by Holly Jaymes
I sat down in a chair to think. I needed a pregnancy test, but how would I get one? I couldn’t go to town. If I walked into a store and bought a pregnancy test, it would be all over town, and then all over the gossip news within hours.
I couldn’t order one either as I’d have to use this address, and then people would know I was here. I could use a fake name, but my real name would be on the payment. As much as websites touted security, I knew they were breached all the time.
My dad was in the other room watching a ballgame as Wyatt was out with his brother skiing today. I definitely couldn’t ask my father to get me a test, and I didn’t want to bring Wyatt into it until I knew for sure.
I picked up the phone to call Victoria, but then put it down. I couldn’t ask her to drive two hours to Eden Lake to help me with this, could I? I considered calling Allie as I felt she was someone who’d help, but she was married to Wyatt’s brother. I was pretty sure marriage trumped friendship when it came to keeping secrets.
I called Victoria and determined I would owe her big time.
“Hey sister from another mister,” she said when she picked up.
“Hey, Vic.”
There must have been something in my tone as she said, “What’s wrong?”
For a minute, I tried to figure out the best lead-in, but there wasn’t one. “I need a pregnancy test.”
For a moment, the line was quiet. “Ah, …okay.”
“I know it’s a lot to ask, but I can’t get one without risking being seen and as much as I like Allie—”
“No. It’s okay. I’m actually in Riverside today, so it’s just over an hour or so. Are you sure?”
“I know I’m late and tired and sometimes queasy.”
“Does Wyatt know?”
I rubbed my hand over my face. “No. I just figured it out. I don’t get it. He said there was no problem. I figured he got snipped or something.”
“He’s sort of young for that, don’t you think?”
“Vic, I don’t know what to think except that he probably won’t like this. He’s worried about my dad, and I don’t think he wants kids.”
“Well, he shouldn’t be fucking you then,” she said with heat. “It takes two to tango, Lil. Don’t carry this all yourself.”
“I know. I figure I’ll have the test and go from there.”
“I’ll stop at a store and pick one up and head over. Give me two hours.”
“Thank you, Victoria. Really. You’re the best.”
“I know it.” She paused. “Listen, if you are pregnant, you’re not alone, okay. I’ll be there for you all the way.”
I don’t know why, but her words filled me with emotion, and I started to cry. I tried to hold it back until we hung up.
I pulled it together enough to tell my father that Victoria was coming to visit.
“I’m glad to hear it. It’s not right for you to be stuck here all the time with Wyatt and me. You’re a real trooper, honey.”
“Thanks, dad.”
“You know, in talking with your mom, we’re thinking that it will be okay for you to head out into the world. Not that there won’t be interest in you when you first reappear, but maybe it’s time you resumed your life. I’d love it if you stayed around here, but I know you probably have plans that will take you elsewhere.”
“I’ve been thinking of London.”
“With your brother?”
I nodded. “I don’t know for how long, but—”
“I think it’s a great idea. You let me know when you want to go, and I’ll make arrangements with your mother. Okay?”
“Thanks, dad.”
He studied me for a moment. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine.”
He hugged me. “When you do leave, try not to stay away too long. I like having you here, honey.”
As I accepted his embrace, I realized he was going to be a grandfather, maybe. I knew he’d be a great one. My mother would be a good grandmother, although she probably wouldn’t want to be called that.
Two hours later, Victoria showed up on my doorstep with a white pharmacy bag.
“I bought three, just in case.” She stepped inside. “Is Wyatt here?”
I shook my head. “He’s with his brother. My dad is here, but he’s in the TV room. I told him you were coming, so he’s going to stay out of our way.” I led her to the master bedroom.
She dumped the bag with pregnancy tests on the bed. “Take your pick.”
I looked over the boxes and then at Victoria. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“The test? Sure, you can. Just pee on the stick. If it’s positive, we can decide the next thing. You’ll be a great mom, Lily.”
I picked up a box and went to the bathroom.
“Take two now. We’ll save the third for just in case later.” She handed me another box.
In the bathroom, I followed the directions and set the sticks on the boxes when I was done using them. I checked my watch and then waited.
“Lily? Open the door. I’ll wait with you.”
I opened the door, and Victoria sat on the side of the tub while I paced in the bathroom while the five minutes ticked by like hours.
“Is it time to check?” she asked.
I looked at my watch. It was a minute past time, but I was too afraid to look. I was going to tell her to do it, but this was my deal. I couldn’t begin my child’s life, if there was a child, by hiding from it.
I took a breath and stepped to the sink, where the boxes with the tests sat. I picked up one stick.
“Oh, God.”
Victoria stood and came to stand next to me. “What does the other one say?”
I looked at it and then her. “They both say pregnant.”
Victoria gave me a hug. “You’re not alone, Lily. I’ll help you. Whatever you need. Except for diapers.”
I let out a nervous laugh. “I don’t know what to think or do?”
“You don’t have to do anything right this minute except take care of yourself.”
“Thank you for coming.” I hugged her, so grateful to have her there.
“Of course.”
