Long and Hard: A Bad Boy Box Set

by Lulu Pratt

  Evelyn turned to me, her mouth hanging open, as she waited for my response. Tears had flooded my eyes and were running unchecked down my cheeks. I couldn’t imagine his answer being any better than it was. He loved me, he really loved me, and he didn’t want us to be apart. Those words were the best thing I had heard since the doctor had said, ‘we found you a kidney,’ to my mother.

  “Mira?” Evelyn said, shaking me from my thoughts.

  I laughed, covering my mouth and then slowly lowering my hand. “God, Ryan, I love you too. Madly, deeply, passionately, and with everything in my heart and soul. I’ve been in love with you since long long before you gave my mother a kidney. I think, I too, fell in love the moment your lips touched mine right here, right in the front of this room.”

  Ryan dropped his hand to his side and walked up to me, meeting me in the center of the stage. He cupped the back of my neck and looked deeply into my eyes for just a moment before pressing his lips to mine. It was the best kiss I could have ever received, the likes of which I had feared may never happen again. He pulled me into him as the cameras zoomed in, catching that perfect first kiss of our true married life together. The crowd stood on their feet, clapping and cheering, causing me to giggle and smile into his lips. He pulled back and smiled at me, shaking his head.

  “You could have told me that all along,” he whispered.

  “Ditto,” I laughed. “But I know how you like a dramatic ending.”

  “Oh yeah,” he scoffed, laughing deeply. “I just want to be with you, no matter what.”

  “Me too,” I smiled, kissing him again and jumping at the sound of a cork popping behind us.

  Looking over to the side of the stage, I laughed as Miles came up, holding my mother’s hand in one of his, and a bottle of overflowing Champagne in the other. My mom carried the glasses and did a little dance as she walked to the both of us. She took Ryan’s face in her hands and pulled him down, planting a big kiss right there on his cheek. Miles poured me a glass of Champagne and high fived me, giving me a wink. He turned to Ryan and nodded, opening his arms and giving him a big hug.

  I couldn’t believe it, all the worrying, all the scary moments, all the times I just didn’t think I could take one more day, and here I was. I had the man I loved, already my husband, wanting to move forward in life with me, loving me for everything that I was, and embracing this new journey hand in hand. Just like we had made it through everything else over the last six months, we would go shoulder to shoulder into the next phase of our relationship. It was scary, but at the same time, I knew with my trusted partner by my side, we would work through any problems together.

  Chapter 29

  RYAN

  AFTER THE SHOW, we had Evelyn, Harrison, Carolyn and Miles back to the house to celebrate. We wanted to be alone, sure, but we were finally in a place where we knew that we had a very long time to be together ahead of us. We partied the night away, laughing, watching clips from the season, drinking Champagne and just enjoying our time together. I was shocked at how much I had actually come to like Evelyn, even though Harrison and I regularly shared eye rolls at her expense. When the night was winding down everyone went home or to their hotels and Mira and I went straight to bed. All evening long I’d had some sexy time in mind, but by the time we laid our heads on the pillows, we were both out like a light in minutes.

  The next day we woke up to a quiet house. No cameras, and a catered breakfast for our last morning there. We had to put our stuff together, because we were expected to move out of there, even though we had yet to decide where we were living. I packed my bag, chuckling at Mira who had found a gift from Evelyn that morning — all the clothes she had worn throughout the season, and then some. They had done the same for me, and it was a nice parting gift, and I would get some use out of them now that I had someone to share my life with. I looked around the room and sighed, kind of sad to be leaving the place. It was a beautiful home, too big for my taste, but definitely a wonderful place to be.

  Nearly every memory Mira and I had up to that point had been made right there in that house, or somewhere nearby. Now, we were embarking on another chapter, away from the reality TV mess and out into the reality of it all — life. The question was, where were we going to make this grand start? I lived in Indiana, where I owned a house and a business. Indiana was where my friends were. I had a life there — the only place I had ever really spent any time at all.

  “So, what are we going to do?” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “We’ve left this to the last second, and we need to figure out our plans quickly. I know you are from Indiana, and I know that’s where your life is, but I’m hesitant.”

  “Why?” I asked, calmly sitting down and taking her hand.

  “Well, my mom is here, and you know how I feel about my mom,” she smiled. “I didn’t watch her get her life back only to turn around and leave her here on her own. It’s just been her and me for my whole life. “

  “I’ve never had any intentions of leaving your mom out,” I said softly, moving a piece of hair from her face. “I was actually thinking that maybe you could bring your mom with you. I know she loves her home, but Indiana is great too, in other ways. It’s quieter, things are more affordable, she would have her choice of some amazing healthcare, and there are all kinds of community things she can get involved in. She could cut out the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles and meet some people and forge some relationships. She could work if she wanted to, or not. Whatever it is that she wants will still be right there, right down the street from us.”

  “I’ve never been to Indiana,” she said. “I don’t think Mom has either.”

