Page 20 of Hollywood Fairytale

Leaning down Luke kissed my forehead and tried to smile in reassurance, but it was barely more than a tip of his lips and didn’t meet his eyes.

It wasn’t hard to find Mason something to do. The house was a mess of boxes with almost everything still packed, and it wouldn’t be long until he’d want to play with his toys. I set him up in what would be his play room to put away all his toys with the promise that tonight he could pick whatever movie he wanted for us to watch. Not that I normally denied him, but he was excited so that was all that mattered. That and getting back to Luke as quickly as possible as I tried to come up with some reason as to why he was so angry when he got home.

Luke’s gaze followed me as I walked back into the kitchen and over to him, biting my bottom lip. The moment I was within reaching distance, he wrapped my hand in his and held it to his chest, his heart thumped wildly.

“Is Mason good? He didn’t say anything did he?” he asked with a tick of his jaw.

“Not a thing. Why? What happened?”

He barked out a dark laugh. “I bought an SUV and afterwards I thought you might be unhappy.”

He bought a car?

“But? I can tell that’s not what’s upsetting you.”

“I took Mason to get some ice cream at a place that was near the dealership. He saw a toy store in the shopping center and wanted to look through the window. I saw no harm in letting him look since it’s warmer today.” He paused looking down at me with a mixture of anger and sadness.

“That’s fine, Luke. It’s a nice day today and I’m glad he got to enjoy it a little. Is that it?” Surely it wasn’t, but I was hopeful.

He hung his head his eyes on his shoes. “On our way back, I received a call from my publicists. I pulled over in a parking lot to take the call. You know after the incident in Mexico, I informed her that if anything came up with Ashlyn about either of us I wanted to know.”

“What shit is she spouting this time?” I growled out. If I ever was in the same vicinity as this bitch and knew it, I was going to kick her ass. I was over her lying about Luke.

Luke’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously and squeezed my hand in his. “She took a picture of Mason and I and posted it on Instagram. I haven’t looked at it yet, but Sarah is contacting her people to get it taken down immediately.”

I stood frozen as I blinked at Luke. That crazy bitch was in Fairlane and posted a picture of Mason on the Internet! Pulling away, it was my turn to look outside. I may have been standing at the window, but I saw nothing but red. My mind and body were in a state of shock, rage, and sadness all at the same time. I wanted to run out and murder that crazy bitch. We knew that she was crazy, but now she’d taken her game too far. How were we going to stop her?

From behind me Luke spoke in a rush. “I know Mason didn’t sign on for this and neither did you. I’ll do everything within my power to keep Mason out of the press, and to keep you both safe.”

Was it possible that she knew where we lived? Would she be waiting for us when we left? I was already grateful to be behind the gates of our new neighborhood and the security system that had been upgraded yesterday morning.

“Please don't leave me,” Luke heartbreakingly whispered from behind me.

When I turned back to look at him, my heart cracked at the heart break in his eyes. They were pleading with me to stay. What he didn't know was that I'd never let him go.

My eyes closed as tears burned the backs of my eyes, I needed to be strong in this moment for Luke. Yes, I was undeniably pissed about what Ashlyn had done, but I knew that Luke had no part of it. I knew that at some point there would be a chance Mason would be around paparazzi and get his picture taken, but had also hoped that we could appeal to their sensibilities and they’d leave him out of pictures. It was easy to see the draw - people wanted to know what celebrity’s children looked like, but they were still innocent children that should have their privacy protected.

Taking a deep cleansing breath, I let it out and opened my eyes to find Luke’s worried gazed locked on me. Moving toward the island, I patted a stool with a small smile. “Come sit.”

Luke eyed the stool warily but did as I’d asked. I jumped up onto the island next to him and looked down at his face. The sadness and fear in his eyes made me sick. Luke was the kindest, sweetest man I knew he deserved to always be happy, and one photo from Ashlyn had rocked his world.

“There is nothing in this stratosphere that could ever make me leave you,” I pledged with our eyes locked. I wanted him to not only hear it, but to see it in my eyes. I wanted Luke to have no doubt in his mind.

His big hands gripped my hips and dragged me until I was seated in front of him. Wrapping his arms around my waist, Luke leaned down to rest his head on my stomach holding me tightly.

For a moment, I was taken aback by his actions realizing how truly scared he’d been. Running my fingers through his hair, I spoke to my sweet man. “Thank you for taking care of the picture. I knew it might someday be a possibility, but I never thought it would happen while we’re here in Fairlane. Do I want Mason’s picture out there for the world to see? No, I don’t, but it’s something I can live with if I need to. I can’t accept that crazy bitch being the one to spread his face around. She had no right! What’s her game?” Luke shook his head against me and kissed me through my shirt. “Does she want the public to hate you? Me? Does she think that I’ll believe her pictures and dump you? I don’t know how she’s not in a mental institution. How are we going to get her to leave us alone?” I cried out, resting my head against the top of his.

Shaking his head, Luke looked up at me bleakly, “I don’t have any answers for you except that she’s crazy. Sarah’s looking into what we can do, but she’s not hopeful. Ashlyn hasn’t done anything physical toward either of us or made a threat.”

“If I ever see her anywhere near any of us, I promise you here and now that I’m going to kick her ass. She’s gone too far. Mason’s an innocent little boy.”

Pulling me tightly against him, Luke murmured. “I know, baby. I’m so sorry this happened. I thought we were safe here.” Dejectedly he shook his head. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Because you shouldn’t have to. I thought we were safe too. Luke,” I said tipping his chin up to me. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“You didn’t ask for this.”

“I asked for you.” His lopsided grin shined up at me after only a few words. “I knew what I was getting into when I decided to be with you. You’re sweet to your fans when they come up to you, but you don’t seek them out or the attention of Hollywood. Your privacy is very important to you, and you do what you do because you love the work. I believe it’s what you were meant to do.”

---