When Dreams Come True (The Star Series Book 1) (21 page)

“Nonsense. You’re my top priority. Now, come here.” He gathered her in his arms as the lights of Paris flashed past their car window. “You just relax. We’ll be back to the hotel soon, and then we can go to sleep.”

“I feel like such a dud.” She rested her head on his shoulder.

“I could have danced with you all night. Instead, we’ll climb into bed together and I’ll still be able to hold you in my arms while we sleep. Either way, it’s a win for me.”

“I think you are better with words than I am.”

He laughed softly. “No, darling; it’s the British accent. It makes everything sound better.”

Smiling, she knew she couldn’t argue with him.

September 2015

As they left the drama of Paris behind, London bloomed in front of them. Royce filled the girls’ days with sightseeing and adventures while the evenings were spent at home with Will. Somehow, Royce had extended his stay from a few days to a week, but neither Lissa nor Hannah questioned why; they were happy for the distraction. In the evening, Will would come home to the place he’d rented for the duration of their stay which was near the theater, since he didn’t have a home in London, even though he had grown up there. They’d share meals and stories, or simply watch movies together. The four of them became very comfortable and close.

Since they were home, Will had let Beau have some time off to visit friends and family, and somehow Lissa had even gotten Hannah not to continually check on how things were going for her. They had both been working so hard for so many years to make a success out of her being an author she decided they needed a true vacation, especially Hannah. She was doing whatever it took to make sure Hannah relaxed and had fun.

While Lissa’s waking hours were spent in enjoyment and fun, her sleeping hours were something different. She couldn’t quite shake what had happened to her in Paris. There was nothing better than falling asleep in Will’s arms; she felt safe, protected and loved, but then sometime in the middle of the night everything would change. She’d wake up either from a nightmare or something just on the edge of panic, and her brain would start working and worrying and she’d be awake for hours.

Roaming the old house in the middle of the night, she’d learned where all of the squeaking boards were and could move around without waking anyone. Her favorite spots were the back sun porch, the small garden or the rooftop depending on the weather. Sometimes she’d work on her laptop, or write in a journal, or stare at the stars just thinking until she was finally tired and crawled back into bed with Will. There she’d fall into a deep, dreamless sleep, barely waking when he kissed her good-bye in the morning.

Lissa was wrapped in a blanket on the roof, looking out over the London lights and struggling to create a new story about one of them when the door opened. Royce came out and sat in the chair next to hers.

“You’re up early,” he noted.

Her heart sank; she hadn’t wanted anyone to know she was up. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Happen often?” He laced his fingers together and put them behind his head.

“No.”

“Liar.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “I’m willing to bet this has happened every night since Paris.”

“Maybe.”

“Does Will know?”

“What do you think?” The last thing she wanted was Will to be worried about her.

“Nope, you wouldn’t want to worry him. You know he’s going to be pissed when he finds out, right?”

She knew she was lying to herself as well as Royce. “I just need to work through this. I’ll be fine.”

“You know he wants to help. He’s got that damn ‘knight in shining armor’ crap going on.”

“Yes, yes, he does. But I can do this.”

Royce leaned forward and twisted in his chair so he was looking at her. “It’s not a matter of you being able to do this; it’s about you and Will. You both love each other, that’s plain to see, but you are very independent and don’t like asking anyone for help. I’m willing to bet you think you’re bothering them, even if they’re people who love you.” He held his hand up to stop her from talking. “No, don’t answer; we don’t need any more lies tonight. You know Will. He’s also independent, but at his core is the need to take care of the people he loves. It’s not that he doesn’t think you can do it; it’s that he wants to do whatever it takes to make your life better, easier, by taking care of you. Don’t you think it’s eating him alive he wasn’t there to protect you in Paris? That you turn from him every night and come out here by yourself?”

“He doesn’t know.”

“Doesn’t he? Tell me; when he’s not next to you, don’t you know even in your sleep he’s not there?”

Lissa looked down and picked at the blanket.

“You know, all you need to do is go down there and wake him up and he’d be there for you.”

“I know, but tomorrow is his last rehearsal. He needs his rest.”

“What about all the nights before tonight? Or did you have an excuse then? There’s always going to be something you think is more important, but really, what’s more important than the two of you? You’d be there for him, right? So why won’t you let him do the same for you?”

“Because…”

“Because you hate to ask people for help. Well, there’s nothing to stop me from asking for you.” Royce started to stand up.

Lissa’s hand shot out and grabbed his arm. “Please don’t.” They stared at each other. “Please. I want him to focus on this. When we get back to the States, I will.”

Royce sat down and held her hand. “Lissa, we both know once you two get back to the States you’ll come up with another reason why you shouldn’t burden him. Trust me; it’s a lot easier to go through things with someone by your side to help you.”

She sat there and looked at him, past the sarcastic, fun movie star to the man underneath. She saw there was more he kept hidden from people. “Why are
you
up in the middle of the night?”

“We all have our own demons. Sometimes they’re just harder to keep down.”

When he didn’t say any more, Lissa let the subject drop and sat there thinking about Will. She knew Royce was right about everything. She’d know it all along, but she hadn’t been willing to admit it. Somehow she was going to have to learn to depend on someone to help her, and even ask for help sometimes. “You’re right.”

