Page 36 of Hollywood Fairytale

“Look! Water!” Mason yelled excitedly from the back seat. All thoughts of Ashlyn, and Luke’s reaction, evaporated as we all turned to see the ocean.

* * *

Standing at the floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto the beach, I listened to the waves as they crashed against the shore. Luke had taken our bags to our room and showed Mason and Leo where they would be staying as well.

“Hey, you want to head outside to enjoy the beach?” Luke murmured as he wrapped his hands around my waist pulling me back against him.

“That sounds nice.” My eyes closed as I leaned back against him. “Thank you for planning this even if it didn’t go according to design, and make sure to thank your friend for letting us crash at their place for a couple of days.”

“I’m upgrading both houses with the best security systems. What happened today willneverhappen again. Fuck, Alex.” He sighed against the back of my neck causing me to twirl around in his arms. His eyes were closed, and his face etched in pain. “If anything would have happened to either one of you, I don’t know what I would have done.” He shook his head and squeezed his eyes together tightly. “Hearing how scared you were on the phone, and poor Mason’s little face when I got there.”

Burrowing my head in his chest, I inhaled Luke’s scent of ocean and sandalwood letting it calm me. “I won’t lie. It was fucking scary, and as soon as they find her I’ll feel a hell of a lot better, but I’m not going to let that crazy bitch ruin our time together. That’s what she’s wanted from the beginning.”

“We won’t let her win and with the LAPD out searching for her it won’t be long before she’s behind bars. How about we all get our swimsuits on and head down to the beach?”

It didn’t take much to convince Mason out onto the beach. He was mesmerized by the ocean and hurried me to put his sunscreen on as fast as I could. The moment we stepped outside the doors of the house, Leo grabbed Mason up and promptly ran into the ocean with him. There was a huge lounger that was the size of a small bed out on the deck, Luke and I stretched out on it as we watched Leo and Mason play in the waves.

Curling up to Luke, I rested my head on his chest. “I hope Leo doesn’t think that he’s here to be a babysitter?”

“No, he’s enjoying hanging out with Mason. Trust me, he would say something, but I also think he’s trying to give us time together. He’s a good little brother.”

“He is. It’s obvious how much he loves and misses you.”

Wrapping his arms around me tighter, Luke spoke into the top of my head. “Yeah, I missed him too. All of them, really. I was hoping me, you, and Mason could all go visit them for Christmas. My parents are dying to meet you, and it would be nice for it to be before the wedding.”

Turning my head to look up at him, I arched a brow. “Wedding? Mr. Sandström, you do remember that you have to ask me to marry you first, don’t you?”

Smiling down at me, he ran his hand up my thigh. “I very much remember, and I promise you it will happen. After today it’s taking everything in me not to ask you, but I want it to be special, not brought on by circumstance.”

“Really?” I knew that my face was glowing, and I couldn’t wait for our special moment. He nodded, leaning down with his own bright smile. His warm lips met mine in a reverent dance.

“Keep it PG up there,” Leo yelled from the water’s edge.

“Later,” he sighed against my mouth. Giving him one last kiss, I pulled away, and looked out to see Leo burying Mason in the sand. We were so lucky that everything worked out for us and Luke had the foresight to set up the panic room. Mason seemed unaffected as he played in the sand and ocean, his entire face lit up by his smile.

My eyes burned with tears as I crawled on top of Luke, hugging and straddling him, wanting to be as close to him as I possibly could.

Holding tight, Luke kissed the side of my head. “Hey, what’s going on here? Are you okay?”

“Today was so scary and Mason somehow seems fine.”

“I think he is. He was scared, but you held yourself together pretty well given the circumstances.”

“I didn’t even know you had a panic room, but if you hadn’t set a new alarm code or had the phone activated, I don’t want to think about what might have happened.”

“When I first bought the house, I had no idea what the room was until I described it to someone on set. I figured it might be good in an earthquake, so I set it up just in case. Whoever lived there before was probably paranoid, but I’m glad they were because I can’t even bear to think of what might have happened if you weren’t in that room. If she’d broken down the door and gotten to you two.”

“What set her off? Why go after you?” The rhythm of his steady heartbeat soothed me as I continued to rest my head on his chest.

“Your guess is as good as mine. I only ever spoke a few words to her when I met her, and it was so long ago it makes no sense.”

I closed my eyes and let Luke rock me back and forth as I listened to the waves crash. My eyes drifted shut. “I love you so much.”

Right before the waves carried me off to sleep, Luke leaned back and held me tighter. “I love you more than you know, beautiful.”

17

Two Months Later

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