RIA

 

We pull up outside of my parents’ lush Hollywood Hills mansion. Half the furniture is out in the yard ready to be packed away into the containers that adorn the vast lawns of the garden. I tense up as we step out of the car and Nate looks around taking in the chaos surrounding us.

“Wow! So they’re actually packing up everything?” he asks.

“Yeah. The bank foreclosed and is ceasing their assets. I told them I’d give them the money for this place and their stuff, but they’d rather have the money for their other properties. This one they didn’t care about so much,” I say making him raise his eyebrow in what can only be described as shock.

“How many properties do they have?” he asks.

“Twenty-seven,” I reply.

He opens his eyes wide and simply nods as he rounds the car and grabs my hand threading his fingers tightly into mine. It sets my racing heart slightly at ease but not completely.

“How are you doing?” he asks looking at me lovingly through soft eyes.

Sighing, I swallow hard. “Not really sure I can answer that. I feel like I wanna puke, and I’m not sure if that’s nerves or just from being… ya know…”

He smiles his handsome smile that always manages to melt my heart and it puts me even more at ease as he pulls me to his side wrapping his arm around my waist for added support. “We got this. I’m by your side the entire time, babe, I’m not going anywhere.”

Resting my temple to his quickly, I take a deep breath and straighten up as we step up the stairs to the front door. It’s already open, as movers are coming and going, so we walk right through. I know Nate’s looking around taking in my famous movie producer stepfather’s home, or what was his home, but we don’t have time to check it out now.

“Nate focus,” I whisper and he chuckles.

“I’m with you, Dove.”

I smile as we continue to walk through the kitchen out the back to the patio, where Patrick and Mom are lounging by the pool, while everyone packs up things around them. I roll my eyes while Nate smirks.

“Mom, Patrick, we thought we’d drop in unannounced to say hello,” I call out, and they both look up through their shades and sunhats to see us.

“Oh… Ria, darling! You look…” She stands up pulling her shades down from her face and frowns. “Well, frankly my dear, you look terrible. Have you been drinking? You’re pale and your stomach is all bloated. Gosh Ria, too many carbs, girl. You need to lay off the eat whatever you want diet you’re on. You’re a celebrity. Please remember that! You need glitz and glamor, and right now darling you look like trailer trash.”

I scoff. “Nice Mom…”

Nate’s arm tightens around me supportively.

Patrick stands up waving his hand through the air. “Ariella, my sweet darling wife, leave your daughter alone. She looks beautiful as always, don’t you my Arabian Princess?” Patrick utters his life-long term of endearment for me as he walks over. I smile at him as he reaches me and kisses both my cheeks.

“Thank you, Patrick.” I can’t help but look down to the scar running down the length of his chest and my heart squeezes in response. This man, this loving, affectionate man has done nothing but support my family since we met him. Sure, he may have pushed me into a career I didn’t really want to go into, but if I hadn’t I would have never met Nate. I wouldn’t be where I am right now because of this man. I owe him a lot. Mom, on the other hand, she pushes and pushes, and right now she’s making me a little crazy.

“So, I see you have a rocker friend with you on your arm. Why don’t you listen to me like I told you to? Wait, Ria… are you doing drugs with him? Is this why you look so terrible?” Mom asks.

Nate stiffens beside me and I squeeze his hand a little tighter.

“Mom no. I’m not doing drugs. I’m eating just fine. I’m looking after myself, I promise. I’ve just been a little sick over the past few months.”

“Few months, Ria, and you haven’t told me. My God, Ria, it’s like I don’t even know you. Why is he here anyway? This… this… rock thing? He has no purpose here in my house!”

As I glance to Nate, I notice he’s doing a really good job of keeping his cool. “Mom look… I love you, but I don’t like you very much right now.”

“What does that even mean? Ria? You don’t like me? What utter rubbish, Ria. You talk so foolishly. All you do is talk, talk, talk and you never—”

“Mom, shut up!” I yell, and everyone straightens up including Mom who looks at me raising her eyebrow with her mouth agape and miraculously right now she says nothing more.

I take a deep breath and bring my hand holding Nate’s up to show her. “Nate and I… we’re a couple. We’re in love, and we’re going to be together for what I’m forseeing as the rest of our lives.”

