Take Two

Chapter Nineteen

Maddie pulled a button-down black shirt out of the closet to drape over her tank top, and glanced at Micah, still half-asleep in the bed behind her.

As if feeling her gaze, he stirred. “What are you doing?” he mumbled.

“Getting dressed.”

“Stop it. Take your clothes off and get back in here with me.”

She grinned. It took every ounce of strength she had not to obey him. Not just because he made her horny as hell, but also because she liked being with him. Loved being with him. No matter what they did. In fact, after two and a half weeks of secret kisses during the day and passionate lovemaking at night, she was beginning to hope the two of them had something that would last beyond the shoot.

But since she couldn’t be sure he felt the same, she desperately wanted to hold on to each moment, including this one.

Unfortunately, she had to leave for location in twenty minutes. “You know I can’t.” She relished in his pout, then leaned over the bed to give him a swift kiss. “So, lover boy, what are you going to do with your day off?”

“Actually…” He paused, stretching his beautiful naked body.

Maddie’s eyes widened as they wandered to the delicious V of his lower torso that peeked above the sheets. She was so distracted she almost missed his answer.

“…with Lulu.”

Lulu? Did he say he was spending the day with his mother? “Excuse me, what did you say?”

“My mother. She’s coming in this morning. Fudge is picking her up from the airport after he drops you off on the set.”

“Oh.” Micah’s mother was flying in. And this was the first she was hearing about it. “Oh,” she said again, straightening.

She turned to the mirror and redid her hair’s ponytail, even though it looked fine already. “How long is she going to be here?” Maddie hoped her voice didn’t sound as choked as it felt.

In the mirror, she saw him sit up and lean back against the headboard. “Today. Then I’m sending her off to a spa in Estes Park first thing tomorrow morning.”

She watched her reflection’s brows furrow. “That’s not very long. You won’t get to spend any time with her.” But what she meant was that she wouldn’t get to spend any time with Lulu. And as her interest in Micah was growing exponentially every day, she had a strong desire to meet his mother. She didn’t even know much about Micah’s mother except that she’d been a former actress and that she’d helped push his career. There was so much more to glean from knowing her.

And she wasn’t going to get the chance.

“I have all of today with her. Believe me, that’s enough.”

Realizing that she couldn’t pretend to fuss in the mirror forever, Maddie sat in the room’s arm chair and tugged on her sneakers. Still unable to meet his eyes, afraid he’d see she was upset, she kept her focus strictly on her shoelaces. “How long have you been planning this?”

“Um, a couple of days. I’m taking her to the fundraiser thing tonight.”

He meant the Evening with Joss Beaumont, a charity event sponsored by the Denver Film Society. Beaumont had decided to wrap early that day and bought tickets for all of the cast and crew. Actually, it had been Bree’s idea, but the director took the credit. Though all of the crew had been invited, the focus would be on the VIPs. Bree had arranged for a red carpet at the theater for their entrances and publicized their attendance, hoping to draw more interest in the event.

Maddie stood but sat back down to redo her shoes when she realized her laces were too tight. Or maybe that was her chest. Everything felt tense and off. “Maybe I should go to Beaumont’s thing after all.”

“I thought you decided last week that you didn’t want to go.” Even Micah’s voice sounded tense. Had he picked up on her vibe?

She heard him moving and she turned to see his backside as he climbed out of the bed. “I don’t want to.” She didn’t. Not with even an ounce of her being. Sit through a night listening to the asshole talk about himself while a room full of people ooo’d and ahh’d? She’d rather shoot herself.

Besides, she hadn’t packed any dresses for Colorado. Bree had overnighted one to her for the event, but it was more formal than she was used to. Though dressing up for Micah had almost changed her mind. He’d never seen her in anything but tanks and jeans and sweats. And naked. He’d definitely seen her naked.

“Then don’t go.” He walked over to where she sat and pulled her up to stand in front of him. Then he ran his hands up and down her arms. “Stay home, take a bath. Enjoy the night off.”

Now that sounded like a good time. Except, not so much without Micah there. And was he trying to keep her away? “Do you not want me to go?”

“I didn’t say that.” He sighed and pulled her into his arms. “It’s just, like you said, why would you go to honor a man you hate?”

