Before he could answer, Rudy came in. "They recognized me. They know you're here now. When we leave, we'll have to be careful."
Jake stood up and looked at Rudy, and I realized I had awful manners. "I'm sorry. I didn't even introduce you. Jake, this is Rudy and Nathan. They're Sean's bodyguards."
"No. We're your bodyguards," Nathan corrected firmly. I nodded and smiled at him.
Jake put his hand out to Rudy. "I love Morgan like an older sister. I respect the hell out of you two for keeping her safe."
Rudy shook his hand and pulled him into a one-armed guy hug. "Well she's become our sister, too, so that makes us brothers."
Nathan was more reserved, but he was like that with everyone. Well, with everyone except the girl who came bounding into my crowded little office. "Morgan! Geez, it's good to see you here." She hugged me tightly. "Come on and see the tree. It turned out so beautifully. Where did you find that purple ribbon?"
She pulled me out of the office and into the living room where our huge tree took up most of the window. It was beautiful with sparkling gold ornaments and twinkling clear lights. "I found it online, actually. I wasn't sure how it would look, but you're right, it's beautiful." It contrasted so nicely with the warm butter-cream colored walls of the living room.
Squealing from the direction of the kitchen made me smile immediately. I turned to see Annalisa rushing happily toward me with a tray of cookies. She handed the tray to Jake and wrapped her arms around me.
"It feels like Christmas now," she said happily. "Everyone eat some cookies while they're warm, but I need to know which one is your favorite." It really did feel festive standing there with my family in front of the tree. The only thing missing was Sean, but I tried not to dwell on that—I'd only just left him. We all sat around a table in the dining room getting caught up. I told Jake about Sean, knowing I could trust him with every detail, and he told me more about his worries with Christana.
Rudy barely sat down. He was always up inspecting things. I thought Nathan would follow Cerise around like a puppy dog, but he never left my side. When the morning grew late, Nathan stood up next to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. It startled me, and I looked up to see a couple guests come downstairs and into the dining room. Jake got up and walked over to Nathan.
"Mr. and Mrs. Kelin." I heard Jake say. "They checked in yesterday from Virginia. Their friends live nearby." Nathan nodded and took his hand off my shoulder. Looking at my watch, I realized I'd been there for nearly four hours. I really didn't want to put Nathan and Rudy through the pressure of lunchtime at the inn.
"Well guys. I think I should head back. But I'll be around more often." Jake walked with me to the office and helped me put on my coat. "Just remember, it's Christana you're dating, not her dad. I'm sure she knows how tough he is. She probably doesn't expect you to be best pals or anything." He nodded and gave me a quick hug.
I stepped out of the office and found Nathan leaning against the wall. "Wait until Rudy brings the car up to the door, and put your hood up."
I nodded. Nathan had impressed me a lot with his professionalism. He was all business even with Cerise around. He'd hardly said two words to her the entire time we'd been there. I walked over to Cerise and hugged her, whispering in her ear, "Is everything okay with you two?"
She nodded and whispered back, "He called me before you left the house. He said your safety has to be his number one priority when he's out with you. I love him for that."
Love? Did she just say love? I pulled back and let her see my hugely widened eyes.
"No!" She laughed. "I didn't mean it like that. No, no, no."
I relaxed and shook my head at her. "So Cerise," I said loudly. "Why don't you come over for dinner? Sean's making garlic Parmesan wings."
She smiled wide at me. "Sure. That sounds good." She laughed again, and Nathan shook his head at me as he pushed me toward the door. The photographers snapped pictures like crazy. Why, I had no idea. All I did was walk about twenty feet and get into the Land Rover. Were they hoping I'd fall or pick my nose on the way? Maybe my shirt would burst open and expose me? Seriously, twenty freaking feet and they must have snapped a million pictures. It made me miss the days of real film because at least you could laugh at them for wasting money on it. With digital cameras, I couldn't even do that.
