Chapter Nineteen
Nineteen
Cassie jerked when the loud knock on her door pulled her out of her sleep. Glancing to the clock on the bedside table, she realized she’d slept most of the day. Damn, she’d never slept that much.
Throwing off the covers and coming to her feet, Cassie was thrilled when she didn’t sway and within moments knew she was feeling better.
Perhaps her body was just telling her she needed to slow it down every now and then.
The pounding on her door continued and Cassie rolled her eyes.
There wasn’t a doubt in her mind who stood on the other side of the door.
Ian wouldn’t pound on her door. He’d knock or just come on in, and so would her father and Tessa.
And that left only one rude, unwanted guest.
Shuffling down the hall, probably looking even more stellar than earlier today when Derek had stopped by, Cassie actually laughed. Was he really here to plead for his family back when she looked like death and after he’d left her for some young, hot bimbo? Oh, the irony was not lost on her.
Cassie took her time flipping the lock on the knob and opening the door. Sure enough, Derek stood there, clutching a newspaper. Disapproval settled in his eyes.
“Funny,” she told him, leaning against the edge of the door. “That’s the same look you wore when you left me. What do you want now?”
He slapped the paper to her chest and pushed past her to enter.
“Come on in,” she muttered, holding on to the paper and closing the door. “I thought I told you to have your lawyer contact mine.”
Derek scanned the living area, then stretched his neck to see down the hall. “Where’s Emily?”
“With Ian.” Crossing her arms, crinkling the paper, Cassie sighed. “What do you want, Derek?”
“First of all, I don’t want my daughter with a stranger.”
Hysterical laughter bubbled out before she could even try to control it. “Seriously? If anyone is a stranger to her, it’s you. We’ve already established what you think of Ian, so state your reason for this unwanted visit or that threat of calling security will become a fast reality.”
He pointed toward the paper. “Apparently you haven’t seen today’s local paper. Maybe your pretty boy is a stranger to you, as well.”
Cassie unfolded the paper. She’d play his game if it meant he’d leave sooner.
Her eyes settled on the picture of Lily and Ian. Cassie had known they were having a business meeting the evening before, she’d known they were discussing a major career move for both of them, but she hadn’t known the media would spin the story into something...romantic.
Her eyes landed on the headline: Hollywood Starlet on Location Still Finds Time for Romance.
The way their two heads were angled together in the grainy picture did imply something more than a business meeting. The intimate table for two complete with bouquet and candles also added to the ambience of love.
Cassie glanced back up to Derek. “What about it?”
She would not give her ex the satisfaction of letting it get to her, of coming between something she and Ian had built and worked hard at.
“Looks like your boy toy has someone else on the side.” Derek smirked. “Is this really what you’ve moved on to?”
“Why are you here?” she demanded. “What do you want from me?”
“If you’d answered my calls or texts you’d know I want my family back. I had no idea you opted to replace me with such a younger man.”
Cassie smacked the paper down on the table beside the door. “Don’t you dare judge me. You left me, remember? And if we’re casting stones, I’ll remind you that when you left, you moved on with a much younger woman with boobs as her only major asset.”
Fired up and more than geared for a fight, Cassie advanced on him.
“You’re just upset because Ian is a real man.
He cares about me, about Emily. My looks don’t matter, my size doesn’t matter and he’s taken to Emily like she is his own, which is a hell of a lot more than you ever did for either of us. ”
Derek clenched his jaw as he loomed over her and held her gaze. “I just want you to know that this man, this kid, really, will get bored with the family life. He’ll move on, and then where will you be? I’m man enough to admit I was wrong and that I’m willing to try again.”
She hated that she felt a small tug, hated that for months she’d prayed for this moment. But she loved Ian. How could she deny herself the man she felt she’d been waiting for her whole life?
But on the other hand, how could she deny her daughter the bond of her parents raising her in the same house?
Cassie shook her head, refusing to listen to the conflicting voices in her head. She needed to think, needed to be alone.
“I waited for months for you to come back,” she told him, hoping her words would make him squirm, make him feel the heavy dose of guilt he was due.
