Fame & Consequences

by Reese A. Stephens

  “I …”

  I look over to see the four men standing, most without their shirts as they were getting ready for the water, but all with smiles on their faces. I find Carter’s eyes last, and he gives me a wink and motions his head toward Elijah, reminding me that I’ve left him hanging.

  “Yes!” I finally say, ecstatically.

  The broad grin that spreads over his face is one of my favorites, its all teeth and happiness. He slips the ring on my finger as he pulls me into the most passionate kiss we’ve ever shared, and for the first time he deliberately pulls me flush against his body, letting me feel him pressing against me. I gasp, but he just deepens the kiss, and I give in fully to my new fiancé, knowing that he’s mine forever. His hand trails down my back to my hip, and he slips his fingers just under the hem of my shirt, but just as I’m about to scold him for crossing our boundaries, a sharp whistle sounds.

  We jump, breaking apart. “Let her breathe, man.” Carter laughs, flinging water at us. I giggle as I flop breathlessly onto the ground. “That’s probably the hottest kiss I’ve ever seen. I’m totally jealous that you never kissed me like that, Peaches.”

  I blush brightly and duck my head. Elijah chuckles and leans into me to whisper. “I’m glad you never kissed him like that.”

  He kisses under my ear making me shiver. He steps back and pulls his shirt off, then slips his jeans down, tossing them at me. His board shorts hang in that way that women always talk about drooling over. I suppose I’m staring because Elijah sways a hand in front of my face as he laughs.

  “Come on, let’s get in the water.”

  I also notice that he’s put his water shoes on already. I must have really been in la la land. I shake my head, clearing the fuzz that remains from Elijah’s spectacular kissing skills. I quickly strip out of my jeans and shirt before sitting back down on the blanket to grab my water shoes. I start to stand but stop and look up.

  “Eli, can I have the box. I don’t want to wear this in the water.”

  He nods and walks back over to me, kneeling down. “Do you like it?”

  I beam at him. “It’s perfect and it’s purple.”

  He chuckles. “A purple diamond. I know how much you love the color and your birthday is in February. Once I saw it, I knew it was yours.”

  I nod and smile as I look at it. The center stone is at least a few carats, with smaller white and purple diamonds surrounding the middle stone and down each side of the wide band, it’s super sparkly. I can’t even begin to imagine how much this cost him.

  “It’s a cushion cut. I know you like a square cut, but this one just seems much more delicate, more you.”

  I smile at him. “No, this is perfect. I really do love it.”

  “Good. Let’s put it in here for safe keeping.” He pops the box open, kissing my ring before taking it off my finger, and placing it into the box. “I’ll put it back on you as soon as we’re done.” He helps me up but holds me at arm’s length. He shakes his head. “Maybe you should really wear my shirt.” He looks back over at Carter, who is making rude gestures from his spot in the water.

  I chuckle. “I’ve been with you to the beach and you didn’t seem to mind. I think that time I was actually wearing a bikini. The first and only time in public.”

  “It’s different. You’re ex wasn’t there.”

  I roll my eyes at him. “No, but the paparazzi was.” I move around him and make a running jump into the water, relishing the bite of the cold and the tingles it sends all over my body. When I pop back up, I say, “Besides, I’m marrying you, not him.”

  Carter comes up behind me and grabs me around the waist. “But you could have.” He gives me a loud smacking kiss to my neck. I shove him away.

  “I could have, but I didn’t.” I swim over to Elijah and wrap myself around him, causing his eyes to widen in shock. His hands immediately go to my upper thighs, right below my butt. “You’re my penguin.”

  “Penguin?”

  I nod my head. “Yes, Magellanic penguins mate monogamously for life.”

  He smiles. “I’m glad you’re my penguin.”

  “Wait, you were serious about not having sex?” Carter suddenly says, sounding appalled.

  I turn to my best friend and roll my eyes. “Just because you can’t keep it in your pants doesn’t mean that other guys can’t.”

  Hutch, Brody, and Josh roar with laughter. Carter scowls at them. “Burn,” one of them mutters.

