Five days after I walked out on Dax, I auditioned for the role of Maria Adamson. Even though we talked over the phone, our conversations were brief and stilted. I used the excuse of being too busy to see him. I’m in no mood for another fight. Since I have no idea where we are headed, I’m not very involved in the wedding plans. We need to sort things out first before we can proceed in the direction of our future, even if we have to postpone the wedding.

Yesterday, two weeks after the initial audition, I got a call from the casting director informing me that I was invited to a callback. When I spoke to Dax this morning, I was on my way back to the studio and I mentioned it to him. His silence and the fact that he didn’t congratulate me told me everything I needed to know.

I’m surprised when I get a call from him as I’m stepping out of the meeting.

“How did it go?” he asks, his voice revealing nothing about the mood he’s in.

“Really well.” I open the door to my car and get inside. I hesitate before telling him the news, then decide that he just has to deal with it. “I got the role.” I pause to allow him to digest the information. “They’re excited about the movie. So am I.” I wait for another heartbeat, expecting him to crush my excitement.

“That’s good.” He pauses. “That’s very good. How about we meet for lunch at La Perlo. I don’t have much going on right now and I’d like to take you out to celebrate.”

I lean my head back on the headrest and close my eyes. “Why would you do that? You made it clear you’re not on board with this.”

I hear him sigh. “I love you. So, if this is really what you want to do, I’m on board.”

I frown. I’ve never met a more confusing man. “Why the sudden change of mind?”

“I did a lot of thinking. You were right. It wasn’t fair of me to ask you to walk away from something that makes you happy. So, I’m in.”

“You mean that?” A weight slides from my shoulders and I start to relax. These past few days, I’d been doubting our relationship a lot, terrified that my career would break us.

“I do. Meet me for lunch and I’ll show you.”

“Sorry, baby, I’d love to, but I have a lunch meeting with Curtis.”

“Curtis.” Dax’s voice is flat. “I see. Where will you be going for lunch?”

“At Fantasia.” I run a hand through my hair, removing knots. “We could have dinner together, if you like.”

“Dinner is fine.” I can hear a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Could it be that his dislike for Curtis was the reason why he wanted to kill my career? Could he be jealous of all the time I spend with Curtis? It all makes sense now. But he can’t expect me to just ditch my agent at the height of my career. He’s not only a friend, he was there for me from the start, and he knows me better than anyone.

“I have to go, baby,” I say. “I’ll call you later to tell you when I can make dinner.”

“Great.” He tries to inject excitement into his voice, but his tone is unable to cover his disappointment. “Emma, I love you . . . all of you.” He pauses. “And I’m proud of you.”

“I love you too.” I turn the key in the ignition and the car vibrates to life.

I’m still blown away by Dax’s change of heart when I arrive at Fantasia to meet with Curtis. Now that I don’t have to tiptoe around Dax, my stomach is less clenched and I’m excited about the future.

When I enter the restaurant, Curtis gets up from the table and comes to give me a hug. For a moment I sink into his arms. He feels so comfortable, so easy. I can’t help but feel safe around him.

He presses a kiss on my cheek and I pull away, feeling suddenly uneasy.

“I’m so excited about the movie.”

“So am I . . . for you. You made the right call.”

“I know. They were all excited to give me the role.”

“They clearly thought you were the best person for the job. And I couldn’t agree more.” 

He ushers me to our table and we order our drinks and a large pepperoni pizza. Going out with Curtis always reminds me of home. He never flaunts his wealth around and prefers to dine at normal restaurants, drinking beer instead of expensive champagne or wine.

With him, I can relax and actually enjoy my food.

The pizza arrives and we’re about to start eating when we hear a scream near the entrance of the restaurant. We both look up in surprise to see a pregnant woman jump to her feet so fast the chair hits the floor. Then she grabs a napkin and weaves her way through the other tables so fast, she knocks several drinks over. Her destination is a man in an expensive suit who had just walked into the restaurant. She shoves the napkin and a pen into his hands, begging for an autograph. The man rejects her and strides toward our table, eyes hard.

My face falls. “Dax?”

Curtis drops his pizza back on his plate. “What’s he doing here?”

“Curtis, please be nice,” I say under my breath. Then I feel guilty for not being happy to see my fiancé.

“I promise to be nice for your sake.” Curtis picks up his pizza again and bites into it.

“Hi, baby.” I rise from my chair when Dax reaches us. “What are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t wait to congratulate you.” He gives Curtis a curt nod, then kisses me on the lips. When we break apart, Curtis is sitting back in his chair, arms crossed, eyebrow raised.

“Curtis,” Dax says, glancing at him without a smile. “Do you mind leaving us alone?”

“Actually, I do mind, Dax. I’m in a meeting with my client and I just started eating. ” He takes another bite.

“Take the pizza with you.” Dax speaks in a cool tone that demands instant obedience. “I’d like to spend some time with my fiancée.”

“Dax, this is a business lunch.” I break away from him and sit. “You can’t just ask Curtis to leave.”

“We have urgent wedding business to talk about. I’m sure Curtis understands. Don’t you, Curtis?”