Patrick smiles as Mom scoffs rolling her eyes. She goes to speak but I raise my free hand halting her. “That’s not all. Nate’s moving into my home. We will be redecorating it and making it more of a home than a house because if there is one thing I’ve realized about my life it’s that it’s so fucking bland. Everything I do and have done is because you’ve told me it’s the right thing. Do it this way, do it that way, because you said so. Well, you know what? I wanna live my life my way.” I take a large breath and continue, “So, your company going bust means less acting roles for me… and you know what? That’s fine. So now I’m going to do something for me. I want to be a teacher. Teaching special needs children—”

“Ria what?—”

“I’m not done! I want to help children who can’t read, who can’t write, I want to help. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do, and with my fame I can bring awareness to special needs children now. This is my new goal, my new aim, and I’m going to do it because I have a man by my side who’s going to help and support our baby and me through every stage of our new lives.”

“Wait! What? Did you say… baby? Oh Lord, Ria, please tell me you did not say that word?” Mom says and my hand instinctively moves to my stomach and Nate’s moves in embracing my hand on my tummy.

“Yes Mom, I’m pregnant.”

“No, no, Ria no. I won’t allow it! You having a baby to this… this sex slaved, drug lord! I forbid it. You go to the hospital right now and have it taken care of. This fantasy you have of him taking care of you is ridiculous, ludicrous, preposterous, nonsensical, stupid—”

“Mom… just stop!” I glare at her and shake my head, but Nate steps forward quickly.

“I’m sorry to have to step in here, and I know you have preconceived notions of who I am and what I stand for, but I swear to you I’m neither a drug lord nor a sex slave, in any way whatever that means.” He breaks free from me and walks up to Mom who stands tall in defiance. “Look, I know you don’t like rockers because of Kade, and his history with Ria. I get it, I do. I hate the motherfucker too for what he did to her. But to be honest, I’m glad they broke up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have the most, amazing, special gift that I have, which is your daughter and our baby growing inside of her. Ria and our child means everything… everything to me. I won’t waste this opportunity. They’re my life. I’m going to spend every second of every day making them happy. I’m going to give them everything they need, every time, without fail. They will want for nothing.” His lips pull up in a smile.

“Trust me, I love your daughter, more than life itself. Our baby will grow up with two parents loving each other, and who will love our child more than anything possible. We can do this and we’d love your blessing, but either way we’re doing this, with or without you. There will be no termination, there will be no breakup, and Ria and I will live happily ever after with you in our lives or without you… the choice is totally yours.”

I pull my lips in with my teeth wanting to break out into a fit of applause at Nate’s speech but knowing that would be highly inappropriate. I just smile at him instead. I love that he stood up for me at just the right moment. He’s a pillar of strength, and I love him for it.

“Ria, I don’t support this. I can’t. You’re a superstar. You need to be bringing in the money and working as an actress. How we taught you. What we schooled you in to be where you are. This is your life, not some dream you want to now somehow create.”

I slump my body and sigh. “That life, the Zaria life, that’s the life you and Patrick wanted, not me. I was a puppet hanging from your strings. I didn’t know I was along for the ride until the strings were cut. I’ve fallen from your grace, Mom. I’m sorry, I can’t be Zaria anymore.”

“But we need the money!” she yells and I look to Patrick who frowns and looks down at the ground in shame.

“And there it is. You don’t care about me, Mom, you care about your lifestyle. You only care about your worth and how you feel… Well, how about this. Keep in contact with Marcus, my manager, he will allot you an allowance every month, but as for keeping in contact with me and your grandchild you can count that out. I’m done, Mom,” I say and grab Nate’s hand as he looks at me with a hard faced look. I nod to him and he winces, but I tighten my hand and pull him with me toward the door.

“Ria!”

“Goodbye Mom,” I call out as we head for the living room.

“Zaria Shafir… you can not do this to me,” she calls back.

My entire body riddles with goosebumps, not because I feel like I’m doing the wrong thing, but because for the first time since coming to America, I feel like I’m finally free. Free to do what I want, what I’ve always wanted to do.

“Zaria!” her voice fades into the distance as we make it out the front door and down to the car.

We quickly hop inside. Nate starts it up, puts it into gear but he hesitates pulling off.

