Chapter 15
MADDY
“And that’s a wrap.” Hilary, my producer, stepped out from behind the camera.
Instead of cheering, or clapping, or that-was-a-great-day-everyone praises from the crew, solemnness hung in the air.
Tears prickled my eyes. My chest pressed tight around my heart. But as I drew in a fresh breath, the weight on my shoulders disappeared. Light filled my steps as I headed off the studio set. After five and a half years of dedicating my life to Vancouver Heights, I’d filmed my last scene. Stepped off set for the last time. Delivered my last lines.
Hilary ambled toward me with her arms held wide. Sadness clouded her eyes. Her bottom lip jutted forward. “Maddy, amazing take.”
I gave her a warm, tight hug. Of course it was. But oh my God! I’m done.
I’d loved my show until I’d needed six months off to save my marriage and get better. My work was no longer the reason I got out of bed in the morning. Slip was. I was. My found family was. What was important to me had changed.
I held nothing but respect for Hilary. She’d always been kind, supportive, and an incredible producer, even if she’d been difficult to work with since I’d returned for this season.
“Thank you.” I stepped back and placed my hand on her forearm. “For everything. For believing in me and helping me when needed.”
She bowed her head. “It has been a pleasure working with you. I’m sorry to see you go.”
“Me too. But it’s time. New opportunities are waiting to be discovered.” My agent hadn’t found me another role yet, but I had a meeting with him in LA in four days. Hopefully, he’d have some updates by then.
“You’ll shine no matter what you do or where you go.” Hilary’s words were always encouraging. “I’m already envious of whoever casts you.”
“Thank you.” I gave her one last hug.
My castmates and the crew gathered around me. The tears, hugs, and wishes overwhelmed me. These people had been great friends and fun to work with, but they weren’t family. Not like Slip, Sutton, and the band. I’d denied it for so long, but LA was home. I no longer had to distance myself from the heartache and humiliation I’d experienced several years ago when Noah had left me at the altar. I didn’t have to worry about Mom. She was no longer sick and suffering. I didn’t have to stress about gossip surrounding Slip and me. It had died down. We were blissfully, happily married. We’d given each other time and had put effort into our relationship and were excited about the next chapter in our lives.
I had no job and no solid plans, but I was confident I’d pick up a new role. I was fortunate to be an A-lister and ambitious, and I’d been in demand by casting agents. I’d wait for the right role, though. Slip had come to Canada to support me. Now it was time to return the favor while he and the guys wrote their new album.
Slip, carrying a huge bunch of red roses, meandered around cameras and booms, and made his way through the crew to me. He slid his arm around my waist and kissed me on the lips. “Congratulations. To the end of an era and on to new beginnings. Love you.”
“You’d better take care of Maddy.” Geraldine, my fellow castmate, flicked Slip’s shoulder with the back of her hand. “Or I’ll come to LA and kick your ass.”
“I promise I will.” Slip chuckled as he stood beside me.
“Gonna miss you like crazy, Maddy.” Mills, my on-screen boyfriend, hugged me. “You take care.”
“You, too.” Asshole. But we were cool. I wouldn’t miss his shitty jokes. Or his cherry cola breath. Nope. Not one bit.
Slip sneered at him. “I’m not gonna miss you making out with my wife on the show anymore.”
I loved that Slip was a touch jealous and protective of me. Possessive. It was hot.
“I won’t miss you visiting the set and glaring at me. You intimidate the fuck out of me, bro.” Mills’s voice pitched high. Had my badass rock star with long hair, tattoos, and a ripped body made Mills nervous? Good. “Thought you’d storm onto the set and deck me every time I had to get close to Maddy.”
Some days, I’d wished Slip had.
“Believe me,” Slip jested with a twitch of his lip, “I’ve thought about it.”
Mills let out a nervous laugh, then cleared his throat and straightened his stance. “But Maddy was the best on-screen girlfriend a guy could ask for. Always professional. Always fun. Always amazing.”
Aw! Mills could be nice. Pity it was too late.
The group shuffled around and formed a wide circle in front of me.
“Maddy?” Lotti, one of the other girls from the show, stepped forward and held up a Cartier gift bag. “We all chipped in and got you a little something to remember us by.” She handed me the bag. I pulled out the red leather box and opened it, revealing a gold watch encrusted with diamonds.
“Wow! This is way more than I’d expected. Thank you. It’s beautiful.” So much better than the pen Kwan had gotten when he’d left. Yay!
