CHAPTER TWENTY #2
It’s been two weeks since Fraser sold his soul to the media and there are more paps than usual outside the front gates.
They’ve learned I’m staying with Ash and Calla for a while and they also found out that Angie lives next door.
It meant I had to up my security as the press was camping outside the gates twenty-four-seven, just like they did when Brett left us.
At one point, photographers climbed the walls to take pictures of us together until our security removed them. They won’t leave us alone.
Recently, one online magazine wrote a feature about me, Angie, and our love story. They said we were childhood sweethearts, which isn’t true, and we reunited after she lost her husband. Again, not true. Jesus, will they ever get their facts right?
Don’t get me wrong, I expected some intrusion. In fact, we had no doubt at all that it would happen, but I had hoped that Angie wouldn’t have to endure any of this stuff until we were ready to tell the world we were together.
One positive to come out of the last couple of weeks is finding the perfect house to rent.
I’ve decided to stay in Braebeach long term and finally settled on a beautiful gated Victorian home down a private road just a mile away from Angie’s.
It has six bedrooms, all ensuite, a large kitchen/living area, and study, plus an enormous garden and pool for Ozzie.
It offers the privacy I need and it’s empty, meaning I could arrange to move in straight away.
As much as I love the beachside homes here, I need something away from the other guys, so I can escape and take Angie with me when I need to.
At five a.m., there’s just a handful of reporters hanging around, so it’s a good time to leave for the new house.
Angie helped me choose a lot of the furniture online, and Dani had two girls from our management company arrange the furniture once it was delivered.
It means we don’t have any moving vans to arouse more press attention.
The paps don’t have it together when our car speeds out of the gates and, by the looks of it, they don’t care too much. We assume it’s because they don’t recognise Ray, who is driving his own car, and I’m under a blanket in the back seat.
Thankfully, we arrive at the new place unseen, but now I’m pacing around my beautiful new home as I wait for Angie and the kids to arrive. Angie and Josh are staying for a few days so they can help me and Oz settle in.
Connie had the boys in their car seats with Angie stowed between them in the back.
Andrew is part of our new security team and was sitting in the front seat, dressed casually, so he and Connie could easily be mistaken for a couple.
The car I bought for Connie already has blacked-out windows, meaning those bastards can’t see inside the back.
I had them installed initially for Ozzie’s protection.
Now it means I can keep Angie and Josh safe from prying eyes too.
When they finally arrive, and after helping them bring in fuck knows how many bags of food, I spend a couple of minutes talking to Andrew while Connie and Angie unpack it.
“I’m sorry we’re late, Tommy. We had to take a detour because of a suspicious car following behind us.”
The journey here is five minutes, but it took them twenty.
“It could have been a coincidence, but I wanted to make sure,” Andrew says.
“Jesus, will this ever stop?” I ask.
“In my experience, they’ll soon get bored. We don’t give them an inch.” He smirks.
“I don’t doubt that.” I smile back at Andrew. “I only hire the best.”
When I return to the kitchen, Angie is by the double doors leading out into the garden. She’s watching the boys play but turns around when I enter the room and her lips break into a smile. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I reply, desperate to touch her. Closing the distance between us, my arms wrap around her waist. “I’m sorry if the journey here stressed you out.”
“It’s okay. I knew what I was taking on. It’s not as if we didn’t talk about it. I want to be with you, no matter what it takes.”
Relief flushes through me. “Thank fuck,” I huff. No matter how many times she reassures me that she can handle this life, I still worry. It took so long to get to this point, but in the blink of an eye, Fraser’s five minutes of fame has put a strain on our relationship.
“You know I’ve got you.” I hold her closer still and run my hand up and down her back.
Finally, she looks up at me. “I do.”
I place a kiss on her forehead, leaving my lips to linger there for a while.
“So, what do you want to do today?” I ask, feathering kisses across her cheek until I reach her mouth.
“You say that like we have a choice.” She grins.
“We do. We’ve just got to be smart about it.” I wink.
She breaks our connection, turns around, and looks out the window. “The boys are enjoying the fresh air, and I don’t want to disturb them while they’re happy.” She smiles up at me sideways. “Why don’t we just relax?”