Something to Talk About
That first trip to the inn paved the way for several more trips. I had gotten into a nice routine where I was visiting the inn every other day for the morning. The photographers still tried to get pictures of me walking in an embarrassing way, but I was pretty capable when it came down to just twenty feet. There were five of them now camped out in front of the inn and many more in cars outside the gate of Sean's house, but they had no opportunities to attack me. With Nathan's dedication to keeping me safe, Sean started allowing him to escort me alone to the inn. I think it gave Nathan an even greater sense of professionalism. He and Cerise were still completely flirtatious when he came to the house, but they pretty much ignored each other while he was on duty.
With fewer than ten days until Christmas, Nathan, Cerise, and I sat in the office as they helped me decide what on earth I could get for Sean.
"He has everything he could want," I said as I clicked through gift ideas on the internet. "What do you get for someone who has everything?"
"He doesn't have everything he wants, Morgan." Cerise was grinning. "He wants you. Just put a big red bow on yourself and tell him you’re his for the rest of your lives."
I rolled my eyes. "He knows I'm his. I want to get him something he'll like—something good."
Nathan shook his head, and Cerise turned to him. "Tell her she's an idiot."
He smiled kindly at me. "You're an idiot." He'd become such a good friend to me. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he laughed. "He'll love anything you get him just because it comes from you."
I fell back in my chair. "You guys are no help."
Nathan leaned forward. "You know he was obsessive over that painting you did for him? He made Craig carry it on the plane and keep it in his lap. He made him swear he wouldn't put it down when he flew out here."
I could feel my cheeks heat up. "Really?"
"There you go—" Cerise put her finger in the air. "Paint him something else."
"That's such a lame gift. Maybe I should have someone good paint something for him."
Cerise rolled her eyes and looked back at Nathan. "Tell her again."
Nathan smiled wider. "You're being an idiot."
"Okay. Fine. But I'd have to do it here. Most of my supplies are still here, and I don't want him to see it."
Nathan stood up with his fingers on his chin. "I don't like the distance to the barn. I'll call Rudy."
"Don't tell him what I'm doing. He might tell Sean."
Nathan nodded as he pulled out his cell phone. "I'll try to be discreet." He stepped out of the office and closed the door behind him.
It was the first time I'd been alone with Cerise in days, so I took the opportunity to grill her. "What's going on with you two?"
She dragged her lower lip between her teeth and smiled. "We're just getting to know each other."
"I've never seen you like a guy like this before and not jump at him."
"Are you calling me a slut?" She tried to sound angry, but I could hear the laughter in her voice. She was a little on the easy side, but she was nowhere near the slut label. "I just—like him. And he's Sean's friend and your bodyguard. We decided it would be really, truly bad if it didn't work out, so we're going slow—being careful."
"You two really talked about this, didn't you?" I was impressed that they'd had such a difficult conversation already. I really thought it was still in the obsessive flirting stage.
"Yes. A while ago, Morgan—we had a serious talk about it like weeks ago." She was grinning again.
"Awww," I squealed. "Well you can't let everything else get in the way. You're the one who pushed me at Sean despite all th
e possible ramifications. You need to jump at a good thing while you have the chance too. And besides, you're both good people. It might not be super comfortable, but you can maintain a civil relationship even if it doesn't work out. You're adults."
She nodded. "I've been telling myself that. I'm just—I like this—flirting with him—this feeling. I'm afraid if we take it further, it won't work out, and I'll lose this feeling."
"Or it could get stronger."
"I'm a little scared of that too. I haven't really been in love since Lutz." She was staring down at her hands, and I remembered how heartbroken she'd been when they broke up. They couldn't seem to get on the same page about anything. They loved each other, but they seemed to want different things out of life. In the end, they both agreed it wasn't working, which is why I think they were able to stay friends. It still tore her apart and tore me apart watching her go through it. I didn't want to see her go through something like that again, but I didn't want to see her close herself off from the possibility of true love either.
