Page 87 of Dream (Fighting Fate)

“What do you want?” she asked, her voice soft but sure.

I tried for honesty. It hadn’t been something I’d given her much of, so this time, I was making sure of it. “You. Just you, Liv. I want all of you.”

“What do you mean?”

I closed my eyes. “I want you to be mine.”

I heard her breath shake. “Like, dating? Publicly?”

“Yes.” I didn’t even hesitate with my reply. “I’ve done everything the wrong way, Liv. I thought I knew what was best for you. I wanted to protect you and keep you safe, but I obviously suck at it in a massive way. So, I’m going to leave it up to you. The decision is yours. We can leave things as they are and the pap will eventually leave you alone, or we can try to make it work.”

“Josh,” she whispered.

The tone of her voice sounded a lot like bad news. Dropping to the chair, I hung my head. “I know dating me comes with a whole pile of shit, Liv, but I’m hoping what I can offer you—what we can have together—will outweigh the crap. I’ll do whatever I can to protect you,” I said, al

most begging. “I know I work away a lot, and I’m not exactly sure how we can make it work, but I’d really like to try, Liv.”

“This is a big decision, Josh,” she said, her voice slightly gravelly.

Rubbing my hand over my eyes, I tried to ignore the ache in my chest. “I know it is, beautiful. And I don’t want you to feel pressured. I’ll understand if it’s something you don’t think you can do.”

Restless, I stood, resuming my pacing. I knew she needed time to think, but her silence was killing me. It was a strange situation to be in. I was so used to being the one in control—the one who decided if I wanted to be in a relationship or not. To be on the other side, waiting, hoping, hurting, caused an anxiety I hadn’t experienced before. It settled low in my stomach, making me feel ill.

“Josh?” she said, her voice soft and sweet.

I braced myself. “Yes, beautiful?”

“I’d like to try.”

My breath caught. As much as I’d hoped, I hadn’t expected her to choose me. It was the biggest sacrifice I could ever ask a person in her situation to make. She was prepared to give up her freedom—her privacy—to be with me. And it shocked me beyond everything I knew about people.

Emotions I’d never felt before swept through my body. They tightened my throat and caused my chest to squeeze. “Holy shit,” I said, standing in the middle of my trailer. “I was seriously preparing myself for you to say no.”

Liv laughed softly through the phone. “Do you want me to change my answer?”

“Fuck no!” I took a deep breath, trying to calm my body down. My pulse was almost off the charts. “I’m just in shock that you’re agreeing to be with me.”

“It should hardly come as a surprise that I like you a little bit, Josh,” she said, teasing.

“You’d have to like me more than a little bit to give up your privacy for me, Liv,” I countered.

She hummed. “Maybe.”

“Okay, well, I’m banking on it, because now comes the part where you don’t get a choice,” I said, hoping she wasn’t going to get too mad with me. “Gardner’s your new bodyguard.”

She was silent for all of one heartbeat before she replied. “Oh.”

Chapter 53

Olivia

It had been almost twenty-four hours since I’d agreed to date one of the world’s drooliest men (as Sam liked to describe him), and I still hadn’t quite managed to wrap my head around it.

It hadn’t been an easy decision to say yes, and I certainly didn’t take it lightly knowing what I’d have to give up, but considering the fact that my life had already been thrown into turmoil, I knew I would’ve been crazy to not see where things could go for us. My feelings for him were too much for that.

I’d called Mom and Dad not long after speaking with Josh, mostly because I was worried they’d start getting hounded by people asking questions. I mean, it was only fair I prepare them. The conversation had been interesting, to say the least. I’d never heard either of my parents lost for words before, but I’d managed to silence them both for a good minute. I wasn’t sure they were entirely happy about my choice of boyfriend, but I knew they’d support me, regardless.

Pouring myself a coffee, I shuffled toward the living room, where Sam was stationed at her computer. Again. I was sure she’d been through every single gossip site on the Web over the last twelve hours, all with the intent of preparing me for whatever the pap might throw at me.

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