Chapter Twenty-Eight #2
I almost forgot I told her that part, and it feels so weird to have someone know my secrets when I’ve kept them hidden for so long.
“I didn’t know Elliot existed until I showed up and saw him,” I say as my chest grows tight at the memory.
“He was the only relative in attendance, and he looked so alone standing next to the priest. I’d planned to stay at the back and slip away without talking to anyone, but Elliot had just lost his only parent and needed someone to talk to.
When I got closer to him, something in my gut told me…
” I grimace. “I didn’t know for sure that he was my brother, but I had my suspicions, based on when he was born. ”
“He was a product of the affair?” Donovan rightly guesses. “None of the tabloids have been able to prove he’s your brother, but you haven’t denied it.”
“I wondered how Hot Scoop knew we were brothers,” I say quietly.
“It would have been an interesting enough story to reveal that we’re cousins, and I never would have looked deeper if they hadn’t hinted we were closer.
I didn’t… I didn’t want to look deeper.” Especially when Hot Scoop started going after Liam, I didn’t have the bandwidth for Elliot being more than my long-lost cousin.
“From what I know about my mom, she was the only person in the world who knew Elliot’s parentage, which means… ”
I think I’m going to be sick.
Donovan makes a sort of growling sound in the back of her throat, and when I look down at her, she seems to be chewing on something she isn’t sure she wants to say.
That only makes me want to hear it more, something she must realize when she meets my gaze.
“This is already a lot, Derek. And this is your life, not mine.”
“But?”
She grimaces. “But your mom traumatized you as a kid when you accidentally spilled her secret, and then she went and let Hot Scoop broadcast it to the whole world like it was no big deal. I hate her. I don’t have a right to hate her because I’ve never met her, but—”
“She’s likely the reason your past is about to catch up to you,” I remind her.
“Okay, then yeah, I totally hate her.”
I shouldn’t be smiling right now. Like Donovan said, this is a lot, and there are still so many unanswered questions.
Does my mom run Hot Scoop, or is she just a cog in the wheel?
Why did Elliot become the catalyst for my mom’s actions?
What is she hoping to gain? How did she get to Janie?
And what am I supposed to do with any of this?
But despite all of the uncertainty, Donovan is still here. She’s on my side.
I can handle your life, she told me.
I think she actually can.
My shoulders relax at the same time something loosens in my chest, letting me breathe easier.
This is normally the part where I start spiraling, wishing I could go back and fix my mistakes that led to this point.
I should have kept the secret. I should have let my mom back into my life.
I should have been more open with my friends.
All real circumstances that a week ago would have triggered my anxiety and left me barely functioning.
But instead I’m fine, sitting here taking full breaths and thinking this can wait until tomorrow.
Knowing Donovan has my back seems to give me permission to stop.
Relax. Accept that this isn’t something I can solve right this minute.
I usually can’t ignore a problem until I’ve found a way to fix it, but right now…
Right now, I want a nap. I’m so tired.
“Hey, Dono?”
She gives me a gentle smile. “Yeah?”
“Not sure if you know this, but this amazing river guide kept me awake all night, and I currently smell like I spent six days on a river and had to face down a Class V rapid.”
Her smile turns into more of a smirk as her eyes trail over me. “I happen to find your current state extremely sexy. For the record.”
I grin back at her. “Noted. But I need a shower. And sleep.”
The exhaustion settling into my bones might be stronger than I’ve ever felt before, like if I close my eyes I might sleep for days. That sounds nice.
Sighing, Donovan nods and gets to her feet. “I’ll get out of your hair.”
Though she heads for the door, I grab her hand before she makes it very far. “That wasn’t me asking you to leave.”
“Oh.”
“Unless you want to leave,” I add with a wince. “I’m not… I’ll never make decisions for you. I’m sure Hunter would be happy to escort you home if you want to go.”
She grins. “Again, I’m not his job.”
“Hunter protects every part of me, including my heart.” I wrinkle my nose as soon as the words leave my mouth. “Okay, there’s a reason I’m an actor, not a writer. I meant you’re important to me, so you’ll be important to him.”
Clearly torn between laughing and rolling her eyes, Donovan moves in close and presses a kiss to my forehead that leaves my whole body warm.
“Cheesiness aside, that was incredibly sweet, Derek Riley. But you need to give that man a break before he breaks.” She runs her hand through my hair, this time sending a shiver through me.
“Great as you are, you’re also incredibly stressful. ”
She’s right. I just don’t know what to do about that.
Chuckling, she gives my hair another run through, then steps back. “Go take your shower, Superman.”
“You’ll stay?”
She looks around the room and purses her lips. “Your hotel room is bigger than my entire apartment by at least three times.”
“Not an answer to my question, Tate.”
Her arms fold over her chest. “I smell just as bad as you do.”
“My shower is right over there.” I jerk my head in that direction as I slowly get to my feet without breaking eye contact with her. I worry that if I look away, she’s going to disappear. It’s a miracle she’s still here as it is. “You can go first.”
