Mr. Hollywood (Celebrity #1) (19 page)

“
I
didn
’
t want you to take it easy on me.
Tonight is the first time in ten years I
’
ve felt completely alive.
”
Fresh sobs came with these words.
“
How pitiful is that?
”

“
It
’
s not pitiful at all
—
or we
’
re
both pitiful then, because I feel exactly the same way.
”
I lifted her face back to mine and
bent to kiss her forehead.
“
Please tell me what I can do to
make this right between us. I
’
ve made such a horrible mess with
everything.
”

Giving a wry laugh, she shrugged.
“
I
’
m
not the person to ask. I
’
m just as confused as you are.
”

“
Well,
we need to figure something out, before we go and complicate things further.
”

“
I
know. I
’
ll speak to Dr. Bentley tomorrow
and see if he can assign you a new nurse.
”

“
I
don
’
t want a new nurse,
”
I complained.

“
Well,
you have to get one. I
’
m already in danger of being fired
when this is found out. I need this job. I need to be able to support Dustin
properly. This job means everything to us.
”

“
You
have my word that money will never be an issue for you again. Everything I have
is yours now, as far as I
’
m concerned.
”

Eyes staying locked with mine, her lips quivered.
“
I could never accept that. But
thank you for offering.
”

“
Offering?
Are you listening to yourself? You
’
re the mother of my son! You
’
re my family.
”

“
Really?
”
She seemed surprised. I needed to
set the record straight with her.

“
Don
’
t you get it? All this chaos going
on in my life right now is because of you. I
’
ve
spent all these years trying to find a way to get over you, only it never
worked. No matter what I did, it never erased you from my mind. I
’
ve thought about you every single
day.
”

“
Then
why didn
’
t you ever come for me?
”
More tears, dammit. She was ripping
my heart to shreds.

“
Because
you deserve so much better. I convinced myself that you hated me, once I never
heard from you again. I hated myself.
”

“
I
only hated you because I wanted you so badly
—
even
after I knew you hadn
’
t been faithful to me. I kept
dreaming that someday you
’
d come rescue me.
”

“
This
is so fucked up. I don
’
t know what else to say.
”

“
It
’
s okay. Neither do I. And don
’
t feel bad. This taught me to be
strong and to learn to rely on myself.
”

“
You
shouldn
’
t have had to go through it alone,
though.
”
Silence fell between us once more. I
simply held her as I stroked her damp hair and tried to assimilate everything
she
’
d told me.
“
What does Dustin look like?
”
I asked, finally, wanting to know
everything she could tell me about my child.

She laughed this time, and the sound was music to my
ears.
“
Exactly like you. I couldn
’
t have forgotten you even if I
wanted to. I see you in him every single day.
”
Straightening,
an excited look crossed her face.
“
Where
’
d
I put my clutch? I have a picture of him!
”

“
I
think it got dropped by the window with the rest of your clothing.
”

Jumping up, she scurried over to where we
’
d first had sex, digging through
the pile of clothes and retrieving the small purse. She reached inside and
pulled out her phone, quickly flipping through the screen before pausing.

I watched as her face changed as she stared at the
image. A soft smile spread across her face and her eyes lit up with all the
love in the world. Taking a finger she stroked the screen before glancing up at
me.

My breath caught. It was like seeing straight into her
soul and I had no doubt
—
no doubt
—
that our son was what kept her
going all these years. It was clear that she adored him.

 Moving next to me, she held the phone out.
“
This is our son.
”

Our son.
The words filled my soul like
nothing else I
’
d ever heard, making my heart swell
with joy. I couldn
’
t imagine anything better than
having a child with Aubrey.

Accepting it from her, I stared at the sandy brown
haired youngster, taking in everything about him from his bright blue eyes to
his wide smile. He looked happy and healthy, and almost identical to grade
school pictures of my own. If I had any doubt about this being my child, which
I didn
’
t, this photo would
’
ve been proof enough for me. There
was no way I wasn
’
t the father.

Something protective flooded through me. I needed to
know this boy
—
I wanted to know him. I wanted my
family. At the same time it scared me more than I
’
d
ever been scared in my life. I couldn
’
t fuck things up this time
—
and my past track record wasn
’
t looking too promising on that
front. Not to mention I had no idea if Aubrey would ever be able to fully trust
me ever again.

“
Can
I meet him?
”
I asked, my voice choked with
emotion.

“
I
’
d like that,
”
she said, her eyes tearing up some
more.
“
I
’
d
like that a lot. But I don
’
t want to confuse him either, Zane.
He
’
s lived all this time without you.
We need to do this gently.
”

“
I
’
ll do anything you want me to do,
Aubrey, anything. I just hope you can forgive me and let me be a part of your
lives.
”
I was wearing my heart on my sleeve
here. It was hers to embrace, or destroy, as she desired.