“Babe, before I speed off and never come back, I just want to make sure that you’re in this one hundred percent?”

I turn to him and smile so wide I feel like my cheeks are going to burst. “Nate, I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life! Take me to our home.”

 

***

 

On the way home from Mom and Patrick’s, Nate thought my ideas about helping special needs kids was something that could be expanded on with a little help from someone we both know. So we’re making a stop, but he wouldn’t tell me where. We pull into a quaint little suburban house, although it does have a tall fence around it with a guard and I wonder who he’s taking me to see.

“Am I going to know these people?” I ask and he smiles.

“Yep, quite well, just hear me out when we get inside, okay?” he asks and instantly I tense up a little. My day’s already been pretty fucking full on and I don’t need any more drama.

We slide out of the car and head to the gate, the guard nods to Nate and lets us through. We get to the door, it’s almost dusk now and the sun is setting in its hues of pinks and turquoise over the Hills. I love LA and the beauty it brings. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

Nate gently raps on the door and not long later the door creaks open and to my surprise Danger is standing there, shirtless as always, wearing a pair of shorts like he’s been working out. His eyebrow raises and he smiles.

“Holy hell! Didn’t think I’d see you two back together, but fuck is it good to see,” he chimes and then looks down to my stomach raising his eyebrow again, but saying nothing, even though I can see his mind ticking over.

“So, we’ve sorted our stuff out. It’s taken us all day, but we need to talk to Lunar. Is she’s home?” Nate asks and I tense up slightly wondering what the fuck he has on his mind.

“Sure, come on in. Totally stoked about this by the way. Glad to have you back, Zaria,” Danger says with a shit-eating grin.

“So glad to be back, you have no idea,” I say as he waves his hand through the air and gestures for us to walk inside.

As I make my way in, it’s nothing like I’d imagined. I’m not sure what I was expecting—bachelor pad, rock and roll memorabilia everywhere, at least for it to be messy. But no, this is a home, like a family would live here. I’m a little shocked to be honest, as I make my way into the kitchen slash living area.

Danger chuckles looking at me. “Not what you expected, huh?”

I shake my head and smile. “To be honest, no, not from you.”

He smiles. “I know, but this was Ryan’s home first and we wanted to keep the charm of it. Plus, we kinda like that it has a homey feel to it. Especially now we’ll be getting married soon, having kids and all that jazz, we need to be respectable in some manner of the word,” he says and I giggle as Nate rolls his eyes.

“We might beat you to the kids part,” I say.

Nate looks to me with a sideways glance like he’s shocked I’ve said anything. Danger and I had a good friendship when we were on the road, and I can tell he’s dying to know why I suddenly have a pot-belly. So, I figured I may as well put him out of his misery.

He smirks looking to Nate and bumps into his shoulder. “Anything you wanna admit to there, Nate?” Danger asks and he looks to me raising his eyebrow as if asking my permission. I nod and he exhales taking my hand in his as we lean against the kitchen benchtop.

“Ria’s pregnant—”

“Bullshit!” Lunar’s voice echoes from the top of the stairs. Thunderous steps boom as she races down the steps wearing only a towel. Her hair’s still wet and hanging around her face in a frantic tangled mess of wild wetness.

“Looking dashing there, Lunar,” Nate teases, and she throws up her middle finger at him then wipes the dripping hair from her face.

“Is it true? Are you having Nate’s baby?” she asks stepping up in front of me, the droplets of fresh water still visible on the tip of her nose as she stares me down.

“Yes, we’re having a baby,” I say staring at her with full confidence.

She squints her eyes, her nose crinkles and suddenly her hands fly up in the air as she screams out loud. Her towel detaches from around her breasts and falls to the floor leaving her dripping wet and utterly naked in front of me. I gasp, but she lunges forward hugging me tightly. The warmth of her naked body surrounds me as the coldness of the water seeps through my clothing. She grips me so tight swaying me from side to side laughing maniacally.

“Oh my God, this is the best news ever,” she yells in my ear as the two guys laugh hysterically.

My arms dart out to my sides not knowing where to put my hands on her naked body.

“Umm… Lunar, you’re wet… um, and naked,” I say as she continues to laugh and hug me tightly not caring that Nate and I are seeing her in all her gorgeous glory.