  “I’m not making fun, but come on, Soph. He’s from Hollywood. I get our reasons, believe me, I do, but it’s a foreign concept to most people our age.”

  Elijah snorts. “Just because I’m an actor and live out there doesn’t make me different from the average American. I respect my fiancée.” I giggle at the new name for me. He winks. “I’d do anything for her.”

  Carter sobers. “The average American isn’t really a good example. Most people sleep with whoever they are with at the moment.” Elijah nods in agreement because that’s totally true. “But, I have mad respect for you. It’s something I didn’t do for her. You’re a better man than me. I’m glad my best friend is so happy.”

  Elijah nods and turns to me, kissing me lightly on my forehead. The conversation ends and we spend the rest of the day playing in the water. The guys bond over sports, while Elijah and I keep to ourselves, eventually heading over to our spot on the grass, and cuddling as we talk quietly about our plans for the future. Everything is perfect. I just hope it stays that way.

  8 Sunrise Disaster

  T he next morning, breakfast is a loud, boisterous event. My grandparents are totally over the moon with Elijah’s proposal. Which I still can’t believe! Oh, that boy. How I love him. Breakfast is followed by all the guys going to play basketball while I head up to my room to finish my last chapter in my newest edition of the Marshall and Alyx series.

  I’m so involved and lost in my story, I don’t realize anyone is in my room until a hand touches my shoulder. I jump and cry out as I clutch my heart. I turn to see my grandmother holding her stomach as she giggles.

  “For the love of Pete! You scared me.”

  “Elijah said I should come get you about an hour or so before the party. He thought you might get lost in the book. Looks like he was right.”

  I can’t help the grin that spreads on my face. He knows me so well. “I need to finish this sentence, and I’ll be done.” She looks like she doesn’t believe me. I laugh. “Seriously, I was almost at the end of the sentence.” I point, showing her on my laptop.

  She pats my shoulder. “You finish that up and get dressed. The party starts at six.”

  She leaves and I finish my sentence, and maybe a few more, before gathering my clothes and heading to my bathroom. By the time I emerge, Elijah is sitting on the end of my bed looking through a magazine.

  “What has you concentrating so hard?” I ask.

  He startles a little then smiles at me. “Nothing.” He stands and wraps his arms around me. “Is that stuff permanent?” He touches my red lips with his finger tip.

  “For a while.”

  He leans down and kisses me. “I missed you today.”

  “Me too. Did you have fun with the guys?”

  He nods. “I did. We played basketball then went with Jared to the gas station and Walmart.”

  My eyebrows raise and I laugh. “I can’t picture you there, or see how in the world you could go out and not be noticed.”

  He tickles my sides. “I wore a disguise. Besides, no one expects me to be here.”

  “I’m pretty sure someone had to expect you were coming here, since they saw us together.”

  He shrugs. “I made it back in one piece. I’m not worried.”

  I pick up the magazine he was perusing. “So, what’s up with this?”

  “Utter mince.” I raise a questioning eyebrow. “It’s Scottish for crap.”

  “I know, but why look at it if it’s malarkey?”

  He throws his head back and laugh
s, then wraps his arms around me. “Have I ever told you how much I adore your silly words?” He starts to tickle me, but I push him away.

  “No, never.” I roll my eyes. “Seriously though, Elijah. You tell me all the time not to pay attention to this stuff, but you are. Is it something about us?” His grimace is telling. I scan through the book and find a picture of us. It looks like it’s one from the airport. It’s not a bad photo, just Elijah and I holding hands as we walk into the airport. The tagline however, reads, “Will Elijah still want her after he finds out she’s having an affair with her stylist?” I huff and throw it on the bed.

  “It’s mince,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest, glaring at the offending magazine.

  He nods. “Even that is adorable.” He laughs and tickles me again.

  I point a stern finger at him. “Stop.”

  He holds his hands up in surrender. “My apologies, ma’am.” His accent is deep south and charming. “You ready to head downstairs?”

  “Not even a little bit, but let’s do this.”

