InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (5 page)

            “They’ll love
you Dylan, don’t worry,” she said sincerely. “They’ll see in you what I see in
you—they’ll get to know the real you, which is at least ten times more amazing
than the celebrity you.”

            He was struck
speechless by the honesty in her words. He was one incredibly lucky man, he
thought. All he could do was pull her close and whisper, “Thank you,” into her
ear.

            Tia inhaled
deeply and slowly released a long sigh as she considered the dark side of the
introductions—fessing up to her blatant dishonesty with the people she cared
about the most. “Did I do the right thing, Dyl?” she whispered. Dylan raised an
eyebrow in question. “Wow, I guess this is a little more overwhelming than I
thought it would be…” she swallowed hard around the lump that was forming in
her throat. “…I mean, you know I wanted to tell everyone, right? And I want to
tell everyone now, but I still want to keep you for myself…Aurg.  It’s just
really short notice—I thought I’d have time to ease into it, or at least go
into it with some sort of plan.”

            “You did the
right thing, baby,” he assured her. “Life would’ve been very different for you
if you had told people. Especially when the tabloids started printing all that
rubbish.”

            “But it means
that we have to practically go on tour to introduce you, and I have to admit to
everyone I care about that I lied to them.”

            “They’ll
understand,” he said softly. “Don’t be surprised if some of them seem a little
put out at first, but once they’ve had time to think about it, they’ll see your
dilemma.”

            “Even my
parents?” she croaked. She was most worried about them being hurt that she
didn’t trust them with the biggest news of her entire life.

            “Especially
your parents,” he said. “They raised you to be strong and independent, and to
know what’s best for you. They’ll know you didn’t make the decision lightly.”

            She took a
deep, cleansing breath; a huge weight suddenly lifted from her shoulders.
“You’re pretty remarkable, you know that?” she whispered, grabbing his hand and
giving it a squeeze. 

            Dylan squeezed
back, and pressed his lips to her forehead. “As are you, my love. It’ll be
fabulous, don’t worry.” He rested his forehead against hers and smiled. “So now
that we’ve got that sorted out, how about we go to the pub tomorrow night,
then? I’ve got a couple bottles of Tully in my bag for Paddy that I picked up
in Ireland. Do you think you could get some of the same people who were there
that first night to show up last minute?”

            “Most of them
practically live there on Saturday nights,” she said, “but I’ll text Sean and
have him put out the word.” She shook her head, smiling wryly. “Damn,
Miller—we’re really going to freak out some worlds tomorrow!” She thought back
to that first night at
Paddy’s—
the very first night they had met—when
Sean had played a few of Dylan’s songs on the pub’s stage, completely unaware
that Tia’s escort was actually Dylan Miller himself. She’d spent a fair amount
of time at the pub over the past four months, and had really reconnected with
her old friends. Dylan had made a great impression on them—not just because he
bought a round of Paddy’s favorite whiskey for the house, but because they all
knew how Tia had suffered after Nick’s death and they were genuinely happy to
see her smile again. They credited Dylan with that and they were completely
right; but they still had no idea that the two of them had just met earlier
that night.

            “I really look
forward to seeing Sean again,” Dylan said. “All of them, actually.  They are
your true friends, you know, and they’ll be the ones you turn to time and time
again. I hope they’ll be my friends, too.”

            “I do know,
believe me. And I think they’ll be pretty cool about it. As cool as anyone can
be, I guess. It’s going to be quite a surprise no matter what—I think we’ll
need to be prepared for a little shock and awe.”

            “Yeah, I’m
pretty sure it’ll be a bit of a stunner,” he said smirking, “but that’s another
reason why it’s good to hit places with a bunch of people. It’ll be “shock and
awe,” as you so eloquently put it, for the first bit, and then things will calm
down. It beats doing it over and over, believe me.”

            “It’s weird to
think that after tomorrow, my life will never be the same.” 

            “No, Tia, not
the same. But what fun is a life that just stays the same?  It’ll be a whole
new adventure that we’ll embark on together.” He paused for a moment, a
melancholy look casting a shadow over his eyes.  With everything in his life
there was a give and take; a sacrifice to be made. He was torn between wanting
to shield her from the changes his celebrity would bring to her life and being
incredibly grateful that that same celebrity would make sure she never wanted
for anything.

            “So,” he said,
changing the subject. “Any other places we need to hit? Do you belong to any
clubs, or groups, or church or anything?”

            Tia shook her
head. “No, that’s pretty much it. I’ll text Lilly and have her invite my work
friends to
Paddy’s
so we can do that all in one shot.  I have a pretty
pathetic life, huh?”

