Emery
I arrived back in Los Angeles thirty-two exhausting hours later having survived two torturously long flights. I’d paid a super sweet maid at the hotel I’d stayed at in Queenstown to buy some clothes for me, after being very specific about what I wanted. What she’d come back with was perfect—so innocuous no one would ever think I was anything other than a suburban woman on the go. In a pair of mom jeans, a yellow cardigan set with a giant hibiscus flower on the left side and a pair of tan flats, I didn’t even warrant a second look.
The short blonde wig on my head looked like an ode to Carol from The Brady Bunch, which was enough to make me laugh. I’d completed the look by doing my makeup in a really unattractive way—a bit of frosty blue eye shadow, some cherry blush, and creamy pink lipstick. I was more worried that a segment producer from a show offering makeovers might approach me at LAX than I was about being recognized.
It’s amazing what people didn’t see when they weren’t looking for something. Typically when I was in airports, I wound up signing autographs and taking pictures with fans, but that didn’t happen with my disguise in place. Never had I needed the experience of being just a normal girl more than I did right then. I’d missed it more than I could say.
The worst part of the trip was waiting almost an hour for my checked luggage to make its way out at LAX. The place was crawling with paparazzi, even more than usual, but no one paid a bit of attention to me. Once I had my luggage, I hauled ass outside and found the car I’d scheduled and paid for under an assumed name. The driver barely gave me a second glance as he announced that his name was Casper Skywalker—the name was as obviously fake as the blonde and caramel highlights in his hair—before he began loading my bags into the trunk. After he finished, he opened the door to the rear of the limo so that I could get in.
I couldn’t contain my smile as we pulled away from the airport and got onto the freeway. I usually bemoaned the drive from the airport home, but right then I didn’t care one bit. Regardless of jetlag, dehydration and the journey ahead, I was ecstatic to be back on my turf.
Pulling my cell phone from my bag, I called my house. When Kaya didn’t answer, I rang her cell instead. Getting no answer on that either, I left a message. It was just after eight so I figured she was either out to dinner or in bed with her boyfriend.
“Surprise! I’m home! I so wanted just to walk in and blow your mind—if it weren’t for the Spanish hottie you’re probably busy macking down on even as I speak I’d have done it. With our luck, I’d have walked in on some weirdness though, and nobody wants that. I’m in a limo on my way back from LAX. Traffic isn’t horrible, so I think I’ll be there in about an hour. See you soon!”
By that point, I was practically dying to rip the gross wig off since beneath it my head was hot and itchy, but because I didn’t want the driver to recognize me, I forced myself to keep my hands off. Grimacing, I reminded myself that I was within minutes of being able to relax and sleep in my bed. I was ecstatic to have several days of absolute relaxation ahead of me since the producer had asked me to stay silent until a final decision was made about how to go forward. They seemed to think it might be possible to tweak the script a bit so that my character didn’t need as much screen time, which meant there could be just enough footage of me already in the can that no one would need to know I’d quit. That was one of the biggest reasons I’d gone to such lengths to disguise myself. The jig would be up if I’d stepped off a plane at LAX and word got out that I wasn’t on set.
Although I detested Elliot and couldn’t have worked with him for even one more minute, I was a realist. At the end of the day, I understood there was absolutely nothing I could do about the hours of film they already had from me. If they were going to release the movie with me in it, I’d have to turn the other cheek.
I was happy I’d thought to order a limo since the extra legroom allowed me to stretch out. Taking a bottle of water from the bar that ran half the length of the right side of the car, I cracked it open and gulped down half. After twisting the lid back on and setting it in the holder, I sighed and allowed my shoulders to relax as I set my head back. I felt myself drifting off and after a few seconds of internal debate about how wise a decision that would be, I closed my eyes and allowed sleep to take me.
What felt like seconds later my phone started playing Kaya’s ringtone—I Like It by Enrique Iglesias. I grinned as I drowsily swept my finger across the screen.