“I cried myself to sleep when I thought of Emily not knowing her father. But you know what? After the tears were spent, I realized that Emily was better off. Both of us were, actually. Neither of us needed a man in our life who didn’t put us first. We needed a man who would love us, put our needs above his own selfish ones and be there for us no matter what. ”
When he opened his mouth, Cassie raised a hand to silence him. “I would’ve given you the same in return. I married you thinking we were both in love, but I was wrong. You didn’t love me, because if you did, you wouldn’t have found it so easy to leave me.”
“I’m back, though.” He reached out, touched her face. “I want my family back, my wife back. I know I made a mistake, but you can’t tell me you’re ready to throw everything away.”
When the door opened behind her, Cassie didn’t have to turn to know Ian stood just at the threshold. She closed her eyes and sighed.
“Actually,” she whispered. “You already threw it all away.”
Derek’s eyes darted from hers to just over her shoulder before he dropped his hands. “You can keep the paper. Maybe it will give you something to think about.”
She didn’t move as he skirted around her. When the door shut once again, Cassie turned slowly to see Ian, hands on his hips. Even with the space between them, Cassie saw so many emotions dancing in his eyes: confusion, hurt, love.
“Where’s Emily?” she asked, hoping to keep the conversation on safer ground.
“I actually just left her with Linda. She’s taking a nap.”
Cassie nodded, worry lacing through her. “What you just saw was—”
“I know what I saw,” he murmured. “I know he wants you back. He’d be a fool not to. It’s just—”
Ian glanced down, smoothing a hand over the back of his neck, then froze when his gaze landed on the paper. Slowly he picked it up, skimming the front page.
Cassie waited, wondering how he would react.
When he muttered a curse and slammed the paper down, Cassie jumped.
“Tell me this wasn’t Derek’s defense,” Ian begged. “He surely wasn’t using me as his battle to win you back.”
Shrugging, Cassie crossed her arms around her waist. “It’s a pretty damning photograph.”
Closing the spacious gap between them, Ian stood within a breath of her and tipped her chin up so she looked him in the eyes. “The media is known for spinning stories to create the best reaction from viewers. It’s how they stay in business.”
Cassie nodded. “I’m aware of that.”
Ian studied her for a moment before he plunged his fingers through her disheveled hair and claimed her lips. The passion, desire and fury all poured from him, and Cassie had to grip his biceps to hold on for the ride.
He attacked her mouth, a man on a mission of proving something, of taking what was his and damning the consequences.
When he pulled away, Ian rested his forehead against hers. “Tell me you believe that I could kiss you like that and have feelings for another woman. Tell me that you don’t trust me and all we have here is built on lies. Because if that’s the case, I’ll leave right now and never come back.”
Cassie’s throat tightened as she continued to clutch his arms. “I don’t believe that, Ian. I know you wouldn’t lie to me. You’ve shown me what a real man is, how a real man treats a lady.”
Taking a deep breath, she finally stepped back, away from his hold. “But I also know that this is something I’m going to have to deal with if we’re together. The media spinning stories, always being in the limelight.”
“I’m an agent, Cassie. Nobody cares about me. If I had been out alone, nobody would’ve known who I was.”
Cassie smiled. “But you were out with the breathtaking Lily Beaumont. All of your clients are famous, Ian. There will be other times, other photos.”
Shaking her head, she walked around and finally sank onto the sofa. Ian joined her but didn’t touch her. She hated this wedge that had settled between them...a wedge that had formed only once Derek had entered the picture.
“I want to be with you, Cassie,” he told her. “As in beyond the movie, beyond next month or even next year. I want to see where this can go, but if the idea of my work will hold you back, maybe we both need to reevaluate what we’re doing.”
Tears pricked her eyes as she turned to face him fully. “You want to be with me?”
Reaching out to swipe the pad of his thumb across her cheek to clear the rogue tear, Ian smiled. “Yes. I know it’s crazy and we’ve only known each other a short time, but I do want to be with you.”
“Is this because my ex is back? Are you feeling threatened?”
Shaking his head, Ian took her shoulders and squeezed.
“This has nothing to do with Derek. His appearance is just bad timing, that’s all.
I can’t deny myself the fact that being with you has made me a better person.
Finding myself wrapped around yours and Emily’s lives makes me want more for myself.
I never thought about a family before, but I want to see where this will lead and how we can make it work. ”