Chapter 21
"Hi, Hunter," Ashleigh said when she picked up his call. They'd missed their dinner together, as she wanted to sit vigil by her dad's bedside. He wished she'd have let him come to her, but with her mom there, it would have just made a hard situation that much more difficult.
"How are you?" he asked.
"Exhausted," she said.
"You sound like it." He stared at the ocean, wishing she were there with him. "Why don't you let me pick you up and take care of you?"
"Sounds tempting."
"I have a fire in the firepit and a bottle of wine chilling. I can be there in ten minutes."
She hesitated. "Sounds good. We need to talk."
That sounded ominous. "All right."
"I'll meet you downstairs?"
"On my way."
Ten minutes later, he was pulling up to the hospital. Ashleigh was standing outside the front doors, looking tired and pale. Considering how early she'd risen that morning, he didn't blame her. Tonight he just wanted to pamper her and make her feel safe and loved, because that was what she was. Loved. Very much.
He stopped the truck. She opened the door and got in. He leaned over and kissed her. "Hi."
She smiled then leaned her head back on the seat. "Thanks for picking me up."
"My pleasure." He drove her back to his place, neither one of them saying a word.
When he got to his house, he led her out by the pool and got her settled on the sofa in front of the firepit then handed her a glass of wine.
She took a sip and smiled at him. "Thank you. This was just what I needed."
"How's your dad?" he asked, sitting next to her.
"Better. We had a scare earlier, but he's a fighter."
"That's a fact."
She stared into the fire for a long moment. "I…I just don't know what I would do if he died before I got the chance to tell him how sorry I am for being gone so long."
He put his arm around her shoulders, pulled her next to him, and kissed the top of her head. "He knows."
She swiped a tear off her cheek.
"So, how did the audition go? Have you heard anything?"
"I did."
"And?"
"I got the part."
"Congratulations." He gave her a squeeze. "I knew you could do it.
She laughed, and he enjoyed hearing it. Its tinkling sound filled him with an unexpected warmth.
"So when do you leave?" he asked.
She hesitated. "I'm not sure."
"You want it, don't you?"
"It's a fabulous role. The writing is top notch and it's got some heavy hitters investing in it."
"So it would be a good career move?"
"Very good. Not to mention it's in Paris."
"So why the hesitation?"
He could see the sadness and regret weighing heavy in her eyes.
"I don't want to leave my father."
"Understandable."
"And I don't want to leave you."
Surprise at her words hitched a breath in his chest. "Don't turn down a terrific job for me," he said, knowing that would be a recipe for disaster and regret. "Don't get me wrong. I want you to stay. I want more than anything to explore what we have growing between us." What he wanted more than anything was to take that diamond ring burning a hole in his pocket out and present it to her, tell her how much he loved her. Tell her he never wanted to live without her. Not ever again.
But he didn't want to push.
"I don't want you to regret three months down the road that you didn't take your dream job because of me."
"I know. I get that," she whispered. "How do you feel about Paris?"
"I love Paris. And I would love to come visit…"
"But you couldn't come with me?"
"No. I couldn't. But I'd wait for you, for as long as it takes."
He kissed her then. Kissed her long and hard, feeling the taste of her tears on his lips. "I love you," he whispered. "I've always loved you."
"I love you too," she said. He held her like that for a long time, neither one talking much, each content to just be together.
He only hoped this fleeting second, the feelings they brought out in each other, wouldn't disappear the moment she boarded that plane.
***
"Hello, beautiful."
Ashleigh woke to Hunter walking into the room carrying a tray holding a glass of orange juice, an almond croissant on a plate, a bowl of strawberries, and a long-stemmed rose in a vase.
"What's this?" she asked, a huge smile on her face as she sat up in bed. "You know, a girl could get used to this sort of thing."
"And you should," he said with a grin. He sat on the bed next to her and handed her the tray.
Ashleigh didn't know how it had happened, or how it could even have happened, but she was happy. She loved Hunter, loved him with all her heart. She'd never stopped, she knew that now. All those years, the anger, the pain—it was only a way of hiding herself from the truth of how she really felt. She hadn't wanted to face it, but now that she had, she'd never been happier. And he looked happy, too. She just knew he'd never lie to her again.
"And the Paris role? What did you decide?" he asked.
"I'm not going to take it."
Surprised filled his eyes. "Are you sure?"
"I am. There will be other roles, other opportunities. But I might not ever get another chance with my father. And I don't want to leave you, not after we've found our way back to one another again."
He swept her into his arms and hugged her tight. She held on to him and breathed deeply the smell of his cologne.
"You can't imagine how happy you've made me."