“Bestie,” I yawned. “How excited are you that I’m home early?”
“Where are you?” she asked, the tone of her voice a little frantic.
“I, uh, hold on,” I murmured as I sat up straight and looked out the window to get my bearings. Seeing how close I was to my destination, I smiled. “We’ll be dropping onto PCH in a few minutes,” I answered.
“You need to tell the driver to bring you to Alejandro’s house.”
“You know I can’t wait to meet him,” I laughed, “but right now I’m starving, and I smell like airplane. Plus, I need sleep. I’m going to give my baby some kisses, hug you, eat some peanut butter and then pass the hell out.”
She made an anxious sound. “It’s not that I want you to meet him, sweetie. I mean, of course, I want that, obviously. But about ninety minutes ago a quarter of the paparazzi in the Los Angeles area descended outside of your gate. You literally can’t go home, Em. You have to come here. I didn’t answer when you called because I left my phone in Alejandro’s living room while he and I met with the security team his family travels with.”
My heart started beating at triple speed as I processed her words. There was only one reason the paparazzi would be looking for me.
“That son of a bitch,” I hissed. “He dimed me out, didn’t he?”
The way Kaya hesitated told me that whatever Elliot had done wasn’t good.
“Kaya?” I prodded.
“My phone blew up with Google alerts about you about two hours ago,” she muttered. “Two of the biggest gossip sites are running a story saying that sources connected to production have told them you were fired for drug use and erratic behavior.”
I sat straight up in shock. “Are you kidding?”
I didn’t touch drugs, ever, and I maybe drank two or three times a year at most. Anyone who knew me even a little bit was able to figure that information out pretty damn quickly. I’d realized Elliot was a dickhead of epic proportion but slandering me was a step too damn far.
“I wish I was, sweetie. I got the Cruz’s security team involved—we’ve been trying to figure out what flight you came in on. I honestly thought you were somewhere between here and there because nothing was coming up for them on any of the gossip sites saying you’d landed.”
Suddenly the above average amount of paparazzi I’d seen at LAX made sense. “It’s because they didn’t see me,” I muttered.
“How?”
Glancing out the window, I realized we were about five minutes from home. “You’ll know the answer to that in a few minutes since I’m almost there. What do I tell the driver?”
“Give him the Cruz address. Alejandro is telling his men to have the gate open so that you can get right in. The head of security already told the press not to step foot onto this property, which means they’re essentially camped from your property line to your gate. I’m pretty sure the sight of six massive security guards had them shitting a brick. It’s been a wild day here, so all hands are on deck, which is a good thing.”
Assuming she meant that my drama was affecting the Cruz’s, I felt slightly ill. If Kaya’s boyfriend broke up with her because of the situation I’d unwittingly put on her it would break my heart.
“Hold on,” I instructed.
Hitting a button on the control panel above my head, I leaned forward as the glass partition between Casper and I went down. Gathering my wits about me, I got into character.
“Oh Casper, I’m just such a silly willy,” I laughed. “I just realized I typed the wrong address in when I made my reservation. We’re still going to the same street, but my address is 6314, not 6324.”
The Cruz property was comprised of what had been three separate homes and two empty lots. Although the entrance to their home was right next to mine, once everything had been zoned for a single property their street address read as though it was several houses down.
Casper’s eyes caught mine in the rearview as he nodded. “No worries, ma’am. We get that all the time. I assume it’s closer to the beginning of the street?”
I quickly explained that it was right next door before I got back on the phone with Kaya. “I’ll be right there,” I murmured.
“Can’t wait to see you,” she answered. “Don’t freak out, Em. We got this.”
I assured her I’d be fine as I disconnected the call. Those words quickly became lies when the limo turned onto my street and I saw the number of cars parked on the side of the road leading up to my house. I let out a groan when the headlights illuminated a herd of reporters loitering around my property line.
“Heh,” Casper muttered. “Wonder what’s going on there?”
