It’d taken two hours to get Ty back to sleep, but Simon hadn’t minded at all. He’d played army men with his son and talked to him about his missing tooth and the money the tooth fairy had brought him. He’d asked about kindergarten and listened as Ty talked about his teacher and proudly recited the alphabet. Once Ty’s eyelids began to droop, Simon had even crawled into bed, tucked his son up against his side and memorized the smell of his hair and the feel of his baby-soft skin as if he might never see him again. It wasn’t until Ty nodded off that Simon got up to find Bella, who’d grown frustrated with the lack of attention and left more than an hour earlier.
Simon wasn’t looking forward to their talk. He knew she wouldn’t like what he had to say. But he couldn’t avoid engaging her, not if he hoped to see Ty again.
He found her sitting in the living room, watching a reality show she’d recorded on her DVR. She put the program on pause when he came in and, bottom lip jutting in an exaggerated pout, turned to him. “Happy now?” she asked.
The bitterness in that question nearly set him off. How dared she think she had the right to keep his son from him? The lies she’d told to get the restraining order were bad enough. She seemed to feel she could stand behind those lies and that infuriated him. But he’d let his anger get the best of him before. He couldn’t allow himself to make that mistake again. The goal was to establish a friendly relationship, not revert to the animosity of the past. “It was great to see him. Thank you.”
She nodded, combing her fingers through her long hair as if she’d done him a huge favor instead of merely giving him what he deserved as Ty’s father. “Your dad called.”
Simon almost asked if they were still sleeping together but bit his tongue again. His father had plenty of women who were willing to do whatever he wanted. He didn’t need Bella. As a rule, Bella wasn’t attracted to men who were twice her age. Simon knew what they’d done had been all about him. Now that he and Bella weren’t together, she and Tex didn’t even like each other. “What did he want?”
“He heard you were back in town.”
“How?”
“Who knows? That prick of a business manager probably told him.”
Something was up there. Ian had told Tex where to find Simon in Whiskey Creek, too. There was a reason for that, just as there was a reason he was so excited to see Simon return to work—to make Hellion.
Simon suspected Ian had been offered a kickback of some kind. Everything in Hollywood seemed to come down to money. But he’d deal with that later.
“What did he want?” he asked.
“He told me to leave you alone.”
Instead of crossing the floor to sit down with her, Simon pulled out a bar stool from the kitchen island and turned it to face the living room. “Did he say why?”
“You can’t guess?”
“You know my father and I don’t talk.”
“He said you were finally happy. That you don’t need trash like me messing up your life again.”
When he didn’t respond to the “trash” part, didn’t defend her as she was no doubt hoping he would, her expression darkened. “As if what happened was my fault,” she added.
“I’m not the one who slept with him,” Simon pointed out.
“You slept with plenty!” she snapped, but whether she believed him or not, he hadn’t touched another woman until he’d caught the two of them. Even then it was several months later, when he’d known he couldn’t put his marriage back together, that he wound up in bed with a costar. After that, there didn’t seem to be any reason to hold back. There were a few times Bella had realized she was losing him and attempted to straighten up, but those periods never lasted. She couldn’t overcome the insecurities that caused her to provoke him.
But there was no use arguing. What had happened had happened. They’d both made mistakes. He just wanted to figure out how to go on. “I did,” he admitted.
Evidently satisfied that he’d taken responsibility for his behavior, she clicked her nails as she stared at him. “So...where do we go from here?”
“I’m hoping we can make some arrangements where Ty is concerned.”
“What kind of arrangements?”
“I’d like full custody.” That was the only way he could put a definitive stop to her using Ty as a weapon against him. “But if you cooperate with me I’ll settle for shared.”
“You’ll never get full custody. I don’t have to cooperate with you.”
Simon felt his muscles tense. “Why are you still being like this?”
“Because we come as a package! You can’t reject me but accept him! That’s not fair!”
This made no sense. She was talking out of the hurt and anger that’d gotten them into so much trouble to begin with.
Simon tried to counteract that by remaining as calm as possible. “Bella, please. I love Ty. I’d never let anything happen to him, and you know it. That should be what matters.”
“What about me?”
Bella acted like a child herself. “What about you?” he asked.
“What will I become? Your castoff? You think you can toss me aside and take my son to start a new family with your publicist in some boondock town hours and hours away from here? Go live happily ever after when I’m miserable?”
Simon lifted his hands. “Even if I take him to Whiskey Creek, it wouldn’t be for long. I plan on coming back to L.A. and making more movies. I’m not walking away from my career. We can work together, make sure we both have what we need.”
