the message once and then hit send before her nerve deserted her. She felt lighter for sending it; she wanted to leave things on professional terms, even if she knew she would never work with Albert Price again—and that would be her choice.
After sending the email off, however, she found she was even more wired.
A quick glance toward her friend’s bedroom door told her that Tami wasn’t available for a late-night chat. The lights were out, and she wasn’t dumb enough to risk interrupting a pregnant woman’s sleep. Still, she needed something to do rather than stare at the ceiling and wonder if she’d just made a bad situation even worse.
She pulled her old notebook out of the drawer in the living room table and began to doodle in it as she pulled up a romance movie on the television. At least it was something to do. Hopefully, it would be mindless enough to lull her into sleepiness.
Like most late-night TV movies, the film wasn’t that great. In fact, her own story with Dominic was much more interesting and not just because she was in it. Handsome movie star meets scrappy country girl.
It would make for a cute screenplay, she thought. Maybe for a Christmas movie. She could change the timeline just a bit. People loved a good Christmas romance.
Juliette paused in her doodling and thought hard. It really would be a cute romance movie, and she felt like people would be interested in it. Who didn’t love a love story?
She’d spent a lot of time on the production of Sunset Island talking to the writers, and they’d been more than happy to show her the ropes of their craft. Her first attempt at a screenplay might not be all that good, of course, but she’d written before, and it wasn’t like she was going to go to sleep any time soon. Why not give writing a try?
She began to write her story out, ignoring the one playing on the flickering television set as she became more and more absorbed in the words spilling from her pen. She worked till nearly dawn before her eyes began to close.
Chapter 21
Four Months Later
“Hey, baby girl. How’s the Christmas shopping going?”
Juliette smiled and braced the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she pulled a baby outfit off a rack. “I’m getting stuff for Tami now,” she said. “How do you think?”
“Ah, baby clothes. Fun and practical,” he replied. She could hear the grin in his voice.
“You’d better not say that too loudly on set,” Juliette said with a laugh. “You know what happened the last time you mentioned babies to me.”
“That’s fine with me,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t care if the whole world thinks that you’re pregnant. We’re free to do whatever we want now.”
“You’re right, my love,” she replied, her voice light. “But if any studio heads hold back from hiring me because they think I’m pregnant, I will be holding you personally responsible,” she joked.
“What else am I supposed to do?” he said with a grin. “I have to tie you down somehow before you figure out that you’re way too good for me.”
“Now that sounds interesting,” she teased. “The tying me down part.”
“Don’t tease like that when I’m at work,” he said, but she heard a rough promise in his voice.
“Sorry, I’ll be good.”
“I didn’t say that,” Dominic replied, then changed the subject before they got too carried away. “How is Tami adjusting to her new place, by the way?”
“She loves it,” Juliette said with a smile. “Of course, Jason made sure that she would. He probably would have moved the walls of his house around if she’d asked him to.”
She was happy that Tami had finally stopped protesting that Jason was just a friend. She’d taken the bull by the horns and asked him out, even though she’d been seven months pregnant at the time. They’d moved in together a week ago.
“Any news on your screenplay?”
Juliette sighed. “No, but I didn’t really expect to hear anything. I only shopped it around because you made me.”
Albert Price had never replied to her email. But that hadn’t mattered. Her agent, Chris, had been inundated with calls after a sterling public recommendation from Edward Ainsworth, and Juliette had read her fair share of scripts, though nothing had grabbed her interest of yet; she was spending more and more time on her own writing.
“There you go again, failing to appreciate the beauty of our love. Hurts me every time, but I push through it because you mean so damn much to me.”
She laughed. “Get back to work, you lunatic.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll see you tonight.”
Juliette went back to shopping. She might not have found the perfect new project yet, but her Sunset Island paycheck had come through. She’d kept her word to herself and paid off her parents’ house, despite their protests. With no mortgage to pay, her mother was finally able to quit the job in fast food.
Rob, meanwhile, was doing better than he had in years. It had been a tense, emotional conversation when Juliette, along with her parents, had finally sat down with him and expressed their concerns, and their hopes that he would seek help.
There had been tears and revelations, but ultimately, Rob had accepted that it was time for him to get some professional help with tackling his addiction. With Juliette’s support, he had entered a rehab facility, and had come out the other side with a new outlook. He had just celebrated his three-month-sober milestone.
A ding from her phone alerted Juliette to an email. Assuming that it was the usual spam, she checked the preview and saw a well-known studio’s name in the “from” field. She clicked the message with shaking fingers.
