Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
“Isn’t he in the background scenes?” I asked.
Everyone laughed. “That’s Aiden. Before you know it, he’ll be a waiter or something and have lines.”
Liv smiled at Mila. “We were coming to get you for pie and coffee.”
“We’ll put Nick’s luggage inside and be there in a few moments,” Mila promised.
“All right.” Liv smiled as she walked toward where the men disappeared.
I picked up my suitcase, following Mila. “Please tell me that means we have some time alone,” I begged quietly.
She let me follow her into the house, shutting the door and locking it behind me. A second later, she had me pressed against it, rolling up on her toes and dragging my mouth down to hers. “Yes.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
NICHOLAS
I was lost to her. Her taste, her touch, her scent. All my senses were on overdrive. Except, apparently, my hearing.
“Well, look at that,” a feminine voice said behind us. “Tonsil hockey in the late spring.”
I pulled away from Mila’s sweet mouth, startled. The sudden movement caused my head to smack into the hard wooden door.
“Ouch,” I muttered. “Motherfucker, that hurt.”
“Tsk, tsk, you kiss my sister with that mouth?”
“Do people regularly pop up out of nowhere around here? Interrupting private time?” I asked Mila, who was looking up at me with the most adorable smile on her face.
“That’s Sammy,” she explained. “I forgot she was here.”
“Nice,” Sammy sniffed. “Replaced by the actor and left behind.”
But I heard the affection in her voice and saw the smile on her face. I met her eyes. “Hi, Sammy. I’m Nick.”
“I’ve gathered.”
Mila continued to look up at me, and I smiled, tracing my finger down her cheek. “Hey, Shortcake. I’ve missed this face,” I murmured, lost in her gaze.
She smiled again, looking delighted.
Sammy cleared her throat. “I’m still here.”
“Don’t you have a cowboy you can sext? Or call him and wind him up?” Mila asked, not looking away.
“I dunno. This is awfully interesting. Besides, I heard Mom say something about pie.”
“You should go get a piece,” Mila instructed, crowding against me. She flexed her hips. “We’ll come in a minute.”
Sammy snorted. “Keep that up, and I’m sure you will.”
I shut my eyes, trying not to laugh. This was not at all how I saw my reunion with Mila going.
“You’re blocking the door, you know,” Sammy said.
“Use the back one.”
Again, Sammy started to laugh. “That’s what she said.”
She headed toward the rear of the house. “See you kids soon.”
I gave up and let my amusement out. Mila giggled, her eyes wide and luminous.
“So you’ve met some of my family.”
“They’re certainly vocal.”
“Brace yourself. News travels fast here. And you have fans. They’ve been waiting to meet you.”
I gave up on my plans of her and me naked. Or even alone. “Take me to your parents’ place, Mila. I have a feeling your father is timing us. And I don’t want to keep my fans waiting.”
She pouted, and I kissed her mouth. “I am going to get a headache in about an hour. I always do when I travel. I’ll need to lie down, alone and in the dark. You’ll need to write something and watch over me.”
“How closely will I be watching?”
“Close enough you’ll feel every inch of me, baby.”
“Okay, then. Let’s go. I need you in pain soon.”
“Great.”
I looked around in wonder as we walked to her parents’ house. This community was an amazing place, well laid out, open, and peaceful. Mila pointed out the various houses and the family members who lived in them. “That’s the Hub,” she said. “Amber wants to do some filming there.”
“This is incredible.”
She squeezed my arm. “I can’t believe you came early.”
“I was going to surprise you. Andi surprised me.”
“She knows how much I’ve missed you.”
I pressed a kiss to her head. “I’ve missed you, Shortcake. I stayed busy, but it’s been endless.” I winked at her. “I haven’t had a decent coffee since you left.”
Her laughter made me smile. “I’ll have to make up for that.”
“Yes, you will.”
She paused at the door to her parents’. “Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
Except, I wasn’t.
Three hours later, I sat at the Hub, surrounded by uncles, aunts, cousins, her nan and pops, and whoever else they managed to find at the last minute. Coffee flowed, pie was consumed, and I was peppered with questions. It was like a press conference.
Yet, I felt nothing but welcomed. The women fussed over me, the men asked a lot of technical questions, and Mila sat beside me, her hand in mine, only moving on occasion to get more coffee. The building was remarkable, and I knew Amber would be thrilled. The views, the vast rooms, and the people. I wasn’t sure there were this many naturally good-looking people in Hollywood.
Coffee and pie led into Chinese food and wine. Some of the best scotch I’d ever tasted. More people showed up, and I was surrounded. There were babies to meet, more cousins to try to keep track of. The laughter was constant.