The campaign had begun. Bring on the rings and the preacher.
* * *
They ended up at a furniture store after ring shopping. Billie’s finger was currently bare as her set had to be sized and it would take a few days, but already news of Tyler Gaylord’s visit to a jeweler had spread through social media like wildfire. There were paparazzi waiting for them when they exited the shop and Harmon had been beside himself with happiness. It meant a bunch of free publicity for his store.
As usual, Tyler completely ignored the press following them and focused all of his attention on her. When he wasn’t checking his phone, that is. He was in an especially festive mood today since his plan seemed to be working. Everyone wanted to know if the unashamed playboy was finally settling down.
“What are we doing here again?” Billie asked, keeping her head down as the sound of cameras clicking filled her ears. Once the doors closed behind them it was much quieter but she still had a feeling of unease like she was waiting for a shoe to drop. An expensive Manolo Blahnik or maybe a Louboutin.
“Married people get new furniture,” Tyler said as if explaining himself to a child. “We’re getting married so here we are.”
That was all well and good but Tyler’s home was completely decorated by a famous designer that had supposedly worked for royalty in London. What was Billie going to pick out? A new spice rack?
“Do you need new furniture?” she asked, trailing after him as he strode confidently through the store. “Are we looking for something in particular?”
Tyler stopped so abruptly she almost ran into the back of him. They were now in the bedroom furniture section. Oh shit. This was the part of the deal she’d been trying not to think about.
They were going to be married.
Maybe for two or more years.
Tyler wasn’t going to go that long without sex.
Which was why she’d asked him not to humiliate her in the press but in the back of her mind she’d known this was looming. It would be easier if they simply slept with each other than with other people. She could already hear Tyler’s voice in her ear saying that very statement.
“Pick something out.” Tyler pointed to an old-fashioned four-poster bed in a dark oak. “How about this one?”
She needed to get out of here. Immediately, if not sooner. She simply wasn’t ready to deal with this.
“Fine. Let’s get that one.”
Anything as long as they could leave.
Frowning, Tyler shook his head, urging her closer to the bed which suddenly took on so many other meanings besides getting a good night’s sleep. “You didn’t even look at it.”
No, she hadn’t and yet she was being plagued by thoughts of the two of them on that bed. Thoughts she shouldn’t be having. This was Tyler. Her buddy and pal. Her crush was over long ago and now she made fun of his carnal pursuits. It threw her entire world into flux to think she might be one of them in the not too distant future.
Shrugging, she studiously kept her gaze on a cherry-colored dresser. “Sure, I did. It’s fine. Whatever. Just a bed.”
Tyler was scowling at her and then his forehead smoothed and a gentle smile took its place.
“It’s just a bed, babe. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Then it doesn’t matter which one we choose.”
Leaning down, his lips came so close to her ear she could feel his warm breath on her skin.
“Nothing, and I mean nothing will ever happen in that bed or in our house, or anywhere else for that matter, that you don’t specifically want. This is all on your timetable, Billie. You’re in charge whether it’s two days, two weeks, or two years. So please pick something out that you like and feel comfortable with. I want you to be happy when you move in. I want you to think of it as your home.”
As comforting as those words were – and they were – it was all a little too much. First the rings, then Twitter, and now a bed. It was far too intimate and she couldn’t deal with any more.
Which is why she thought up an excuse that he might actually believe.
“I can’t possibly make any more purchase decisions on an empty stomach. I’m starving here.”
Smiling that smile that had graced millions of magazine covers, he placed his arm around her shoulders and led her back the way they’d come.
“Then I guess I better get you fed then. Burgers or pizza?”
After the morning she’d had? Both. With extra everything. She deserved it.
CHAPTER TEN
Billie didn’t have many friends in Hollywood other than Tyler but the minute the news of the engagement hit it felt like everyone she’d ever met or talked to crawled out of the woodwork, all claiming to be her best pal.
Dinah Everett, however, wasn’t one of those people. She really was a good friend, although she and Billie didn’t get to spend much time with each other. Dinah had finally made some traction in the acting business and she’d been working on a show for the BBC in London for the past six months. Unfortunately, the show had been cancelled so Dinah was back for an audition – a small part in a blockbuster.
So when Billie called Dinah with the big news, a lunch invitation was the most natural thing in the world. There was no worrying about whether it was because the person genuinely liked her or it was some ploy to get closer to Tyler. Dinah also wasn’t much for the whole “being seen” attitude so they’d eschewed the trendy hot spots and ended up at a small, quiet cafe in East Hollywood that served great food.
“If we get photographed here this cafe is going to become the ‘in’ spot for celebrities,” Dinah teased as she slid into her chair opposite Billie. “I put on an extra coat of mascara in case we end up on TMZ.”
Billie had been on TMZ with Tyler several times, especially at the beginning of their friendship when the press hadn’t been sure whether she was a girlfriend or a friend who happened to be a girl. When they’d discovered she was the latter instead of the former the gossip rags had left her alone.
No such luck now.
“I think I got out of the house without being seen,” Billie grimaced. “It’s like a feeding frenzy. You would think no one had ever become engaged before.”