"But you and Lutz jumped into it before you even knew him. This is different. You two talk all the time. Have you talked about the future? Are you both headed in the same direction?"
"He'll be with you wherever you go for the rest of your life. He's already said that."
"What?" The rest of my life?
"The attention isn't going to disappear. You'll need a bodyguard as long as Sean's still acting. Don't you want that to be Nathan?"
"Of course. I just—the rest of my life? I hadn't—wow." I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and index finger. I couldn't imagine it always being this crazy. I couldn't imagine needing a bodyguard around the clock. But Nathan wasn't just a bodyguard; he was a friend. It wasn't like I'd mind having him by my side; it was just a lot to take in. But I couldn't dwell on that. I needed to focus on Cerise. "Well. If he's with me, and I'm here in Vermont, that's not an issue. And you can come stay with us when we have to be in California. Sean's working on selling his glass palace by the sea and getting a bigger house inland with more privacy."
"He said the same thing. We just can't figure out how it would affect our kids."
"Kids!" I gasped. "Holy crap, Cerise, you really have talked about this."
She ducked her head. "Just trying to be prepared."
"Sean and I haven't even talked about kids."
"Seriously?"
The way she stared at me made me feel like a bad person. We'd been so busy with everything else that had been going on, we hadn't talked much about the future, aside from acknowledging that we wanted one together. I knew I wanted kids someday, but I didn't even know if that was a wish Sean had too.
"What about marriage?" she asked calmly. "You've talked about that, right?"
I shrugged. "He's said he wants to marry me."
"And what did you say in return?"
"Uh—I don't think—I didn't say anything. He knows I want to be with him." She was shaking her head with disapproval all over her face, which made me drop my head onto my arms folded on the desk. "Okay, we need to talk."
"Understatement… do you want to marry him?"
I imagined standing in front of the altar with him, and a huge smile came to my face. "Yes."
She sighed loudly. "Thank God. I mean, I thought so."
I was about to ask her why she looked so relieved when Nathan knocked and came back in. "Rudy's on his way. He told Sean that Cerise wants to rearrange the apartment, and you want to go over there to give her advice."
"Good thinking." Cerise smiled at him nervously. He must have picked up on her nervousness as well because he tilted his head at her and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So," he said loudly, folding his arms across his chest, but keeping his eyes on Cerise. "What were you two talking about?"
Cerise actually blushed. I had never ever seen Cerise blush. I didn't even think she could. I couldn't contain my laughter. "Painting," I explained when I got hold of my giggles. "We were talking about what I was going to paint for Sean."
He kept his eyes on Cerise and grinned crookedly. "Right." He drew out the word, and Cerise stood up and walked to the door.
She paused to pinch him in the arm, but he was unfazed by it. "Shut up," she smiled and walked out of the office, shaking her head.
When she was out of earshot, I stood up and walked over to him. I poked him in the chest with my index finger. "You be careful with her." I managed to put a good glare behind my words, but ruined it by smiling at him.
He smiled in return and crossed his heart with his fingers.
The rest of the morning went by quickly. Rudy and Nathan escorted me to the barn where I worked on trying to decide what to paint for Sean. Finally, I just gave up and started drawing things that came to my mind, hoping it would trigger an idea. When Nathan poked his head in to remind me how late it was getting, he looked around at my tables of drawings. I'd done six quick sketches of Sean. He was seriously stuck on my mind. Nathan thought they were incredible, but I shrugged. I couldn't give Sean a picture of himself. I decided I'd have to come back the next day to keep working.
On the way home, Rudy was super quiet. Nathan tried to draw him into a conversation, but he was lost in thought about something. He didn't seem to want to talk about it though, so I didn't push.
The atmosphere in the house was similar. The guys weren't being their regular boisterous selves, and I had no idea what was going on. When Mel told me that Sean and Anthony were training in the garage, I really got worried.
I didn't even bother to change, just trudged over there in my skirt and heels. The second I stepped into the gym, Sean put up his hands to Anthony and walked over to me.