  He chuckles. “I thought it was just your high school friends.”

  I snort. “Then it would be Carter downstairs. I didn’t have friends. They thought I was weird. I hung out with Carter and his friends, but I wouldn’t call anyone my friend per se. People were nice because I was with him. Anyone here is just here because they assume you’ll be here.”

  He gives it a few moments of thought, then jumps up and holds out his hand for me. “Either way, let’s just have fun.”

  I pull back on his hand, stopping him from launching us out of the door. “What if there’s hundreds of people that show up?”

  He smiles that crooked smile I love so dearly. “Well, Gran is a very smart lady. She asked Hutch, Brody, and Josh to be the bouncers for tonight. Hutch and Josh are manning the front door where all people will enter by invitation only, and Brody and your cop uniformed brothers will fill in where needed.”

  I nod. “That does sound smart.”

  “I’m not worried about what anyone thinks of us. We don’t need a formal announcement, we don’t need to deny anything. We just need to be ourselves.”

  I cup his sincere face in my hands. “Are you sure?”

  He takes my hand and kisses the palm. “One-hundred percent.” He winks at me as he tugs us out of the room.

  When we reach the landing, we run into my brother. “Jare, I thought you were on guard duty?” I ask.

  He nods. “Yeah, everything is fine. I just wanted to tell you Sarah is here. I didn’t want you to feel awkward. We’re working on being friends. She really wanted to see you.”

  I take a deep breath. The truth is, I’m still a little salty toward her. She hurt my tenderhearted, big bear of a brother, and that’s just not okay in my book. “I’ll try.” It’s all I can give.

  He bobs his head as he takes a deep breath. “That’s all I ask.” He turns and heads back down the stairs to the woman in question.

  “Sarah,” I greet with a head nod.

  She smiles sadly. “Hi, Sophie. Thanks for letting me stay. I know this isn’t easy. Jared told me he just informed you of our situation.”

  I snort. “Situation? You mean cheating on my brother? Yeah, he told me yesterday.”

  She turns red and twists her hands. “Yes, that. Um, well. It’s good to see you. I’ll go.”

  I sigh resignedly and reach out to grab her arm. “No, stay. Sarah, this is my fiancé, Elijah. Eli, this is my brother’s ex, Sarah.” I may have emphasized the ‘ex’ a little harshly.

  “Peaches!” Carter calls distracting us from the awkwardness. I smile and gladly step into his open arms. He kisses my temple. “How ‘bout this crowd, huh?”

  “It’s crazy. I don’t know half these people.”

  I glance around the area. Gran has really out done herself. The whole house has transformed. The large foyer area, which leads into the big open living room, has tables of food and drinks. In the living room, all furniture has been pressed against the walls, leaving a big open area for people to mingle.

  “Ah, who cares? Let’s just have fun. Dance with me.” He doesn’t give me much choice as he pulls me to the middle of the living room floor where others are already dancing.

  Dancing is something Carter and I did a lot of back in the day. Everything from classical ballroom to whatever was in style at that moment in high school. We were crazy in love with dancing. So falling back into the movements with him is as easy as breathing. We keep it PG, of course, but we are still dancing pretty close. As he flips me around so that my back is to his chest he leans in to my ear.

  “Your boy is staring at you.”

  I gaze up and smile, giving Elijah a little wave. He smiles back, giving me a wave and a wink. He might be a tad jealous, but he’s holding it back well. I’m not trying to make him jealous, but I do like how he’s staring at me.

  A flash to my left stops me abruptly. “Car, someone just took our picture.” Carter straightens up and pushes me away slightly. Elijah is immediately on alert as he walks over to us.

  He takes me into his arms. “What’s wrong?”

  “Someone took our picture. The guys were supposed to collect all cellphones.” Carter is in full protector mode.

  He jumps up on the nearest chair. I grab his arm. “Carter, no!"

