by Alexa Aston
Wynn Gallagher was proving an exception to all of those rules.
She liked his palm resting on the small of her back. She enjoyed his fingers when they laced through hers. She imagined sleep would be impossible because if he stayed in her bed, she would never want to close her eyes.
Why was it so different with Wynn?
“The paparazzi will still be here. Prepare yourself,” Wynn warned.
For the first time, Scarlett reached for his hand as the elevator doors opened. “Then let’s run the gauntlet.”
They managed to weave through the crowd waiting outside the hospital without being stopped and made it to Wynn’s Range Rover without incident.
As he started the vehicle, Scarlett said, “You don’t have to stay the night.”
Determination filled his face. “I want to. I want to be there for you—and for Rhett and Cassie’s kids. Where are we headed?”
She gave him directions to the Monroe house and leaned back, closing her eyes a moment, preparing herself for what she needed to tell him.
“Wynn? I know we’re supposed to sign the contracts with Rylon tomorrow,” she began.
“That can wait.”
“No, it can’t. I don’t want the studio changing their mind, especially hearing about Rhett. The treatment is very detailed. Breck told me he’ll start tomorrow, picking up where Cassie left off. I know her well. She’ll need something to keep her busy while Rhett’s involved in rehab so she’ll be on top of things, trading scenes back and forth with Breck within a few days. I don’t want Rylon using what happened to Rhett as an excuse to wriggle out of their commitment.
“I can’t be there tomorrow, though. I need to be at the hospital.”
“As you should,” he agreed. “Send someone else from Lymon with me, then. If you want the docs signed, then we’ll get them signed.”
“I’ll text Mussfield’s attorney and have him forward them to me in case they made any changes. I don’t want you to sign if Rylon slipped something hinky in.”
“Hinky?” Wynn laughed. “That’s a new one for me.”
Scarlett already had her phone out. “Let me take care of everything.”
She texted the Rylon attorney first, asking him to send PDFs of the contracts to her so she could review them before tomorrow’s meeting. She called Erica, who sounded relieved to hear from her, and gave her instructions. Then she steeled herself and dialed Henry Lymon’s number. He answered his direct line on the third ring.
“Henry, it’s Scarlett. I need a huge favor from you.”
“I didn’t think you wanted anything from me.”
She didn’t want to be indebted to her enemy but family came first and Wynn needed the excellent representation Lymon would provide for this signing.
“I do. You’re the best attorney at the firm, other than your father, and this is important.” Briefly, she outlined what had been accomplished at today’s meeting between Wynn and the Rylon studio execs and how she’d drawn up new contracts that needed to be signed tomorrow.
Wynn pulled into a gas station. “Sorry,” he mouthed, pointing to his gas gauge. He cruised to a pump and got out of the car.
“How in the hell did you get Rylon to agree to all of this?” Henry asked, clearly shocked by her maneuvers.
“By pitching them an entirely new Carbon Man 4 movie, with a screenplay written by Cassie Corrigan and Breck O’Dell. They’d already worked up the treatment.”
“I guess it helps having your connections,” Henry said snidely.
Scarlett let the comment pass instead of calling him out because she needed him.
“Will you do it? Meet with Wynn and the Rylon people at ten tomorrow at their studio? I’ll read over the contracts and then forward them to you.”
Henry waited a long moment before replying, “I’ll do it on one condition.”
“Name it.”
“I want Wynn Gallagher as my client. Not yours. I will be his attorney of record.”
Leave it to Henry to try and turn a situation to his advantage, especially when it involved a client of the magnitude of Wynn. At most law firms, this kind of unethical conduct wouldn’t be tolerated. Entertainment law, though, was known for being dog-eat-dog in the legal world and attorneys within firms often undermined one another as they fought for control of lucrative or prestigious clients. The situation was magnified by the fact that Henry served as managing partner for Lymon McGraw. As the very person who was to supposed to prevent disruptive conflicts and maintain stability, he should be promoting harmony within the partners. His jealousy of her, though, and the perceived favoritism he thought she received from the old man, blinded him. Henry would do whatever it took to undermine her and make himself come out on top.