"Oh, yes, I can." Because she felt it too. "But right now I have to get into the shower and get to the hospital. Can you be ready in twenty?"
He grinned. "Can you?"
"Absolutely." She jumped out of bed and ran to the shower. She was bursting with joy. She stood under the hot spray and imagined their life together. What would it be like? Where would they live? So many questions, but no time for answers. But the biggest question of all was still to be answered. She patted her belly as the water sluiced over her and hoped once she picked up the results from the hospital that morning, Hunter would be happy with whatever they were.
He still didn't know there was a chance he could be a father. There may be nothing to tell, but if there was, she'd tell him immediately. She didn't want any secrets between them.
Twenty minutes later, they were walking through the front doors of the hospital. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the thought of picking up her test results. "We have to make a stop before we go to my dad's room."
He looked at her, his eyebrows raised.
"There is something I need to pick up." Before she could tell him what, a nurse standing by the elevator squealed and pointed their way.
"There he is," the nurse said, and covered her mouth with her hands, bouncing up onto her toes.
"Hi, Hunter," her friend said as they approached.
"Hi," he answered, looking slightly confused.
"I guess you don't remember me. No worries. We're going to be bidding on you at the auction tonight."
"We all are," her friend added.
"Glad to hear it," he said with a sheepish smile.
They walked into the elevator, but before the doors closed, Ashleigh heard the nurse ask her friend, "Is he really the billionaire in blue jeans?"
Ashleigh turned to Hunter. "I've heard that term before." Where had she heard that?
"Heard what?" he asked. "What floor?"
She pulled out her phone and quickly typed the phrase into her search bar. "It was Violet. I heard Violet mention something about a billionaire in blue jeans."
"Ashleigh," Hunter said quietly.
Several articles instantly appeared on her phone, along with a picture of Hunter. And her.
She stared wide-eyed and confused at the article's caption. Has the sexy actress landed a billionaire?
"What is this?" she asked, looking up at him. She held up the phone with the image. "You're a billionaire?"
He sucked in a quick breath. The elevator doors opened on the lobby again. Luckily, the nurse and her friend were gone. He hit the button for the fourth floor and they closed again.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.
"I…"
"And that house we've been staying at?" Her heart hammered her chest. This wasn't happening. "It isn't a job site, is it?"
He hesitated.
"Hunter?" Had he been lying to her this whole time?
"No. It's mine." His eyes implored her to understand.
"I thought you'd changed," she said quietly, the weight of the situation bearing down on her. "But I should have known when you didn't even tell me why you took my mother's money, and now this? You're the same old Hunter, keeping too many secrets, and lying whenever it suits you. You've made me feel like a first-class fool."
The doors opened and she stepped onto the fourth-floor hallway.
"Please, let me explain," he said, following after her as she stepped out.
She whirled on him. "There's nothing to explain."
"I have money now. Why is that a problem?"
"Because you didn't tell me. You led me to believe you were the same poor guy you always were."
"I'm not. I haven't been for a long time."
"So why not tell me?" she demanded. "Why the big secret?"
He shrugged. "It's not something I like to bring up with people. I've learned the hard way it's better to keep that part of my life hidden. Money complicates things."
She smirked. "Don't I know it. Just tell me, did you get it all from my mother?"
The accusation, the venom in her voice, struck him. "What?"
"Is she the reason you went from poor boy to rich man?"
He hesitated. "Of course not."
"How much was it, then? How much did my mother give you to lie to me and break my heart?"
"One hundred thousand. And I paid it all back, every cent."
"How big of you." She felt so dumb. Such a fool. She'd been ready to give up everything for him all over again.
He grabbed her arm as she started to walk away. "If you must know, it was your father who made me the man I am today. He believed in me, and gave me the chance I needed. He gave me the job and the opportunity to prove myself."
"Well, isn't that special," she said dryly. "Too bad you didn't believe in me, or us, enough to find a way to make it work."
At least he had the decency to look guilty. "Please, Ashleigh. Give us a chance."
Hot tears swam in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't do this. Not now. Not ever again."
His chest tightened. "Do what?"
"Pretend you will always tell me the truth. Pretend you won't break my heart all over again. Pretend that the last fourteen years never happened. My life is in Los Angeles. There is no future for us. I'm taking the part and moving to Paris for the rest of the year."
"Ashleigh, we belong together. You need to give us a chance."
She turned back toward the elevators, stabbing at the down button. The doors opened. She stepped in then turned back to him as he started to follow. "No. Let me go. Alone."
"Ashleigh."
"I'm glad this happened, if for no other reason than I'm no longer carrying around a load of hurt and anger. That is gone now, along with any feelings I thought I might have had for you." Venom and pain lay thick in her words.
She stood still as the doors closed between them.