Zara

It was funny how time could mess with you. Sometimes dragging on at a snail’s pace, and other times going by so quickly you couldn’t catch your breath. Today marked two months since Lance had left Lanai. I labeled month one as “Darkness,” and month two as “Shadows.”

Through my darkness, I wasn’t proud to admit that I’d had many moments of utter despair. Some days waking up to just want to go back to bed. Others getting out of bed yet wondering why I had bothered at all. The bridge between my darkness and light turned out to be Kai’s suggestion to start my own business. Having that to focus on opened a door in my darkness where bright light began casting shadows over the things I couldn’t change.

Having my newfound goal was a blessing in so many ways. It gave me something to focus on, and helped to make the time pass just a tiny bit faster. My website became a godsend during a time in my life that could have easily been even darker than the first month. I’d sold six pictures so far, with special requests for a dozen more. My customers simply chose the photo they wanted, and once purchased it was removed from my website. After payment was received, I emailed the high-definition file, which they could then use to order the print size of their choice through the link of a suggested photo-developing site that I supplied. The site advertised me, and in turn I sent them business. It had been working out perfectly.

Soon I would add custom shoots available to be purchased, ranging from births to engagements to weddings to even cover photos for romance authors. It was all according to my schedule and my terms.

My life was falling into place just the way I wanted it to…most of it, at least.

With no improvement in my fractured relationship with my father, and with Lance being so busy in California, if I hadn’t had my photos to concentrate on I wasn’t sure I’d have survived the weeks at all. And now, looking back, I wondered where the time had gone. But putting those weeks behind me as I entered yet another phase of my life had been therapeutic.

I looked at the days ahead and decided this phase would be called “Light.”

Metaphorically, there was light everywhere I looked regarding my future. In the amount of photos I’d sold to date and those I’d yet to sell, in the insatiable need to improve myself with every day that passed, and mostly in the new Zara who had slowly emerged from a very difficult time, all glowed brightly and optimistically.

Up until then, my life had been tranquil and uneventful. During the past few months I’d experienced almost every conceivable emotion, from complete and utter joy to fear to anger to finally getting to know the real Zara and loving her in the process.

With the new me came a natural nervousness as I stepped into the next chapter. It was expected to worry about what would be, but at least I had come to peace with what was, what no longer was, and what I had no control over. Looking back and dwelling was a waste of time. I refused to live in regret. I believed that each and every thing that happened to me happened for a reason, and brought me to where I was today.

It’d been days since I had spoken to Lance, causing my heart to pound anxiously as I took a deep breath to push that little round button.

A few very long, torturous moments went by before he answered.

“Oh my God, Zara!”

He looked even more handsome as he stood in his doorway in complete and utter shock. The gray T-shirt he wore stretched over his broad chest, and the perfectly faded worn jeans hugged every sinew of his legs. His bare feet, his tousled hair that looked like he’d been dragging his hands through it, and his mouth-watering scent stirred instant desire deep down to my core.

“Surprise!”

Lunging toward me, he grabbed me around my waist and spun me around as I giggled in his arms. He placed me on my feet just inside his foyer and gripped my face in his large hands to kiss me over and over again.

“How did you get through my gate? Not that I’m complaining.”

“Long story.”

He squeezed me tightly, burying his face in my neck. “I don’t care. I thought I was losing you. I was clearing my schedule to come back. I couldn’t just sit here and let you slip away from me.” Lifting his head, his crystal-blue eyes stared down into mine with so much love it stole my breath away. “I promised myself I would let you make the decision, but with each day that passed I knew I was closer to breaking that promise…because each day that passed I was terrified that I was losing you.”

“No, Lance,” I said with a firm shake of my head. “You were never losing me. I’m sorry I distanced myself, but it was necessary. I needed to get my ducks lined up before I could commit to what I really wanted.”

“What is it you want, Zara?” he asked nervously.

“You.” I linked my hands behind his neck and tilted up to kiss his firm lips. “I don’t care what that entails or what chaos comes with it, I want you. I want to be here with you.”

His pale-blue eyes drilled right through mine. An emotion I couldn’t decipher crossed over his gorgeous face. I looked away, realizing he might not feel the same. Maybe he’d changed his mind, maybe I assumed.

He gripped my chin in between his fingertips and brought my gaze back to his. “I’ve been waiting to hear you say that since the day I left Lanai. But I needed you to make that decision on your own, and knowing you have makes me the happiest man on this fucking earth.”

“Landon, language,” a woman said as she came into the foyer with a large smile on her face.

Lance looked over his shoulder and grinned. “Sorry, Mom.”

“Zara.” She opened her arms invitingly.

“Caroline.” I could see Lance staring in shock as his mother and I embraced, finally meeting face-to-face.

