Chapter 19 Twice the Luck
TWICE THE LUCK
ANASTASIA
After the movie, and a round of applause, people stop by our seats and congratulate me, from fellow writers to the co-stars.
Of course, when I introduce each to Nana, they smother her with adoration.
I’ve never seen her smile wider, and how pretty she looks tonight in her green floral dress and shiny green beads around her neck.
We had gone shopping together for our gowns a few months back and had both decided to wear green for luck.
The same cute usher who initially sat us happens by at the right moment as the theater is emptying. I reach out to stop him. “Excuse me. Will you take photos of me and my friend to commemorate this moment?”
“Sure thing,” he smiles.
We pose side-by-side together in front of the stage. I mentally add buying matching frames to my to do list so that she and I can both have a copy of this photo to display in our homes to commemorate this night. I’ll add it to my framed photos of me and all my friends at home.
Home… I almost forgot I don’t have one. Mine is still in the middle of construction. And I’ve been playing “home” with Saint. Now what? Or should we take some time to be apart and make sure we have something worth fighting for? I suppose that all depends on how the next conversation with him goes.
“Smile, ladies. Beautiful,” the usher says.
For Nana’s sake, I release my worries for now and smile widely, as best I can, squeezing her into my side. After he snaps a few, my attention is taken by someone ambling down the aisle toward us. It looks like—Saint? I blink twice to make sure the dimly lit theater isn’t playing tricks on me.
“Why, look who it is? Go to him, dear. A devilishly handsome man like that with eyes raking over you like he owns you is definitely worth fighting for,” Nana encourages and gives me a little shove in the right direction, like she’d been doing all night with her kind words of compassion.
While I hesitate, she hooks her hand into the young man’s arm and walks off to the side with him. “Now. Tell me, young man, what is your relationship status?” Nana is in good hands with the strapping guy.
I turn to Saint with all the emotions I’ve held back becoming too much and I sputter, tears brimming in my eyes and my throat threatening to close.
He stops about ten feet from me, looking so perfect in his tuxedo, except for the worry lines and circles under his eyes.
“Hi, angel. I hope I can still call you that even though I fucked up. Badly.” His voice cracks.
“I’d grovel on my knees across hot coals to make it up to you.
Please, forgive me. If you’ll give me another chance, I swear I’ll fight for you every second of the day to make sure we survive together.
Because I can’t lose you. You’re my everything, my here and now—”
I sprint up the aisle as fast as these heels and this tight dress will allow me. His grin grows as I approach, his arms readying.
“You better catch me,” I warn.
“Always, angel. I would never let you fall.”
I launch into his arms, and he holds me tight, swinging me around. There’s no stopping my tears now.
“You’re really here,” I cry as he sets me back on the floor. “You missed my movie, but no matter.”
“I didn’t miss a thing. I got here just in time to see the opening credits and your name light up the screen.” He cups my face and swipes my tears away. I swipe his. We’re a mess.
My forehead creases. “Why didn’t you sit by me?”
“I wanted to give you space after everything that happened, so I took a seat in the back row. Besides, this night was yours to shine.”
“You watched it?”
“The entire thing, and it was really good. Funny and touching. Excellent dialog and banter between the characters. Don’t tell anyone, I shed a tear at the end.” He chuckles and kisses my forehead. “I’m so proud of you and your talents, angel.”
“I can’t believe you’re really here,” I say, wanting to pinch myself in case I’m dreaming.
Forget forehead kisses. I throw my arms around him, my lips finding his jaw and kissing along the scruff there.
“The way I left you on the roof wasn’t right.
I’m sorry I let it get to me how you brood over Lilah, but I know what she means to you. I’ll be more understanding, I promise.”
“But you mean more. I got so hung up on the past, I couldn’t see what was in front of me. I can’t lose you, because I’m in love with you, Anastasia.”
“You mean that?”
“With all my heart. You saved me. Somehow, you were able to see the pain inside of me and help me lay it to rest by giving me hope again.”
My chest overflows with new hope for us and our future. I believe we can make it work now. Somehow we’ll get through this. “Oh, I have something for you.”
I produce the rabbit’s foot from my pocket. His eyes light up when I place it in his hand. “To replace the one you have.”
“No. Now I have two. Some people aren’t lucky finding love once, but I’ve found it twice. The past and the present.” He pockets both of them together.
“And the future. Because with a little luck, we’ll make this last.”
“Damn right we will, my angel.” He lifts me and twirls me around in his arms again.
“I love you so much, Saint. We should celebrate.”
“I love you, too.” He growls and drops his voice. “You know exactly what I’d like to do to celebrate.”
I chuckle and glance back at Nana. “Save that for later tonight in bed. There’s an after party with some of the cast and crew, and I promised Nana the full Hollywood treatment tonight. She’s too excited about it and I can’t let her down.”
“Hm. The full Hollywood treatment?” He twists and peeks a few rows behind him. “Oh Mother? How would you like to meet your number one fan?”
“You brought your mom?” I ask with curious eyes.
“Today was her last day on the show. After you left the house, Jimmy called me to come get her. She’d gone to McCool’s after filming wrapped up and gotten wasted, sad about leaving the show.
We actually talked in the car on the way here, and it did me some good.
I broke down and told her about Lilah and about losing the child.
We even talked about you. So, she and I have come to a much needed understanding,” he mumbles as she draws near.
“A fan, you say? Do I look okay?” Barbara smooths her hair into place, her words slightly slurred.
“You’re beautiful, as always. Nana has watched every episode and every show you’ve ever starred in. Would you be okay to meet her?” I point in Nana’s direction.
“Would I? Yes. Oh, I needed this today. Thank you.” She starts off, but then turns back.
“And Anastasia? Lovely movie. Brilliant, in fact. I have some ideas. I’d love to share them with you and have you write a script for me to star in.
We should do brunch soon.” To her son, she says, “Like I told you, Miles, Anastasia is a keeper.” She leaves us and marches right over, Nana’s smile growing from ear to ear as she realizes who is approaching her.
While the two women have a lovely conversation, Saint holds me in his arms and doesn’t let me go.
“I know we have a lot to talk about and figure out yet. But I assure you, I’m ready,” he offers.
“I’d like that. For tonight though, let’s just enjoy ourselves. Tomorrow we can wake up in each other’s arms and begin again, starting fresh, not leaving out any details.”
“Perfect, angel. I’m so relieved I didn’t lose you for good.”
“The fact you showed up here for me, makes me believe you want to still fight for us. So, you didn’t lose me. I just hope we’ll get past this.”
“We will. I know it.” A mischievous smile spreads over his face. “So… if this were a movie scene you wrote, you know, the one where the guy grovels and gets the girl back? How’d I do?”
I have a chuckle at that. “You got lucky. I couldn’t have written it any better.”
“In that case, you know what we do now?”
“What?”
“Isn’t this usually the part of the movie where the characters kiss and live happily ever after?” He wiggles his brows.
Warmth spreads through my body as I go in for that kiss. “Yes, it is.”
Happily ever after… suddenly looks very promising.