CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Billie led the way to the guest room in the main house. Although Sierra could move into the guest cottage at a later time, they wanted her as close as possible while she was recovering. It also made Billie feel more secure to have her sister just down the hall. Frankly she didn’t think Brian could scrape together the gas money to get to Hollywood but just in case, they’d keep Sierra close until they were sure he’d received the message.
Brian needed to stay the hell away.
“This will be your room.” Billie set the grocery bag of clothes and small toiletries on the long dresser. It had been painfully sad to see her sister’s life encompassed in one plastic sack. Billie hadn’t had much more when she’d left Wisconsin but at least she’d left on her own terms. “You’ve got the run of the house including the workout room, the sauna, and the pool in the back. You might want to stay out of Tyler’s office though, not because he doesn’t want anyone in there or anything, but because it’s kind of a mess. If he sees you in there he might put you to work looking for whatever he’s lost.”
Her attempt at humor failed spectacularly. Sierra simply nodded as she stood in the middle of the room, her gaze darting here and there but never stopping for long.
“There’s an ensuite bathroom over here,” Billie continued, desperately trying to get her sister to speak. Say anything, even if it was only to yell and scream. Tyler had pulled Billie aside as they’d loaded into the limo after the plane touched down and asked her to give Sierra some space. Her sister had never been outside of Wisconsin until today so the transition from living in fear all the time to being safe was probably going to be a bumpy one.
Despite his goofy behavior sometimes, he could be wise. Especially in situations that he could see from the outside. Clearly she was too close to all of it to be unbiased. She just wanted her sister back.
Sierra still hadn’t said anything and Billie was tired and cranky from all the traveling. Reining in her patience, she tried one more time.
“I’m going downstairs to the kitchen to fix us some dinner. Is there anything special you want? Curtis, Tyler’s assistant, said we’re fully stocked with food. You can come down and keep me company while I cook.”
“I think–I think I’ll lie down.”
The rejection felt like a slap in the face but Billie had to steel herself for more. Sierra was going through some serious stuff, had been through hell, and this wasn’t about Billie’s feelings. Frankly they weren’t that important right now. What was vital was keeping Sierra safe and getting her set up in a new life. Billie’s hurt feelings were going to have to take a back seat.
“That sounds like a good idea,” she said instead. “Come down in a little while to have some dinner.”
Tyler was already in the kitchen rummaging around through the cabinets. “What do you think we should have for dinner, babe? I was thinking something carb heavy.”
Because Sierra desperately needed to put on some weight. She’d noticed it too.
“How about spaghetti and meat sauce?” Billie suggested. “If Curtis bought everything I put on the list we should have all that we need to make it.”
Rolling his eyes, Tyler retrieved a package of dried spaghetti noodles from the pantry. “Of course he got everything on the list. Can you imagine a world where Curtis forgot something?”
“No,” she said, sputtering with laughter. “He’s turned out to be pretty efficient, hasn’t he? I thought he did a good job in San Diego. Other than that mix-up with our hotel rooms.”
“Really? I kind of liked that mix-up.”
Honestly? So had she.
“I bet you put him up to it.” She placed the frying pan on the stove and dumped in the hamburger.
Tyler waggled his brows suggestively. “I wish I’d thought of it. I really do need to give the kid a raise.”
The meat sizzled in the pan as Tyler sprinkled salt into the boiling water for the spaghetti.
Billie began chopping up some fresh garlic, her mind still upstairs with her sister. “Do you think we should have her checked out by a doctor? I mean, she just got out of the hospital.”
“I think you should let your sister be an adult and make those decisions. Don’t treat her like she’s a child. She needs to feel like she has control of at least a few things in her life. Take the lead from her.”
“I know, I know,” Billie replied, setting the garlic aside and working on the basil. “I just want her to be okay.”
Tyler came up behind her and pulled her back into his front, his arms wrapped around her, more comforting than sexual. “She will be. We’ll make sure of it. But think of it from her standpoint—we just dragged her to a home and state she’s never known. There’s going to be some adjustment there. Be patient. I know you want to help her. I do too. We’re going to have to take things slowly.”
Turning in his arms, she looped her arms around his neck as his lips descended on hers. It had been far too many hours since he’d kissed her like this. This was about so much more than just fucking. This was love and being there for one another.
The sound of a clearing throat had them jumping away from one another. Sierra stood there quietly just sort of watching them and Tyler was actually blushing bright red. It wasn’t something she saw often and it was damn cute on him.
It was kind of embarrassing being caught out by her sister, like two teenagers necking on the couch but Billie was determined to play it off as if it was no big deal. She was an actress, after all.