Dinah laughed, her eyes sparkling with mirth. She was a pretty girl with long auburn hair and green eyes. Casting directors called her cute but she said she wanted to be glamorous.
“Tyler Gaylord has never been engaged before and that’s a big deal, my friend. Now tell me how this happened. You never mentioned anything was going on with Tyler when we talked, although I don’t blame you for the secrecy. I’m sure you just wanted it to be private as long as possible.”
Billie didn’t like keeping things from her friends. Dinah was a good person and she deserved the truth but that wasn’t an option. Not right now, anyway.
“It was kind of sudden,” Billie explained as vaguely as possible. “One minute there was nothing to tell and the next…”
Dinah could fill in the blanks with her fertile imagination.
Clapping her hands together in delight, Dinah sighed. “That’s so romantic. Like in a When Harry Met Sally kind of way. So have you set a date yet?”
Fiddling with her napkin, Billie shrugged. “We’ve had a few discussions. Tyler suggested the end of summer.”
“That’s soon. You’ll have to get moving on the wedding preparations, unless of course you’re going to elope to Vegas or something.”
“Tyler wants a big wedding.”
Just saying it felt strange. Tyler wanted a big wedding. Or rather he said he wanted it for her.
“I would imagine if I’d waited as long as Tyler, I would want the whole kit and caboodle too. Are you on board with it?”
Excellent question. Billie had decided to just go with the flow when it came to all of this because she knew from experience that when Tyler had an idea in his head talking him out of it was almost impossible. Almost was the key word. If she really put her foot down he’d give in. If there was something that was
important to her, Tyler always made sure it happened.
“I don’t mind,” she replied. “I’m sure this will be my one and only marriage so I might as well do it up right, but I really have no idea where to start. Where to have it, what to wear. We’re going to need security too, I would imagine.”
The logistics to keep it a secret or at least to keep out the paparazzi would be a nightmare.
“Billie, you can hire people for this. They have experienced wedding coordinators that will take care of all of it.” Dinah tapped her chin in thought and then smiled. “I can dig up a few names for you. I swear every wedding I’ve attended in the last five years the wedding planner has shoved their business card in my hand. Do I look like I want to get married?”
Dinah had just come off a bad breakup with a guy in London who had accidentally slept with his neighbor. At least that was how he’d described it. And since it was an accident, he felt she ought to not make a big deal out of it and simply forgive him. Dinah had walked out and never looked back.
“No, you do not but you have a great idea. Tyler and I need someone who has done this before. Added together we have zero experience with planning a big event.” Billie took a deep breath. “I was kind of hoping you’d be in my wedding. You know, my maid of honor.”
Billie had considered her sister Sierra but with all her problems with her husband, the impending divorce, and basically hiding out she had her own problems. Big important ones that eclipsed color schemes and hors d’oeuvre selections. Sierra didn’t need the added responsibility of looking at wedding dresses and planning a bachelorette party. Perhaps if Sierra was willing she could be a bridesmaid. Assuming Sierra decided to speak to Billie again after years of silence.
First I have to tell Tyler I actually have a family.
Dinah’s mouth fell open in surprise. “I’d love to. But don’t you have any family you’d rather have? You’ve never talked about family but I assume you have some. You weren’t hatched from an egg.”
Had Tyler assumed that as well?
“I do have family but this isn’t the right time to be asking them to put any energy into my wedding. They’re dealing with their own issues right now and it’s taking all of their attention.”
“You know what? If you were marrying anyone else in the world, you’d have Tyler as your Dude of Honor. That’s so cool, Billie. You’re literally marrying your best friend. It’s so romantic.”
And weird. But then so was the thought of Tyler standing by her side when she married another man. Not one day since she’d met him had she thought about getting serious with someone else.
But I’m totally over him. It’s just his personality. He consumes every waking moment just by being Tyler.
“Dude of Honor?” Billie tried to laugh it off. “I bet he’d love the title.”
Dinah’s brows shot up and her eyes grew wide. “Can you imagine the bachelorette party he’d throw for you? It would be epic.”
It would be broken up by the cops and everyone loaded into a wagon to take them to jail.
“I think I’d pass on that,” Billie replied. “The last party he threw at the house I had to shoo a horse off the patio.”
“Your neighbors have a horse?” Dinah laughed.
“I only wish they did. I have no idea where it came from.”
“I missed it all when I was in London. Are you two having an engagement party? I won’t miss that.”
All Billie needed was one more thing to worry about.
“Let me get a handle on the wedding and maybe we’ll talk about it.”
Dinah signaled the waiter for a refill on her drink. “I just have to tell you that I think you and Tyler are going to be very happy. Everyone has been rooting for you two to get together and now it’s happened. Billie and Tyler forever.”
Forever. Why did that sound so ominous?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
With the names and numbers of three wedding planners in hand, Billie headed back home after her lunch with Dinah. Tyler’s car was in the driveway along with a vehicle that Billie didn’t recognize. A quick check of the calendar she was keeping for him until he found a new assistant told her it had to be the interviewer from a national men’s magazine. Personally, Billie found the publication rather misogynistic with its half-naked pictures of simpering females on the cover and inside but Garrett insisted it sold movie tickets to the right demographic.