She bit her lip. “Do you love her?”
As he’d suspected from the beginning, this wasn’t about Ty. Bella was feeling left out, couldn’t stand the thought that he’d managed to move on. She’d liked it far better when she knew he was suffering because of her, when she still had the power to hurt him.
“Do you really want to know?” he asked.
She didn’t respond, but raised her chin as if she expected an answer.
He drew a deep breath. “I married her because I thought it would be good for my image.”
She sagged in relief. “Of course. You would never be attracted to someone as...as plain as she is!”
“I’m not finished,” he said. “That was how it started, but then...everything changed. She’s the most wonderful person I’ve ever met. She makes me feel good in a deep-down, satisfied way. I love how she laughs and how she makes me laugh. I love that I know I can depend on her. I love the way her face lights up every time I walk into the room. I love that she pretends to be tough but she’s really all heart. Most of all, I love the way she loves me.” He smiled just thinking of her. “Does that mean I love her back?” He nodded. “Yeah, I guess it does. I was telling you the truth—I’m happily married.”
Tears welled up in Bella’s eyes, but he felt no empathy. She didn’t need him to feel sorry for her; she was feeling sorry enough for herself. “You will never see Ty again,” she said. “Now get out before I call the police.”
Simon headed to the door. He wouldn’t undo everything he’d accomplished by causing another scandal. But he paused before opening it. “I won’t give up, Bella. I’ll fight for Ty as long and as hard as it takes.”
She grabbed his arm. “I think it’s a mistake to forget about us, Simon,” she said. “We could try again. We were happy once.” She lifted his hand to her breast but he wasn’t remotely tempted.
“Sorry, I’m not interested,” he said, and pulled away.
* * *
Simon felt great when he woke up the next morning. He’d seen Ty. The time they’d spent hadn’t been long enough to make up for the months he’d missed, but at least he’d had a couple of hours with him. And he was no longer conflicted about Bella or anything else in his life. She’d finally lost all power to hurt him. His visit to her place last night had been cathartic in so many ways, had crystallized what he really wanted out of life. He wasn’t ready to go back to making movies. Not yet. He preferred to return to Whiskey Creek, where he’d been so content, and finish the house on Autumn Lane. When he did come back to L.A., Gail would be with him, but that wouldn’t happen until they were both ready for what they’d face here.
He’d tried calling her last night, as soon as he got home. He’d wanted to tell her he’d made these decisions and couldn’t wait to see her. His future was completely wrapped up with hers. Over the past few weeks he’d become healthier and happier. Why would he ever let that go or trade it for the emptiness of before?
He didn’t plan to, but she didn’t know that yet. It had been very late when he tried to reach her, and she hadn’t answered.
Thinking of her the second he opened his eyes, he rolled over to search for his phone, but it began to ring before he could even touch it. Maybe she’d seen that she’d missed his call and was getting back to him.
He hoped so. He was eager to talk to her. But caller ID told him it wasn’t Gail. It was his father.
Scowling, he studied his digital display. What could Tex possibly want with him? Simon couldn’t even guess, but because his father had signed the release for Hellion, and because he felt as if he finally knew his own mind and had a clear sense of direction, he went ahead and answered.
“’Lo?”
“What the hell are you doing?” Tex demanded.
The harshness of his tone surprised Simon. He’d thought they were on better terms than usual, but it didn’t sound like that right now. “I’m sleeping. What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m not talking about this minute. I’m talking about last night.”
“I went to see my son. Why? And why are you so mad?”
“Because I thought you’d finally straightened up and figured out your life. I thought you understood what you had and wouldn’t piss it away. And then you go and do this.”
A sick feeling curled through Simon’s stomach, chasing away the last of his fatigue. Sitting up, he rubbed a hand over his face. “Slow down and tell me what you’re talking about. What did I do last night?”
“You’re going to pretend like you don’t know? It’s all over the internet—on YouTube, all the celebrity blogs, AOL....”
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Then turn on your computer and find out. You’re busted, and the media’s having a field day with this one. After the ‘I’m a reformed man’ act you put on with Gail, they’re going for your jugular. Actually, some of ’em are more interested in going after a different part of your anatomy. Castration has been mentioned as a fitting punishment.”
For what? He hadn’t done anything!
Tossing his phone aside, Simon climbed out of bed and hurried over to his computer. After powering it up, he did a Google search on his name. Then he sank into the desk chair, staring at the screen in silent horror. The very first hit that came up was a link to a sex tape between him and Bella. The headline read Simon’s Delicious Romp with Ex Last Night Proves He’s No Changed Man.
