CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The next day, Callie stuck her head into the kitchen where Riley was preparing lunch. Sam had headed off to the set before the sun was even up but he’d left his assistant behind. The two women planned to see some sights today if possible. After more tea, crackers, and a pregnancy nausea lollipop, Riley was feeling pretty good and anxious to get out of the condo and breathe some fresh air.
Callie wasn’t what Riley had expected. Somehow she’d pictured a young person, probably female and probably beautiful. While Callie wasn’t old she looked to be in her late forties or early fifties perhaps, although her dark brown hair didn’t have a single gray in it. Attractive and energetic, she was tall, whip-thin, and dressed casually in blue jeans and a Ramones t-shirt.
“You have a visitor,” Callie said, motioning towards the living room. “It’s Sam’s attorney. I told him you’d be out in a minute.”
Sam’s attorney. Was Riley being thrown out already with nothing but a check and a warning to say nothing? Sam had said he wanted them to have a future, but Chad had said that, too. Placing the pan of soup on a cold burner she wiped her hands and joined Callie and the lawyer in the other room.
“Riley, this is Alexander West. Alex, this is Riley Bridges.” Callie stepped back and gave Riley an encouraging smile. “I’ll be in Sam’s office if anyone needs me.”
They shook hands and Riley took a seat in the chair next to the couch where Alex West sat. He was dressed in a dark charcoal gray suit and light blue silk tie, and appeared to be about Sam’s age. Despite her apprehension, he had a kind expression on his face. If he was here to say Sam wanted her gone then he was clearly enjoying the task.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Bridges.” He began unpacking documents from his attaché. “May I call you Riley?”
“Sure, that’s fine.” From this angle she couldn’t read the papers that were beginning to stack up in front of her. A pit had begun to form in the bottom of her stomach. This obviously wasn’t a social call. “Sam didn’t mention that you would be by.”
“I wasn’t sure I would be able to make it today but I had a cancellation in my schedule. Here we are. I think this is everything he and I discussed.” He dipped into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pen. “You just need to sign everywhere there’s an x.”
Hold your horses, buddy.
“Um…I don’t get to read them first?”
His brows flew up but his smile grew wider. “You may absolutely read through them but I’m happy to explain what each document is. I can assure you it’s nothing nefarious or even that secretive. Sam asked me to put some papers together to ensure that you and the baby would be protected and taken care of in case anything happened to him.”
With a jolt, Riley realized that she wasn’t being swept under a carpet or sent back to Florida. She hadn’t scared off Sam by being violently ill on the flight. She was staying, at least for now.
But what had Sam done here? And just what was she signing?
Riley was a fish out of water and gasping for breath. Nothing was the same and she had a feeling that they never would be again. Time to get used to her new reality.
* * *
“You should have warned her, Sam.”
Callie’s tone was slightly scolding despite the fact that he was the one that signed her paycheck. Or at least his accountant did.
“By the time I read Alex’s text it was too late. We were shooting the fight scene today.”
Consequently, he felt like an old punching bag that needed to be thrown to the curb. The other actor was a total jerk and was supposed to pull his punches. It was all make believe, after all. Yet, somehow Sam was going to be black and fucking blue for the next week. Even the director had lost his patience with Sam’s co-star, finally bringing in a stunt man to finish the scene, and sending the sniveling little shit to his trailer so he could bang one of the interns.
“She was shocked and almost didn’t sign the papers. I think it would have been easier for her if you’d talked about your reasons for doing it.” There was a quiet pause before Callie continued. “She doesn’t want people to think she’s here for the money or the fame.”
Anybody that thought that didn’t know Riley Bridges at all. She was the most honest, straightforward woman he’d met in years, and she didn’t give a shit if he had a million dollars. To her, it was about how he was inside as a person. If he’d been a dick, there was no amount of money in the world that would have made her spend time with him.
“I’ll talk to her tonight. I promise. But she did sign?”
After a long talk with his attorney, Sam wanted to make sure that she and the baby were taken care of no matter what happened to him. Fate was a fickle entity and he’d seen younger and healthier men unexpectedly kick the bucket after a freak accident. At least now, he could sleep easier knowing that his child and Riley would be okay without him.
“She did,” Callie confirmed. “I told her that she would be doing a lot of shopping for the nursery and things like that. Plus, I reminded her that just because she had a credit card didn’t mean she had to use it. That seemed to calm her down. I thought you should know because I think you’re going to have a fight on your hands to get her to spend any money.”
He’d expected that, but he hadn’t thought it would be so soon. Once they were married she wouldn’t have any more room to object, but until then he would have to assure her that it was perfectly normal for a father to spend money on his baby. And his woman.
“Thanks, Callie. As usual you handled everything better than I could. Will you let her know I’m going to try and be home in time for dinner? I think the director is going to call it for the day here in about an hour. If she wants to go out, we can do that.”
“I think she’ll want to stay in. She and I walked all over midtown today seeing the sights. She’s taking a nap now. I can order something and have it delivered, if you like.”
Sam wished he was curled up with Riley, her warm little body pressed against his. It had been sheer heaven last night to sleep beside her. It had also been hell not being able to make love to her. He didn’t want to press his luck. Better to woo and court her than to assume she was immediately ready to resume their sexual relationship.
Or that even if she wanted to that she could. She’d been so sick yesterday that the last thing she needed was some guy pawing at her, even if that guy was him. He was trying to impress her, convince her that she should take a chance and marry him. The last thing he needed to do was clue her in as to how much of a horn dog he really was. She’d take the first plane back to Florida.
“That sounds great. Whatever Riley wants. You know that I’m not picky.” He could hear a rapping on his trailer door. Back to work. “They’re calling me back to the set. Thanks for taking care of her. I appreciate it.”
“No problem, Sam,” his assistant assured him. “We’re becoming good friends. I haven’t had this much fun since your mother and I took that cruise a few years ago.”
Sam still had a few gray hairs from that. He’d sent Callie to be the voice of reason on the trip. The joke had been on him.
“Just don’t end up in jail and needing bail money. TMZ will be all over that.”
“Sam Collins, I wouldn’t take your pregnant girlfriend anywhere that we might be arrested. Mostly we just walked around and did some shopping. You’re a suspicious man.”
For good reason.
“Just take care of her. I’m trying to convince her to marry me. Throw in a good word now and then, will you? I could use some help here.”
Callie chuckled. “You don’t need any help there, hot shot. She’s head over heels for you. She just doesn’t want to admit it. And honestly, I’ve never seen you look happier. It’s much better than that brooding Hamlet you were doing before she came here.”
He was happy, and he wanted them to be a family. He could only hope that Callie was right.
Because now that Sam had Riley here with him, he wasn’t sure he could let her go.