“No clue,” I replied, making sure to stay in Carol Brady-esque character. “We’re only just moving in next door.”
“Gotta be a big celebrity living there,” he said as he turned into the Cruz’s massive driveway. “Wonder if it’s a big-time director. What I wouldn’t do to get my script into the hands of a Spielberg or a Scorcese.”
I held back an eye roll. I rarely came across anyone in Hollywood who wasn’t trying to shop a script. “No Spielbergs or Scorceses that I know of,” I laughed as we pulled through the already open gate. Immediately I saw what Kaya had meant about how it looked. The men weren’t rent-a-cops. The two closest to the gate were obviously armed and the two behind them looked like they crushed skulls for breakfast. Looking out the window toward my house, I noticed that all of the paparazzi were behaving like a cloak of invisibility was over the Cruz property.
“Serious security,” the driver muttered while yet another guard gestured for him to turn right to follow the curve of the drive to the front door.
“My, uh, family is a little over-the-top,” I answered.
“I see that,” the driver said in a tone of awe as he stopped the car.
I had to think some of his awe was due to the beautiful mansion and unbelievably gorgeous grounds. I was also confident that the treasure trove of exotic cars parked around the driveway and in front of the garage contributed to it.
I realized I was stiff with tension as the car came to a halt and a guard appeared from thin air to open my door. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the backpack I’d gotten in New Zealand and stepped out. When one of the massive front doors opened and Kaya stepped out, we ran toward each other like idiots, both babbling I don’t even know what as we collided into a hug.
“I get how they didn’t notice you at the airport now,” she teased.
I nodded as I leaned into her. “I’m so sorry,” I mumbled.
“Don’t say that again. You have nothing to be sorry for,” she said firmly as she stepped back to look me over. “I’m so damn excited that you’re home, Em. No matter what they do or say, you and I know the truth. Once you tell me what’s going on, you and I will come up with a plan to deal with it.”
Alejandro came out of the front door as Kaya and I were talking. His eyes widened briefly when he saw me. I was confused for about three seconds before I remembered that I had a horrible wig on. Touching it self-consciously, I sighed. “I forgot it was still on. I know I’m looking a little crazy, but I swear, I’m her best friend,” I joked.
Alejandro smiled as he extended his hand to shake mine. “Thanks for having a peacock that needed Aunt Kaya to stay with him. Without you, I’d never have met my Belleza.”
Letting go of my hand, he wrapped his arms around Kaya’s shoulders. The smile on her face as she leaned back against him was everything. I’d never, ever seen her like that.
I felt like crap for bringing my drama to them—literally—and I was anxious to be on my way. “Do you have a big ladder for me to use to climb up over the wall or am I having Kaya push me up and over?”
Alejandro’s head went back in surprise. “Over the wall?”
My eyes darted to Kaya. “I assumed that would be the plan…”
She winced. “I’m sorry, this is my fault for not being clear on the phone. You and I both know that if the paparazzi want photos, they’ll stop at nothing to get them. One of the security guards already stopped two who were trying to sneak over the wall right at the point where the azalea bushes provide a little cover.”
“Perfect,” I groaned. My luck was crap and apparently getting worse by the minute. I knew checking into any five-star hotel would result in my being discovered within two hours. That meant I’d need to go down to Santa Monica to settle in for the night. Spinning around, I called out to my limo driver, who was just closing the trunk.
“Change of plans. I’m going to need to go to Shutters in Santa Monica.”
I absolutely positively could not stay at Shutters but to be on the safe side, I was going to have him drop me off there so that I could have a cab take me to the Travelodge. I’d never heard of even one celebrity sighting at one of those motels, which meant I’d be safe there. I pondered the idea that with my career having blown up in spectacular fashion I’d undoubtedly become an expert in hiding. Then again, having no home was going to become a problem real quick because Elvis needed a yard. Well, I’d just have to get used to wearing the Carol Brady wig, then. Somehow I’d get my Elvis-friendly ride from my house, and the two of us would head up the coast. Although that might be too obvious, I thought.