We tossed the pregnancy tests, and Victoria took the little plastic garbage bag they were in to get rid of the evidence. “I’ll put this in the can outside. No else needs to know until you’re ready.”
When she returned, she made me tea, and we sat in the living room. Because my father was in the other room, we talked about other things than an unplanned pregnancy, like what was she doing Riverside and the latest antics she was involved in to annoy her mother.
That night, she slept with me, and we talked until the wee hours until I fell asleep in the middle of one of her stories. The next morning, we were at the dining table, having tea and toast when there was a knock on the door.
My father emerged from the TV room. “It’s a little early for Wyatt to return.”
I inhaled a breath, thinking it had to be Wyatt as no one else knew I was there.
“Can I help you?” my father said.
“Is Lily Maddox here?”
I stiffened at the voice.
“What?” Victoria asked.
“That’s Trask.”
“What?” Her eyes widened.
My father came into the room. “Trask Holloway is here. Do you want to see him?” His face was grim. I could understand why. If it was known he was here, I’d be back at ground zero in this scandal.
“I didn’t invite him here,” I hissed.
“Should I send him away?” my father asked.
“Maybe you should find out what he wants,” Victoria said. “And then get rid of him for good.”
I nodded. “Yes. He texted me a while ago, and I ignored it. That’s probably why he’s here. I let him know I’m not interested in him or his movie.”
My father went to the door, and a few minutes later, Trask walked in.
“Oh my, he is handsome,” Victoria said under her breat
h. “Too bad he’s a douche.”
I stood, feeling self-conscious that I was in a robe. “Trask.”
“Hey, Lily. I’m sorry to drop in—”
“How did you find me?”
He looked at my father and then Victoria. I decided this wasn’t a friendly occasion, so I didn’t need to introduce them.
“I hired someone. They knew about the sighting here and that your father was here. I took a chance.”
“Why are you here?” Victoria said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Again, Trask looked at my father and Victoria. “Can we talk alone?”
I let out a derisive laugh. “I’m never going to be alone with you again. You ruined my career and my reputation.”
He looked down like he was ashamed. “I’m sorry about that.”
“We don’t believe you. How many other women have you pulled that stunt on? Why Aria keeps you around is beyond me,” Victoria said.
Trask’s jaw tightened, and his eyes turned dark. I realized that he didn’t feel bad about what had happened. Victoria was right. I was probably one in a long line of women he’d tricked and seduced.
“This movie is going to be big. I don’t usually work so hard to get a woman—”
Victoria snorted. “Douche.”
He glared at her. “But I think you’ll be perfect. That’s why I’m here. No game, Lily.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me?” I said. “How do you see that playing out, or is that what you want? You want a scandal? I can see it in the tabloids now. Trask fights for mistress to be in film. The answer is no.”
“Look, I’m sorry for what happened. Really. Can we just talk? Alone. On the deck, maybe? You’ll be in view, but we can talk privately.”
“I’m not dressed.”
“I’ll wait. Please.”
I wondered why he cared so much about getting me in this movie. It’s not like I ever acted before. Pretty women were a dime a dozen in Hollywood.
“If I talk with you privately, will you accept my answer and leave me alone?” I asked.
“Yes.”
My father used his stern sheriff’s voice. “Lily—”
“It’s alright, dad.” I walked past them. “Let me get dressed.”
When I returned, Trask was already on the deck while Victoria and my father talked in low tones with menacing gazes on Trask.
“I’ll be right back,” I said as I headed on to the deck.
Trask turned around as I came out. “Thank you, Lily.”
I pulled my coat around me tighter, not so much to guard against the chill, but to defend me from him.
“Look, I know I’m a horndog. Aria will eventually leave me—”
“I’m not your therapist.”
“I know.” He sat in one of the deck chairs. I sat next to him. “This movie is important to me.”
“At this point, having me in it will be a distraction, don’t you think?”
He stared out over the lake. “You know, as well as I do, that public perception and opinion is what drives money in Hollywood. It doesn’t matter what is true.”
“That’s what has completely overturned my life.”
“This movie can help you get it back.”
I laughed. “I can’t see how.”
He turned to me. “Aria is a producer on this film. If you come and do it, with her approval, we can turn public opinion. She wouldn’t give a mistress a chance, so if she supports you being in the film, that’s proof that the tabloids had it wrong.”
“They already know they have it wrong. They probably have the pictures of me pushing you away. But they didn’t go with that.”
“They will, though. If they think it can make another great story…supermodel rejects bad boy. Bad boy’s wife supports supermodel. See, it’s all just a matter of slant.”
“It could go the other way. Bad boy flaunts his mistress in front of his wife. What I don’t get is why this is so important to you. There are plenty of other women out there.”
“I want you.”
I heard the sliding door behind me close. Had it been open?
I turned and saw Wyatt looking at us through the glass door.
Chapter 20: Not Mine
Wyatt
I have been disappointed in love before, but until the moment I saw Lily and Trask on the deck together, I hadn’t had my heart in a vice, squashed to bits.
When I arrived that morning, I was surprised to see Victoria there as I didn’t know she was planning a visit.
