Mr. Hollywood (Celebrity #1) (32 page)

“
Sorry,
”
he said, leaning casually against
the doorjamb.
“
I was eavesdropping just out of
sight.
”
He glanced at Dr. Wilson and waved
his finger over him.
“
I have to say, I like what I
’
m hearing. You are a very wise man.
”

Dr. Wilson smiled warmly.
“
I
’
m
glad to know my many years of schooling are paying off somehow.
”
He extended his hand.
“
It
’
s
nice to see you, Mr. Scott. Both Zane and I are pleased that you were willing
to join us.
”

Rising, I nodded, but didn
’
t move forward to greet him. I didn
’
t want to make any sudden movements
that might make him nervous or could be perceived as a threat.
“
Yes, thanks for coming to meet with
me.
”

Staring, he didn
’
t move any closer.
“
I see you
’
re still as handsome as ever. You
must
’
ve stayed away from the heroin.
Good for you. That shit will mess you up.
”

“
Honestly,
I
’
ve dabbled with it on several
occasions. I just happened to be lucky enough to not take to it as badly as
others have.
”

“
I
know what you mean there,
”
he said, walking closer and
pointing to the doctor
’
s usual chair.
“
May I sit here?
”

Dr. Wilson closed the door and hurried over.
“
Please, sit wherever you
’
ll feel comfortable.
”

Andy sat, placing his hands on his knees. Despite his
golden good looks and muscular form, he reminded me of a queen getting ready to
hold court or something. I had to bite my cheek not to smile. He actually seemed
kind of funny
—
like someone I might like under
normal circumstances.

The realization hit me hard. I probably
had
liked him. Maybe that was what led to the two of us hooking up.

Hooking up.

Nausea rolled through me at the thought and memories
of how enraged I felt suddenly cascaded over me. It was strange. I was the one
who
’
d beaten him, yet I felt like
I
was the one facing my
attacker. What the hell was wrong with me?

Sweat began beading on my upper lip and I fought to
suppress the urge to scream out loud.

“
I
know this is your session,
”
Andy spoke again.
“
But I
’
ve
done a lot of soul searching about what happened between the two of us over the
past several years. I know this doesn
’
t make up for anything, but I
wanted to apologize to you. What I did to you that night was wrong, and I
’
ve regretted my actions ever since.
I knew you were straight. And you were definitely plastered, but then again, so
was I. Looking back, I see so many signs that I misconstrued from you. I even
thought you
’
d called for me, but it was that
girl you were calling for. You were so out of it I didn
’
t realize until much later. By then
things were too far gone. If I
’
d have been in the place you were
in when you woke up, I would
’
ve reacted badly, too.
”

“
You
’
re apologizing to
me
?
”
I
asked incredulously.
“
I beat the shit out of you. If
anyone should be apologizing here, it
’
s me.
”

“
You
wouldn
’
t have had the opportunity to beat
the shit out of me if I hadn
’
t taken advantage of you while you
were vulnerable. Fact of the matter is we
’
re both to blame for this incident.
That
’
s why I didn
’
t press charges.
”

“
But
I broke your nose!
”

“
And
my eye socket, and my cheekbone, but who
’
s keeping track?
”
Smiling, he leaned forward a bit
and pointed to the bridge of his nose.
“
See this bump right here? That
’
s where it was busted. I think it
gives it character, plus guys love the story when I tell it. It makes me look
macho.
”
He waved his hand and laughed.
“
Anything that makes me sound macho
is good.
”

“
What
do you tell them?
”
I asked, slightly horrified.

“
I
never say your name, so don
’
t worry about that,
”
he rushed to reassure me.
“
I just laugh and say it was broken
after I accidentally took a straight guy for a tumble and he wasn
’
t too happy when he woke up.
”

“
And
they think that
’
s cool?
”
I was shocked.

“
They
do after the way I tell it and we all laugh together. You
’
ve been a great hook for me.
”
The smile on his face slowly faded
away and he stared at me for several long moments.
“
All kidding aside, I
’
ve never felt good about how I left
things with you. I came here to tell you, and the good doctor, that you don
’
t need me here. Dragging all this
out and hashing it over and over isn
’
t going to change what happened.
What
’
s done is done. We just need to
find a way to make peace with our situation and move on to greener pastures. I
don
’
t hate you, Mr. McCartney. I hope
that someday you won
’
t hate me either.
”

Sighing, guilt flooded me again.
“
Zane. You can call me by my real
name, which is Zane. I mean, we have slept together, after all. That should at
least make you on a first name basis right there.
”
It
was a lame attempt at a joke, but it was the best I had at the moment.
“
And I don
’
t hate you.
”

“
Thank
you, Zane. That means a lot.
”
He blinked repeatedly and
glanced away, waving his hand in front of his face.
“
It seems I have something in my
eyes.
”

Giving a half smile, I continued.
“
I wanted you to join us so I could
have the chance to apologize to you. I
’
ve made so many mistakes in my
life. Part of my recovery is to make restitution to the people I
’
ve hurt, but whether or not that
was one of my steps, I
’
d still want to make things right
with you. Not a day goes by that I don
’
t regret what happened and how I
reacted. What can I do to make this right?
”