“No, Henry. This is just a one-off. I brought Wynn Gallagher into Lymon McGraw. He’s agreed to another Lymon attorney handling tomorrow’s signing but you know he can veto a permanent move. He’s touchy. Your father would flip if we lost Gallagher because of you wanting to play head games with me. Besides, we can’t afford to pass up the opportunity to complete this deal tomorrow morning. If we sit on it, it would give Rylon too much time to think. They could stipulate changes—too many changes—and negate everything I’ve worked so hard to put together.”
“The answer is no. Find yourself someone else.”
But Scarlett knew there was no one else. If she sent anyone other than herself or Henry, the Rylon lawyers would make mincemeat of them. No one could go for the jugular as she or Henry did—and the bastard knew it.
“What’s it going to be, Scarlett?”
She wanted to play the only card left in her deck—threaten to call the old man and see what he said—but that would only alienate Henry even further. She would agree to it for now simply because she was pressed for time, knowing Wynn would have the final say in future dealings with the firm. Once they cleared the Rylon hurdle, Wynn wouldn’t even need to sign any more documents for a while. It would give her time to regroup and think of a way to approach Henry and gently wrestle back control of Wynn’s affairs without Wynn learning she willingly pawned him off.
“Done. And I’ll counter that. I have time off coming. Would you clear with HR for me to take the next three weeks off?”
“That long? Does this have to do with what’s been on the news? Your brother being shot?”
“Yes. That’s why I can’t be at the signing tomorrow. I need the time off, Henry. I can also work from home to clear my desk and if anything else comes up.”
Wynn climbed into the car, dropping the gas receipt in the cupholder and starting the car again.
“Agreed,” Henry said begrudgingly but she knew he was secretly pleased to now claim Wynn as his personal client. “Email me what you get after you’ve reviewed it. I’ll look over it, as well. After all, I’ll be the one advising Wynn Gallagher now.”
“Thank you, Henry,” Scarlett said, mustering all the politeness she could and then ended the call. Looking at Wynn, she said, “Henry Lymon will be handling everything with Rylon and will be your attorney of record for the foreseeable future while I take a short leave to help care for Rhett. Henry is very bright and will take over for his father someday so you’ll be in good hands.”
Wynn pulled the car back onto the street as guilt flooded Scarlett.
How was she going to tell Wynn about the deal she’d made with the devil?
CHAPTER 16
London greeted them at the front door, holding a baby with her same strawberry blond hair and bright blue eyes, though the baby’s eyes were starting to droop.
“Come in,” the singer said, ushering them into the large foyer. “I was about to put Madison down for the night.”
“Can I hold her?” Scarlett asked.
London handed the infant over and Wynn saw Scarlett’s features soften as she cooed to the bundle in her arms.
“How are the kids?” he asked.
London gave him an approving look. “Surprisingly, they’ve held up wel
l. There were a few tears when we picked them up. But overall, they’re proving just how resilient kids can be.” She turned to Scarlett. “Help me put Madison down and tell me about Rhett before you gather the kids to leave,” London suggested.
Wynn trailed after the two women as they went down a long hallway to a nursery. Scarlett stopped in the middle of the room, slowly swaying back and forth with Madison as she told London the latest on Rhett’s condition, including how the stalker who’d shot him had died. Then London kissed her daughter’s forehead and nodded to Scarlett, who placed the baby into her crib and raised the bar. She stroked the infant’s cheek and stepped back. Wynn saw Madison’s eyes close and her chest rise and fall in sleep.
He told London, “I don’t know anything about babies but this nursery is so warm and welcoming. The colors. The furniture. The mural. If I were a baby in this room, I might not want to grow up.”
