Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 66431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
I get out of my car and offer him a small smile.
“Why didn’t you go inside?”
He shrugs a shoulder. “I didn’t think I deserved to.”
I raise a brow. “Okay, so I’m not the only dramatic one.”
That makes him laugh a little, and my shoulders loosen as I sit next to him on the steps and lean against him.
“I’m glad you got back safely. We have some stuff to talk about.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” he says and looks down at me. His mouth is just mere inches from mine, and I want to kiss him.
But I wait.
“I’m not letting you break up with me, not over the fucking press, Liv. I love you too much.”
“I love you, too.”
His mouth closes, and he swallows.
“Okay.”
“I’m sorry,” I add. “I handled things really poorly. Okay, I was a horrible human being, especially given that it’s not your fault. I know it’s not your fault. You’re excellent at your job, and that means that you get a lot of attention.”
His shoulders droop as if he’s been holding the weight of the world on them and it’s suddenly been lifted.
“I’m sorry, too,” he says. “I should have taken your concerns more seriously. It’s just such a normal part of my life. It doesn’t feel big anymore. But it’s not normal for you.”
“No, it’s not. Not at all. It might take me some time, but we’ll figure it out.”
He shakes his head, and now it’s my turn to be nervous, but it doesn’t last long.
“I tried to find out who leaked your number, but so far, no one’s spilling their guts on that.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I assure him. “Really, it doesn’t.”
Vaughn licks his lips and keeps talking. “I’m going to back off on stuff once I finish up with some projects and complete some commitments.”
“What does that mean?”
His green eyes meet mine, and he smiles softly.
“I’m going to follow your dad’s example for a while. Maybe not to the extreme he does, but I’m not going to act in movies much moving forward.”
“Vaughn, I can’t ask you to do that—”
“You didn’t,” he replies. “I’m selling the Malibu house; it went on the market this morning. And the Seattle house is mine now. Your job is here, and I want to be where you are, Liv.”
My eyes fill with tears, but I don’t care. “I don’t want you to leave acting, Vaughn. Base out of Seattle? Yes, that’s awesome, and I’m thrilled that you want to do that. But you absolutely will not leave acting altogether just for me.”
“I’m doing what’s best for us. I’ve done what’s expected of me for a long-ass time, you know? And I like the work. It’s not that I don’t. But I love you. You’re the most important piece of my life, and if you’re unhappy or insecure, I need to do whatever I can to take care of you. That’s how this works. Jesus, I’ve never loved anyone the way I do you, and I’m not going to lose you over something that’s so easily fixable.”
“Leaving your career isn’t going to fix this,” I reply and cup his cheek in my hand. “I truly believe we can make this all work, Vaughn. We can really fix it, not just put a bandage on it. Maybe we can talk to my parents and ask them for some tips. I know you enjoy your job, and damn it, you’ve worked hard to get where you are. I don’t want you to stop acting any more than you’d want me to stop sewing.”
He frowns and takes my hand in his, linking our fingers. “I just want to do the right thing for you.”
“And I love you for it. We need to do what’s right for both of us. Compromise. It’s not all about me. Yeah, the paparazzi threw me for a loop, but I’m a strong woman. I’ll figure it out. Hell, Chelsea sent me a photo of you with some woman in a pink dress, and I totally blew it off. See? I’m doing better already.”
His brows draw together in a frown. “What woman in a pink dress?”
I laugh and climb onto his lap, straddling him on the porch for the world to see, and wrap my arms around him, kissing him for all I’m worth.
His arms encircle me, and he holds me tightly as he kisses me back. His hand drifts up my back to my hair, and he grips it, making me smile.
“Can we start over?” he asks, tipping his forehead to mine. “I would like to take my girlfriend on a date.”
“We don’t have to start over,” I whisper. “Nothing’s broken. We just hit a speed bump, that’s all. And, yes, I would love a date.”
“Great.” He stands with me in his arms and sets me on my feet, then frames my face in his hands and kisses me hard. “I have to go, but I’ll be back at six to pick you up.”