“She doesn’t want any makeup,” the makeup artist tells him.
The producer furrows his brow. “None at all?”
“Right. None at all.”
“That’s not a request I’ve ever heard before.” He puts his thumb and forefinger on his chin and considers. “You know the lighting will completely wash you out if you don’t wear makeup.”
I shrug. “I don’t care. I’m not doing this so you guys can cover the scar with makeup and make me look like I did before. This is supposed to be about who I am now.”
He’s quiet for a second, but then his eyes light with excitement. “I like it. Elle Tyler: Raw. It just adds to the intimacy of it.”
“I’m not trying to add to the intimacy of it, I just want to be real.”
“Perfect.” He rubs his hands together. “We’ll just need to draw up a quick addendum to the agreement.”
“Over makeup?”
“Yes. You’re going to look tired and washed out. I can’t have you trying to pull the interview when you see what you look like.”
“Sure. Whatever you need to do. Just work it out with Anthony.”
I tell the hairstylist to keep it simple. She styles my hair down around my shoulders, straight with just a little curl on the ends.
As a production assistant attaches my microphone, she tells me how much she loves my music. Her excitement reinforces my decision to do this interview my way. No makeup and no spin. I told them nothing is off limits with the questions.
I’m going to put it all out there, and I’m actually looking forward to doing it.
There’s last minute fussing over the interviewer’s hair and outfit, everyone buzzing around the set as I just sit there quietly. The producer keeps telling me this is a huge interview for them and they want to make sure they get everything right. I appreciate that, but I’m ready to do it already.
Finally, we get started. The interviewer highlights my career successes and recaps the attack, then asks me to start by telling her my version of that horrible morning.
“He was a crazed fan. We were alone in the bathroom and he tried to sexually assault me. I fought back, and that’s when he attacked me.”
She details my injuries one by one, having memorized them. The information I shared with her in preparation for the interview was the first information any news outlets have gotten.
“And then Justin Lockhart came in and saved you?”
My heart hammers at the mention of him. “Yes, but I was unconscious, so I don’t remember that.”
“And as you recovered, he came to visit you in the hospital. What was that like?”
“It was . . . like I’d known him forever. He was such a gentleman. I went through some emotionally tough times, and he was there for me.”
“And you fell in love?”
I smile as I picture Justin. “We did.”
She wants all the details on my time in Lovely, and I make sure to mention Miss Dee Dee and her dance depot. The interviewer hones in on that and asks me to talk about the day Gary Beasley attacked me for the second time.
“I just decided I wasn’t giving up without a fight.” I pause as I remember Justin using those same words in a text to me the other day. “I guess . . . we can’t win every fight, but it’s doing our best that counts. Knowing we gave it our all.”
“You must have given it your all, since Gary Beasley is dead now.”
I sigh softly. “He’s dead because I have a great security guard. Most people don’t. I just want people who are victimized to know there’s no shame in what happened to you. If you fight back, if you don’t, if you’re able to escape or if you’re not . . . you aren’t the one who did wrong. Don’t ever blame yourself.”
“Did you blame yourself?”
I nod. “At first I did. But then I met some amazing people who helped me see things the right way.”
“Who were those people?”
“I’m not going to say, because they have a right to their privacy. You already know Justin was one of them.”
“And where do things stand between the two of you now? Are you still together?”
There’s no easy answer to that question. Where do things stand? They’re up in the air. And are we together? Well . . . technically.
But as I consider possible answers, I know there’s only one thing I can say. There’s only one thing I want.
“We’re still together. I love Justin.”
I see the hint of a smile on her lips, like my answer surprised her in a good way.
“Will you go back to Lovely?” she asks.
“I will.”
“And what about your career? Your fans are dying to know if and when you’ll be back.”
I nod, my heart full of gratitude. “I love my fans. And I most definitely will be back. But I won’t be the same Elle Tyler I used to be. I’m writing new music and dancing again, but it’s not what I did before. I have a limp now, and it probably won’t ever go completely away. But singing and dancing are a part of me, and I don’t think I could ever give that up.”
She leans forward in her seat. “You mentioned new music? Will there be a new album?”
“Absolutely. I’m almost ready to start recording. There’s a song I wrote called ‘Lovely’ that I can’t wait to share with my fans.”
“As in Lovely, Missouri?”
“Yes,” I say, smiling. “It’s a beautiful, funny, amazing little town. You might miss it if you were driving by and think it was nothing special. But it’s incredibly special. Not because of landmarks or hot spots or its history, but because of the people there.”
“Elle, do you feel like the attack actually made you into a stronger person?”
I tilt my head, considering my answer. “No. I think that strength was always inside me, hidden away. We all have it. Sometimes we just need to breathe deep, feel the hurt that comes our way and then find our way forward.”
“When will you be seeing Justin again?”
“As soon as possible.”
“Do you think there’ll be wedding bells in your future?”
I can’t keep the smile from spreading across my face. “I sure hope so.”
Justin
EMILY IS WHIPPING AROUND the island in my parents’ kitchen, chasing her cousins and squealing when one of them catches her.
“She has the chubbiest, most adorable cheeks I’ve ever seen,” my sister-in-law April says as she watches Emily. “I seriously just want to eat those cheeks.”
“You better watch out,” Mason says to me, his brows arched. “She’s dead serious. These pregnancy cravings are no joke.”
April glares at him. “Hormones are real. You have no idea.”
“But I do know what it’s like to get out of bed at one in the morning because your wife “needs” some olives.” He uses air quotes for emphasis.
“I said I wanted them, not needed them.” April gives him a playful shove and cradles her slight baby bump. They just recently found out they’re expecting, and they’ve never been happier.