London smiled. “Thank you, Wynn. Knox designed the furniture and I worked on the color palette. In fact, we’re about to launch Monroe Design Line, based upon what we’ve created for Madison. It will include furniture for infants and toddlers, as well as paint, bedding, and wall hangings. I like a soft, gender-neutral palette so a nursery can be for either a boy or girl. That way, parents don’t have to buy new items if they have a different sex the second time around. Scarlett’s drawn up all the incorporation papers. We’ve chosen our manufacturers and an ad agency which will handle all of our marketing and social media needs. We’re really exciting about the start-up and the jobs it will bring to the area.”
“It seemed a natural extension, considering London’s lullaby CDs, especially now that she and Knox are parents themselves,” Scarlett explained. “Best of all, one hundred percent of the profits will go to Knox’s charity foundation.”
“He has one like Rhett?” Wynn asked.
“I’m very proud of my husband,” London said, her love for Knox reflected by the glow on her face. “He has dyslexia and believes early intervention will really help children in learning coping and reading skills. His foundation provides for teacher training to help recognize the signs of dyslexia and also funds an educational company that creates materials to be used with children diagnosed as dyslexic. Some money also goes into adult education. Imagine going into a restaurant and not being able to read the menu because all of the words were squiggly.”
“How does he handle reading scripts?” Wynn asked, curious about a central part of any actor’s preparation and one that would be difficult for Knox with his disability.
“It’s difficult for him still,” London admitted. “He has a great ear for dialogue, though. I tape the entire script and once he listens to it a few times, he’s able to memorize his lines.” She chuckled. “And everyone else’s. He’s not much for improvisation and hates when another actor goes off-book.”
“I’m sure you’ll raise a ton of money with your baby line and do a lot of good,” Wynn said.
He thought how both Rhett and Knox used their fame to give back to society. How he’d sat on everything he’d made, not spending much—but not doing anything with it.
That was going to change.
It surprised Wynn that he’d never thought of these things. Of how self-centered and self-contained he’d been before meeting Scarlett and her circle of family and friends. In the short time of knowing her and those that surrounded her, Wynn realized he wanted to be a better person. A better man. Not only for Scarlett—but for himself.
“We hope so. Knox and I feel if the line takes off, we might expand it to sleepwear. Active wear. Even shoes.”
“Whoa,” Scarlett said. “It’s great to dream big but let’s get this venture off the ground before developing new lines, London.”
“Agreed.”
They left the nursery and heard the doorbell ring. London answered it and admitted Dash and Sydney.
“How did you make it through all those paparazzi and beat us here?” Sydney asked.
Scarlett gave him a grateful smile. “Wynn’s got a real talent for navigating through them.”
They went to a large great room that served as a den. Wynn lingered in the doorway as everyone else stepped inside. He saw Knox sprawled on the floor with all four children. They gathered around some board game. He watched a boy who was the spitting image of Rhett move his piece and moan.
“Not twins!” he exclaimed, showing a gap where his front teeth had once rested. “My car’s already full.”
The other boy, who wore a Carbon Man T-shirt, leaned over and read the text on the landing space aloud. “Girl twins? Yuck!”
Wynn realized they were playing The Game of Life, something he and his siblings had enjoyed when they were growing up.
“Time to go,” Scarlett called.
“Auntie Scarlett!” two of the children cried out as the other two yelled “Mommy! Daddy!” All four ran and slammed into the adults, who gave them hugs.
“How’s Dad?” the mini-Rhett asked, worry crossing his face.
“He’s going to be fine, Kyle,” Scarlett assured her nephew. “In fact, once we get home and you’ve had a bath and are in your PJs, we’re going to FaceTime him and your mom.”
Kyle Corrigan beamed while his sister grabbed his hand and jumped up and down.
“So, Uncle Rhett is really okay?” the other boy asked, concern on his face.
Scarlett nodded, ruffling his hair. “He’s very sore now, Drew. He’ll also have to do rehab, which means going to a physical therapist who’ll help him regain strength and movement in his leg.”