“Now.” Lotti clutched my hand and swayed my arm gently from side to side. Her big, beautiful Julia Roberts-smile took over her face. “Go take on LA. We’ll no doubt see you at events.” Then she pouted and waggled her finger toward my face. “But don’t go stealing any awards from us.”
Giggling, I shook my head. “Sorry, babe. I can’t make that promise.” That was true. I had no idea where or what show or movie I’d work on next. That was scary and daunting but exhilarating.
After more speeches and stories from the cast and crew about my time on the show, everyone headed out to dinner. We laughed over good wine and great food. It was a fun yet emotional night. I wasn’t just saying goodbye to everyone I’d worked with; it was farewell to Vancouver too. This place had been my home-away-from-home for more than five years. I loved this city so much. But we’d be back. Slip and I would stow away to Bowen Island on a regular basis. That was our place to escape.
After way too much champagne and wine, we headed home just after midnight to my condo that overlooked the harbor.
I woke, naked, wrapped in Slip’s arms, and to the view of the gorgeous glistening expanse of water and rare sun-filled skies outside my window. Vancouver had turned on the perfect send-off. But I wouldn’t be fooled. It’d be freezing outside. December always was.
I rolled out of bed, showered, and dressed in comfy leggings and a sweatshirt. Sitting on the floor in my room, I packed the last few items into my suitcase. Shoes. The clothes I’d worn last night. A couple of books. Done . As I unplugged my alarm clock, wound the cord around it, and stuffed it in between some clothes, a mix of sadness and excitement pummeled my chest. The door to my life here was closing, but a fresh one awaited me in LA.
I was ready for the change.
I closed and zipped up my bag. As I rolled my suitcase toward the door, Slip came out of the bathroom to help me with my luggage, freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.
“Is that everything?” He put the case next to the rest of our belongings lined up for the movers. The small travel bags for our four-day road trip to drive our McLaren Spider home sat separately by the dining table.
I drew in a long, deep breath. Calmness washed over me. “Yes.” I snaked my hands around his waist and stuffed them into his back pockets. As I rested my cheek against his shoulder, I looked around my bare apartment. No pictures. No trinkets. No traces of us. Just the basic furniture remained, ready so we could rent the place out.
I wasn’t sad about leaving.
My heart had left this place the moment I’d quit my show. Now, I just wanted to get to LA and live life with Slip.
“You okay?” He kissed my head and circled his hands over my back.
“Yes.” I swiveled my head and kissed the small of his neck, then brushed my nose toward his ear. He smelled delicious, all citrusy after his shower. “I’m excited to be going home.”
“Me too.” He rested his head against mine. “Time I got my ass back to work.”
“I do like your ass.” I gave his butt cheeks a firm squeeze, then slipped my hands out of his pockets, up underneath his T-shirt, and across his lower back. His skin was cool against my touch. I dipped my fingers into the waistband of his jeans and ran them around to the front, tickling his flesh in their wake. I popped open the button of his fly. “I like what’s down here, too.”
Slip caught my hand and held it against his stomach. Heat simmered low in his eyes. “Mads, the movers will be here in ten minutes.”
“So?” I arched an eyebrow. Mischief coiled through my veins.
“Maddy?” Slip grinned. His voice and smile betrayed his attempt to be serious.
“Slip?” I caught the bottom of his T-shirt and lifted it a couple of inches. Lowering my head, I kissed the bottom of his stomach. I licked along the line of his happy trail, dipped my tongue into his belly button, then headed higher toward one nipple. Glancing up at him, I threw him a saucy smile. “We need to say goodbye to my condo. One last time.”
He laughed; his belly quaked beneath my touch. “Didn’t we do that last night when we got home?”
“Yeah, we did.” I bit my lip and scrunched my nose. Sex on the table had been hot. “But I was tipsy. Now, I’m not.” I yanked his T-shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. He didn’t put up a fight.
Fire simmered in his eyes as he glided his warm hands over my arms and shoulders. “You, my beautiful wife, are trouble.”
“No, I’m just happy.” I reached for the button on his jeans again. I lowered his zipper and slid my hand over his hot, bulging erection. “And...I love you.”
“Hmmm.” Smiling, he cupped the side of my neck and brushed his lips against mine. “ Ti amo . Mio bel girasole .” He skimmed his thumb along the line of my jaw and teased it down my throat. “And I love this bit.” He shifted his head to one side and kissed the soft skin beneath my ear. His wandering hands skimmed over my sweatshirt and cupped my boobs, tweaked my nipples. “And these.”