Staring at me, he shook his head.
“
Absolutely nothing. There
’
s nothing for you to fix. My
experience with you put me in the same seat you
’
re
in now. I realized I was screwing up my life with drugs and alcohol, and was
almost killed as a result of it. As soon as I was well enough, I checked
straight into rehab
—
in this very facility, with this
very doctor.
”

Eyes wide, I turned to Dr. Wilson.
“
You knew?
”
I asked in disbelief.
“
Clear from the beginning?
”

He shook his head.
“
No.
I didn
’
t put two and two together until
you checked back in that night and gave me Andy
’
s
name when you revealed the assault. Even though you didn
’
t say his last name at that time, I
was able to put two and two together because the facts of the story were so
similar. Later you gave me his last name when I talked to you about meeting
with him, confirming my suspicions. I couldn
’
t
tell you I had treated him though, or I would
’
ve
broken patient confidentiality.

“
Andy
never gave your name, I simply knew it had happened with a famous celebrity.
Once I realized you were both patients of mine and I had his contact
information, that
’
s when I suggested you might try
meeting with him. I know Andy would like to close the door on this as much as
you do.
”

I hadn
’
t seen that little astounding twist
coming. I was totally blindsided.
“
I don
’
t
know what to say.
”

“
You
don
’
t need to say anything,
”
Andy said.
“
Just accept that fate did something
nice for you and be happy. Move on and enjoy your life. You
’
ve suffered over this for too long
as it is. I don
’
t hold you solely responsible. I
hold us both responsible. We both made really bad choices that night. Now we
are trying to fix them. That
’
s good enough for me. Is it good
enough for you?
”

“
I
hope so.
”
Emotion welled inside me, and
I didn
’
t know if I could continue speaking
without crying.
“
Thank you,
”
I managed to squeeze out. I never
expected forgiveness from him
—
for him to release me from the
trauma I
’
d put him through. It blew my mind.

“
Thank
you,
”
he replied,
“
for caring enough to try and make
it right. You
’
re a good man, Zane McCartney. I
hope you know that.
”

Shit.
Even my chin was quivering now.
“
Thank you. So are you.
”

Standing, he came over and sat beside me.
“
Are we okay?
”
he asked, resting a hand on my
knee. I didn
’
t even flinch. There was no need.
This man was no threat to me or anyone else.

“
I
think we are.
”

“
Good.
”
He patted my knee again and stood,
walking to the door and opening it, before glancing over his shoulder at me.
“
I hope we run into each other again
someday.
”
His eyes moved to the doctor.
“
And you
—
you just keep on being fabulous!
”
With that, he was gone out the door
the sound of humming going along with him until it faded away into nothing.

It was finally over. The guilt and self loathing I
’
d carried for so long had been
erased from the one place I least it expected it to come from.

Burying my face in my hands, I wept.

“Captured! Pictures of Z McCartney’s Son! Get the Exclusive!”

~
Paparazzi Watcher
~

Chapter Twenty-Five

Z

She was a vision.

I was torn between wanting to kiss her or the idea of
just standing here and watching her sleep.

The kiss won.

Kneeling beside the bed, I lightly pressed my lips to
hers, followed by another near her ear.
“
It
’
s
time to go, sleepyhead. Are you ready?
”
I whispered. Brushing a stray
lock of hair away, I laughed when I realized it was part of that awful wig she
’
d brought with her. It was tucked
up under her head.

Eyes fluttering, she stared at me in confusion.
“
What
’
s
going on?
”
she whispered and then her
eyes widened and she sat up quickly.
“
How did the session go?
”

Smiling, I sighed.
“
A
lot better than I ever hoped for. Come on. Grab your things and I will get my
suitcase. Let
’
s go to my place and I
’
ll fill you in. That
’
s if you don
’
t mind going to my place. I figured
we could talk about everything going on and see if we can
’
t come to some sort of an agreement
about how we want to raise our son.
”

“
Talk?
”
She raised her eyebrows.
“
Why don
’
t I believe that
’
s all you want to do?
”

“
Hey,
we
’
ve proven in the past we can both
talk and have sex at the same time. Why not kill two birds with one stone?
”
I couldn
’
t help my grin.
“
Besides it
’
s been ten whole days since I had
sex with you. My dick thinks you died and it
’
s
about to shrivel up and fall off.
”

Shaking her head, she stood, coming up to me.
“
You
’
re
so predictable.
”
She popped up on her toes and
kissed my cheek.
“
And if your dick is about to
shrivel up and fall off, then why is it bulging in your pants right now? I
certainly don
’
t see any signs of shriveling
—
only lots of growing.
”

Chuckling, I kissed her cheek.
“
I didn
’
t say it had fallen off yet
—
just threatening to.
”

She rolled her eyes at me and laughed.
“
Whatever. Let
’
s go.
”
Picking
her purse up off the table, she shouldered it.