“That’s why I wasn’t going to go.” Even as he comforted her, she could feel the truth in her fear. He didn’t want her there. She didn’t like that. She wanted him everywhere with her. That he didn’t feel the same—was that an indication that he didn’t feel the same about where there relationship was going as she did?

She couldn’t think about that now. It was too big. One day at a time. And this day, his mother was coming into town. “But now your mom is going to be there.”

“Why does that change anything?”

Maddie pulled back to study him. Was he really going to pretend that his mother’s visit was insignificant?

He met her eyes then sighed. “Look, I don’t want to go either. But I have to go, because I don’t know, somehow people will give more money if I’m there. And you and I decided no press events so I thought it would be easier to take Lulu. It was either that or go as Heather’s date.”

“No way.” She brushed past him and busied herself with gathering her computer into her bag.

“And that’s why I invited my mother.” His voice changed, as though he suddenly understood. “Does that bother you, Maddie? Did you want me to ask you?”

“No, no that’s not it.” She zipped her bag and spun to face him. “It’s that you didn’t tell me you invited your mother. You’ll be at that all night and I’m going to be on set all morning and then she’s going to be gone. I won’t even have a chance to…”

And then it clicked.

He’d planned the timeline of Lulu’s visit on purpose. He didn’t want them to meet.

The tightness in her chest increased tenfold, like a boulder was crushing against her. “Oh. I see.”

“Maddie…”

He stepped toward her, but she stepped back. “No, it’s fine.” God, how had she been so stupid? They weren’t committed to each other. Why would he want her to meet his mother? “It’s a big deal. Introducing someone to a parent. I get it. Seriously. I wasn’t thinking. It’s fine.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Totally fine.” Though the tears gathering in her eyes would beg to disagree. She turned back to mess with her bag so he wouldn’t notice.

“Okay.” She heard the resignation in his voice. “I’m jumping in the shower. We have reservations in Denver for dinner at five so I won’t be here when you get back.”

“Okay.”

She heard the door to the bathroom close and the first tear spilled.

Then at the sound of the door opening again, she swiped quickly at her face.

“Maddie.” He waited until she turned to look at him. He knew she was hiding tears—it read all over his face as he leaned against the doorframe. “I also really want you to know each other.”

The weight in her chest loosened. “You do?”

“Yeah. I do.”

“Then do I get to meet her?”

“I…don’t…know.”

The relief she’d felt a moment before was replaced with bone-deep hurt. Another tear trailed down her face, her voice gruff. “So what do you want me to do? Pretend I don’t know you? Do I need to get another hotel room?”

“No!” He crossed to her and wrapped her in his embrace. “No, I want you with me.”

His arms made her feel better. She could feel in his touch what he couldn’t say—that he was torn, that he didn’t know how to handle the situation any more than she did.

He pressed his lips to her forehead before tilting her chin up so their eyes would meet. “And I don’t want you to pretend anything. I can barely handle restraining myself on set. But my mother…it is big. For me. And I just thought we could maybe take it the way we’ve been taking everything else. See how things go. Maybe we can do breakfast tomorrow.”

“Okay.” She smiled. Surprisingly, a genuine smile. “We’ll see how things go. If breakfast happens, it happens. If not, I won’t take it personally. As long as I still get to sleep here tonight.”

“If you don’t, I’ll come find you and molest you in your sleep.”

“Promise?”

He kissed her deeply. When he broke away he said, “What do you think?”

“I think I need to be going.” She reached her hand around to fondle his ass. “And you need to get in the shower before I’m tempted to be late.”

They lingered a few more minutes in each other’s arms before saying their goodbyes. By the time Maddie stepped out in the hall, she felt better. A lot better. Even though she longed for Micah to be certain about them, as certain as she was becoming, she couldn’t expect him to be there yet. Not after less than three weeks. Not when he was so relationship-phobic to begin with.

She met Fudge in the lobby and together they walked down to the car he’d rented for Micah. He opened the passenger door for her like the gentleman he was, and she wondered if the photographer that she spotted sitting across from the hotel assumed she was hooking up with Micah’s bodyguard. She came and left the hotel more with Fudge than she ever did with Micah. And there were always photographers.

“Sounds like you have a busy day off,” Maddie said as Fudge strapped himself into his seat.