“I don’t have anything to wear,” she says next, as crimson slowly rises up her face the closer I get to her, and her arms fall back to her sides.
These are all valid excuses, but everything about her body language, and the fact that she’s still standing in front of me, tells me she wants to leave as little as I want her to.
Placing a hand on her waist, I pull her close and marvel at the way she so easily responds to my action by splaying a hand over my stomach. No hesitation, no second-guessing. She’s afraid of what comes with my fame, but I don’t think she’s afraid of me. Of us.
“And you wondered if they were real,” I murmur, flexing my core as her fingers press into my abs.
“Still wondering about a change of clothes, actually,” she murmurs back, though her voice has gone breathy.
I brush my nose against hers, sliding my hand into her hair. “You can take anything of mine that you want.”
“Anything?” she repeats in a teasing tone.
Honestly? Yes. She could have everything I own as long as she keeps letting me hold her like this. Keeps making me feel like I’m not facing an uncertain future on my own. “Or I can send Janie out to buy you a whole new wardrobe. Right now, she’d probably do anything I ask her to.”
“You’re going to talk to her about all of this, right? Get her version of the story?”
“Later.” Finally—finally—I lean down and touch my lips to hers, and this time she doesn’t stop me.
It’s missing the heat from earlier, but this kiss is no less potent and leaves me almost mindless.
Her lips are warm and soft, but she kisses with the same confidence she has with everything she does as she wraps her arm around my neck to pull herself closer.
And while I’m starting to think kissing Donovan Tate is a way better idea than taking a nap, she pulls away and smirks at whatever dumb expression I must have on my face.
“I’ll take you up on that shower,” she says as she slips out of my arms and heads for the bedroom.
“You should tell your friends that you’re okay so they can stop calling you. ”
She’s right, but before she disappears into the bedroom, there’s one more thing I need to say. “I do know by the way.”
She looks back and cocks her head. “What?”
“I know exactly why I like you. Remind me to tell you sometime.”
The look she gives me is a mixture of amusement, affection, and maybe even amazement, like she can’t understand how she ended up here.
I don’t blame her. I have no idea why someone as incredible and self-assured as her would choose to deal with the mess that is my life when she is already content with her own simple life.
I haven’t held on to many people in my life—a longtime defense mechanism—but I want to hold on to her. For as long as I can.
Though she doesn’t say anything, Donovan gives me one last smile before shutting the door behind her and leaving me alone.
Pressing a hand to my chest over my heart, I stare at that door for a long time as I process the emotions rolling through me.
I’m no stranger to feelings like this, and I’ve played characters who have gone through so many different experiences, from heartache to joy to grief to love.
My best scenes have been the ones where I’ve let myself feel the characters’ emotions as if they were mine.
But this light burning in my chest is a new one in my own life. I’m falling for her, and hard.
Assuming I’m right about my mom’s involvement with Hot Scoop, I’m going to have to deal with a lot soon. Something needs to change before my whole world falls apart. And yet, despite all that, I’ve never felt so hopeful for the future.
That’s nothing but a straight-up miracle, and it’s because I’ve found a guardian angel in Donovan Tate.
I chuckle; she played one of those in a movie once, and it was one of the first times I had a genuine celebrity crush. It’s almost like we were meant to find each other. Hank and Bonnie don’t believe in coincidences, and I always thought the notion was sweet but unrealistic.
Now I’m starting to think they might be right.
My phone, which has been quiet for a few minutes, buzzes with a text, and I wince as I read the latest message.
Cole:
At this point we’re going to assume you’re in trouble and you need a rescue. Be warned that Liam is the most available person at the moment.
Well, that’s a recipe for disaster. I love Liam, and even though he’s gotten better since marrying his wife, Kasey, he still has a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This situation is dicey enough that I should control as many variables as I can.
Liam can’t be one of those variables; he’s impossible to control, which is one of the reasons I like him.
Unlocking my phone, I scan over the dozens of texts my friends have left in our group chat. I’ll read them more closely later—there’s a lot of talk about me and who I’m supposedly in love with—but for now, I just need them to know I’ll be okay and can handle things.
Derek:
I’m fine. Stop freaking out. No one needs to come to Utah, and I’ll explain everything tomorrow.
Elliot’s not going to be satisfied by that—I doubt any of them will as messages flood the group chat—and since this concerns him too, I send him a solo text and hope it will hold him over until I can get some rest.
Derek:
I don’t have any real proof, but I’m pretty sure our mother has been puppeteering Hot Scoop’s stories or worse, trying to work them to her advantage. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.
My phone instantly lights up with a call from Elliot, and I sigh as I slide the answer button. “El.”
“Tell me now,” Elliot says in a tone that makes it clear he’s not going to give me a choice in the matter. I had my doubts about him becoming a king alongside Freya—he’s barely twenty-seven—but he sure sounds like a monarch as he adds, “And don’t leave anything out.”
It’s going to be a long evening.