“
I
’
d like that, too.
”
She smiled at me, a soft sob
escaping her lips.
“
You have no idea how much.
”

“
When
can we go?
”
I asked, feeling suddenly
impatient.

“
Let
’
s talk to Dr. Bentley and Dr.
Wilson in the morning. We
’
ll tell them the truth about us and
see where they recommend we go from here.
”

Disappointment flooded me. If I had my way I
’
d jump in one of my cars and go
straight to meet my son this very moment. Of course that would most likely
traumatize him if a stranger were to awaken him in the night
—
even if I was with Aubrey.
“
Is he with your parents?
”

She nodded.
“
Yes. He
’
s staying the night with them.
Since my phone hasn
’
t been ringing off the hook and I
have no text messages, I
’
m assuming my parents still have no
idea that I
’
m out with you tonight. I told them
it was a work thing, since I didn
’
t have permission from you to tell
them you were in rehab yet.
”

“
They
must fuckin
’
hate me,
”
I said sadly, fondly remembering
the couple who
’
d become my surrogate parents. I
owed so much to them, yet I
’
d abandoned them, too.

She gave a half laugh.
“
That
’
s putting it mildly. It won
’
t be easy, Zane. My dad even
threatened to do you bodily harm if he ever saw you again.
”

“
Well,
tell him to do his worst. I deserve every bit of whatever he has to give me.
”

I didn
’
t care what I had to do. I was
going to make up my past mistakes to this family, even if it killed me.

“BEST DRESSED: Z
McCartney Mystery Date Wows Crowds in Stunning Dominic Florin Gown!”

~
Entertainment
Daily
~

Chapter Fifteen

Aubrey

Standing at the door to Dr. Bentley
’
s office, I felt restless. Checking
my watch for the umpteenth time, I pushed away from the wall, running a hand
through my straight hair, feeling positive I looked like a complete mess. I was
wearing one of Zane
’
s t-shirts and a pair of his
sweatpants that were double knotted at my waist to keep them from falling off.
I wasn
’
t wearing any makeup since we
’
d showered together and my eyes
were totally red and swollen from crying.

“
Aubrey,
calm down. Everything is going to work out. I promise.
”

Glancing over to where Zane casually leaned against
the wall with his arms folded, I wondered how he could possibly seem so
relaxed. I felt like my whole world was being turned upside down, and I was
scared stiff that I was about to lose my job in a few minutes, once the truth
of my behavior came out.

“
I
want to. I just don
’
t know how,
”
I replied honestly.

Dr. Bentley and Dr. Wilson chose that moment to turn
the corner, heading in our direction. They were both dressed casually, as they
had the weekends off as well, and other staff doctors came in to take care of
things. Since they were the doctors in charge of Zane
’
s care, and my bosses, I
’
d called them in for an emergency
meeting.

“
Good
morning,
”
Dr. Bentley said with a
smile, pausing to shake both of our hands. If he noticed anything odd about my
appearance, he didn
’
t comment. Neither did Dr. Wilson,
who also greeted us warmly.

Removing his keys, Dr. Bentley placed them in the
door.
“
Shall we go inside?
”

I glanced at Zane before checking the hallway.
“
We
’
re
also waiting for some of Zane
’
s people to arrive.
”

“
Here
they are,
”
Zane added, moving to greet
Penelope and the lawyer, whose name I still couldn
’
t seem to remember, and another guy
I hadn
’
t met before. I assumed this was
his agent, Luke Haywood. He
’
d told me about him when he
’
d placed the phone call to him
earlier.

After all the greetings and reintroductions
—
the lawyer's name was Mike
—
we moved into the office.

“
I
guess I
’
ll turn the floor over to you,
Aubrey, since you
’
re the one who called this
emergency meeting,
”
Dr. Bentley said as he sat at
his desk.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my nerves as I moved
to a place where I could see the faces of everyone seated in the room. My eyes
fell on Zane and he flashed me a nod of encouragement. Just knowing I had his
support made me feel stronger.

“
First
of all, I apologize for dragging you all here on your days off, but Zane and I
feel this is a time sensitive situation and it couldn
’
t wait until Monday.
”

“
Not
a problem,
”
Dr. Wilson spoke up.
“
We
’
re
always happy to help out.
”

“
Thank
you. I hope you will still feel that way after you hear what I have to say.
”

Immediately, puzzled expressions passed over everyone
’
s faces, and I hurried on.