Yes, I’d need to be smarter than that—which meant we’d go to Utah. I was betting no one would look for me there. As long as I had my baby and access to Starbucks, everything would be fine—unless they didn’t have Starbucks in Utah. Hmm. Maybe Wyoming would be better unless the climate was too cold. Elvis hadn’t been exposed to snow in years, and I didn’t want to disrupt his life any more than I already had to. Perhaps Arizona, then. I wasn’t sure what that would do to all of my fragile plants—assuming I could eventually have them sent to me. But maybe that wouldn’t be a problem if I got a place with enough room for my little man and a greenhouse. Yes, that seemed like the way to go…
I startled out of my thoughts when Kaya snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Sweetie you’re starting to worry me. Have you even heard one word I’ve said?”
I shook my head. “I was making an escape plan, and I think it’s a good one, as long as you can handle taking care of Elvis for another few days and the Cruz’s don’t mind him strolling through their yard. After I sneak my way out of the Travelodge and somehow get my car—”
“Stop, stop, stop,” she groaned. “You’re not going to a motel. There’s a second guesthouse out back and it has been made up for you. There’s no way you’re leaving me, Em.”
I wanted to cry. I’d lost nearly everything in my life a few years before, and sometimes the hole inside me felt too vast. Two things kept me tethered at all times—Elvis was one, of course—and the other was Kaya, who was my person. I should’ve known she wouldn’t want me to go off into the night by myself.
I held those tears back by sheer force of will. “But his family,” I choked out.
“We have plenty of room here,” Alejandro said. “Kaya has missed you very much. It is best for you to stay here. I cannot promise that it will be quiet—it won’t be—but I can assure you that it will be fun. We’re a good time.”
Looking back to Kaya, I found her nodding her head. “Just say yes, Em. Otherwise, I’m going to pull out the big guns. You’re just back from an overseas journey—I don’t think you’re looking to take the guilt trip I’ll lay out for you if you don’t do what I say.”
I snorted out a laugh and shook my head. That right there was why Kaya would always be my best friend. When I’d gotten famous, everyone I’d known had changed their behavior toward me, but not her. She didn’t give a damn what show I was on or how much money I made—if she had something to say, she’d damn well say it.
“If you’re sure—”
She didn’t even let me finish the sentence. Stepping out of Alejandro’s embrace, she grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the limo. “We’re sure,” she said. “Now let's get this luggage and get you out to the guesthouse. Fair warning, Elvis is back there playing, and he’s going to lose his mind when he sees you. I didn’t have time to warn him so he’ll be totally surprised.”
After explaining to Casper that I wouldn’t need the limo to Shutters, he handed my luggage off to Alejandro, who just laughed when Kaya and I offered to carry some. I had to force him to let me take my small carryon. Apparently, Spanish alphas were insistent on being gentlemanly, something I thought was adorable.
At that moment, there was nothing I wanted more than to run through the house directly to my handsome boy. When people heard I kept a peacock as a pet, they often thought I was nuts. I wasn’t—in my opinion, there was no better animal companion than Elvis. Having grown up on a bird farm, I had an affinity for all birds, particularly peacocks—but he’d worked his way into my heart in such a way that I couldn’t imagine life without him. Nevertheless, knowing my boy as I did, I needed to get the wig off my head before I went into the yard. If I didn’t, he’d get loud, stomp around, yell, and then peck at me until I tore it off. I’d learned this the hard way after two failed back-to-back Halloweens where he’d flipped out because I didn’t look like myself.
“I’ll need to use the bathroom first,” I said to Kaya as we walked toward the house.
She giggled and nodded. “Of course, of course. I forgot. The wig. Elvis would have a fit.”
She knew how he was since she’d been on the receiving end of him not being too happy with one of her Halloween choices, either. Elvis liked his girls to look like his girls. Anything else was unacceptable.