One of Billie’s jobs was to help visitors to the door when their time was up. Tyler was fun and likable and people enjoyed his company. Sometimes that meant they didn’t know when it was time to leave. It even happened with insiders in the movie business. All Billie had to do was stick her nose into their interview and remind Tyler of his next appointment.
Which he didn’t actually have but it served to help the interviewer wrap things up. Tyler’s image was one of a good guy and Garrett didn’t like him to be the enforcer. Billie however didn’t mind it a bit. So with practiced ease, she breezed into Tyler’s living room but found herself rooted to the spot in front of the doorway.
Tyler and…some woman…were sprawled out on the floor in front of the television watching a movie, on their stomachs and way too close together. The female had a hand on Tyler’s back as if giving him some sort of massage, which was of course ridiculous because he’d just had a massage the day before and could call up his favorite masseuse at will any time of the day or night.
He’d promised. Billie should have been grateful he’d stayed faithful for almost a week. It wasn’t a record for Tyler but it still was longer than she’d imagined.
Stepping farther into the room, her pulse sped up and her stomach churned. She wanted to smack her erstwhile fiancé and then kick him in the balls. “There you are. Your next appointment is in ten minutes, Tyler.”
Tyler was not a stupid man, although he sometimes liked to act that way so he had to know the situation looked bad. Lifting his head, he grinned when he saw Billie, rolling away from the female.
“Hey, babe. We’re watching Double Indemnity. Tara has never seen it before.”
Calm. Controlled. Cold. That’s what she needed to be.
“Great film. Maybe we can lend her the Blu-Ray then.”
Tara, all blonde and tanned like the perfect little Californian, took her sweet time taking her hand off of Billie’s man. She even ran her fingers down Tyler’s back as she did it, gazing at Billie the entire time.
A challenge? For real? He’s newly engaged, bitch.
“That’s a great idea,” Tyler replied, leaping to his feet and snagging the disc from the player. “Tara, you can keep this one. I’ll get a new one. Everybody who loves movies should have a copy of Double Indemnity. Consider it a gift.”
A parting gift. Time to go.
Gathering up her laptop and purse, she accepted the movie from Tyler with a sweet smile.
“I don’t mind returning it. Maybe we can meet for lunch or a drink so I can give it back.”
Quirking an eyebrow at the man that had asked her to marry him only a few days before, Billie waited for his answer. Apparently, his survival instincts were strong because he chuckled and shook his head.
“Billie and I are going to be pretty busy with all the wedding preparations, the promo for the new movie, and of course the comic book convention. I won’t have time to meet again, but I think you got some good quotes, right? And please keep the movie. Like I said, everyone should own a copy.”
Tara pursed her glossed lips. “That’s right. You’re getting married. Have you set a date yet?”
Somehow Tyler had sidled to Billie’s side and placed an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. He had to be able to feel how rigid she was holding herself and his fingers tightened on her hip. “As soon as I can get this angel down the aisle. I can’t wait.”
Billie inwardly gagged but to anyone else he sounded genuine.
Swinging her purse over her shoulder, Tara’s smile had disappeared. “You’re a lucky woman.”
&
nbsp; Tyler didn’t let Billie reply. “I’m the lucky one. Billie is one of a kind.”
“I’ll just bet she is,” Tara said in a low voice as she slipped past Billie and Tyler. “I’ll send the draft to your publicist. Thanks for the movie. I’ll see myself out.”
“You’re welcome,” Billie replied with a saccharine smile, waving to the woman’s retreating figure. “Have a nice day.”
Moving away from Tyler, Billie headed into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. She could hear the roar of an engine as the reporter sped down the long driveway, leaving her alone with her fiancé.
“You’re mad,” Tyler said flatly, dogging her heels as she went out onto his back patio and sat next to the pool, studiously trying to keep her emotions in check. Yelling wouldn’t help the situation.
“Why would I be mad, Tyler? Have you done something that would make me angry?”
She hated this passive-aggressive bullshit and it wasn’t her style in the least, but then she’d never been the bride to be of a major movie star before. Was it expected that she’d turn a blind eye to his flirtations?
Fuck that.
“Don’t. Just don’t.” He sat down on the edge of her lounge chair. “Since when do you hide that you’re pissed at me? Just say it.”
Taking a sip of the cool water, she ran through her options. She could, indeed, chew him a new asshole or she could just let this all go. They weren’t really together, after all.
But she couldn’t let it go and she didn’t want to examine why too closely.
“I’m pissed at you.”
He inched over a little more, crowding her on the lounger. “Now we’re getting somewhere. You’re mad about that woman but you have to know that nothing was going on. Hell, I’m not attracted to her at all. It was just business. I gave the interview and then she wouldn’t leave. I was happy when you showed up.”
It was probably all true. Women came on to him all the time and he barely acknowledged it. He was definitely a player but even Tyler Gaylord couldn’t fuck every single female that was interested. He had to have time to work, sleep, and eat too.
Wild on the Red Carpet (The Hollywood Showmance Chronicles Book 3) Page 6
