She threw the pillow across the room and reached for the room key in her purse, telling herself she just needed to peek in on him. Three steps later, she thought better of it. He was a big boy, and he needed to learn to fend for himself. She’d taken care of him for too long. Besides, if she showed up at his place again, he might order Raul and Jason to hold her prisoner. After all, he’d canceled all her credit cards. He was probably sitting up there waiting for her to come crawling back to him.
She squeezed the room key until the edges dug into her fingers and reminded her of how much he’d already hurt her today.
And like a coward, she’d run away.
It’s better to make a clean break. If you drew things out, who knows what would’ve happened.
A dozen scenarios flipped through her mind, ranging from taking the role to starting her own fashion empire. But for every instance where she imagined her life without him, one scenario kept reappearing in between them. She could ask him why he tricked her. She could forgive him. She could pick up the pieces of their friendship and salvage it. She could even give their joke of a marriage a chance.
She could give him a chance.
Her chest tightened, and she loosened her grip on the card. That was what it all came down to. She’d been so petrified of losing everything she had with Gideon that she prevented herself from seeing all he had to offer. And now she truly had lost everything.
I can’t do this, not with someone who can’t be honest with me.
The last words she spoke to him haunted her. Yes, it seemed to be the coward’s way out to run away, but in her heart, she knew it took more courage to leave this time than stay. If she didn’t demand honesty from him now, then their relationship stood on nothing more than a foundation of lies.
The soft thud of the front door closing jerked her from her thoughts, and she faked a smile for Gabe.
It slipped away when Gideon walked in instead.
“What are you doing here?” she asked in a tense breath.
“I…” Anguish filled his eyes and he reached for her, only to pull back at the last second. “We need to talk.”
“I’ve said all I need to say.” She grabbed what was left of her M&Ms and stalked off toward her bedroom.
“Damn it, Red.” Gideon hooked his cast around her arm to stop her and immediately hissed.
She turned at the sound to find him holding his injured hand in a white-knuckled grip. Compassion waged war with her rage. She didn’t move to comfort him, but she didn’t keep running. “How bad did you break it?”
“Not bad, according to the doc, but it still hurts like a bitch.”
Her anger ratcheted down another notch. “You need to have Frank teach you how to punch.” Especially since his older brother had started his fair share of fights.
“No shit.” He looked up at her, his expression hopeful, and held out his hand. “Please, can you just hear me out?”
She struggled to stand her ground. Part of her wanted to keep retreating while the other part of her wanted to run back into his arms. “How do I know you’re not trying to trick me again?”
“Because I’m on too many pain meds to come up with a good lie.”
She smiled in spite of her desire to remain distant and covered her mouth to hide it. “So you claim.”
“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
She shook her head and crossed her arms. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did you deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me about the screen test? Why—?” Her throat clamped up on her when she came to her last question. “Why did you marry me?”
“Because I love you.”
He said it with such simple sincerity, she wanted to take him at his word. But he was also a gifted actor, and she wasn’t quite sure if she could believe him.
He took a step toward her, his outstretched hand still an open offering for her to take. “I love you, Sarah. I’ve been in love with you so long, I can barely remember when my feelings for you changed from friendship to love, because who better to love than my best friend?”
Her eyes stung, and her heart pounded. His words sounded so sweet, but his actions over the past week argued against them, didn’t they?
“I’ve tried to bite my tongue, keep my feelings for you under wraps, in hope that you would come around and realize you felt the same way. But ever since Halloween, I’ve watched you grow more distant, and I got desperate. I was scared I was going to lose you.”
Her voice shook as she asked, “And that’s why you decided to trick me?”
He winced and withdrew his hand. “I told you I was desperate. And when Gabe suggested I kiss you as we rehearsed a scene, I jumped at the chance. I’d been holding back for so long, Red, and I thought that if I finally pushed things—”
“I’d what? Swoon in your arms and fall head over heels in love with you?”
“No. Well, maybe.” He closed the space between them, his gaze flickering to her lips before coming back to her eyes. “I wanted to show you what I already knew—that the one person your heart desired was here all along.”
She opened her mouth to tell him it would never work, but her tongue refused to speak the lie. Her mind tried to find fault with his argument, but her heart overruled it. Everything he said, she knew to be true. She loved him. And if he’d never kissed her, she never would’ve acknowledged her feelings for him.
“I know I made a mess of things, Red, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to hold you back. You are so beautifully talented, it both scares me and leaves me in awe. You could revive your career if you took the role of Rae, but I worry what the fame would do to you. At the same time, I know you’d kick ass at this fashion endeavor. You can do whatever you want. And instead of trying to keep you at my side, I should’ve supported you and allowed you to pursue your dreams. But they should be your dreams, not mine.”