His mouth opened and closed a few times before the word “How?” finally popped out of it.

Caroline laughed at his reaction, shifting us so we stood side by side with her hands holding one of mine. Except for the fact that Lance was very tall, and she was very petite, the resemblance between them was obvious. In the same color eyes, the same shade of dark brown hair, and in the same way they quirked their lips to the side to make it look like they had this amazing secret they wanted to share.

“Remember that little care package I mailed out for you?” He nodded slowly and folded his arms, waiting expectantly for her to continue. “Well, I took it upon myself to include my own note for Zara. She called, and we chatted. The more we spoke the more I fell in love with her, and her accent.” We laughed together, remembering her request for me to repeat words that she said sounded lovely over the phone. “Before I knew it, we were talking every few days…and thus began a beautiful friendship. Zara shared with me what she was struggling with, and I gave her my honest opinion. That about covers it all.” She looked up at me and smiled. “Isn’t that so, sweetheart?”

“Yes, that’s exactly right. You forgot one thing, though.” I waited until I had her son’s attention. With our eyes and hearts tethered, I added, “You forgot the part where I said I was madly in love with your son.”

“Oh, yes. That was the best part.”

“You two have been talking? Wait…you knew she was coming, and kept that from me?”

“That wasn’t my secret to share, Landon. I have to admit keeping quiet last night while you spilled your guts to me over your third cocktail was hard as heck, but I knew you’d only have a few more hours to suffer through.” Turning toward me, she smiled warmly. “And I knew it would be worth the wait and suffering.” She hugged me tightly before releasing me to move closer to Lance. “So, my dear, my work here is done.” Patting his arm lovingly, she leaned up on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek, wordlessly slipping away down a long stretch of hallway toward the back of the house.

The massively huge house that I only now noticed surrounded us.

With my mouth agape, I stared at Lance’s home in awe for the first time. The foyer stretched up into the second floor bookended by two curved staircases. The color scheme was neutral and clean with pops of color in the artwork. The floor was white marble. The wood was warm tones of chestnut and maple. From just the entryway I already loved his home.

“Nice place,” I said with a grin.

“It’s all right, but I always felt it was missing something.”

“Yeah? A rug maybe?” I asked, looking down.

“No, I have rugs.” In two large steps, he closed the distance between us and crushed his body to mine.

“Coat rack?” I teased.

“Nope, not a coat rack.”

“How about a Hawaiian girl who is madly in love with the movie star who owns it?”

“Ding ding ding. We have a winner.”

He followed my gaze to where the front door was still ajar, revealing my bags that sat on his magnificent flagstone porch. “Sorry, I kind of assumed,” I said with a shrug.

“Assuming would mean there was a chance I didn’t want you here.” He tilted his head and noticed the car service sitting to the right on his circular driveway. “Were you actually expecting me to send you away?” His smile faded, and his facial expression turned deadly serious.

“Well, I hoped you wouldn’t. But the real reason I asked the driver to stay put was so he could hold Spike for me.”

Lance’s mouth gaped open in shock. “You brought Spike?”

“Of course I did. He misses his daddy.”

He kissed me long and hard and sprinted out the door and down the steps. When he returned holding a squirming, whimpering dog that couldn’t get his licks out fast enough, he found me with my hands on my hips scowling disapprovingly.

“What?” Lance asked while grinning, as he was practically being licked to death.

“He got a better reception than I did.” The way he beamed at my dog, hugging him to his chest, and chuckling through the onslaught of kisses supported my claim.

“What can I say, I love your dog.” Lance adjusted Spike’s pineapple bow tie and laughed while walking toward me. “But I love you more.”

Spike barked in disapproval, causing us both to laugh.

“I have a surprise for you,” he said, suddenly looking very shy.

“Lance, your mother is right back there.”

Another laugh rumbled from his chest. “No, silly girl. Although, that’s happening later.” He took my hand and led me in the same direction his mother had headed toward. We stepped through a curved archway into a beautifully decorated kitchen and family room combination. I could have fit my entire house in this one room.

“Holy hell,” I said out loud.

It was the type of kitchen you saw on TV, and never with your own eyes. “All this is just for you?”

“Like I said, something was always missing. Come.”

He then led me into the family room and faced us in front of a massive fireplace. Propped up on the mantel was the largest professionally framed and matted photo I’d ever seen…my photo.

I turned in complete shock. “That was the first picture I sold.”

“Yes, to me, through my assistant. As soon as you were up and running, I needed this picture.”

It was the first shot I had taken with my new camera. The sun was setting over the horizon, and besides the ocean and the large orange globe that was just about to dip into it, the darkened silhouette of one single palm tree poked into the frame on the left.

“It reminds me of Hawaii, and the best part of a place where I fell in love.”

“Lance, I don’t know what to say.”