“I love all of you.” I dipped my hands into his boxer briefs and took hold of him. After circling my thumb over his hot head, I smeared his pre-cum up and down his groove. “But right now, I want this bit inside me.”
A soft moan rolled through his throat. He caught my hands, withdrew the one from inside his pants, and wound my arms around his neck. He took hold of my waist and guided me backward until my butt connected with the wall by the fireplace. His lips touched mine, soft yet needy. “Stay.”
He ducked and yanked down my leggings, taking my panties with them, and pulled them over my socked feet. As he straightened, he ran his hands up my bare legs. I’d love to wrap them around his head, but we didn’t have time. This was just a quickie.
I wriggled his jeans and boxer briefs lower, freeing his thick, hard cock. With a sexy smirk curling across his lips, he closed the gap between us. I hooked my leg around him and pinned him against my body. Curling his palm around my thigh, he gripped it tight and bent his knees. He took hold of his cock in his other hand and nudged it against me, stroking my opening up and down, teasing and taunting me.
Giggling, I swept his hair off his face and tucked it behind his ear. “This is familiar.” Half-naked. Pinned against the wall.
“How so?” He pressed his lips together to contain his smile.
“This is where you fucked me after you convinced me to stay married.” Running away from him after we’d wed in Las Vegas had been a mistake. I knew that now. Him coming after me and pleading with me to give us a chance had been crazy...but agreeing to do so had been the best decision I’d ever made. I couldn’t imagine life without Slip.
He pushed inside of me, stealing my breath. Warmth coiled up my spine, around my heart, and through every vein as he touched his lips to mine. “I knew we belonged together. It just took you a while to believe that. I would’ve kept fighting for us, Maddy. I always will.”
“Same.” I ran my hands around his shoulders and linked my fingers behind his neck. “This is where we started our marriage. Now, we’re saying goodbye to this place to move onto new adventures. I can’t wait. Just you and me. Together.”
“I like the sound of that.” He pulled back a fraction, then drove into me slowly and set the motion on repeat. Again. And again. Oh yeah. “Fuck, you feel good.”
I sank down the wall an inch or two and tilted my hips so he could penetrate me deeper. “So do you.”
My head drifted to one side, giving him access to my neck. He nipped, licked, and sucked my flesh. His hot breath sent goose bumps shooting across my skin.
I needed more. More of him.
I buried my fingers into his long hair, drew his lips back to mine, and kissed him hard. Hungry to taste him, I flicked my tongue into his mouth. Each touch flooded my system with fire. Each tease quickened my pulse. Each taste was a pure high. Kissing him was addictive. My fix. Slip and I had become dependent on each other. But that was a good thing. That was what marriage was about. We could lean on each other. Trust each other. Would always be there for each other. We’d learned from our painful pasts and wouldn’t make those mistakes again.
I breathed Slip into my soul. I rocked my hips and fucked his cock, driving him toward the edge. He hammered into me, thrusting harder and faster.
God. This is good.
We were good.
He eased one hand between us and taunted my clit. His body tensed tighter and tighter. “You with me? ”
I moved in time with him. His drive to my tilt. His rubs to my pulses. “Yeah.”
Lost in our kisses, touches, thrusts, and rocks, I came at the same time as Slip. Shuddering. Quaking. Jolting. My pussy throbbed around his thudding cock. My heartbeat thundered against his. Panting, we smiled over our kisses, perfectly in sync.
Gotta love a hot quickie!
He pressed his forehead against mine. “Are you ready, Mads? For LA and everything that city and our life will throw at us?”
“Yes.” I ran my hands over his broad shoulders. “We have a beautiful home. We have incredible friends and family. We’re ready for the next stage in our lives. I love you. Nothing will ever tear us apart.”
“ Ti amo. Let’s go home.”
Just after we cleaned up and redressed, the intercom buzzed.
The movers loaded our belongings into the truck and drove off. I took one last slow stroll around the living room. I took one last glance across the gorgeous harbor. I took one last deep breath within these walls.
Yes, it was time to move on.
I entwined my fingers with Slip’s and led him out the front door. I locked it for the last time.
We jumped into our Spider and headed south.
Life was about to change yet again...but I had a good feeling about it.
Whatever it was, I was ready.
Look out LA. We’re coming.