  “I live in a small town, but everyone is kind, everyone is there for each other, and we all try our best to welcome people with open arms,” I said. “You may even find that you start to make some friends you have more in common with. Whether you know it or not, you have the spirit of a small-town girl.”

  “My mom used to tell me that all the time,” she chuckled. “I know that it would be good for her to get out of Los Angeles, and to meet people, maybe even go on a date or something. She has made me her life since I was born and cut everyone else out. I mean, she really didn’t have a choice, she was working two jobs and trying to help me grow up with my feet on the ground. But at the same time, I was born and raised in the beautiful sunshine, the waves off the ocean, the glamor and glitz of Hollywood. I feel like it flows through my veins. I’ve never even thought about leaving here, about venturing somewhere else.”

  “But that is part of the fun of it all,” I smiled. “Think about it, you wanted to be free of the disease that held your mother back, and for a long time that has been your lives. It has been nothing but surviving and getting through each day. Now you don’t have to do that, and you have me to stand by the two of you and make sure you’re taken care of. Wouldn’t it be awesome to start fresh in a new place? My company is right there, something I built with my own two hands, and I’ve made it a success.”

  “Couldn’t you maybe open a place out here?” she asked. “People in Los Angeles, they are nuts about their cars. They want fast, affordable service, but they also want to know they can trust you. After the last episode airs people will be lining up at your door wanting you to work on their cars.”

  “That’s true, the show is great promotion,” I said, but then sighing. “The thing is, I’m not a specialty car mechanic, nor do I do body work very often. I just don’t think that there’s a market for it out here. I haven’t crunched the real numbers, but mechanic shops are a dime a dozen everywhere, especially in big cities. On top of that, with all the custom shops here, most everyone already has their mechanic picked out. It would be a fight to the death for me. Unless you are set on continuing your acting career. I’m sorry, I didn’t even ask you what your plans were.”

  “Oh, you know I loved it, and if something came along I might take it, but I think it’s time I hang up those childhood dreams and start working on somethin
g I know will last. I want to go back to school, maybe get a degree in art or even something in business, too. I love art and I love the idea of owning my own business. I think if I got the education and the know-how, I would be able to make something successful come out of that. And, if I happen to hear of a gig that I want to audition for, then heck, I can just dust off my old résumé and print it out.”

  “As long as that is what you want in life, I will support whatever decision you make,” I said, kissing her forehead. “I just think that when it comes to auto mechanic places out here, I would drown in a heartbeat. That is my life, everything I did before I met you, and I worked really hard to be successful at it. I really don’t want to throw that away, you know?”

  “I understand,” she smiled. “What kind of weather are we talking about in Indiana?”

  “I’m near Indianapolis, so we get pretty cold winters, usually a white Christmas, and then the summer really doesn’t get over the high eighties or low nineties,” I replied.

  “You get snow for Christmas?”

  “Most years,” I chuckled.

  “I’ve never actually seen it snow, I mean we have the mountains out here, but I’ve never walked outside in boots and trudged through the snow.” I could tell this excited her. “Oh gosh, I’ve always dreamed of a white Christmas. With a fire and lights and a snowman in the yard.”

  “Well, that’s definitely something we can have,” I nodded.

  “I guess you’re right about the car stuff, it’s hard to start any kind of business out here, especially if you don’t know people,” she said, with a shrug. “And I have to admit, the idea of a white Christmas pretty much sells me on the idea.”

  “Man, I should have started with that,” I laughed.

  “All right, let’s do it, I’ll move to Indiana,” she giggled. “I’m sure my mom will be all about it, so we’ll get her packed up and find her a really nice apartment out there. She hasn’t lived on her own since before I was born, so I know she’ll be excited to have her own brand-new place. And I can move into your place, if you’ll have me.”

  “I don’t know,” I sighed, playfully. “Do you like plaid couches and deer heads on the wall.”

  “Oh my God! Please tell me you’re kidding,” she shrieked.

  “Yes,” I laughed, pulling her into me. “I do have to admit I don’t have that much in the way of decorations. I was a single guy, remember. But when we get back there we can redo the whole house together and make it our home instead of my bachelor. We can paint, look at the floors and get new furniture. We do have a million bucks now.”

  “We should go to an island and have a honeymoon,” she smiled. “We didn’t get one of those.”

  “We could have a wedding too, since Evelyn gave you that hot dress you wore. It would be nice, especially since we didn’t actually know anyone in the audience last time,” I laughed.

  “Oh yeah.” She leaned back and nodded her head. “I completely forgot that I married a stranger in front of a whole bunch of other strangers pretending to be our friends and family. Funny, I had more fake friends and family at my wedding then I actually have real ones.”

  “Me too,” I nodded. “But it was nice of them to come.”

  We both laughed and kissed each other, sitting on the edge of the bed, in our first ever bedroom. Now that everything was settled, I wasn’t so sad to leave, and in fact, the excitement was really starting to set in. We had a lot of work to do to get them moved to Indiana, but it would be worth every moment of it.