“
Uh.
Can you perhaps put the wig in the purse? It
’
s
freaking me out a little. It looks like you scalped your mom and are carrying
it around.
”

A snort escaped her and she swung around, lightly
punching me in the arm.
“
You
’
re
such a geek.
”

Grabbing my suitcase, I laughed.
“
Geek? Wow. I think that
’
s pretty harsh.
”

“
And
what would you call yourself?
”

“
Intellectually
stimulating,
”
I replied without missing a
beat.

Pursing her lips, she gave me the once over.
“
Hmmm. I
’
ll give you the stimulating part.
”

Jaw dropping, I released an overly offended gasp.
“
Did you just call me .
 
.
 
. dumb?
”

Smiling widely, she headed out the door.
“
No.
You
just called yourself dumb, but if
you think I called you dumb, then perhaps we need to readdress the level of
dumbness going on here.
”

 
What?
“
Okay. I
’
m not even going to pretend I
understood any of that. Mother fucker
—
I really am dumb!
”

A loud burst of laughter escaped her, but she quickly
quieted it, glancing around.
“
Stop it! You are not. We all know
you
’
re just stupid.
”

I loved how she teased me.
“
Stupid crazy over you, you mean.
”

“
Are
you stupid crazy over me?
”
she asked, giving me a
girlish grin and I knew my comment had pleased her. I liked that.

Eyes traveling over her, I couldn
’
t believe she was back in my life.
It thrilled me.
“
You have no idea the level of my
stupid, crazy, love, when it comes to you. Or maybe you do.
”
I gave a weak laugh and she faced
me, but continued to walk backward.

“
I
love you. Do you know that?
”
Her face flushed, but not
with embarrassment, it was something else.
“
I
know we
’
ve said it before, but it seems
like most of the time it
’
s when I
’
m telling other people how I feel
about you. I want you to know that I love you. I always have. I always will, no
matter where we go from here.
”

Turning, she moved to a locked door with a keycard
reader and swiped something I assumed was her work ID. Following her, I was
surprised to discover a short hallway with another door that led outside.

The two of us exited the building together. Dropping
my suitcase to the ground, I cupped my hands to my mouth, shouting as loudly as
possible.
“
Do you hear that world? Aubrey Hart
loves me!
”

Spinning around, she launched herself at me, clapping
her hand over my mouth as she laughed.
“
What are you doing? Everyone is
going to hear!
”

Grabbing her around the waist, I pushed her back
against the door, which was shielded by some large hedges. Pulling her hand
away from my face, I replied.
“
Exactly, I want the whole world to
know how I feel about you.
”
Staring at her, I was once
again amazed at how kind fate had been to bring her back into my life.
“
I love you, Aubrey. So much.
”

Her eyes watered.
“
I
’
m glad,
”
she whispered.
“
I have more to tell you, too, but I
’
m afraid if I do, you
’
ll shout it to everyone.
”

Chuckling, I placed a light kiss against her lips.
“
Then let
’
s get back to my place. We can both
scream as loud as we want there.
”

“
Home
sweet home,
”
I said as we stepped off the
elevator into the apartment.

“
Where
do you want to eat?
”
Aubrey asked, carrying the
bag loaded with takeout items we
’
d picked up on the way.

“
Just
put them on the island, for now. Make yourself at home. I
’
m gonna toss this suitcase in the
laundry room real quick. I
’
ll be right back.
”

“
I
’
ll be here,
”
she replied.

Not wanting to be away from her a moment longer than
necessary, I hurriedly took my suitcase in and set it on the washing machine. I
wasn
’
t awesome enough to actually do my
own laundry. Rosita came in twice a week and cleaned my place and did all the
housework, including my laundry. I appreciated her help and would be happy to
see her the next time she came around. It seemed like ages since I
’
d seen her, which wasn
’
t uncommon since I was often away shooting
on location. But still, it was nice to have her around the house. It made me
not feel so .
 
.
 
. alone.

Returning to the kitchen, I stopped short, staring at
the scene before me. Aubrey had kicked her shoes off and was walking around
barefoot. Even in her mother
’
s clothes, she looked perfect,
stretching as she searched the cupboards for plates, glasses, and whatever else
she needed. I simply watched as she set us two places on the island, realizing
this was the first time in all the years I
’
d lived here that this place really
felt like home.

And it was all because she was in it.

“
Zane,
are you ready?
”
she called without looking,
stepping back to survey the dishes and then leaning forward to straighten
something.

I didn
’
t reply, continuing to watch as she
carefully dished the Mexican food onto the plates, before disposing of the
containers and washing her hands. This time when she turned, she noticed me.

“
How
long have you been standing there?
”
she asked, narrowing her eyes
at me suspiciously.
“
Long enough to realize you
’
re probably the only person who has
ever set foot in the place because you actually wanted to be here.
”

Her brow furled.
“
What do you mean? You have people
in and out of this place all the time.
”

Slowly, I began moving toward her.
“
Only because I pay them to be here.
They either all work for me, or they all came here hoping to get something
—
sex, drugs, money, whatever.
”

Glancing away for a moment, she had a mischievous
glint in her eyes when she looked back at me as I continued to make a slow
progression toward her.
“
What would you say if I told you I
’
m here for sex, too?
”