Dear Ms. Dietz,
We read your screenplay with great interest and would love to have you in for a talk about optioning it for a movie. Would next Monday at four p.m. work for you?
Regards,
Anna Wilson
Suddenly, Juliette couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Anna Wilson? She’d sent the screenplay to her studio at Dominic’s urging, but she’d never in a million years expected to hear back. Anna was one of the most powerful people in the industry!
She started to type out a response agreeing to the date and time, but then her phone rang, and Juliette knew instantly that she’d have to reply to the email later.
She needed to answer the call. It was h
er doctor’s office, which meant they probably had her test results. She’d been feeling a little off for a few weeks now. Some answers to the nausea and exhaustion would be nice.
She really hoped it wasn’t the gluten intolerance that she’d self-diagnosed a few days before—half her life revolved around bread.
“Hello?”
“Hi, this is Anita with Dr. Blake’s office. Is this Juliette Dietz?”
“This is she,” Juliette confirmed, picking up an adorable onesie printed with blue teddy bears.
“Hi, Juliette. We have your test results back.”
“Oh, great. Can you tell me over the phone?”
“Your record says that you were concerned about a gluten intolerance,” the nurse said. “I can confirm that is not the case.”
“That’s fantastic!” Juliette said, already planning to reward herself with a slice of cake at dinner tonight.
“I can also confirm that you are pregnant.”
Juliette let the onesie fall back onto the table. “I—wait, hang on! I’m pregnant?” she asked.
“That’s correct,” the nurse said. “We’ll be able to discuss things further at your next appointment. Would tomorrow at two work for you?”
Juliette barely remembered if she responded. She walked outside and dropped down onto the bench that stood on the sidewalk. She was pregnant?
She was pregnant! Dominic would absolutely lose his mind with happiness.
A bubble of joy rose up in her causing a quick laugh to burst from her throat. Should she call him right now or should she wait?
Her phone was out of her bag before she talked herself out of making the call. No, she should wait. They were going out to dinner tonight to mark their four-month anniversary, and it would be much better to give him the news in person.
Instead, she finished her email response to Anna Wilson.
Just after she’d hit send, her phone rang again, and she glanced at it. Tami’s name flashed on the screen.
“Hey, Tami!” she said cheerfully. “What’s going on?”
“Juliette, it’s Jason,” a male voice said in her ear. “I’m at the hospital. Tami’s in labor!”
“Oh, my God! Is there anything you need?”
“She wants to you to come now,” he said. “If you can, that is. Things are getting pretty close here.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can!”
After about an hour of pacing around in the waiting room, Juliette was finally allowed to go back and see her friend. Tami was lying in her hospital bed, cradling a small form against her. She looked exhausted, but she was smiling from ear to ear. Jason stood by the head of the bed, beaming down at the pair of them with pride.
“What’s his name?” Juliette asked softly as she stepped up.
“Wyatt,” Tami said, stroking the baby’s soft, plump cheek. “And, I wondered if you’d like to pick his middle name?”
“Me?” Juliette asked in shock. “But you had so many lists.”
“Sure, I did. I actually brought them with me,” Tami said with a quick grin. “But, it’s just that picking the middle name seems like a fitting responsibility for his godmother?” She made the statement a question. “Would you?”
Tears welled in Juliette’s eyes. “I’d be honored,” she said, dashing away the tears that had spilled down her cheeks. “Now, let me see those lists.”
Jason handed them over, and Juliette looked through them. There were four pages, all writing in Tami’s best cursive. All of the names had their meanings inscribed beside them. Wyatt meant “guide.”
“How about Donovan?” Juliette asked after poring over the lists for several long minutes. “It means strong fighter.”
“Just like his mom,” Jason said.
Tami smiled. “I love it. Thank you, Juliette. For every single thing that you’ve done since I first found out that I was going to have a baby.”
Juliette could see the exhaustion in her friend’s eyes, so she stood up. “Of course,” she said. “I’ll let you get some rest, hon, but let me know how I can help you when you’re heading home.”
“We will,” Tami said, handing Wyatt off to Jason and snuggling down into her bed. “I’ll see you later.”
Even though she hurried as fast as she could, Juliette was a little late to meet Dominic. He gave her a kiss and a smile when she rushed into the Italian restaurant where they’d had their first date. She knew that he wasn’t upset—and how could he be? It’s not every day your best friend has a baby.
“Guess what?” Juliette said once the waiter had poured their drinks and taken their orders. It would be a while before the food would be out, and she didn’t want anything to spoil her good news.