  He glares at me, but then softens his gaze. “I will protect you.” He then turns to the crowd. “Can I get everyone’s attention?” The music stops and the crowd quiets. “Thanks. I realize everyone is here to welcome Sophie home, and it would be really great if you all would respect her and her guests’ privacies. We have a photo area set up where everyone can get a picture of her and Elijah if they want, but cellphones need to be checked at the door. So, whoever took that picture better deleted it, or I will sue you for all you’re worth and destroy you. Thanks again!” he ends happily before jumping down in front of Elijah and me with a smile. “There. That should take care of it, Peaches.”

  I groan. “Or made it a thousand times worse!” I smack his chest.

  He laughs, pulling me into a rough hug. “Nah, Peaches. You know no one messes with me. I’m the tri-state's best and most sought after lawyer.”

  “Fine, but stop with the ‘Peaches’ already.”

  He laughs again. “Not on your life!”

  We dance, talk to old acquaintances, take a ton of pictures with everyone, and by the end of the night, Elijah is carrying me up to my room and lying me on my bed. He tugs off my shoes, covers me up, and kisses my forehead.

  “Love you,” I mumble, but I’m out before I hear his reply.

  Sometime later, I’m awakened by a soft tapping on my forehead. I swat it away. “Get up.”

  I blink open my eyes to see Carter staring down at me. “What are you doing here?” I try to keep my voice down so I don’t wake Elijah, who is sleeping soundlessly beside me.

  “Please, I want to talk before everyone gets up.” I nod and pull the covers back to see I’m still in my dress from last night.

  “Let me change. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  “Five minutes,” Carter tells me.

  I nod and he leaves the room. I quickly find a pair of jeans, one of Elijah’s tee shirts that smells like him, and my shoes. I dress and head downstairs. Carter is waiting for me on the front steps.

  “What’s up?” I ask, pulling my hair up into a messy bun. “Why the before the crack of dawn wake-up call?”

  “You’ll see. Come on.” He grabs my hand and leads me off into the woods.

  “Why do I get the sense you’re leading me to my demise?”

  He laughs. “Because you’re a writer. If I wanted to do away with you, I wouldn’t get my butt out of bed to do it. Pops and I go hunting every year with the twins and we always stop at this spot. It’s beautiful at sunset, but especially at sunrise. I thought it would be a nice place to talk.”

  I side-eye him, worry setting in. “Talk about what?”

  He grins at me, taking
my hand. “Nothing bad. Come on, we’re almost there.”

  We walk about fifteen more minutes before reaching a small outcropping. He was right, it is beautiful here. The sun is just starting to rise and the beautiful orange and red glow spreads peacefully over the horizon.

  “Wow!” I say softly.

  “It’s great, right?”

  He pulls me to sit beside him, hanging our legs off a rock on the edge of the low cliff. It’s probably less than fifty feet down, but with all the trees and vegetation it’s hard to see the bottom.

  “It is. I’d like to bring Elijah here tomorrow before we leave.”

  He takes my hand in his, releases a breath, then turns to me. “I’m going to get right to it, Peaches.” He looks down again, fiddling with my engagement ring, then back to me. “I’m sorry for how I treated you. Yes, I have apologized before, but saying words over email or the phone isn’t the same. I hate myself for doing that to you. You gave me your trust and love, and I ruined not only our dating relationship, but our friendship as well. Spending the past couple days with you has showed me I will do everything possible to keep you in my life. I need you.” He blinks a few times. I can tell he’s batting away tears, which makes my own eyes tear up and a pit settle in my stomach.

  “Car?” He looks at me then, tears spilling from his eyes. I wipe them away. “What is it? I forgave you.”

  He shakes his head. “Yesterday, when all of us guys were hanging out, Elijah pulled me aside and asked me for my version on our breakup. I told him that it was all me. I loved you, but having grown up with you since we were kids, I didn’t appreciate you. I didn’t understand why you’d enforce your standards on me. I mean …” He shakes his head and gives me a dry chuckle. “That sounds awful, but I knew you better than anyone and it made me angry that you’d kiss, hold hands, and let me touch you over your clothes, but not make love to me. Then after that stupid church camp, cut me off entirely.”