A hushed silence fell over the room that flowed with the zen-like décor of the Nobu villa. Her pulse grew slow and steady as though she was in the middle of a final shavasana instead of a tense standoff with the man she’d been too afraid to give her heart to. “And what are your dreams, Gideon?”
“This.” He pulled a small red box with gold embellishments from his pocket and offered it to her.
Her hand trembled as she took it from him and opened it. Next to her wedding ring was a stunning diamond solitaire surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds.
“I want to wake up in the morning and see your face on the pillow next to mine. I want someone who’s willing to travel along with me on this crazy adventure called life and not just be arm candy on the red carpet. I want you to call me on my bullshit and drive me crazy like you do. I want to be the one to support you on whatever you decide is best for your life.” He ran his hand along her cheek until his thumb grazed her lips. “I want what we already have. I want to be married to my best friend. But most of all, I want you to be happy.”
A sob choked her until she shook it free with a strangled laugh. She felt like she was in a scene from a movie, not listening to the drug-induced ramblings of the man who’d captured her heart without her even knowing it. And yet, loving Gideon seemed as natural to her as breathing. She’d just been too stubborn to admit it.
He pressed his nose to hers, his lips inches from her own. “And now you know the contents of my heart.”
“Funny, because they match my own.”
“Lucky me,” he murmured before kissing her in a way that made her forget about all the trivial details and focus on the one thing that mattered.
Her best friend.
Chapter Nineteen
Gideon straightened his tie and smoothed the lapels of his jacket. He needed to appear cool, confident, like he belonged here, even though his mind kept screaming to him that he was an imposter. He scanned the room, searching for his target and instead, found her.
She was a vision of sultry beauty. Her red hair fell like a satin curtain around her bare shoulders
and shimmered under the casino lights. The evening gown she wore clung to curves that would make most men drool, and despite the fact she was on another man’s arm, he couldn’t turn away. He wanted her.
She met his gaze, and time seemed to stop. His heart skipped a beat, and his lungs halted mid-breath. Then her lips curled into a slow smile, sending a wave of desire through his veins to revive him.
The look only lasted a few seconds, but he was hooked. He followed her to a blackjack table and didn’t think twice about plunking down the five hundred–dollar minimum bid.
Her escort turned to speak to someone, and she sent him another one of those heated glances that was both coy and inviting.
The dealer dealt the cards, and he tore his attention away from her long enough to peek at his hand.
Two queens.
Maybe his luck was about to change.
She looked at her cards and placed her bet.
A thousand dollars.
He checked the chips in his pocket to make sure he had enough to call her. He did, with ten dollars to spare. He placed all his chips on the table and waited.
She flipped over her cards.
An ace and a king.
His stomach dropped as the dealer turned his cards over and slid his chips over to her.
She checked to make sure her escort was still engaged in his conversation before approaching him. “Better luck next time,” she whispered in a way that made his dick harden.
Then Sarah winked and looped her arm through Gabe’s.
He watched her leave, knowing this wouldn’t be the last time he saw her.
“And cut!” Karl shouted behind him.
Gideon fell out of character and placed a kiss on his wife’s cheek. “You were brilliant, Red.”
“The perfect Rae, just like I knew you’d be.” Gabe unwound her arm from his. “Look at how you had him wrapped around your finger.”
“Art sometimes imitates life.” She smiled up at Gideon, and he fought the urge to take her back to bed that instant.
“Only we have a much happier ending than Colton and Rae.” He threaded his fingers through hers in an effort to keep his desire in check.
Sarah squeezed his fingers, a sensation he’d come to love since the cast had come off a few days ago, before turning back to Gabe. “We’ve got the chef’s table at Guy Savoy’s tonight for our two-month anniversary. Care to join us?”
Gabe wrinkled his nose. “So I can watch you two be all lovey-dovey?”
“It won’t be just us.” Gideon wrapped his arm around her waist. “My brothers, Adam and Ethan, and their significant others will be there.”
“That makes six, so the table is full.” Gabe shrugged off his jacket and handed it to one of the costume people. “Besides, I’d feel like a third wheel if I came. Or to be more precise, the seventh.”
“You don’t even want to hang out with Becca?” Sarah asked.
Gideon tensed. He knew that worried note in her voice, and if he wasn’t careful, dinner with his family would turn into an intervention for Gabe.
Gabe gave him a wry grin. “I can catch up with her tomorrow. She’s my little sister’s best friend. It’s not like I haven’t known Becca her entire life. Besides, I wouldn’t miss out on a chance to get some dirt on Ari to use as leverage.”