“I don’t fucking care, I’m so happy for you guys. This news is so exciting.” She pulls back and steps away from me jumping around in a circle. Her boobs move up and down as she jumps while squealing in excitement, and I try to hold in my laugh as I glance to Nate who’s watching me with nothing but adoration in his eyes. It makes me melt that his eyes are firmly on me and not the naked beauty in the room.

Fuck! I love him.

“Lunar, you’re fucking gorgeous and I love you, but put some damn clothes on. They wanna talk to you about something other than the baby I’m sure,” Danger says.

She stops jumping and looks to him with a pout. “Aww… why don’t we all just take our clothes off, it’s far more comfortable that way?” she teases.

Danger rolls his eyes and moves over to slap her ass.

She pops up onto her toes and growls at him picking up her towel and sighing. “Fine, but I’m not putting underwear on.”

I giggle and shake my head as Nate pulls me to his side wiping a drop of water from my cheek. “That went well,” he murmurs.

“Not what I was expecting, at all. Actually, not sure what I was expecting from her. She kinda gives me whiplash.”

Nate nods. “Yeah, she has that effect on most people.”

Danger walks to the fridge and pulls out some soda and looks to us. “Drinks?”

We both nod and walk to the dining table to take a seat.

“So glad you guys are back together and all. It’s about fucking time. But I’m pretty sure you didn’t come here just to tell us about that and the baby? You could have done that with all of us together?” Danger asks.

Nate nods and places his hands on the table as Lunar comes bounding back down the stairs. She isn’t wearing much, just a pair of barely-there shorts and a bikini top. But she can pull it off. She’d look hot in a tea towel.

“So Lunar, this is really about you,” Nate says, and her ears prick up as she waltzes past Danger slapping his ass and then comes in and sits at the table.

“So you came to see me. Let’s chat. What can I do you for?” she asks.

I look to Nate wondering the same question, why are we here? It’s not like Lunar and I have the best history, other than a minute ago, we’ve hardly had any kind of positive experience.

“Ria has decided to minimize her acting career due to the lack of contact she’ll be having with her stepfather and mother from now on…” He pauses, and his eyes droop a little as he blinks. “That’s another story. Anyway, basically, Ria’s educating herself to teach disadvantaged children, and special needs children. She wants to get more into that, and I think that you two… Lunar with your foundation and Ria with your star pulling power… well, you could both make an excellent team. If you put all your shit aside and focus on the children. Focus on working together, after all, you both want the same outcome.”

My chest tightens, and I look to Nate my eyes glistening with such an intense love for him I can’t even fathom.

“So basically, I’m thinking maybe Ria could be one of the patrons of the foundation. With her experience… once she has a teaching role in place, she could use the foundation to her advantage. And the advantage for the foundation would be that she would have great pulling power and be a drawcard. What do you think?” Lunar suggests.

Nate nods and my stomach flips with giddy butterflies.

“Oh my God, Nate,” I murmur and I glance to Lunar who’s smiling so widely it’s like the smile might fall right off the sides of her face.

“This is brilliant!” Lunar says shaking her head. “But what about your acting? Won’t that get in the way of your charity work?”

I shake my head. “I’m not really going to be acting anymore. I want to spend all my time with the kids. Well, when I’m not with my child, of course.”

“What do you say, Lunar?” Nate asks.

“I honestly thought you were all about yourself and what you could gain from being a superstar. I really had no idea you wanted to help children like this. I gotta say this side of you is really shocking me, let alone that you’re back with Nate and having a baby. I’m just, a little speechless…” Lunar’s eyes sparkle. “Maybe I’ve misjudged you all along. Is this… this really you? The real Ria that Nate talks about?”

Reaching out I grab her hand across the table. “Lunar, this is me. Zaria was a product of what my parents made me to be. I was never really her, I hated her, she was so… urgh. I’m so sorry for how I treated you all. That diva, she’s never coming back. I swear, I will only be Ria from now on. Zaria the diva, she’s gone forever. I want to help you. I want to help the kids. I wanna teach them, help them learn, help them grow. I wanna be a part of your foundation if you’ll have me?”

She looks to Danger and he smiles at her with a nod. “Then you’re in. But you gotta work hard, and you gotta attend everything we tell you to. You’ll need to be the drawcard to help promote the foundation… a name like yours, Zaria, to have you associated with us, this will be big for us.”

