Page 2 of Dream (Fighting Fate)

I exhaled heavily. “Fuck. You’d think I’d be used to this shit by now, but I still feel like punching them all out. I mean, cheating on Caitlyn? How the hell could I be cheating on Caitlyn when we’re not even together?” I growled in frustration.

Corey shook his head. “Dude, you know how it works. To them, if you’re with her on screen, then you must be with her off it. They don’t have the ability to separate fiction from reality.”

I groaned. “Did you hear that dick ask if I was engaged to Hannah?” I said, continuing my rant. “We haven’t even been on a single date. It was a fucking business meeting!” I slammed my head back against the headrest. “They’re delusional. If they left me alone for five minutes, I might actually have a chance at a relationship that lasted long enough to get there.”

I sighed. I might as well admit it. It was never going to happen. I mean, it wasn’t like I was looking for the love of my life, but it would be nice to actually get a girlfriend who lasted longer than a month or two.

“You just need a break, man,” Cain said with a shrug. “You’re burnt out.”

He was right. That kind of shit usually didn’t bother me, but it had been almost fifteen months since I’d had a decent break—six months since the guys had taken a decent break, and it was clearly starting to grate on my nerves.

It took Lance ten full minutes just to get around the hulking paparazzi and out onto the road. It was fucking ridiculous. I mean, what did they expect? They knew they weren’t going to get a money shot with the tinting I had, for crying out loud.

I exhaled in a huff, looking over at Cain’s amused face. Employing my longtime friends, Cain and Corey, along with my other trusted friends, Daniel and Lance, as my full-time bodyguards, was the best move I’d ever made. After a couple of scary moments with my previous bodyguards the year before, I found it hard to trust anyone I didn’t know personally. Knowing it was my best friends who had my back made my life a lot easier.

It didn’t change the fact that I felt guilty about their lack of a vacation, though. They’d worked their asses off protecting me for the last six months, with very little downtime in between. As it was, we only had six weeks before we were off again, this time across the country to Florida. That was why I was determined to give them a proper break this time. We were all heading to the beach house I’d bought specifically for this purpose. It was just going to be us, our boards, and the ocean. Nothing was going to stop us from taking this time out. I was determined.

It wasn’t until we were on the 101, heading north, away from the fans and away from the chaos, that I started to relax. Any remaining tension I might’ve been holding onto, disappeared the instant the Escalade pulled into the underground garage.

Climbing out, I stretched my legs and sighed before making my way up the stairs. A dark-haired woman greeted me at the top, her smile warm and welcoming. I assumed she was the cleaner I’d employed to freshen the house up for our arrival. Mrs. Robinson, if I remembered right. I was glad to see she was around my mother’s age, and not a swooning teenager. I didn’t think I would’ve been able to handle that at this point in time.

“Good morning, Mr. Emerson,” she said, her voice cheery.

“Mrs. Robinson?” I said, returning her smile. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, Mr. Emerson. I was just on my way out. I’ve stocked the pantry just how you asked, and all the beds are made up with fresh linen.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that,” I said.

“You’re welcome, sir. I’ll come back in August, as planned. Do you need anything else before I go?”

“No. Thank you.”

She nodded. “Very well, then.”

Letting Cain walk her out, I made my way to my favorite place in the house. The deck. I loved watching the ocean from there. It was the most calming thing on the planet as far as I was concerned. The first movie I had a paid part in was to thank for that.

As I watched the swell of the ocean rise and fall, I closed my eyes in a long blink and exhaled slowly. Not much was going on in the way of waves to surf, but it was still beautiful. Daniel joined me a few moments later, leaning his arms on the railing. “Life’s good, man.”

I smiled and glanced his way. It was funny. I hadn’t grown up with Daniel. His identical twin brother, Ryan, was the one I’d grown up with, but I had no doubt he would do anything to protect me. The bond I’d formed with him over the last fifteen months was tighter than I had with anyone else.

He was ex-military, with an amazing mind for special tactical services—that’s how he’d managed to become my head of security—but it was the way he’d been able to overcome the horrors he faced while deployed that impressed me the most. He was now a loving husband to one of my closest friends from school, and they had a daughter. He once told me if it hadn’t been for Amy and Mae, he wouldn’t have had the strength to get through captivity, let alone live a normal life after what he’d endured.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I said.

Daniel simply nodded. I liked that about him. He only spoke when he thought it was necessary.

“Are you going to let me teach you a few moves out on the waves?” I asked with a grin.

His answering laugh was soft. The boys and I had been nagging him for months to pick up a board. “Nah, I don’t want to miss any time with my girls.”

I smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder. He hadn’t said it, but I knew he was dying for the moment Amy and Mae got here, and damn if I didn’t respect the shit out of him for it.

I mean, here he was, the same age as me, and he was married with a kid. He was settled in his life. He had exactly what he wanted, and his head was screwed on tight. It made me feel like an immature playboy.

“When are they getting here?” I asked.

His smile grew wider. “She’s driving down in the morning.”

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