“Yeah, but you had the voice of a demon when you said it. Like I could either get the olives or die—my choice.”
She narrows her eyes and he leans down to kiss her.
“Baby, I love you and I’ll get you all the olives you want.”
April gives him a warning look. “You’d better. I’m carrying your child, I think it’s a fair trade.”
Emily stops running and wraps her arms around my legs, looking up at me with a huge grin. I scoop her up and take off into the living room, making whooshing sounds as I fly her around like a superhero.
I love that she’s spending time with my family now. Mallory seems to have gotten the message that we’ll never be together, and she’s been generous with letting me take Emily. Next year, she’ll be old enough to play t-ball, and I’ll definitely be coaching.
All my brothers are here with their wives and kids, and the huge kitchen is a picture of organized chaos. My mom is makin
g banana pancakes for everyone, calling out over the noise every time she has another stack ready.
The talking and laughing in the kitchen come to a sudden halt as I’m flying Emily in the other room. When I fly her in there to see what’s up, my pulse kicks up as I see Elle standing in the doorway.
“Hi,” she says softly.
“Hey.” I set Emily on the ground and she goes back to playing with the other kids.
Elle looks beautiful as always, wearing jeans and a green tank top with her hair loose around her shoulders. There are so many things I want to say, but as she walks closer to me, words fail me. Instead, I wrap my arms around her, picking her up and closing my eyes.
“I’m sorry I left,” she says in my ear.
From her wavering voice, I can tell she’s on the verge of tears.
“I’m sorry I was an asshole,” I say in her ear.
“I love you.”
My throat tightens with emotion as she presses a kiss to my neck.
“I love you, too, Elle. So much.”
I set her feet back on the ground and she looks up at me, her palms on my chest.
“Do you still want to move in together?” she asks.
“Of course.” I put my hands on her hips and arch my brows. “You know I want whatever you’ll give me.”
“Noah licked my pancake!” my niece, Alana, wails from her seat at the kitchen table.
Her comment broke the ice, and everyone in the room laughs. All the adults here have been pretending not to listen to me and Elle, carrying on a quiet group conversation about how great Mom’s pancakes are.
I pull Elle back into my arms.
“Don’t leave me ever again,” I say.
“I won’t.”
“Are you back here to stay?”
She steps back and meets my eyes. “I am.”
I relax my shoulders with relief. She’s really here, and she’s really staying. None of the other details matter.
“I tried to buy that bungalow, but it had already sold,” I say. “We can look at other houses today, though.”
Her lips tug up in a grin. “We won’t need to. It was me who bought the bungalow.”
I laugh with surprise. “You?”
“Yep. Right after we looked at it.”
“Do you carry that kind of cash around in your purse?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “No, I just made a call.”
“Wow. You bought the bungalow.”
“It’s ours.” Her amber eyes sparkle with excitement. “You can build that treehouse in the backyard for Emily, and we can make that room in the basement into a music room.”
I scoop Emily into my arms and she gives Elle a shy smile.
“Will that be enough for you?” I ask Elle. “A basement room in Lovely? It’s nothing like what you used to have, I’m sure.”
“It’s enough. I mean, I will have to travel sometimes, but I’m going to limit it. And you guys can come with me sometimes.”
“Yeah?” I look at Emily. “You want to go places with Elle?”
She nods and reaches out to touch Elle’s hair.
“That’s some beautiful red hair, isn’t it, Em?” I say.
Elle lets her pet it until she loses interest, and then I set her down and she returns to running around with her cousins.
I cup Elle’s face in my hands and kiss her again.
“So let’s start moving into our house today,” I say. “Now that I know I’m going to spend forever with you, I’m ready for forever to start.”
She smiles up at me. “Me too. And I know our forever will be absolutely lovely.”
BRENDA ROTHERT LIVES IN Central Illinois with her husband and three sons. She was a daily print journalist for nine years, during which time she enjoyed writing a wide range of stories.
These days Brenda writes New Adult Romance in the Contemporary and Dystopian genres. She loves to hear from readers.
Visit Brenda Rothert at www.brendarothert.com.
Thanks for reading Hidden Depth! If you enjoyed Justin and Elle’s story, I’d greatly appreciate a review on the site you purchased it from.
If you’re on Facebook, I’d love to have you in my group Rothert’s Readers, where I share the latest on my work and do special giveaways.
Would you like to know when my next book is available? You can sign up for my new release e-mail list at Newsletter or like my Facebook page at Facebook.
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Standalone books
Unspoken
Barely Breathing
Blown Away
Dirty Work
Dirty Secret
His
Hooked
Come Closer
Lockhart Brothers
Deep Down
In Deep
Drawn Deeper
Hidden Depth
On the Line Series
Killian
Bennett
Liam ~ Coming Soon
Fire on Ice Series
Bound
Captive
Edge
Drive
Release
Now Series
Now and Then
Now and Again
Now and Forever
I LOVE THE LOCKHART Brothers series. Returning to this series to write another book set in Lovely always feels like coming home. Thank you to every reader who has supported this series. Each book has a different tone, and I’m deeply grateful to every reader who sticks with the series even if one of the books isn’t their type of story.
My production team truly went above and beyond on this book. Beta reader Janett Gomez, editor Lisa Hollett, copy editor Taylor Bellitto and formatter/interior designer Christine Borgford performed miracles to help me meet my deadline.
Other thanks go to beta readers Michelle Tan and Chantal Gemperle, cover designer Regina Wamba and my publicist Jessica Estep of Inkslinger PR.
Hidden Depth (Lockhart Brothers Book 4) Page 16