“Day off, my ass. My days off are when Micah’s on set. Days away from set, he turns me into his driver, his errand boy, his personal shopper. So annoying.” But he smiled and Maddie knew his complaining was mostly talk. “You’re still not going tonight?”

“No.” She still had doubts about her decision to stay behind, but she’d made up her mind.

As if the conversation had cued it to go off, her phone buzzed with a text.

I want pics of u in that dress!

Maddie grimaced as she typed her reply to Bree. Not going. Bree was going to be pissed. She’d believed she was doing the crew a favor getting them invites to the shin-dig.

I’m calling u.

Her phone rang before she’d even finished reading her text. “Sorry about this,” she said to Fudge. Then she answered her call. “I hate Beaumont. Why would I go?”

“Free drinks.” What had she expected from Bree? She had always been the quintessential party girl—had always believed life was better with liquor.

“The free drinks is a good draw,” Fudge agreed. Leave it to Bree to talk so loudly that Fudge could hear her.

“I don’t want to go,” Maddie said firmly to both of them. “And Micah doesn’t want me there.”

Bree gasped. “Then that’s exactly why you have to go!”

“Your friend has a point,” Fudge added. “You can’t let Micah get away with acting like chickenshit.”

“Exactly,” said Bree. “Who is that awesome advice coming from anyway?”

“Fudge. Micah’s bodyguard. I told you about him.” Realizing she was going to be ganged up on whether she wanted it or not, she put her phone on speaker. “Bree this is Fudge. Fudge, this annoying voice is Bree. My whacko best friend.”

“Hello, Bree,” Fudge said.

Instead of exchanging a greeting, Bree said, “Don’t you think Maddie should go, Fudge?”

“I don’t know. I can see benefits to both options.”

“Fudge, don’t say any more unless it’s to agree with me.”

Maddie gave Fudge her best I’m-sorry-about-my-friend look. She’d perfected it over the years of knowing Bree.

“But his mother will be there,” Maddie said, back on topic. “I really won’t be able to talk to Micah at all. It’ll be awkward and not any fun.”

Fudge nodded. “Well, that might be true.”

At the same time Bree said, “No, it will be highly informative and you need to go.”

“What do you mean by informative?”

“His mom, Maddie.”

“He’s not ready to introduce me to his mom, Bree. We’ve barely been dating.”

“He doesn’t have to introduce you as the love of his life or anything. But just being there and seeing her—you’ll find out stuff.”

“Meeting Lulu could actually be a real trip,” Fudge said. “She’s made a big impact on his relationship mumbo-jumbo shit.”

“Thank you, Fudge,” Bree said. “Listen to him, Maddie. Fudge knows. And also, Maddie, you’ve only ever been with Micah in one setting, and it’s not a permanent one. There’s so much more to his life than that. Not your life, but his.”

“Uh, thanks.” But that wasn’t far off from the truth. Maddie’s life was always working on a film. There was no press, no big celebrity events, no fans. There were wrap parties, of course, but that wasn’t the same as big charity fundraisers or award show receptions.

“I’m sorry, Maddie, but that’s the truth. You need to see Micah in his realm. You know, the world of flashbulbs and red carpet and pretty people saying pretty things to pretty people with microphones.”

“It’s a totally different side of Micah,” Fudge agreed.

Maddie chewed the inside of her lip, considering. Though she was certain she’d still be attracted to Micah in his realm, she didn’t have any idea where she fit in it, if at all.

“You need to know what it would be like,” Bree continued softly. “If you stay together.”

And that was the real reason Maddie hadn’t wanted to go. She was happy being Micah’s secret girlfriend on the set, but that didn’t translate to girlfriend in real life. She was afraid to find out what that would be like. Afraid it would be awful. Afraid that he wouldn’t be able to make room for her there.

“I get that you’re scared, Maddie. But you have to find out. Please respect yourself enough to know what you’re getting into.”

Maddie’s resolve was diminishing despite her protest. “We haven’t even discussed a future.” But she thought about it constantly, despite her one-day-at-a-time promise. And now that their time on the shoot was running out, they’d have to make a decision about going forward. Could she handle his real life?

She needed to find out.

“All right,” Maddie sighed. “I’ll go.