“No, I don’t. But I’ll leave only because I have another meeting.” Curtis places his hands on the table and pushes himself to his feet. “We can meet another time, Emma. No problem.” Before I can ask him to stay, he kisses me on the cheek and grabs his bag.

After Curtis leaves, we notice that we are the center of attention and everyone is following our conversation. To get away from people who could sell our private conversations to the press, we leave as well.

Inside Dax’s Aston Martin Vanquish—he insisted on us driving together—I turn on him. “Why did you do that?” My rage-fueled breath burns in my throat. “Do you have a problem with Curtis?”

“Kind of.” He reaches for my hand but I pull away. “I just don’t trust that guy around you. He seems slimy to me.”

“You’re wrong. He’s a great guy and a damn good agent.”

He tilts his head. “Why him? There are so many other agents who would die to work with you, better agents. Now that you won an Opal, you could have your pick.”

“I pick Curtis. He did so much for me in my career. I won’t drop him. You don’t have to like him, but learn to respect him.” I realize it’s the same request I made to Curtis concerning Dax.

“Fine, I promise to try.” He loosens his tie. “Let’s not talk about Curtis anymore. I wanted to see you because I have a surprise for you.”

“What kind of surprise?” I thought he had come to congratulate me, which he still hasn’t. Clearly he still has a problem with me acting.

“I’ll show it to you soon enough.”

Instead of taking me to lunch, he takes me to Lily Pond, a five-star spa, insisting we need to spend some relaxing time together. I don’t realize just how exhausted I am until I lay myself down on the massage table for a full body massage, and sink into the hot tub afterward. We spend the entire afternoon at the spa.

When we leave, Dax takes me out to dinner at the LaClaire. Even though we’ve spent the entire day together, I’m finding it hard to say much to him, still annoyed about his behavior toward Curtis. And all through the expensive meal, I can’t stop thinking about the delicious pizza I left behind at Fantasia.

I’m still silent when we get back into the car and Dax gives the driver an unfamiliar address.

“Where are we?” I ask when the car finally drives through a pair of iron gates and enters the spacious driveway of a luxurious mansion with windows that are at least three or four stories tall.

“Your home, baby.” He squeezes my hand. “It’s my early wedding gift to you.”

I peer through the window at the huge mansion, with balconies wrapping around it, and manicured lawns.

“You bought this?” It looks expensive. It’s the kind of place I’d daydreamed about in Mistport. But in my daydreams it didn’t look as intimidating.

“Do you like it?” he whispers into my ear.

“I . . . It’s huge. You do know that we’re only two people, right?”

He lays a hand on my stomach. “Not for long. I plan on having many babies with you.”

“It’s beautiful,” I whisper as he kisses me. I used to fantasize about starting a family with him, but now the idea of carrying his babies in my womb is making my stomach clench up.

For a moment, I forget what happened at the restaurant, I forget the tension, the accusations, the anger. My body, as usual, is obedient to his touch. My tongue cannot help but dance with his.

I’m breathless when the kiss comes to an end and Dax places his hands on both sides of my face.

“There’s one more surprise.” He kisses my nose. “We’re moving in right now.”

I move my head back to get a better look at his face. “Already? Why the rush?”

“Why wait? Everything is ready for us. It’s fully furnished.”

“But it’s too soon. With all the packing and everything. I’m really busy at the moment, as you know already.”

“You don’t have to do a thing. It’s all taken care of.” He’s relaxed against the seat, a satisfied expression on his face.

“You have taken care of what exactly?” I curl my hands into fists while holding my breath.

He pulls out his phone and studies it for a moment as if I didn’t just ask him an important question.

“Dax,” I say between clenched teeth. “Answer me. What did you take care of?”

He pushes his phone back into his pocket and brings his gaze back to me. “Your apartment, of course. I’ve given it back to the landlord.”

Blood drains from my face. “You can’t do that.”

“I did. Since I had a key, I let the movers in and had everything taken care of immediately. I didn’t want you to stress. You just have to give your own key back to the landlord. He’s already showing it to potential tenants tomorrow.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “This is ridiculous. You can’t just make decisions behind my back.” The anger that has been building up inside me becomes a blazing fury. “What about my things? You brought them all here without talking to me first?” Now I know why he kept me busy all day. He wanted me to stay away from my apartment.

“Some of it. Not all. I want us to have a fresh start. I bought you new stuff, better stuff.” He places a hand on my cheek but I push it away. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy. You love surprises.”

“I’m not happy, Dax.” I was looking forward to spending the last few weeks in my apartment before moving in with him after the wedding. “That was my apartment. You had no right.”

“Sweetheart, this is a good thing. You should be excited. It’s a new beginning for you, for us. Don’t you love the house?”

“I do, but that’s beside the point, Dax.” My voice rises with each word. “We are in a relationship. We’re partners. You can’t make all the decisions for us.”

“Are you saying you’re unhappy?” His tone is hard now. “Are you throwing my love for you back in my face?”

“I’m just saying—”

“Don’t. Try being grateful instead. The decision is made and that’s all there is to it.” He grips my arm tight as he talks. “We’re staying here tonight.”

His words leave a chill down my spine and something inside me tells me that there’s another side to Dax Pierce, and I better not bring it out.