Chapter 15
“Will you stop laughing? It’s not funny.”
I contort my face into what seems like a million different expressions, trying to stop my laugh from escaping my mouth. “It is funny.”
Haley reaches over and punches my arm. I barely felt anything but she retracts her hand quickly and shakes it. “Ow. What about your mother meeting me for the first time, half-naked, in your t-shirt, with my hair sticking up on all ends is amusing to you?” She covers her face in her long-sleeved striped shirt. She took her sandals off about a half hour ago and her bare legs are propped up on the seat. I can’t help but notice, her shorts are so short that it looks like she’s wearing nothing. Again. God, those legs are going to kill me. “She probably thinks I’m some sort of loose woman just using you for one thing.”
I belted out a loud laugh. I can’t imagine anyone talking about Haley like that. Especially now that I know what her number is, that idea is even more comical. “Oh my God, Hales. She doesn’t think that. Trust me.”
I’m not lying. Haley went to quickly change into her dried clothes, I was able to talk to my mom. I didn’t tell her about the deal Haley and I made. It was the first time that I’ve lied to my mom in my adult life. But I couldn’t betray Haley’s trust. Haley’s trust means the world to me. My mom told me how happy she was that I found a down-to-earth girl who seems to be normal. She thought Haley was adorable, and she could tell she’s a good person. Even though I have done very well in my career, I know the one thing my mom worries about more than anything is that I try to live a normal life. She never wants me to get caught up in the “toxic influence” of Hollywood. That’s why I wanted to change the way I was living these past six months. I do not want to end up like my piece-of-shit dad, sleeping with woman after woman with no regard for their feelings, and I was sick of what the tabloids were saying about my love life (or lack thereof) even if their stories were, unfortunately, somewhat rooted in the truth. That wasn’t the mirror I was afraid of looking into. My mom is my ultimate mirror, and I knew that she was disappointed in me, even if she didn’t flat-out say so.
Now, I glance over at Haley and her knee is bobbing up and down. I’ve noticed she only does that when she is nervous. I reach my hand over and grab her thigh. A gasp escapes her lips, and she grows still. I was expecting her to move her thigh out from under my hand, but she doesn’t budge. Maybe she is getting used to me touching her in this way, trying to not appear completely repulsed by my touch. Even though my eyes are on the road, I can sense that she is looking at me.
“Relax, Hales. Everything is going to be fine. My mom really liked you.” Loved you actually. “Now remind me again what is happening tonight.”
She groans. “Even though we’ve gone over the schedule ad nauseam? And I put it in our synced calendars?”
“Even though,” I confirm. I know that running through the schedule again will help distract and calm her.
Sighing, she says, “Tonight is the welcome dinner. This is probably the most crucial night, Aidan. You are going to meet everyone–I mean EVERYONE–from my past.”
We reach the rental house and park in the driveway. This house is huge. It has white siding all around, black shutters, and two black lanterns that frame a black door. The flower beds are filled with purple and white flowers. There are some clouds in the sky and the small breeze from the ocean makes the tree branches sway.
I am about to meet two of the most important people in Haley’s life, and that makes me more nervous than pretending to date her for the tabloids. They’ve been her world for her whole life. For the first time, Haley is going to be the star of the show. The main character. My job is to be the supporting character. It’s territory that I haven’t occupied in a long time, but I am happy to do whatever I can to make Haley feel better.
Haley looks at me. “Are you ready for this, Stone? I need you to act like you are trying to win an Oscar. Got it?”
I grab her hand and kiss the top of it, throwing her a little off-guard. But instead of tensing up like she normally would, I sense her body ease. She’s finally letting me touch her without flinching. That’s the only way this thing between us is actually going to work this weekend. Capturing moments of us through photos is one thing. Being around family and friends for a long weekend is a whole other beast.
I squeeze her hand a little, hopefully assuring her that everything will be okay. “Same goes for you, Swann. And to answer your question, this is going to be the easiest acting job I’ve ever done.”
I don’t know what reaction I expect from her, but it isn’t this: she reaches over the console and wraps her arms around me so tight it takes my breath away. She whispers in my ear, “Thank you for doing this, Aidan.”
