Page 115 of You and Me, For Real
With each kiss and caress, I fall more in lovewith this spectacular man that does so much for me. With each press ofhis lips to mine, my heart aches to say those three little words.I love you.
And yet, despite the rightness of those words, I can’t bring myself to say them aloud. I’m scared it’s too fast. I’ll be too vulnerable—even if I’m already in so deep. I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes.
Instead, I say what I can confidently share.
I pull my lips from his and rub my fingers against his jaw. “I could say the same to you, you know. I don’t deserve you. You’re a good man.” And as I say the words aloud, the truth of them resonate through me. “I know you think you have to prove yourself in your career by taking on some big film role, but you know, it’s not about the roles you play.” I trace his jaw with my fingers. “It’s about who you are. And to me? You’re one of the greatest people I’ve ever met, and I know you’ll leave a big impact on the world—no matter where your career takes you.”
He lifts my hand, pulls it to his lips, and kisses my palm. “Thank you for that. It means more to me than you’ll ever know.”
He falls onto his back and tucks me next to him, my head resting on his arm. We both stare at the sky, the colors softening as the moon becomes more prominent. The temperature drops, and I savor his warmth.
As we lay together in silence, my mind wanders to one problem. If I take this ranch, how will that affect us? Can we sustain a long-distance relationship? Would he even want to?
His hand grazes up and down my bare arm, causing chills across my skin.
“What about The Rescue Ranch?” He lifts his arm upward as though he can write the words in the sky.
I sit up slightly and rest my chin on his chest. “For this place?”
He nods, smiling.
I study the landscape—its wide-open space, the long, sweeping porch of the main house, the tall grass outside the fence swaying in the breeze—and smile. “The Rescue Ranch. I like it. Has a nice ring to it.” I stretch and peck his lips. “It’s perfect, actually.”
“You’re perfect.” He slips his hand behind my head and gently pulls me to him.
His kisses are like a slice of heaven, his lips smooth and tender. It’s as though all time has stopped. The world fades away, and it’s just the two of us in this blissful state of happiness that will never be punctured.
Until the familiar whirl of the helicopter’s blades arrives.
Griffin takes out his phone and turns on his flashlight, waving it in the air. “There’s our ride. You ready to head back home?”
The wordhomecracks something in me. While I’ve been sleeping at Wren’s house the past couple of weeks, every other moment I’m not working is spent at Griffin’s. At some point, his house has started to feel like home, and now I’m potentially going to leave it—and him. If I were to live on this new property—three hours away from him and his busy lifestyle—the odds of us maintaining a long-term relationship are grim. We’d barely see one another.
Emotion clogs my throat, but I nod up at Griffin and let him guide me. He tugs me close, and we run against the powerful wind produced by the spinning blades. After ducking into the helicopter, Griffin helps me buckle.
As we lift into the air, I glimpse the property one more time. My heart swirls with hope and anxiety as my biggest dream is on the cusp of coming true. Though, the cost of it may be more than I’m willing to pay—losing the person that made it all happen.
33
ASHTON
The day after our surprise helicopter date, Luke sent out a formal press announcement sharing that America’s sweetheart couple would be making an appearance together at the gala. Social media went into a frenzy, blowing up the post and sharing it everywhere. Our five hundred guest slots filled within twenty-four hours.
Now, two weeks later, I stand in front of Wren’s full-length mirror—all powdered, coiffed, and adorned to perfection—fit for a regency ball. My high-waisted dress is a deep crimson with golden accents that complement my blonde hair. My long hair is pulled into a bun with a crown braid atop my head. Soft tendrils frame my face. While the dress flows loosely around my legs, allowing flexible movement, the bodice is anything but. My breasts are pressed upward toward high-heaven. A smile teases my lips at the thought of Griffin’s appreciation to the costume designer.
More than anything, I’d love for the two of us to arrive together at the gala tonight, especially since that last two weeks had felt like we were an exclusive couple. But logistically,attending a public event with me would be a nightmare for Griffin to explain while having a girlfriend.
Since I was publicly connected to the Rhodeses in the viral social media post, we couldn’tnotinvite them. Which means Griffin will be playing his role of devoted boyfriend publicly for two more nights—tonight and his show’s premiere event next week. I don’t count the three weeks they’ll still be under contract post-premiere of the show as Griffin promised there would be no more public dates, aside from sharing a couple of pictures of the two of them together.
Two more nights.
Then he can be all mine.
I can handle that. Mostly.
I wait in the foyer of Wren’s house for the ride Griffin arranged since he’ll be arriving at the red carpet with Scarlet. I fiddle with my gloved fingers, nervous anticipation making my palms sweat. With such an astounding number of guests, the ballroom will be filled to its maximum capacity. I pray their hearts will be just as big as their wallets and The Rescue Ranch will be fully funded by the end of the night.
Movement outside the front window catches my eye. A long, sleek black limo pulls into the driveway. A man dressed in a grey, fitted suit rounds the car and stands by the rear door, crossing his hands in front. I step outside.
