Page 4 of Hollywood Fairytale

His brows furrowed. “Why not?”

“Because until recently you didn’t even own a house and now you’re going to buy two?”

“The house in Fairlane is the price of a car. It’s not going to break the bank and it will be worth it. You and Mason will be safer and in a bigger house. A house that I plan to live in with both of you. I want to do this. I want to help.”

Shaking my head, I looked to him. “I don’t like this. I’ve been saving to buy a house since I left Decker. It means something to me.”

“I know it does and I’m not trying to belittle you, or what you want. Let me ask you a question. If we were married would you have a problem with me buying the house for us?”

“No, I guess it wouldn’t. Would you have a problem with me buying the house?”

His eyes widened. “No, why do you say that?”

“Because I was going to buy it. I’ve been saving and you saying you’ll buy it makes me feel like what I’ve been doing is insignificant.”

“That was not my intention at all. Alex, I want to help. I want you to keep your money and keep saving if you want. Those tickets that you bought me to Hawaii weren’t cheap. I… I don’t know how to say this without you taking offense so please know I’m saying it with the best intentions. You work hard. In my opinion too hard sometimes, and I want you to be able to live easier and not worry about saving money to buy a house and feeling like you can’t buy Mason something he wants. I know you deprive yourself. I want you to live easier that’s all. Think if our roles were reversed. You can understand that can’t you?”

I did understand, and I knew that if the shoe were on the other foot, I’d want the same thing he did.

“Yeah, I understand that, and I appreciate it more than you know. I’m not poor. I mean compared to you and everyone out there.” I pointed out to the beach. “I’m poor. I don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars, let alone millions, but I do have some money.”

“Baby,” Luke laughed. “I’m poor compared to everyone out there. Don’t feel bad or like you have to compete. If you do, it will only make you miserable. Just be you and be happy with yourself.”

“Yeah,” I hugged him and kissed the dimple in his chin.

“Now, if we’re done talking about how we’re going to try to live the rest of our lives together, I’d like to get to the makeup sex.”

A laugh escaped, my eyes wide. “I’ve heard it can be quite good.”

“I think we should find out.” Luke husked out as he leaned into me with a lascivious smile on his lips. We descended until he was flush against me, his legs tangled in mine, and our hands intertwined above my head.

3

Luke

“Iseverything okay now between the two of you?” Anna asked as I took my place on the lounger next to hers.

I nodded and let out a deep breath. “Thanks for talking to her.”

“Honey, she would have come to the same conclusion whether I talked to her or not. The only thing I did was maybe speed up the process.”

“Either way, I’m still thankful. I don’t know how much longer I could’ve taken not knowing. For a little while there I thought she might be done with me. Decker fucked her up in so many ways that still affect her.”

“Exes will do that to you and when it’s made public it's even worse.”

Internally I flinched. From what Alex had told me about her ex when he found out about us it wasn’t going to be good. I could easily imagine him going to a tabloid and selling his story with lies he could dream up that would wreck her the most. He’d do anything to hurt her and I’d do anything to protect her.

“I don’t see good things happening when he finds out about us.”

Anna looked at me with sadness. “You’re worried.”

“I am. That’s what I was speaking to Colton about when he offered her the house. Hence the fight. Well…”

Giving a grimace, she turned to look out at the water. “It’s complicated. Let’s leave it at that.”

“Alex told you?”

Knowing how much Alex liked Anna, I hoped that Anna, and by extension Colt, wouldn’t hold my stupid thought against me.

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