“You should find a nice girl and—”
They both raced to cut her off, but Gideon got in first. “Geez, Red, you’re starting to sound like my mom.”
“And I’m way too busy to get involved with anyone right now. These retakes are already pissing off the director of my next film because I had to be here instead of there. Besides, after watching the drama between you two, I could use a little break from relationships.”
“We’re not dramatic,” Sarah said.
“We’re just…” Gideon searched for the right word, and found it when he looked into her eyes. “Perfect.”
Gabe snorted and pulled his baseball cap and sunglasses from his backpack. “And stubborn. And stupid. And hot-headed. And bordering on cheesy. Need I go on?”
Sarah laughed and gave him a playful smack. “No, you’ve just about said it all.”
“But seriously, you two are good for each other, and I’m glad I played some part in bringing both of you to your senses.” He slung his backpack over his shoulder and donned his sunglasses. “Now, if you two will excuse me, I’ve got a script to learn in two days.”
He walked off the set, but Gabe’s departure didn’t erase the pensive expression on Sarah’s face.
“I wish we knew someone for him.”
“Things happen in their own time.” Gideon ran his fingers through her silky hair. “Speaking of timing, should we reveal our news to the family tonight?”
She shook her head. “Not for another month.”
On their one-month anniversary, Sarah realized she was late. A three a.m. pregnancy test confirmed what they already suspected.
It seemed that not everything that happened in Vegas was meant to stay in Vegas.
But it sure made for a story worthy of a Hollywood ending.
Note from the Author
Thank you!
Thanks for reading Here All Along. I hope you enjoyed it!
Would you like to know when my next book is available? You can sign up for my new release newsletter at www.cristamchugh.com, follow me on twitter at @crista_mchugh, or like my Facebook page at http://facebook.com/cristamchugh.
Reviews help other readers find books. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.
This book is lendable through Amazon’s lending program. Share it with a friend!
You’ve just read the seventh and final full-length book in The Kelly Brothers series. The other books in the series are The Sweetest Seduction, Breakaway Hearts, Falling for the Wingman, The Heart’s Game, A Seductive Melody, and In the Red Zone. I hope you enjoy them all!
Thanks,
Crista
Books by Crista McHugh
The Kelly Brothers
The Sweetest Seduction, Book 1
Breakaway Hearts, Book 2
Falling for the Wingman, Book 3
The Heart’s Game, Book 4
A Seductive Melody, Book 5
In the Red Zone, Book 6
Here All Along, Book 7
The Queen B* Series
Confessions of a Queen B*
The Queen B* Strikes Back
The Queen B* and the Homecoming King
The Deizian Empire
Tangled Web
Poisoned Web
Deception’s Web
Shattered Web
The Soulbearer Series
A Soul For Trouble
A Soul For Chaos
A Soul For Vengeance
Trouble, Chaos, and Vengeance: The Complete Soulbearer Trilogy
A Soul For Atonement
The Kelly Brothers
The Sweetest Seduction, Book 1
Breakaway Hearts, Book 2
Falling for the Wingman, Book 3
The Heart’s Game, Book 4
A Seductive Melody, Book 5
In the Red Zone, Book 6
Here All Along, Book 7
The Elgean Chronicles
A Thread of Magic
The Tears of Elios
The Kavanaugh Foundation
Heart of a Huntress, Book 1
Angelic Surrender, Book 2
“A High Stakes Game”, Book 2.5 (a free read)
Kiss of Temptation, Book 3
Other Books
The Alchemy of Desire
A Waltz at Midnight
Cat’s Eyes
Provoking the Spirit
More than a Fling
Eight Tiny Flames (Part of A Very Scandalous Holiday)
Copyright and Bio
Here All Along
Copyright 2015 by Crista McHugh
Edited by Gwen Hayes
Copyedits by EMS Flynn
Cover Art by Sweet N’ Spicy Desi
gns
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.
ISBN-13: 978-1-940559-70-4
Author Bio
Growing up in small town Alabama, Crista relied on story-telling as a natural way for her to pass the time and keep her two younger sisters entertained.
She currently lives in the Audi-filled suburbs of Seattle with her husband and two children, maintaining her alter ego of mild-mannered physician by day while she continues to pursue writing on nights and weekends.
Just for laughs, here are some of the jobs she’s had in the past to pay the bills: barista, bartender, sommelier, stagehand, actress, morgue attendant, and autopsy assistant.
And she’s also a recovering LARPer. (She blames it on her crazy college days)
For the latest updates, deleted scenes, and answers to any burning questions you have, please check out her webpage, www.CristaMcHugh.com.
Find Crista online at:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/crista_mchugh
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CristaMcHugh
Here All Along Page 17