“I’m good with that.”
Her focus goes back to the boys. “Did you buy that swing set? I don’t remember it listed in the house details.”
“A swing set was top of Ozzie’s list, so the girls from the office arranged it.”
“I can tell. Poor Connie must be knackered after all that pushing.”
Connie runs through the back door, huffing and puffing. “Those boys are full on today.” She laughs.
“Do you need a hand?” Angie asks, breaking away from me.
“Oh, no. I’m fine, thank you, but they’d like a picnic for lunch if that’s okay?”
“Of course. I’ll help you get some food together.” Angie smiles, heading to the kitchen.
“Oh, no need. I’ve got my orders from the boys. Marmite sandwiches, grapes, and strawberries with Nutella dip.”
“Sounds yummy.” Angie screws up her nose.
“It is.” Connie giggles. “Oh, and they’d like to do some arts and crafts this afternoon, so I’ll have them well occupied if you want the day to yourselves.”
We glance at each other. We could do with some time on our own, and I guess Angie feels the same.
“You sure?” she asks. I’m happy she’s eager.
“Totally. If there’s a problem, I’ll shout.”
“Thanks, Connie. You’re one in a million,” I call over, collecting two bottles of water from the fridge and handing one to Angie.
“It’s no trouble at all,” she says, also delving into the fridge beside me and filling a jug with apple juice, then collecting two plastic cups. “See you in a bit,” she calls, stepping back outside.
As I lean against the kitchen counter, one leg crossed over the other at the ankle, I take in every inch of the beautiful woman in front of me.
Today, she’s wearing an eighties-style denim jacket over a yellow dress which pinches into her slim waist then flows to just above her yellow Converse.
Her hair is up in a messy ponytail, highlighting the contours of her beautiful face.
In this moment, she’s the same girl I met eleven years ago.
Fuck, how I’d give my right arm to go back in time and change what happened between us.
The only upside of my current situation is Ozzie.
He’s a good enough reason to have no regrets about the course of my life.
Angie’s head is on my lap, and she’s sprawled across the sofa. While I play with long strands of her blonde hair, I can’t help thinking how quiet she is.
“Is everything okay, babe? You haven’t said much.”
Her head tilts back and she looks up towards me. “I’m fine. Just thinking.”
“About?” I ask, raising a brow.
She sighs, looking straight ahead. “How we got here. We’re practically prisoners in our own homes.”
Dread fills my stomach. “I realise I was a dick for attacking Fraser. If I hadn’t, none of this shit would have happened. I should have kept my cool.”
“We’ve been through this and rightly or wrongly, you were protecting me.
Although, I do find his behaviour a little strange.
When we dated and he found out you and I were friends, he was over the moon.
He said he was a fan and, honestly, I thought the real reason he was taking me out was to meet you,” she jokes.
I lift her chin with my finger, catching her eyes. “Have you looked in the mirror lately? You don’t know what you’re saying.”
Her lips curl up at the side, and I wink back, huffing out a laugh at the thought of any man looking at Angie and not thinking she’s hot.
As we quieten down, the atmosphere takes a more serious turn. “I understand if being with me is too hard.”
Angie sits up. Her elbow leans on the back of the sofa while her fingers comb through my hair. “I can handle it. We just have to be careful, but it will never affect how I feel about you.”
“And how do you feel about me?”
She rolls her lips and there’s panic in her face. “I’m…I—”
My lips tighten in a straight line and I close my eyes. It’s stupid, but I hoped for more by now. For Angie, this is asking too much, too soon.
“I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay, I don’t want to push you into anything.” I smile, but I’m far from good. I’ve fallen for her. Completely this time.
Angie throws her head back and her hands in the air. “Oh, God, you’ve got me all wrong.”
I'm unsure what she means. “Why? What’s going on?”
Her hand cups my face. She looks right into my eyes while rolling her lips together as if she’s contemplating what to say. Then she shakes her head slightly. “Sod it.” She shrugs. “If you want the truth, I want to be with you twenty-four-seven. There, I said it.”
My head drops. “Fuck, I thought—”
She touches my hand, and I have nowhere left to look except for the deep blue pools of her eyes.