“Hungry?” she asked brightly. “Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes or so.”
“It smells good,” Sierra replied, sliding onto one of the island stools. “This kitchen is nice.”
That was an understatement. The kitchen was gourmet with nothing but high end finishes. Even the pots and pans were copper and cost a small fortune. Tyler had hired a designer to pick everything out while he was on location shooting a Thunder movie.
“You know, I really need to check some things in my office.” Tyler began backing toward the living room. “You know that stuff we talked about? I better do that now.”
He ducked out, leaving Billie and Sierra alone.
“He didn’t have anything he needed to do, did he?” Sierra asked. “He just wanted us to have time to talk.”
“He did,” Billie confirmed. “But we don’t have to. You’re probably talked out.”
Throwing all the ingredients into a pot for the sauce, Billie turned her attention to the garlic butter for the bread.
“I want to but I don’t know what to say.”
“Say whatever you want.”
Folding her hands on the granite countertop, Sierra was silent for a long moment as if gathering her scattered thoughts.
“First I want to say thank you for coming to get me. I know that you didn’t have to.”
It was probably better not to say too much and simply let Sierra do most of the talking.
“I wanted to but you’re welcome.”
“I also wanted to say I’m sorry about the last time I saw you. I know that I hurt you and didn’t mean to.”
“Yes, you did,” Billie replied quickly. If they were going to talk then they needed to be honest. “You knew what you were doing.”
Sierra sighed, her cheeks red. “Alright, yes. I knew what I was doing. Brian had me so twisted around I actually thought you were trying to tear me away from the one person who loved me. The day you came to tell me you were leaving and wanted me to go with you I was angry with you. So I said those awful things.”
“That you hated me.”
“I never hated you but I was angry and conflicted. Looking back, I think I was so furious because there was a part of me that wanted to go with you but I was scared. At that point, I was scared of everything and you weren’t scared of anything. I’ve always admired that about you.”
Sierra didn’t have a clue. “I was scared all the time. I was terrified when I left thinking that I might be making a huge mistake.”
Glancing around the kitchen appreciatively, her sister smiled. “Looks like you did the right thing. You have a good life with Tyler. He’s not much like the characters he plays in the movies but then I guess he wouldn’t be. He’s an actor, after all. He seems to adore you so hold onto him. Take it from me, a good man isn’t easy to find.”
Sierra was too young to be that cynical and Billie wanted to kick Brian in the balls over and over again. “You’ll find the right man someday.”
Snorting, Sierra shook her head. “I’m done with men. Apparently I have the worst judgment of the male species ever. No, I’ll just be a doting auntie to your kids. I’ll be happy with that.”
Billie blushed at the mention of children. It had been something she was thinking about lately. She’d love to have a little boy that looked just like Tyler.
“You might change your mind.”
“I doubt it.” Her smile fell and her expression turned haunted. “I was so scared all the time and it just became normal for me. That’s how every day was and I didn’t think it could ever be any different. I worried all the time about what might set Brian off. Did I clean the dishes right? What if he didn’t like what I was wearing? There was always something, although in the beginning it wasn’t all that bad. It got much worse after you left. I think he thought that he’d succeeded in separating us so now he had free reign.”
“What set him off that last time?” Billie heard herself asking, although she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the reason. It was only going to make her more furiously angry at Brian.
“Toward the end he didn’t need much of a reason. He’d drank his way through my tiny paycheck and he was mad that we were broke and he couldn’t buy more booze. That’s was all the excuse he needed.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you.”
It was such a lame statement but Sierra didn’t seem to think so. She smiled and reached across the island, patting Billie’s hand. “I’ve been talking to a therapist and trying to figure out how I ended up in that situation. I’ve come to the conclusion that I wanted attention so badly that I took any that I could get. At first Brian treated me really well and he was always telling me how pretty I was. I fell so hard and even when I knew that I’d been fooled I just couldn’t admit it. Not to you or to myself. I was so ashamed.”
“You have nothing to be ashamed of. It’s Brian who should feel that way.”
“Well, he doesn’t,” Sierra shot back with another snort. “He thinks it’s all my fault.”
“Brian is a fucking idiot and karma is going to catch up with him before long. He’s going to fuck with the wrong person someday. Sadly, neither of us will be around to see it.”
“I really am sorry, sis,” Sierra said again. “You have no idea how much.”
Billie shook her head. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for. We start new from today and put the past behind us.”
“I can do that if you can.”
For the first time in years, she heard hope in her sister’s tone and Billie was happy to be a part of it. Maybe they could be a real family along with Tyler. A new beginning for all of them.