* * *
Just about everyone she’d ever known had called to tell Gail about the online footage that’d gone viral. The onslaught had started with Serge at her own PR company, because he’d been helping Josh track all the media hits relating to her and Simon, and he was first in the office. He’d awakened her. But now that word of the tape had been picked up by the major news outlets, she was beginning to hear from her friends in Whiskey Creek, too.
Although Gail had her laptop in bed and knew what the tape depicted, she couldn’t bring herself to watch it. Not the whole thing. The beginning footage, with Simon approaching Bella’s house and going inside, as evidenced by security cameras, was clear enough to identify him. It also revealed the date and time, which was last night, shortly after he would have arrived in L.A. That was all she needed to see. He’d left her and returned to Bella’s bed within hours.
“What are we going to do?” Josh asked. He’d reached the office after Serge, so this was the first chance she’d had to talk to him. His call was the only one she’d been willing to answer. The humiliation and embarrassment was too fresh, too poignant, to cope with the sympathy of those who cared about her. She hadn’t even answered the phone for her father, who must’ve been tipped off by some patron at the gas station. She couldn’t imagine how else he would’ve heard.
“I don’t know,” she said. Her heart was aching so badly she couldn’t think clearly. She dared not leave her own bedroom, dared not venture out for fear she’d be cornered. It was only a matter of time before her father showed up on her doorstep. Or maybe Joe would come. She’d pleaded with them to give Simon a chance and they had. Now she felt like she’d set them up for a strong sucker punch.
She rubbed her stomach, feeling as if Simon had hit her there. Why had she believed in him? Why had she let herself fall for his looks, his charm, his playfulness and his incredible lovemaking? Of course he was good at making love. He’d had plenty of practice both on and off the screen....
It was his happiness that had convinced her he was sincere, she decided. He’d seemed so content while he was here.
She shook her head as she remembered his boyish smile when he was demolishing the kitchen. He’d left it in rubble, just like her heart.
God, all the warnings she’d ignored... On top of everything else, what Simon had done made her feel like an idiot.
“So you’ve seen it?” Josh said.
“Not all of it,” she replied. “But what I have seen is plenty graphic.”
“It gets worse. There’s no way we’ll be able to spin it into anything other than what it is.”
“No. And we can’t claim it’s not him. He left me, he went there, he slept with her. Our hands are tied. We have to let this one go, see how it affects Big Hit.”
It was easier to talk about the damage this might cause her business than her life. Although she’d admitted the truth to Josh, he hadn’t been around to see just how hard and fast she’d fallen for Simon, so at least she didn’t have to talk about her personal feelings quite yet.
“I doubt it’ll cost us clients,” he said. “Simon can’t blame you for this.”
“Doesn’t matter. It makes me look foolish and inept for getting involved with him. And you and I both know how fickle Hollywood can be. If I’m perceived to be ‘out,’ we’ll probably lose some of our clients, if not the majority.”
“We’re good at what we do. We’ll survive,” he insisted.
At least since the sale of the wedding pictures to People magazine, Gail would have deep enough pockets to carry the company for a number of months, if necessary. That was the one bright spot in her agreement with Simon. The contract stipulated that if he screwed up, she got the money, anyway.
Fortunately, she’d had the foresight to demand that stipulation.
She glanced at the diamond ring he’d left her. She’d gone to bed hoping it meant something, but now she knew better. She could sell it, too.
“So you haven’t talked to him?” Josh said.
“No.” He’d tried to call her once, at 3:00 a.m. After she’d talked to Serge, she’d noticed that missed call. But she’d been asleep when he made the attempt, and she definitely wasn’t calling him back.
She couldn’t believe he’d try to speak to her right after making love with Bella. Maybe he wanted to tell her before everyone else did. Maybe he had enough of a conscience to want to give her some warning.
Josh sighed into the phone. “This is sad. Except for a few naysayers who didn’t really matter, your marriage was well received. The campaign was working.”
“Are you talking about the naysayers who were shouting that I wasn’t attractive enough for Simon? Wasn’t dynamic enough? Wasn’t famous?” She’d known she was a regular, average person going in. But somehow, she’d let herself get caught up in the fairy tale.
“I mean those who are too stupid to know that you’re amazing, that he was actually lucky to have you.”
The phone beeped, telling her she had another call. Assuming it would be her father again, or Callie—Gail wasn’t looking forward to the moment Callie learned what had happened—she checked.
It was Simon.