I strengthen my hold on her. She smells like fresh cucumber and mint body wash and her hair smells like her pomegranate shampoo, which is unexpectedly comforting. They are scents that have been in my life for the past three years, and I never want them to go away. “You’re welcome, Hales.”
Unfortunately she breaks the hug and unbuckles her seat belt. “I know Anna is here since we share locations, but my mom texted me that she ran to the store for some groceries. She should be back soon. Let’s do this.” She opens the car door and gets out.
I take a deep breath, turn off the ignition and exit the car. I hear a loud scream and see a petite blonde run out from the front door and beeline it to my girl. Well, at least for the next five days, she is my girl. I immediately smile, watching Haley embrace her best friend. It’s honestly the happiest I’ve ever seen her. I want her to smile like that forever. I want to make her smile like that.
That smile makes my heart want to jump out of my fricken chest.
Then a man, who I assume is Dan from the plethora of photos Haley made me study this past week, follows his fiancée out of the house. He embraces Haley for a split second, then Anna peels him off her best friend so she can resume hugging. It’s nice to see Haley so loved; she deserves that. I pop the trunk and get all our luggage and clothing bags out. Haley told me that Anna has her Maid-of-Honor dress here, so I just needed to bring some dress clothes for the weekend.
I start making my way toward the trio and I hear, “Oh my God!” from Anna. She walks right around Haley and comes straight towards me.
I reach out my hand and start to say, “Hi. I’m Aidan. It’s nice to mee–”
My introduction is interrupted by her lips landing on mine. What the fuck? Unfortunately, this has not been the first time a random girl has kissed me without warning. It’s happened multiple times while getting bombarded by crazy fanatics at press events, or even on the street for that matter. I’ve learned the art of gently, gracefully pulling away.
“Um, Anna? What are you doing?” Haley frantically makes her way over to my side.
“Yeah, Anna. What the hell?!” Dan exclaims. “You realize that I am right here, right?”
Anna’s eyes finally pop open. Her face turns beet red and her hand clasps over her mouth. A muffled “Oh my God” comes out through her fingers. She finally removes her hand and looks over at Haley, who appears horrified and confused and might I say, a little pissed.
“Hales, I am so sorry. I saw him walking toward us and totally thought I was dreaming and took a chance.” She shrugs and we all start laughing. “I am completely mortified. I am so sorry. Hi. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Anna Morgan. I’m Haley’s best friend.” She formally shakes my hand, which was my original game plan anyway, and then turns to Haley and says, “You know this is Aidan Stone, right?”
Haley puts her hand to her face and lets out a laugh. “Yes, Anna. I am well aware of that fact. He’s my date and…” Her eyes lock with mine and I nod slightly. “...and my boyfriend.”
Anna’s jaw drops to the floor. She mouths, “No way.” She steps aside with Haley and I hear in faint whispers:“What? How long have you been dating? How could you not tell me? This is huge news! You are dating Aidan fucking Stone, Haley! It is a big deal!” and I am finally able to shake Dan’s hand.
“Woah, bro, it’s an honor to meet you. I love all your movies, man. You are really talented. Holy shit, everyone is going to flip out that you”re here. Sorry about my fiancée. She doesn’t know the definition of boundaries.”
I laugh. “It’s all right, man. Congratulations. Thank you for having me here. Haley has told me wonderful things about you both. I promise I will keep a low profile here. This weekend is about you and Anna, and I don’t intend on casting a shadow over the most important weekend of your life.” I pull Haley in for a side hug. “Haley and I made a stealthy getaway out of Manhattan, so I guarantee there won’t be any paparazzi around. Pretend I’m not even here.”
“Yeah, like that’s possible, Aidan Stone!” Anna exclaims. “I want to hear all about how you two met, but let’s go ahead and get inside. I’ll show you all to your room.” She turns toward Haley and raises her eyebrows mischievously. Haley blushes slightly and shakes her head, reaching down to grab her luggage.
