Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
For a long time, they lay entwined, waiting for their hearts to slow down, both spent and happy.
Arch wished the moment could last forever.
* * *
Arch wasn’t surprised to hear from his agent the next morning, given that Jay always monitored the news and social media after an event that Arch attended. However, instead of giving him feedback, Jay’s first question was, “Who’s this new woman on your arm? Is she an actress I should be signing? Because she looks great on camera.” Almost as an afterthought, he said, “Oh, and you were great last night. The silver-topped cane was a nice touch.”
They’d eaten breakfast, and he and Tessa had been enjoying an unusual lazy morning, lingering over coffee, so she was sitting beside him. Though his cell phone wasn’t on speaker, she could likely hear every word Jay said. He was not a quiet man.
He glanced at Tessa, who wasn’t even pretending not to be listening. “She’s—”
He couldn’t lie and say they were just friends. It wasn’t true, and he didn’t want to pretend anymore. Tessa belonged beside him on the red carpet. And in every other place he’d ever walk, he wanted her by his side.
In the silence, Jay said, “What do I tell reporters about her? If she’s not a starlet, they’re going to think she’s your new girlfriend.”
“I’ll call you back,” he said and ended the call. He turned to Tessa. “You heard him. Everyone’s dying to know who the mystery woman is.”
“But people weren’t looking at me. They were looking at you.” She seemed genuinely puzzled.
He pulled out his laptop and within seconds found footage of the red carpet last night on every entertainment website. In every shot, Tessa was beside him, looking as though she belonged there. He clicked through several sites, and there they were, always together.
“I love this one,” he said and turned the laptop so she could see better. It was a still photo where he had his arm around her, and they were both smiling for the camera.
“Can’t you ask Jay to tell them that I’m your rehab nurse?”
“Nope.” He didn’t so much as pause before saying it. “Because no one will believe it. You know as well as I do that we look like a couple.” He was silent for a beat. “We are a couple.”
There was a pause while she remained speechless, and his heart began to pound. He was about to take the biggest gamble of his life. Archer Davenport, who’d always been so confident with women, was so nervous that his palms were sweating.
He was about to say words he’d never said before. But it was time. And it was his ultimate truth. The one thing he knew with more certainty than anything else.
“Tessa, I’m in love with you.”
That was all he had. The bare truth. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but in the silence, he was suddenly frightened out of his wits.
What if she doesn’t feel the same way?
What if she doesn’t love me back?
She looked stunned and just stared at him with those gorgeous eyes of hers.
He took her hand. “I want to call Jay back and tell him you’re the love of my life. I want to shout from the rooftops that you’re mine.”
This was the most vulnerable he’d ever been. She opened her mouth, and he waited for what she had to say… but it was like she couldn’t find the right words. He was praying she’d say I love you too, but the longer he waited, the more awful the silence became.
Finally, she took a breath. “Why does your agent have to tell them anything? What you and I are building right now is just between us.” She squeezed his hand. “I’ve never felt like this with anyone, Arch.” Another pause. “But I’m scared.”
He knew exactly what was holding her back. Not just the circus that came with his fame, but the emotional scars left by her husband. A man she’d clearly never felt true love with, given what she’d just said.
How could he let her know he was nothing like that cold, controlling man? He might be dead, but there was no doubt in Arch’s mind that he was still messing with her, even from the grave.
“I’ve never felt like this either, Tessa. Only with you. And I’ve never told any other woman that I love her. Only you.” Though she hadn’t said the three little words back to him, he slid his fingers through hers. He understood that she wasn’t where he was. Not yet. But hopefully she would be soon. “You don’t have to say it back. I just feel that what we are sharing together is too special to be one-sided. At least I hope so.”
She stared down at their joined hands. “I swore I wouldn’t get emotionally involved… but I can’t lie to you and say I haven’t.”