“We can help Daddy exercise. I’m good at it.” The girl who favored Cassie started doing her version of jumping jacks and Wynn hid his smile at her lack of coordination.
“Me, too,” the other girl proclaimed and imitated her friend.
“I’m sure your dad will be delighted to have so much help,” Scarlett proclaimed. “We all need to get going. Cadence, Harper, you can stop jumping now.”
“We need to pick up first,” Kyle said and Wynn thought what a good job Rhett and Cassie had done raising their children.
“Don’t worry about that, buddy,” Knox said. “London and I will take care of it this time since it’s getting late.”
“Thank you for volunteering to take the kids,” Sydney said.
“We were happy to do so,” Knox assured her and grinned at his wife. “It gave us an idea what’s in store in the future. I want at least enough to field a basketball team.”
“That’s still up for negotiation,” London said, crossing her arms and cocking one eyebrow. “Unless you want to have the next one?”
“But you’re so good at it, babe,” Knox replied and slung his arm around her, kissing her.
“Yuck!” the two boys shouted and Drew added, “Kissing is so gross.”
Everyone turned to leave and all four children stopped in their tracks. In unison, they said, “Carbon Man,” awe in their voices.
Dash stepped up. “This is Mr. Wynn. Remember, we’ve talked about acting. How people play a role. Mr. Wynn isn’t Carbon Man but he plays that character.”
With eyes still round in wonder, the tallest boy stepped forward and offered his hand. “Hi, Mr. Wynn. I’m Drew DeLauria. This is my sister, Harper.”
Wynn shook with him and watched Harper shuffle forward, her jaw open. She also politely gave Wynn her hand.
Drew motioned for the other two children to move closer and said, “This is Cadence and Kyle. Mr. Rhett and Miss Cassie are their mom and dad.”
After shaking hands with these children, Wynn solemnly said, “It’s nice to meet all of you.”
“Are you my daddy’s friend?” Cadence asked.
“I have met your dad and we’ve just started being friends. Your mom is going to write a screenplay for me.”
“For Carbon Man?” Kyle asked quickly.
“Yes. She and your uncle Breck are working on it already.”
The boys high-fived one another and proclaimed it cool.
“I’m also friends with your Auntie Scarlett,” he continued. “Right now, we need to get you home so you can talk to your mom and dad before you go to bed.”
“You’re coming home with us?” Kyle asked, amazement evident in his voice.
“I am. Let’s go.”
All four children turned and ran back to Knox and London, hugging them goodbye, and then they left the Monroe house. Scarlett made sure Kyle and Cadence were buckled into their seats and gave Wynn instructions on how to get to Rhett and Cassie’s house.
“Do you like being Carbon Man?” Cadence asked. “I mean, playing Carbon Man. I get that you’re an actor like Daddy.”
“I’ve worked with a lot of talented actors,” Wynn said. “It’s great to be a role model for so many kids who come to see the Alpha Tharra Universe movies.”
“Mr. Wynn also plays other roles,” Scarlett added. “Your mom and Uncle Breck are also writing another movie for him to be in.”
“I bet you make lots of money,” Cadence said. “You could buy an American Girl doll if you wanted. Maybe even two.”
He had no idea what that was but asked, “Do you have an American Girl doll?”
Cadence shook her head. “No. Mommy says I can get Tenney on my next birthday. Harper wants one, too. She wants Felicity. I have the paper dolls, Mr. Wynn. I can show them to you. And Mommy reads me American Girl books. Do you want to read to me when we get home?”
“I’d like that, Cadence,” he said, imagining the little girl climbing into his lap as he read a story to her. Warmth enveloped him.
“It’s late. What did you have for dinner?” Scarlett asked.
As the two children talked about eating pizza and singing with London and playing games with Knox, Wynn thought what it would be like to have children of his own.
With Scarlett.
Seeing how contented she looked with little Madison Monroe in her arms, he knew she would be a natural. Once again, it surprised him that he hadn’t thought of marriage or children until Scarlett sailed into his life.
