Chapter 31

 

 

The next morning Mom showed up seconds after O’Neil got out of the shower. He went to the door, popped his head out, and handed her twenty bucks. “Can you get me an Americano? Black? I’d appreciate it. Get yourself something, but I need to get dressed first.”

Mom smiled. “Sure thing, Shannon. I’ll be back quickly.”

He dipped his head and shut the door, hurrying to change. Right on schedule, Ryan called.

Shannon yanked on his jeans and hit talk, putting the phone between his ear and shoulder. “Hey, good morning.”

Ryan sighed. “Slept like shit without you. I don’t like you away from me.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know how to remedy that right now. By the way, my mother swung by already. I had to send her to get us coffee so I could have a moment to talk to you.”

“You’re going to tell her, right?”

“Mom, yes. My sister, no.”

“Fair enough.”

“How long before you leave?”

“A few minutes. I may not be able to talk to you until tonight, either.”

“That’s okay. I’ll do my best to answer when you call. I’m not sure what my day looks like, but so far, we’re seeing the lawyer. Don’t know how my sister pulled that off so fast, but I’ll be happy to have the will over with.”

“Text when you get a chance,” Ryan said.

“I will. But I need to get dressed before my mother gets back.”

Ryan chuckled. “I can just see you out of the shower, in a towel.”

“I pulled jeans on first.”

“Unbuttoned?” His voice was lower.

“Mmhmm. I need to go, Ryan. I’m sorry.”

“Shit, I know. Later.”

“Later.” He hung up and pulled on a T-shirt. And just in time for the knock on his door. He opened the door and smiled. “Hey, just got off the phone with him.”

“Didn’t want me to listen in?” Mom teased as she stepped inside and handed him the coffee. Then she shut the door.

His brow arched. “I was in a towel when you showed up. I figured clothes would be good.”

“True.”

“Want me to order breakfast?” Shannon asked.

She nodded. “As long as you tell me all about this man who has you so fascinated.”

He took a seat on the chair, picked up the phone, and ordered two of the breakfast specials.

She took a seat on the bed. “Well?”

“You can’t tell anyone,” Shannon warned, half-pleaded.

“I swear I will never tell a soul.”

“Ryan King.”

“Oh my God. Wow. He must be totally different than I’ve ever imagined.”

Shannon dropped his head and folded his hands on his lap. “He’s not what you’d expect. But he’s amazing. Down to earth. Has great friends.”

“What about Raven Star?”

“That’s so people leave them alone. They’re close friends, nothing more. I’ve spent enough time with them to know that.”

“Wow, and why are you here and not there?”

“He’s about to be filming. I can’t exactly follow him around out there if he’s going to keep his secret.”

“Why wouldn’t he come out?”

“He would. But honestly, I don’t want what we share to fuck with the roles he’s known for. Besides, if the secret works for us, why not keep it?”

“Thought you said next time you found love, you didn’t want to hide it.”

“Things change. I mean, honestly. He doesn’t like being in the spotlight. He’s managed to keep other relationships secret. It’s not hurting us to do this. And we’ll revisit the conversation after this movie. Besides, it’s new, and the first time he’s going to be away from me for months. What if he decides long distance doesn’t work? Why put that pressure on us?”

“But he would.” She held up one hand. “Shouldn’t that be his decision?”

“After this movie, we’ll decide. It’s the first in a franchise. Why fuck with that potential?”

Smiling, she leaned forward, holding his gaze. “You’re always looking to do the right thing for those you care about. And he’s telling you he wants the world to know.”

“I didn’t tell him no. I told him to wait. We’d just woken up and he blurted it out. He hasn’t taken a second to think about the ramifications or consequences.”

Mom sat back. “Okay, I can understand that. Especially if you’re happy with him.”

“I am. We can lie in bed talking about life, the world, everything. He gets me in a way no one else does.”

“He sounds amazing.”

“And, Mom, you kept your relationship with Lenny a secret for years.”

She let out a breath. “Because I knew it would break Shelley’s heart when I demanded a divorce. And she still doesn’t understand why I left your father for another man.”

“Does she love Joel?”

Mom nodded. “And it scares her to death because Christopher hated him.”

 

* * * *

 

Luke turned in the seat to face Ryan. They’d been in the air for an hour. “You’re going to be miserable the whole trip, aren’t you?”

He sighed. “What do you expect? He’s going through shit I wish I could be there for, and I’m not.”

“You’ll pull through. We did.”

He nodded.

Leona turned and whispered, “You could hire him as a bodyguard.” She winked.

Ryan couldn’t help snorting. “I have never needed one in the past. Why would I start now?”

“To keep him close.”

Raven nodded. “Yeah, might be worth it. You’d have him around.”

“I don’t want him to feel used.”

“Doesn’t hurt to discuss it,” Luke said.

“He has a business. I can’t expect him to drop everything.”

Leona rolled her eyes and sat forward.

Luke shook his head. “Doesn’t have to be the whole time. But you could ask about here and there.”

Raven nudged his shoulder. “I’ll hang out with you. Ignore him. You two will figure out what you want.”

“Hope so.”

Alexa came back down the aisle and tipped her head. “What’s going on with you, Ryan? Never seen you look so lost when you weren’t acting a part.”

He sighed and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” Last thing he wanted to do was mention Shannon and have to explain. Coming out would have made it all easier.

But maybe that seemed like too much of a commitment. Yeah, maybe that was it. They had only met a month ago. And now Ryan was thinking about the future.

Luke shook his head. “You’re going to be a bummer the whole shoot.”

“No, it will be fine. We’ll talk after landing.” As long as Shannon wasn’t too busy. Shit, that would suck. And he couldn’t blame Shannon. He had shit to deal with.

Three little words gave him hope. I love you. They exchanged the words all week. Ryan needed to squash the stupid fear that it would all implode.

He wanted to send a text, but they were in the air. He leaned back and put his earbuds in, hoping to drown out thought and sleep for a bit.