“I’m yours, Lunar, just let me work with the kids and you can use my star power however you want… however you need. The only thing I will stipulate is our baby is not going to be dragged into the fame.”

Nate looks at me and nods. “I agree with that.”

Danger and Lunar both nod and smile. “Done. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to see you this way, Zaria,” Lunar says.

“It’s okay. I’m sorry it took me this long to show you my real side. Oh, and by the way, my friends call me Ria. You can both stop calling me Zaria.”

Both Danger and Lunar smile.

“Well, no offense, but it’s been a hell of a long day for us. I’ve got my woman back, plus a baby. I need to take her home and show her how much I love her,” Nate says, and instantly my thighs clench together as my heart rate spikes.

Lunar and Danger laugh as they nod in understanding. “No problems, Ria, we’ll sort out all the details later. You guys go, enjoy your time together, we’ll discuss again soon. Glad you’re back, Ria, real glad,” Danger says standing up and taking me into an embrace. After everything we've been through it’s so nice to have him back in my life as well.

“Thank you. And thank you, Lunar, I won’t let you down… Boss.”

She chuckles and nods. “I like that! But seriously, I think we can look at this as more of a partnership. What do you say?”

I nod and smile leaning in and taking her in for a less wet and far more clothed hug. We turn and head back toward the door, and I take a look back into Danger and Lunar’s home. It’s so nice, it feels like home, and that’s exactly what I want mine to feel like. Not the vast open white blah that it currently is. I’m going to let Nate revamp our home to make it more us. As soon as possible.

“Bye guys, thanks again,” I say and we head out the door toward the car.

After we slide in, Nate starts up the car and I sink into the seat feeling lighter than I have in months.

“Nate.”

“Yeah, baby?”

“You’re amazing,” I say reaching out and grabbing his hand on the gear stick. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“You’ll never have to find out, ever.”

“Good. Now take me to our home, please.”

He smiles pulling out through the gates down the drive. “Our home… mmm… I like the sound of that.”

The drive home is short and the whole time our fingers are laced and caressing each other’s. We pull up to the gate and my security is on the ball letting us drive right on through. Nate pulls his car up at the door. He grabs my hand helping me out and just before we get to the door he stops me pulling me back to him. I look in his eyes and raise my brow wondering why he’s stopped me.

“You okay?” I ask, and he takes a deep breath and suddenly leans down swooping me off my feet. I squeal as I wrap my arms around his neck tightly, hanging on for dear life through a laugh, as he smiles wide and his deep blue eyes bear down into mine.

“Ria, I don’t want you to think I’m asking this because of the situation because I’m not. I’m asking purely because I love you. And for as long as I can remember I only saw this outcome for us anyway. So why wait, right?” he asks confusing me.

“What are you—”

“Let me finish. You, me, and nugget, we’re a team and a team can’t be complete if they aren’t whole. We’re a puzzle, but one piece is missing, it’s the piece that links you to me.”

My heart skips a beat and I pull my lips in tight in anticipation of what he’s about to say.

“I know I’m doing this wrong. I’m not on one knee, I’m holding you, and I don’t have a ring. I don’t have an orchestra playing and petals lining the streets. But baby… just know I love you. My love for you is like a symphony all of its own. My heart rejoices everytime I hear your name. My lungs can breathe again every time I see your face. You make me feel more than I’ve ever known, and yes it might be a short amount of time, but fuck! What’s life if it’s not worth living? Right? You, me, nugget, we’re a puzzle and the piece that’s missing is you being my wife.”

Nate takes a breath and smiles. “Ria Shafir, will you marry me?”

Tears fill and stream over my eyelids as my fingers run through the back of his hair. My head slowly bobs up and down as I sniff trying to keep it together. “For someone who can’t read, you’re amazing with words,” I murmur and he chuckles nuzzling his nose against mine.

“You’re killing me here, babe. I need to hear the word.” He swallows hard.

My eyes open wide and I gasp. “Oh gosh, sorry… yes. Of course. A million times… yes.”

His mouth is on mine quickly and I press my lips back to his, kissing him so passionately my knees feel weak even though he’s holding me up, supporting me like I know he’s going to continue to do for the rest of our lives.