“What?” he asked gamely.
“I have a meeting to discuss optioning my screenplay.”
“Really?” he asked, putting down the drink he’d been about to take a sip from. “Who’s it with?”
“Anna Wilson!” she said, working hard not to squeal.
Dominic gave a low whistle. “Juliette, that’s fantastic,” he said. “I’m so proud of you!”
“But,” she said, holding up her hand. “That’s not all.”
“Oh? What else is there?”
“I got a call from my doctor today while I was out shopping.”
“Oh, are your test results back? From the amount of fettuccine you just ordered, I’m going to assume that it’s not a gluten thing,” he teased.
“Nope, it’s not a gluten thing.” Her voice trembled slightly, but not with nerves. No, she could barely keep it together from nothing more than pure excitement. “Dominic, I’m pregnant.”
For a moment, he sat perfectly still in his chair. Just staring at her. Then a smile broke over his face and he let out a whoop that made all of the other diners turn and stare.
Juliette laughed and nodded, and he shoved his chair back and stood up. He yanked her out of hers and into his arms, kissing her lips and her cheeks and then her lips again. The other diners watched unabashedly, but she didn’t care.
Dominic cupped her face in his hands and looked down at her, his eyes shining in the low lights of the restaurant. “Juliette, are you serious?”
She nodded. “One hundred percent serious,” she confirmed. “I have an appointment tomorrow.”
“What time?”
“Aren’t you working tomorrow?”
“Who the hell cares?” he said as he took his place at the table again. “I’m not going to miss this for anything.”
“It’s at two,” she said. “And I’d love it if you could be there.”
“I’ll be there.” Dominic looked across the table at her. “This kind of works out, actually,” he said. “Because I had something that I wanted to ask you tonight.”
“Oh really?”
He pulled something out of his pocket and slid it across the table to her. It was a silver key.
“Would you move in with me? You don’t have a roommate anymore, and I have three bedrooms in my place. We can turn one of them into a nursery really easily and—”
“Yes,” Juliette said with a laugh as she held up one hand to halt his words. “I would love to live with you.”
He grinned, leaning over the table to press his lips to hers. “I was smoother when I asked in my head,” he said when he sat back down.
She grinned. “You usually are, aren’t you?”
Dominic raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to have to tone down the sass,” he said. “I don’t want our baby picking up these bad habits.”
“I’ll work on it,” she said, trying to hold back her smile.
Chapter 22
Eight Months Later
“How are you doing?” Tami asked when Juliette answered the phone.
“Are you kidding me?” Juliette demanded. “I’m almost nine months pregnant, my parents are on their way here to meet Dominic’s family, and I am one hundred percent sure that everything I’ve cooked today is trash.” She glanced into the oven with a
worried expression. “What if his family hates potato casserole? Maybe they hate it.”
“If they hate potato casserole, they’re insane,” Tami said firmly. “I didn’t even know what it was until you made it for me, but if they have a problem with it, I am more than prepared to defend your honor—and eat the leftovers.”
Juliette leaned back against the counter and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to calm down. She’d had a pain in her lower back all day, and it was only getting worse over time. Of course, this far into a pregnancy, it was rare to find a body part that didn’t ache at one time or another.
She was going to blame it on the lack of sleep. When she wasn’t lying awake at night tossing and turning and visiting the bathroom more than she’d ever thought possible, she’d been working on the movie. They had asked her if she wanted a part in the film, and she’d agreed to a small cameo. It wasn’t as if she could play herself—at least, not without giving away the ending.
She rested her hand on her belly and felt the baby kick. It was tight quarters in there now. She could understand the baby’s frustration. Juliette could barely remember how good it felt to take a deep breath.
“How is Wyatt doing?” she asked, realizing that she didn’t hear him babbling in the background. Tami’s baby was a talkative little fellow, but this conversation had been strangely devoid of any baby-related noises.
“Oh, Jason had to run to the studio, so he took Wyatt with him,” Tami said. “I’m up to my shoulders in bubble bath at the moment.”
“Smart woman,” Juliette said with only the slightest edge of envy. “Everything’s still going well in that department, then?”
Tami paused for a second, and Juliette could hear the ear-to-ear grin in her voice when she said, “He asked me to marry him last night.”
Juliette caught her breath so suddenly that Dominic stopped on his way to vacuum the living room and looked at her with concern. She smiled and waved him away.
Baby Surprises 7 Book Box Set Page 14