  When we left the house, we went over to see Carolyn and told her the good news. We decided that until we could get her packed up, we would just stay there with Carolyn, and then move everything at one time to Indiana. Miles had already left to go back, so I called him and gave him a heads up. He agreed to help look for a nice apartment close to my house and send us pictures and prices as soon as he got back.

  We were both so excited for this new adventure in our lives, an adventure I never saw coming. I walked into a reality TV show a bachelor, happy to be alone, and not at all looking to stay with any girl, not even the one I was about to marry. I found out though, when I opened my heart and shut my damn brain off, I was able to see life a little more clearly. Mira became this force in my life, something that I didn’t want to be without. I had fallen for her in a heartbeat, and I knew it long before I’d admitted it to myself. I always thought that happily ever after was bullshit. My version of the world was how I’d grown up — a dead-beat father and a single mother — but I was wrong. I had finally found my happy ending, with the most beautiful girl in the world.

  Epilogue

  – SIX MONTHS LATER –

  MIRA

  IT WAS OUR one-year anniversary, something that flew up on us before we even had time to think about it. After the end of the show, we lived in Los Angeles for another month, and then headed out to Indiana to begin our new lives. My mother had been more than ecstatic to get out of Los Angeles, telling me that she had dreamed of small-town life since she was a girl. She wanted her new life, complete with her new health, to be somewhere she could actually participate and enjoy it. She didn’t want to have to work two jobs to afford the California prices, and she wanted to make some friends, have them over for coffee, and just be a normal person for a while. She loved the idea of coming to our home for dinners and being there for me through anything I needed. I loved that idea too, and she’d really helped me get excited.

  When we had arrived in Indiana, we got busy and completely renovated the house, not that it was too bad to begin with. We picked out furniture together, remodeled the kitchen, and made the place super comfy. Ryan even had the fireplace refurbished so in the winter I could have that fire I’d always dreamed about. By the time we were done, it was time to celebrate our first anniversary. Harrison and Evelyn had flown out to visit and to wrap up our section of the show. They were ramping up to film the next season, and even had the new cast picked out. The whole thing had turned out to be a colossal hit. The media was all over it, but we managed to keep a low profile out there in Indiana. It was strange being a local celebrity, but I was glad for the new season to start so they would take the spotlight away from us. We were happy with a quiet life, and Ryan was more than glad to go back to being a man of few words, except around me of course, because I demanded communication.

  “So, we are so glad to be here with you,” Evelyn said, with Harrison nodding. “And we’re excited that you decided to do this update with us. It’ll be great for the new season starter. I know that has been a long few days, but this is our last day for filming and then I promise we’ll get out of your hair.”

  “It hasn’t been that bad,” I smiled. “We just got so used to it when we lived there, it was like old times, minus the fighting and the drama, of course.”

  “Today is Ryan’s day off, and your mom is coming over for dinner,” Evelyn read from her paper.

  “And Miles, but he’s always late,” I chuckled.

  “Okay,” she nodded. “This will be perfect. We got footage of Ryan’s new shops. He sure got them opened in a hurry.”

  “It’s amazing what you can do when you have the money,” I smiled. “Plus, since he’d been dreaming of them for years, he already knew just what he wanted.”

  Ryan had busted his butt between remodeling and getting my mom set up, and quickly got two new shops set up, opened and staffed. They were all within a twenty-mile radius and he had scheduled himself at a different one every other week. He liked to get his hands dirty, to work on the cars himself and develop relationships with his clientele. The show had definitely helped to give his business some recognition, and now with the update episode he would probably find himself lost in all the people who would be swarming the place. It was good though, he deserved it, especially after all the work he’d put into building up the first shop, before I’d ever met him.

  “We also got some really good stuff of you, starting your first class at the college,” she winked.
“And quality time with you and your mom. I have to say, Mira, Carolyn is amazing. She looks like she never had any health scares at all, and her recovery has been nothing short of insane. I’m so glad that it all turned out so good, and I know the viewers will be happy to see her so vibrant and doing well.”

  We went over the itinerary a little longer, and then Evelyn stood behind the camera with Harrison. We just went about our day preparing for my mother’s arrival and dinner that night. I put the chicken in the oven and wiped my hands off, opening the fridge and smiling at the door.

  “Honey, can you bring the paper in when you come back?” Ryan yelled.

  “Sure, sweetie,” I replied, grabbing the paper and walking out into the living room.

  I handed it to him and he kissed me on the cheek, sitting down at the table. I walked over to the couch and sat down next to my mom, nerves bubbling up in my stomach. My mom turned her head to the side and squinted at me, knowing me too well to not see something was going on.

  “So, how is that new club you joined?” I changed the subject before she could ask me anything.

  “It’s fantastic,” she said. “We do food drives, soup kitchen help, and we even go over to the senior center and visit some of the older folks. Though I may find myself there sooner than later.”

  “What? You’re only sixty, it’s the new forty,” I said, as I laughed and rubbed her leg. “Besides, you don’t look a day over fifty.”

  “Well, thank you,” she smiled. “I think when you reach a certain level of stress in your life the aging process reverses itself. I got old and then I got young again. It was magical really.”