“Say nothing, and just kiss me.” He leaned forward and puckered exaggeratedly. I took the bait, digging my hand into the short hair at the back of his neck, and kissed him like I hadn’t seen him in forever…which wasn’t too far from the truth. It felt like longer than forever since I’d had those gorgeous lips on mine. Spike squirming between us did little to stop our reunion kiss.

One thing I knew for sure, without a shadow of a doubt, as long as we both walked this earth I’d never have to miss those lips again.

I knew Caroline was planning on leaving shortly after I arrived. She’d been with Lance for weeks, only having gone home once since he’d arrived back in California. I tried to talk her into staying a bit longer, but she adamantly refused, saying we needed our time together, and her husband was out of patience over her absence. She did make me promise I’d drag Lance to New Jersey as soon as he had a lull in his schedule. That was a promise I easily made, anxious to want to get to know this incredible woman better, as well as Lance’s dad.

If it hadn’t been for Caroline’s advice, I doubted I’d have been able to finally take the leap of faith needed to be with her son. It was never a question of loving him or wanting him in my life. The delay on my part had had all to do with coming to terms with sharing him with the world. Another huge part that had held me back was the reality that by choosing to be with Lance I faced the possibility that any chance to reconcile with my father could be destroyed.

The truth of the matter was, waiting a week, a month, a year for that to happen wouldn’t change what I wanted in my life. Lance was who I wanted no matter what happened between my father and me. Embarking on my own career, one that I loved and one I could do from any location, was my deciding factor. Once the decision was made, I purchased my ticket, checked the schedule he’d synced to my phone, made the necessary arrangements with Caroline to get in through his security gate, and packed my bags.

I called my sister to let her know I arrived, passing the phone to Lance so he could talk to Kai. Spike ran around the property happily wagging his tail. I knew exactly how he felt to be here with Lance. A dream finally come true, and all the things that had worried me since he left seemed completely inconsequential now that I was here. Of course, I still had yet to experience the paparazzi, fans chasing him, and the chaos that followed wherever he went. But with him by my side, I’d learn to deal with it.

Because of the rain, we spent the afternoon relaxing in Lance’s den. I was dying to see the rest of his house, but he said he’d give me a tour later.

Early in the evening, we had a lovely dinner with Caroline before she caught the red-eye out of LAX back to New Jersey. Throughout the meal, she shared great stories of both Lance and Logan, and painted a lovely picture of what the Prices were like before her son became so famous.

I could see the melancholy in her eyes because those days could never be relived again. However, I also saw the joy that her son brought to her just by smiling or by sharing a story of his own.

The pure elation displayed through the smile on her face when he’d lean in to kiss me or whisper in my ear was a beautiful sight to see. It was clear Caroline thought the sun and moon revolved around Lance, and the way she now looked at me made it obvious that she was thrilled to have me in their lives…and Spike. Much like her son, Caroline adored my dog.

She knew all about the situation with my parents from a conversation we’d had over the phone. When she placed a hand on mine and asked, “Has he come around yet?” Lance lifted a brow in confusion.

“Not yet. It’s very strange. Mom living with Annia, refusing to talk to him, him refusing to talk to her, I never imagined that for my parents.” I glanced up at Lance and almost welled with tears at the look on his face.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he said quietly.

“I know. But it’s not our fault. I finally came to terms with that, much to my sister’s absolute delight. She practically beat my head against the wall to force me to finally admit this is his issue, and not mine or ours.”

“It’s still hard to accept knowing it all came to be because of me.”

“Stop. Please, Lance. I refuse to have you think that way when I worked so hard to move forward.”

“Okay.” He leaned down to place a soft kiss on my lips. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too.”

For a moment we forgot where we were or who with as we said so much through one long heated gaze.

“Okay, you two lovebirds. On that note, let’s get going. I don’t want to miss my flight.”

I blushed, remembering Caroline was sitting there, as Lance looked at her, amused. “Mom, it isn’t leaving for hours.”

“Yeah, well, with security and all that crap I’d rather be there sooner than later.”

Refusing to take no for an answer, she forced the issue by requesting the check.

“Mom, you aren’t paying for dinner.”

“Oh, I know that, silly.” She slid the check closer to him with a sly grin. “I’m just trying to get you two home.” My blush deepened when she looked my way and winked.

In a flash, Lance threw money onto the table, pulled me out of my chair by my hand, and motioned for his mother to head to the exit.

“Lance, slow down,” I said as he dragged me through the restaurant like it was on fire. “No one is paying attention to you.” I leaned in and whispered, “This place is filled with movie stars.”

He looked down, amused. “I know…that’s why we were able to eat in peace.”

“Then why the rush?” I asked, out of breath by the time we reached his car.

“You heard the woman, we need to get home.”