“Don’t even think about it, Swann,” I mutter low so only she can hear, hoisting her bags along with mine.
She smiles. “Thanks.”
“And this is y’all’s room.” Anna opens the door to one of the guest bedrooms. Correction. This is definitely the master bedroom. The large sliding glass door overlooks the ocean, with a private balcony just for us. The sheer curtains are blowing inward from the small breeze and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore fills the room. I roll the luggage into the small closet and hang up my clothing bags. There is a small sitting area off to the side next to the sliding door, and a large canopy bed in the middle of the room. Shit, there’s no couch. I guess I’ll be sleeping on the floor. I want to respect Haley’s space.
“Why don’t you two settle in and relax before tonight’s dinner. Hales, I’ll let you know when your mom gets here, okay?”
“Okay, thanks Anna,” Haley says, plopping her bag down on the massive bed.
Anna gives me a little wink as she shuts the door.
“Oh my god, Aidan, I am so sorry about what happened outside! I cannot believe that she kissed you!”
I laugh. “It’s okay Hales, really. Surprisingly enough, that is not the first time that’s happened to me.”
“Are you serious? So random women just come up and make out with you without your consent?”
It’s cute she thinks that what happened earlier could be considered “making out.” She doesn’t know what making out looks like for me. I guess she never will; although the kiss we shared at the afterparty was a pretty good start. God, that kiss has kept me wanting more for days now. I want to show her what a real make-out session looks like. I’m sure I could shift her perspective of what that term means.
I shrug. “Yeah, it happens occasionally. It’s always really jarring and I’ve never gotten used to all the hysteria. I mean, at the end of the day, I am just a person. I think people misconstrue who I really am with who I portray on screen. A lot of women love the idea of me rather than the reality. All they see is the guy on the movie posters and magazine covers. They just want fifteen minutes of fame. They just want one night–or if they do want a relationship, it’s for the wrong reasons.” I sit next to her on the bed, making her sink a little closer to me. “I want a woman who really loves me for me, and not because I make blockbuster movies or have more money than I ever thought possible.”
“And not because you are the sexiest man alive,” Haley adds. “I mean, according to People magazine. Not that I don’t think you deserve the title. I mean, look at you. Not that I am checking you out or anything or have any merit to make that assessment. Oh my gosh, this is coming out wrong.”
She is starting to spiral, so I save her from herself. “It’s okay Hales, I know exactly what you mean.” I look around the room. “So, I guess whenever we turn in for the night, I’ll grab a couple of pillows and blankets for a nice little makeshift bed on the floor.”
“Aidan, don’t be ridiculous.”
My heart thrums–I wasn’t expecting that to come out of her mouth.
Haley must notice the surprise on my face, because she explains, “What if Anna decides to pop in unannounced? We can’t have you sleeping on the floor. Then she will definitely be suspicious.” Then she looks down at the king-sized bed we are sitting on, maybe regretting what she just said. “Um, maybe we could put pillows in between us.”
“Whatever makes you feel comfortable.” I can’t imagine telling her that we actually slept next to each other last night. She would be mortified. Even though that was the best night’s sleep I’ve gotten in a long time. If only she knew how much I want to scoop her up and wrap my arms around her right now in this bed. I can’t let myself wander into those thoughts, though. She’s made it perfectly clear how she feels about me in that regard. Damn contract.
“Knock, knock.” I turn and see a woman who looks exactly like Haley. It’s like I’m looking twenty-five years into the future. Haley’s a dead ringer for her mom; the only difference is the eyes. Her mom has hazel eyes. I preferred Haley’s dark caramel colored eyes.
“Mom!” Haley runs over to her doppelganger of a mother and nearly knocks her over. The smile illuminating Haley’s face is unmatched. Forget the smile that I witnessed earlier. This is the smile I want to see on her face all the time.
“Oh Haley girl! I am so excited that you are here and you made it safely. Honey, you seem thin, are you sure you’re eating enough out in L.A.?”
“Yes, Mom, I’m eating plenty, trust me.”