“
I
haven
’
t been totally honest with everyone
—”

“
And
neither have I,
”
Zane interrupted. Standing,
he came to join me, slipping his hand into mine and lacing our fingers
together. Several sets of eyes perked up at that action, but he didn
’
t pause.
“
I picked this facility because I knew
Aubrey worked here.
”
He glanced between Dr. Wilson
and Dr. Bentley.
“
Aubrey was my girlfriend in high
school. She
’
s the one I
’
ve been talking to you about in our
sessions, Dr. Wilson. You see, I made a terrible mistake when I first moved
here. I cheated on Aubrey and was too much of a coward to confess my sins to
her. Instead of facing her, I left her behind and never told her why. I
’
ve been self-medicating and acting
out ever since, trying to forget about her. It didn
’
t work, obviously.
”
He squeezed my hand, glancing
briefly at me and smiled.

“
Last
night,
”
I continued on with the story,
“
was the first time Zane and I
really had a chance to sit down and talk since he came here. I
’
ve been trying to keep him at arm's
length, due to that fact that he
’
s a patient here
—
and due to the fact that I
’
ve been hiding a secret from him
for ten years.
”

He took over again.
“
Apparently
I got Aubrey pregnant before I left Montana. I just found out I have a nine
year old son.
”

Everyone in the room shifted, glancing around in
surprise, looking as if they didn
’
t know what to say. If Zane
noticed, he didn
’
t care, instead raising my hand to
his lips and kissing it, before turning his attention back to everyone else.

“
I
’
ve never stopped loving Aubrey, so
though her news is a shock to me, I couldn
’
t be happier. However, the press
was all over her last night and I promise everyone is out there digging around
today trying to find out who she is. They
’
re going to find out she has a son
—
who happens to look exactly like
me. This is going to cause a media frenzy. If they find out she works here, it
’
s going to lead them right to me.
”

“
And
then there
’
s the matter of our son,
”
I added.
“
Zane wants to meet him, but he
’
s in rehab right now. How can he
continue weeks of care without meeting his son? I don
’
t think that
’
s fair to either of them.
”

“
I
can see why you
’
re worried,
”
Dr. Bentley said, sighing, a
concerned expression on his face.
“
There
’
s
a lot we need to discuss it appears.
”

“
Wait.
There
’
s more,
”
I said, feeling terrible about
dumping so much on them.
“
Zane and I also rekindled our
relationship last night.
”
I faltered for a moment.
“
I mean we slept together.
”

“
We
definitely have a lot to talk about then,
”
Dr. Bentley said, seeming
alarmed.
“
This could have legal ramifications
if it ever got out. We can
’
t allow the institute to get a bad
name because one of our nurses is sleeping with her patient.
”

Hearing him say it like that made it sound so sordid
and sleazy. I hated it.

“
Just
to be clear, I want you to know that Aubrey was against all this from the
beginning. From the first moment she found out I was her patient, she said she
was having my care transferred to a different nurse because it was unethical.
”

Dr. Bentley opened the chart on the desk in front of
him, flipping through a few pages of Zane
’
s file.
“
I don
’
t
see that a request was ever made.
”

“
It
wasn
’
t,
”
I
said, weakly.
“
I changed my mind.
”

“
But
only because I begged her not to. Even then she hardly spoke to me, except when
she was doing her routine rounds. There was never any inappropriate contact
while she was at work.
”

“
She
was working last night when she went with you to the event,
”
Mike reminded.

“
Yes,
but I
’
m the one who was paying those
wages, so she still wasn
’
t technically working for
Sunnybrook. She
’
d been employed by me to keep me on
the straight and narrow.
”

“
And
how did that go?
”
Dr. Wilson asked.

“
He
did very well,
”
I replied.

“
No
I didn
’
t,
”
Zane
spoke up.
“
When I first found out she
’
d been keeping my son from me for
all these years I was angry. I opened my fridge and reached for a beer. Of
course there weren
’
t any in there, since Penelope had
poured them all down the sink before I was admitted. Still, I reached for it
all the same. It was the first thing I turned to for help.

“
That
’
s also why Aubrey was afraid to
tell me about our son. She didn
’
t want to jeopardize my treatment.
”
Fixing a stare in Dr. Bentley
’
s direction, he sighed, shaking his
head.
“
Please don
’
t fire her. I swear I pressed her
hard
—
practically coerced her into
everything
—
even the sex. She kept telling me
we needed to talk and there were lines that couldn
’
t be crossed. I refused to listen.
I was determined to do whatever necessary to get her back into my life. I
’
ve missed her for so long.
”
He glanced at me again.
“
I love her with all my heart and I
have a lot of making up to do.
”

“
I
love you, too,
”
I whispered back. His words
making me feel so happy that it helped to greatly relieve some of my anxiety.

“
You
two come take a seat so we can sort this all out,
”
Dr.
Bentley said, gesturing to the chairs and Zane led me over to sit.
“
First off, I guess I need to ask if
there is anything your people need to take care of with this revelation?
”