“I’m sorry if I confused you, but the truth is, every time you’re near, I need to touch you, lick you from head to toe, and… other stuff.” She blushes, glancing at her feet for less than a second. “I want you so badly it hurts.”
When her focus returns to me, her lips part and glisten after her tongue slowly runs over them. I’m in so much trouble, but I don’t care. She’s falling for me too. That’s all I need to hear.
“But…”
Whatever this ‘but’ is, my bubble doesn’t have to burst. I can deal with it.
“…each time we’re close, I can’t shake this guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach.”
“Because of Fraser?” I ask, wishing this guy would disappear.
“Not Fraser.” Angie takes a deep, noticeable breath. “Because of Scott.”
I lean forward. “Take my hand, babe.” Her hand folds into mine. “You feel that?” I ask her.
She nods and her lips flicker into a smile.
“It means I've got you. That's what you should feel, not guilt.”
She closes her eyes. “Jesus, Tom. I wish it was that easy.”
“It can be. Do you know how long I've wanted you?” Her eyes dart to mine, and I glance at our joined hands. “Remember the first time we played Braebeach festival?”
“Your first major gig? Of course I do.” Her face lights up.
“Well, after our set, I tried looking for you.”
She shakes her head. “I didn’t know that.”
“I wanted to talk to you because I knew I’d made a mistake. The thought of losing you was driving me crazy and I wanted you to take me back. I guessed you’d probably gone home and I’d catch up with you before we left town the next day, but it didn’t happen.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I didn’t leave. I camped over that year.”
“Yeah, I know. I found out about you and Scott months later, which is when I had to accept that we were over. Up until that point, I thought we’d hook up again once I got home from the States.”
Angie squeezes my hand and we’re silent for a few seconds until I say, “Scott told me a long time ago that you two got together at the festival.”
Her hands leave mine and her fingers run across her forehead as if she’s embarrassed. “Jesus, why would he do that?”
“It wasn't like he was bragging, more like thanking me for doing him a favour. When I didn’t return from the States straight away, he made his move on you. I don’t blame him.
” She blushes, and I can’t help brushing the back of my hand across her cheek.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I’d want to shout it from the rooftops if you were mine too. ”
“Don’t, Tommy.” She looks away.
“Don’t what?”
“Talk about the two of you like it was a competition and he won. I believe in fate, and I think that whatever happened between you and me, Scott and I would have found each other eventually.”
My words are hurting her, and that’s the last thing I want. I’m not trying to imply that if we’d got back together, Scott would never be in the picture, but that’s how I’m coming across. I need to explain this better.
“You know, when I lost you, I missed you. It hurt like fuck, but I also knew I wasn’t good enough and Scott was.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the two of you were meant to be.
I had a lot of growing up to do before I could think about any relationship seriously.
I didn’t see it like that at the time, but now it all makes sense. ”
“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” she says as her fingers smooth across my stubbled jaw.
She looks so worried, so I try to reassure her. “You didn’t. It was self-inflicted.”
She sighs, then takes my hand. “Just for the record, you were always good enough, Tom. What we had was bad timing.”
“Maybe.” I shrug.
Her mouth flickers into a smile. “I know it was.” Then she shifts her body next to mine and my lips are so close to hers when she says, “Tommy?”
“Yeah, babe.”
“Don't give up on me, okay?”
I lean in a little more. “I won’t. We’ve come so far; I’m not going to lose you now.” She’s so close I can’t hold back, and press my mouth to her full, cherry-red lips.
When we part, there are a few silent seconds when her eyes are closed, and she takes in a breath. She’s beautiful beyond compare but has no idea.
Slowly, she lays her head against my chest, and her body moulds with mine. “Can we make an agreement and start afresh? We need to stop dwelling on our messy past.”
There’s a warm sensation in my chest. “Okay.” I smile. “Sounds like a plan.” I note her eyes shine as I lean forward and steal another kiss.
When we pull back, Angie says, “At no point did I ever stop caring about you, Tom. I always wanted you to be happy.”
She still cared for me even when we weren’t together. I didn’t deserve her back then. I wasn’t ready for anything more, but I’m more than certain, I’m all in now.