“Excuse me? Did I hear right? Did you, a female, just tell me, a mere male, that I was right?” He started looking around. “Is there a hidden camera somewhere? This is a joke right? What’s the punch line?”

Lissa leaned over and punched him in the shoulder. “There’s your punch line, jerk.”

“Ow… geez, who knew you could really punch.”

“Hello, I live with Betty Boxer. What do you think we do when we need to get our frustrations out?”

He wiggled his eyebrows up and down, “Do you ever get in the ring together? Maybe get some jello, or mud in there?”

“Pervert.” She laughed. “No, she worries she’d hurt me, so we don’t.”

“Hmmm… would she?”

“Oh, yeah. She’s a lot better than me.”

“Good to know.” He tapped his finger to his lips. “Good to know. Now, are you done? I’m trying to be a gentleman, but it’s fucking cold up here and there’s no way I can leave you up here alone, even wrapped in that nice, warm blanket.”

“Yes, I’m done.”

“Are you going to talk to Will?”

“Yes, but not now.” She waved her hand when he growled at her. “I promise, as soon as we get back to the States. We actually have a bit of time to set up the house in Chicago before filming starts, so it’s perfect.”

“You’d better be prepared for him finding out sooner and being pissed at you.”

“I always worry the worst is going to happen.”

Royce shook his head at her. “How do you not have nine ulcers right now?”

“No idea, but I can tell you that by me worrying about the worst always happening, it hardly ever does.”

His hand came up and then dropped back down. “How can… never mind, I’m not even going to try to reason with you, or wrap my head around your logic. That’s Will’s job. Let’s go in before I have to get a couple of toes amputated for frostbite.”

“Oh, it’s not that bad.”

Raising his eyebrows at her, he pointed to her feet. “Says the women in a blanket, robe and slippers.”

“See, smart, and not worrying about getting frostbite.”

He wrapped his arm around her neck and gave her a hug, leading her toward the stairs. “Twerp.”

Lissa was in the kitchen putting the popcorn into bowls when she heard the doorbell ring. Without thinking, she went to the door and opened it to six adults and three children, all crowded around.

“Mum! Dad! What are you doing here?” Will asked as he came up behind her.

“Do you think we’d stay away? Come now.” His mother pushed her way into the house with everyone following behind her. “Let’s get settled. Now William, darling, don’t just stand there. Introduce us to this lovely lady who answers the door with snacks for the weary traveler.”

“Oh, yes, of course.” He wrapped his arm around Lissa. “Everyone, this is Melissa Loring, or Lissa for short, and I love her.”

Lissa’s face flamed red and she looked up at him with her eyes opened wide. “William!”

“Oh, come now, dear. We’re his family, and quite frankly, it’s written all over his face. He may be a world-famous actor, but he can’t get anything by his family.” His mother patted Lissa on the shoulder.

“Except that time he broke your good china plate, which he blamed on me, and you believed it,” said the attractive blonde with a baby in her arms.

“Oh, come on, Lizzie; that was years ago. I was only seven, for crying out loud.” Will reached out, grabbed the baby from her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“You’d think Mum would have believed me, considering I
was
the oldest, after all. But
no
, her sweet little William would never lie about that.” Lizzie narrowed her eyes at him. “But I did get you back, didn’t I?”

Will laughed. “Yes, you did. I never did find my favorite car.”

A younger, equally attractive woman slid between the two. “Yes, then you both ganged up on me.” She looked at Lissa. “I can’t tell you how many times I took the blame for these two, always picking on the youngest.”

“Oh, yes, Ellen. We call those the good old days, don’t we, Will?”

“We sure do.” He bumped shoulders with Ellen. “I think we could still get away with it, right, Liz?”

“Completely.”

“Well, hello there, Martinssons!” Royce’s voice boomed from the top of the stairs. “Why didn’t someone tell me we were having a party? I would have put my hat on. Come in, already; you don’t all have to stand in the doorway! Lizzie and Ellen, my two lovely ladies, did you have to bring your husbands? How am I supposed to charm you?” He laughed as they shook their heads and him and turned to yell back up the stairs. “Hannah, baby! Shake a leg, we’ve got company! Don’t leave Lissa and me to be the only Americans in this lot of British people.” He bounded down the stairs and stood next to Lissa.

Lissa backed up and hung onto the rear of Will’s pants as everyone passed by. The kids seemed to love their Uncle Will and had to stop to get hugs and kisses on their way by. She knew she had no poker face, but she hoped she was at least fooling them a little bit and no one knew how scared she actually was. She looked up the stairs to where Hannah was walking down.
Well, there’s one who knows exactly how freaked out I am.

“It’ll be okay.” Will leaned over and whispered in her ear. “They won’t bite. Just relax; they’ll love you just as much as I do.”

She should have known Will would have realized her anxiety; sometimes it surprised her that someone else besides Hannah knew her so well.

“Will, why don’t you go make sure your family gets to where they need to be. I’ll take care of Lissa and Hannah.” Royce waved Will off then turned to Lissa. “Just let me know now if you’re going to be on the roof again tonight so I can make sure I’m dressed appropriately.”

Lissa shook her head. “Too many people here now; I won’t leave Will.” Lissa wasn’t used to so many people worrying about her, or knowing her so well, or demanding she take help from them. Once Hannah joined them, they walked into the kitchen where Will’s mom was already opening cabinets and pulling food out.