“Where’s Lily?” I asked as I noticed she wasn’t there.
“On the deck,” her father said.
I looked out the sliding door. She and a man were sitting in chairs looking out over the lake. It was a cold morning to be out there.
“It’s Trask Holloway,” Victoria said. She had disdain in her voice.
“Trask?” My heart clenched in my chest. “What’s he doing here?”
“Not sure, but I don’t like it,” the sheriff said.
“You should go break it up,” Victoria added. “At least let Lily know you’re here. Changing of the guard and all.”
I wanted to rip Trask’s head off, but I didn’t want to look like a jealous pussy. I went to the sliding door and started to open it.
“I want you,” Trask said earnestly.
I knew I’d fallen for Lily, but until that moment, I hadn’t realized just how much. I shut the door, hoping no one could tell my heart had just shattered in my chest.
Lily turned around and looked at me. I was frozen for a moment, but then I turned to her father.
“You know, sir, if he can come here and not bring media, maybe she doesn’t need someone here full time. Or if they’re going to flaunt their—”
“She wasn’t expecting him,” her father said. “But, I agree that maybe this thing has died down enough.” He glanced out the window. “Unless he’s bringing it on her again.”
“The point is, she doesn’t need me here.”
“Yes, she does,” Victoria said. She looked from me to the sheriff. “You can’t leave her with him.”
“No one is leaving her with him,” the sheriff said. “But Lily and I have talked that maybe now things are blown over enough to move on. She’s already talked to her brother about going to London.”
God, how was it my heart could tear more. She was planning on moving on. Well, of course, she was. I knew that. Still, now that the time was upon us, it felt like the rug was being pulled out from under me.
“She needs more time,” Victoria said. “You can’t make a decision about abandoning her without her here.”
“No one is abandoning her,” the sheriff said. “But she needs to move on. If Mr. Holloway knows she’s here, others will too. Maybe it’s better that she leaves.”
I nodded. “I agree.” The sooner she left, the sooner I could stop looking at her and wishing I could keep her.
The sheriff grabbed his coat that had been hanging on the back of a chair. “Can you stay for the day and then I’ll make arrangements? Victoria, you’re here, so she has company, and I’ll arrange for some patrol to come through a few times.”
“I can stay,” I said.
“Just until this afternoon or early evening.” He patted me on the shoulder. “I know this has been a challenge for you. I appreciate all you’ve done for Lily.”
“Thank you, sir.”
The sheriff walked out the front door.
I turned to see Victoria glaring at me. “What?”
“All you’ve done for Lily? This assignment was a challenge?” She scoffed. “Yes, how hard was it for you to shove your dick in my friend.”
I jerked back.
“Yeah, I know about you two.” Her anger turned to pleading. “You can’t leave her. Not now.”
“She doesn’t need me.” I didn’t want to have this conversation, especially with Victoria.
“She does.”
“You heard the sheriff. She’s getting ready to leave
anyway.”
Victoria stared at me, and I had a feeling like she knew something but wasn’t telling me. “Do you care for her?”
“It doesn’t matter how—”
“It does. Jeez, Wyatt. Stop being a deputy and be a man.”
I stiffened. “In this case. I’m a deputy first.”
Her eyes narrowed, and I think she truly hated me at that moment. “Then you’re no better than Holloway.”
I didn’t like that comparison at all, but she stormed off toward the sliding door. She yanked it open. “That’s enough privacy.”
I watched as Lily and Trask stood and came inside. I studied the man who was back for Lily. I wondered if they’d worked things out. Had he left his wife?
Lily’s gaze turned to me, watching, but I worked to keep my face impassive.
“You can go now,” Victoria said to Trask. “And if you brought the paparazzi or if you tell them she’s here, I will personally rip your dick off.”
He flinched. “I don’t mean any harm to Lily.” He reached out, pressing his hand to Lily’s arm.
My jaw tightened at how he felt entitled to touch her.
“Think about it, okay?” he said. “We could be great together.”
Victoria’s eyes widened as she looked at me. I turned away, feeling physically ill. I went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.
“What did he want?” Victoria asked.
“Just the same old thing.” Lily’s voice sounded tired.
“You told him no, right?”
I turned to see her answer.
“I’m so tired. Do you mind if I lay down?” Then she looked at me and smiled. “I’m sorry, Wyatt. Welcome back. How was your day with Josh?”
I worked to make my voice as pleasant as hers. “It was a good day. I’ll get out of your way so you and Victoria can enjoy your time together.”
“No, Wyatt.” Victoria’s eyes were pleading. “Stay. I’ll go.”
Lily’s hand gripped Victoria’s arm. “Can you stay a little longer?”
“I think you and Wyatt—”
“Please?”
Something was going on. I didn’t like feeling that I was out of the loop. But whatever it was, they didn’t want me to know. Fine. As her bodyguard, I didn’t need to know.
“I’m just going to check the perimeter and make sure Mr. Holloway didn’t bring any stragglers with him.” I went out through the slider, sucking in the cold air even as it froze my lungs.