"Hey, beautiful." It was his normal greeting, but his voice was much flatter than usual.
"What's going on?" No point in beating around the bush.
"What do you mean, there's nothing—" I glared at him and folded my arms across my chest. He put his hands to his face. "Brent's back in town. He left after my little phone conversation with him, but he came back today. He checked into a different motel, but I still have a P.I. tailing him."
I sat down in one of the chairs. That explained why everyone was in a mood. They had all become a little protective of me. It was a lot nicer than constantly waiting to see if I'd hurt Sean, but I still didn't like everyone being overly dramatic about the whole thing.
I finally sat up straight and stared into his eyes. "So what? He can't get near me. What's the big deal? Why is everyone all depressed about it?"
"Sweetie, it is a big deal. You need to stop saying it isn't."
I stood up. "No. What he did is a big deal. I get that now. But him being in town is stupid. He can't get to me. And even if he could, he'd be stupid to try something. You've taught me to defend myself. You have Nathan with me at all times. You're letting him change our lives. Look at the way you're all behaving. You're all pissed or brooding or out here beating the crap out of something. He might as well have already attacked me."
He stared at me for several moments. Anthony came over and sat down next to him. "She's right." He pulled off his boxing gloves.
Sean put his hand to his forehead. "I'm just not comfortable with you going to the inn when he's in town."
I had to go to the inn. How could I complete his Christmas present if I didn't? But I could see how he would feel uncomfortable, so I did something I still wasn't entirely okay with. I turned to Anthony. "Tomorrow, will you come to the inn with Nathan and me?"
Anthony's eyes widened in surprise and even a little relief, and I realized in that moment that he just wanted to protect me too. He was a pain in the ass and nothing seemed to come out of his mouth the right way, but he had good intentions. "Are you—are you sure you want me—"
"Yes. Sean will feel better if you're there, and… so will I."
"Then I'd be happy to accompany you."
I nodded at him and turned back to Sean. "Sean, I can't let his presence rule my life. He
's had too much power over me as it is."
He stood up and kissed my forehead. "Okay." He'd perfected the use of my word right down to the guilty feeling I got when he said it. "I need a shower. Come change out of that sexy, tight skirt before I rip it off you." He grabbed my hand and pulled me back to the house.
While I threw on some jeans and a T-shirt, he talked to me through the shower glass door. "So how was work?"
"Good. I finally got to talk to Cerise about Nathan."
"How'd that go?"
"You can't tell anyone, but they've talked about marriage and kids and everything!"
"Kids?" He sounded surprised. "I hadn't heard about that."
"But you knew they talked about marriage?"
"Whoa there, love. They talked about what they wanted out of life, not about marrying each other. Don't push this faster than they are."
"I'm not. I was just surprised is all. I mean, we haven't even talked about kids." He shut off the shower, and I leaned against the counter, staring at his gloriously naked body.
He dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist before turning to me. "So let's talk. Do you want kids?"
"Yes. Not immediately, but yes, I'd like at least one."
He smiled and touched his lips to mine briefly. "I think two is a good number. I don't know what I'd have done without Mel."
"I'm okay with two."
"That's settled then. Something needs to come before that, though. Have you—uh, thought about that?" He was so cute. He was trying not to pressure me, but I could see it in his eyes how difficult it was for him to hold back.
"Like sex?" I teased. "I think about that too much."
"No need to think, when you could be doing." He ran his hands up underneath my T-shirt and kissed my neck.
I pushed him away. "Sean," I scolded.
He chuckled. "You started it."
"I've thought about marriage."
He froze. "And?"
"I think—I know I want to marry you. But we've only known each other a few months, Sean. That's just crazy."
"Is it really? Do you feel like you don't know me? Do you feel like this love I have for you could change? Do you think you might change the way you feel about me?"
Accidental Texting: Finding Love despite the Spotlight Page 36