I let out an involuntary laugh because in the three years I’ve known Haley, she’s never been one to skip any meals. “I can personally vouch for that. This girl eats enough for an entire football team. There’s no need to worry Mrs. Swann.” I step forward and extend my hand to her. “I’m Aidan Stone. It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am.”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. And please, ma’am makes me sound so old. Call me LeAnn. I don’t know why Haley kept you a secret from me. She usually tells me everything.” She glances at Haley, who gives a little shrug.
“Well, Mom. We had to be discreet about our relationship, especially since Aidan is…was…sort of my boss.”
LeAnn’s eyes grow wide. “Wait, this is the actor you work for?” She covers her mouth in astonishment. Here it comes. “Oh my goodness. I didn’t even process when you told me your name. You’re Aidan Stone. I saw you on the cover of People Magazine. And in the tabloids with a bunch of random women, who dare I say, were not my daughter.”
Shit. I revert back to when I was a child getting in trouble with my own mother for misbehaving. There is a sudden rush to beg for forgiveness from this woman. I don’t want her to think the worst of me based on my most recent behavior. Before Haley can defend me, I have to man up and tell her the truth…well, the truth that Haley and I established with my own mother less than twelve hours ago.
“I know what you’re thinking. Based on all the press that you have seen about me as of late, I’m not good enough for your daughter.”
I look directly into LeAnn’s eyes and notice a flicker of surprise. I don’t think she was expecting me to say that, being who I am. I’m sure she has preconceived notions about me, just like the rest of the world does. That’s the main flaw of being so famous–there is zero margin for error, for mistakes, for being human. If you make any misstep, it’s hard to come back from. The world doesn’t forget.
I lean toward Haley and take her hand in mine. Then I look back at her mother and continue, “LeAnn, your daughter is probably the best person that I’ve ever met in my life.” Now for the little white lie. Actually, the big white lie–the same lie Haley told my mom this morning. We have to keep our story straight. “Those other women by my side these past six months were there to ward off the paparazzi and leave a trail of fake breadcrumbs, so to speak. I didn’t want to jeopardize our relationship or Haley’s privacy by having the world track our every move and infiltrate themselves where they frankly don’t belong–in our love life.” I feel Haley’s hand flinch a little when I say the word love. It just slipped out. Maybe from all those scripts Chris has been sending me. The perfect words are spewing out of my mouth and I can’t stop. I don’t want to stop until LeAnn believes me.
I need her to believe me.
“Those women don’t mean anything to me. They were pawns in a game of chess. All set up by my publicity team.” I let go of Haley’s hand, wrap my arm around her shoulders, and pull her in close. It’s scary how much I like how she fits next to me. It seems natural and easy. I look down at Haley and her face is full of gratitude. She isn’t tense in my embrace–finally, she is totally relaxed, which I hope will help sell this whole arrangement.
The crease in between LeAnn’s eyebrows fades as she notices how relaxed her daughter is in my arms.
“Mom,” Haley chimes in, “Aidan’s right. Those other women were orchestrated to be in Aidan’s life so our relationship could be protected. But since Anna’s wedding was right around the corner, we decided it was time the world knew about our relationship. It may seem out of the blue, but–” Haley looks back into my eyes, searching for my permission to continue. It’s as if we’re talking in code. “–we couldn’t keep it a secret anymore. Aidan’s image was being tarnished and dragged through the mud, and plus I hated keeping this from you.”
Guilt.
Instead of relief, I feel guilt. Guilt for making Haley lie to her mom about our “relationship.” She is keeping a secret from her mom and it is all for me. If only LeAnn truly knew how much I wasn’t lying when I said Haley is the best thing to ever happen to me. I don’t deserve her–that much is true.
LeAnn smiles. “Well, in that case, welcome to the family, Aidan. I look forward to getting to know you more. One thing you should know about my daughter is that she doesn’t let people in easily. Her walls are usually impenetrable.”
“Geez, Mom. Thanks a lot.”
“That being said, you seem to have found a way to basically demolish those walls. Not many people have been able to accomplish that. You should consider yourself lucky.”
Hugging Haley a little tighter, I respond, “Trust me, I do.”