One of the guards ran ahead and opened the front door for us. Stepping inside with Kaya, I took in a sharp breath. I’d been in my fair share of mansions since arriving in Hollywood, but none of them had anything on the grace and style of the Cruz house. Everywhere I looked, there was something even more beautiful to see.
“I know, right?” Kaya whispered into my ear. “I about died the first time he brought me in here. It’s just so…”
“Perfect,” we said at the same time before we burst out laughing like idiots.
Once inside, Alejandro gestured to my left. “The bathroom is right there. Take your time.”
Kaya had hit the boyfriend jackpot with him, I could tell. He was a gentleman through and through, and the way he treated women was fabulous. This was not something I could say about her first (and last, until Alejandro) boyfriend. To be fair, I couldn’t say it about any of mine, either.
Rolling my small carryon alongside me, I entered the bathroom and turned on the lights. With it being a guest bathroom, I’d have expected it to be on the smaller side, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, it was fairly large with a huge metal vessel sink on the left-hand side of a wall-to-wall Carrara marble countertop. Said counter—and the floor to ceiling open storage next to it—held a full array of guest amenities. After making use of the crazy elaborate toilet, I quickly stripped out of the outfit I’d been wearing for thirty plus hours. Opening my carryon, I pulled out a pair of black yoga pants and a soft lilac tee shirt before I slipped back into the pair of tan flats I’d worn all day. I then stuffed the dirty clothing inside my case and set to fix the damage on my head. With my hairbrush in hand, I looked at myself in the mirror and grimaced. Setting the brush on the counter, I made quick work of getting the wig off before tossing it into my carryon.
Once it was off, I brushed my hair out and then tossed it up into a messy bun. Next, I grabbed a washcloth from the counter and chose a bottle of face wash from the side storage. I felt like a new woman as all of that horrible makeup was removed from my face. When I was as good as I was going to get, I dropped the washcloth into the laundry bin next to the door and threw my hairbrush into my carry-on before I zipped it up, gripped the handle and stepped out into the hall.
“So. Much. Better,” Kaya laughed. “Now I feel like I have my best friend back.”
Looping her arm through mine, she walked with me as we followed along behind Alejandro. We only made it into the living room before we stopped so he could introduce me to his father. Meeting Antonio Cruz, I immediately saw where Alejandro’s good looks came from. Not for nothing, his father looked like a slightly older but significantly more handsome version of Antonio Banderas.
“I just want you to know how very much I appreciate what you and your family are doing for me,” I said as he shook my hand. “I promise I won’t make a nuisance of myself.”
Mr. Cruz laughed and waved away my concerns. “We enjoy having a full house, and frankly, my wife is delighted that both you and Kaya are staying with us. Normally my wife and our daughter-in-law Ava are the lone women around the house. They tell me it gets annoying having the six of us—plus the six men on the security team—outnumbering them.”
I chuckled and looked around, surprised not to see anyone else.
“Normally the house would be bustling with noise, but most of my children have succumbed to jetlag and are already in bed,” he explained. “I believe Rafael is outside, but you’ll get to meet everyone else tomorrow.”
I wondered if the kind and welcoming way both Alejandro and his father were was due to their culture. Assuming that was the case, I reminded myself that I needed to get my butt to Spain.
After talking to Mr. Cruz for a few more minutes, he left us to head to bed himself. Once he was gone, Alejandro gestured for Kaya and I to go with him before he opened a portion of the wall of glass in the living room and we all stepped out into the night.
We got four steps out the door before my baby’s happy shriek cut through the quiet in the yard. Turning toward the sound, I saw Elvis racing toward me as fast as his little legs would carry him.
“Baby boy,” I squeaked as I crouched down and smiled.
He was all over me, tapping at my shoulders, my hair, my legs, and my hands in between happy caws, reminding me why Elvis was always my very favorite part of coming home. I giggled as he rubbed at the side of my face with his tiny head, doing whatever he had to do to get closer to me. I ran my hand over the feathers on his back as I praised him.
“I missed you so much, handsome boy,” I cooed. “Were you a good boy for Auntie Kaya?”
He squawked and danced back and forth, the joy in his tiny face so perfect it made my heart want to burst. The look he gave me said I was an angel, Mom! I caused absolutely no trouble at all.
I wasn’t fooled. He’d been great, but there was an issue we needed to talk about. “What was up with all the escaping?” I asked. “If I didn’t know better I’d swear you did it on purpose to get Auntie Kaya a big, strapping Spanish boyfriend.”
They both laughed as Elvis fanned his plumage out proudly before retracting it again, almost as if he agreed with what I’d said. Hmm, I thought, maybe he really was trying to be a matchmaker. That thought lasted for about two seconds before I realized exhaustion was making me loopy. Obviously my peacock wasn’t creating love connections.
“I’m fairly certain he comes over all the time because he wants to hang out with Rafael,” Alejandro chimed in.
At the mention of the name Rafael, Elvis went a little nuts, poking at me and cawing like a maniac, like he was trying to tell me all the things about his new BFF. I wouldn’t have believed he could get that excited about anyone that wasn’t Kaya or me, but I knew my bird, and I was one hundred percent sure that he was excited because of Rafael, someone I hadn’t even met yet.
“I heard my name,” a sensual voice called out.
Jesus, that voice. My skin broke out in goosebumps just hearing four little words. Like Alejandro, the man had a Spanish accent. Unlike Alejandro, Rafael’s voice hit me like liquid sex.
Looking up, I watched as he stepped into my line of vision as Elvis turned and ran to his side excitedly, cawing something at him that I assumed translated to Look! She’s here! This is my mom! I wanted to move, to say something—anything—but the minute I looked up and saw the drop dead sexy man standing in front of me, all words were lost.
I licked my lips nervously as I stared up into his deep blue eyes for countless seconds. He looked as surprised by me as I was by him, which was as baffling as it was exhilarating. All the while, Elvis alternated between pecking at me and pecking at him.
“Holy… wow… you’re Rafael,” I said, stupidly. At that moment, no one would ever have believed that I’d made a heck of a lot of money as an actress.
He seemed dazed as he stared at me for countless seconds. “And you’re Emery,” he said slowly. Shaking his head as though to clear it, he held his hand out to me.
I shivered at the warmth of his skin when I slid my hand into his palm, my pulse racing as he helped me to my feet. Once I was upright, I still had to look up to meet his eyes since I was just over five-foot-seven and he was about six-foot-two. That meant he was tall enough that I’d be able to wear heels when we went out. Realizing that I was thinking about spending time with him, I felt myself blushing. I’m not sure how long we stood there, my hand still in his before Alejandro cleared his throat from behind me.
“Hey Rafe, how about you help with this luggage?” he said.
The reminder that we weren’t alone broke me out of the fog I was in. Yanking my hand from Rafael's, I turned to face Kaya, who was assessing me with a look of absolute shock. I shook my head in the hopes of clearing it before Rafael stepped in front of me and grabbed the biggest suitcase, the muscles in his arm bulging as he lifted it up. I got lost for a second thinking about just how gorgeous he was, but then Kaya jabbed me in the arm with her finger.
“Let’s get you to the guesthouse,” she said.
Yes. Surely, a good night’s sleep would work everything out.
I bent down again and tickled Elvis’s crown. “Mommy will be staying right here, baby. You don’t need to go over into our yard, okay?”
He cawed again and—I swear—grinned up at me like he was delighted that we were staying on the Cruz property. When I stood up my gaze immediately went back to Rafael Cruz, who was looking at me in a way that I felt in every single part of my body.
“All right Emery, let’s get you settled,” Alejandro called out as he began walking.
Looking away from Rafael I nodded my agreement and followed along as the four of us walked to the guesthouse, my peacock trailing along behind us.