            “Not at all.
And even if you did, I’m making it my personal mission to make sure you have
only the best from this point on.”

            “I’ve got
you
,
Dylan. It’s already the best.”  He wrapped her up in his arms and held her
tight.

            “Well, that’ll
make for a pretty crazy day, I think; and after that, a bloody typhoon. It’ll
be much quieter when we get to Australia—we’ll need do an appearance or two,
but we’ll be able to enjoy the holidays in relative peace.”

            “How long
before the typhoon moves off to calmer waters?” Tia asked, almost afraid to
hear the answer.

            “We’ll just
have to take it day by day.”

            Tia stopped
and looked around her little bedroom while another thought gained clarity in
her mind. She turned to Dylan. “I’m not coming back here, am I?”

            Dylan bowed
his head and looked at the ground, unwilling to meet her eyes as he delivered
the news. “No,” he said, “not to live on your own, Tia, I’m sorry. Once your
identity is public knowledge, this house won’t be safe enough for my comfort
level, and I won’t compromise when it comes to your safety. I’ll have Jessa
look into some apartments in the city while we’re on holiday.”

             
Way to go
,
he thought as he watched Tia’s face. She continued packing, but her eyes darted
around the room, taking in the familiar scenes that would no longer be part of
her life. So far he’d told her that she’d likely never return to her job, that
she’d have to be very careful about making new friends, and that she would
never again live in her own house. Saying it out loud made him realize just how
much she was going to have to give up to be with him. He was damn sure going to
make certain it was worth it. “Bloody hell,” he said, standing and pulling her
into his arms. “I feel horrible about the sacrifices you’re having to make—I
promise I’ll make it up to you, Tia.”

            Tia sighed and
took a long look around her little bedroom. She’d once planned to make a life here;
in this little slice of suburbia. It seemed like a lifetime ago now that she
stood in this room with Nick, the walls bare and white as they taped up color
swatches and planned out how they’d make a home; and someday a family; in this
little house. But this wasn’t her life anymore, and hadn’t been in quite some
time. She’d just been going through the motions of that simple existence—even
though she’d maintained the façade fairly well it was still just that—a cover
that masked the changes that had come into her life the minute she’d met Dylan.

            She leaned
into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “This is just a building, Dyl,
not a life. My life is with you now, and any little sacrifices I have to make
now will be more than worth it in the end. It’s no big deal, really—just
something I have to get used to.”

            She looked
around again and realized that she meant every word she’d said. Aside from a
couple pictures on the walls, she really wasn’t attached to anything in the
house. Most of the furniture was hand-me-down, as she and Nick had planned to
furnish it after they’d gotten married. Tia hadn’t had a bridal shower before
Nick died, so she had no china or matching bath towels or anything else that
she felt she needed to take with her. They hadn’t lived in the house together;
planning instead to wait until after they’d married to move in, so they’d made
precious few memories here. It wouldn’t be so hard to walk away, especially now
that she had the promise of a new life with Dylan. “Really, it’s not a big
deal—don’t look so sad,” she said, smiling and pulling his arms around her.
“How can I be anything but happy when I have you?”

            The doorbell
rang, and Tia jumped, her eyes widening for a second before realizing it was
probably just the pizza delivery man. Here was something new too, she thought,
paranoia. She realized she’d be looking over her shoulder a lot more in the
coming days. Dylan pulled the curtain aside and peered onto the front porch.
“Oh good, food’s here,” he said. “Be sure to look through peepholes before you
open doors from now on.”

            “I don’t have
a peephole,” she said, looking over his shoulder at the man standing on the
porch holding a pizza box. She recognized him immediately and sucked in a
breath. “Dylan, that’s not a pizza delivery guy…it’s the limo driver who
brought us here…” She looked into the street, and saw the car parked there.
Footprints in the snow led from the car to her door.

            “He’s just
security, sweetheart,” Dylan said. When she turned to him, he continued.
“They’ve always been there, Tia. I usually keep them way in the background, but
at times they’re a necessity, and this is one of those times. Management gets
downright pissed when I go out without an entourage but most of the time,
people don’t spare much more than a second glance, especially when it’s out of
context.  When they see someone they think they recognize, they do a double
take and think, ‘that really looks like so-and-so,’ but they don’t really
believe it. When they do recognize you, sometimes they’re happy with a smile
and a wave. Some feel compelled to come up to you and tell you how they’ve
enjoyed your work, or even, in some cases, how you’ve changed their lives.”
They both smiled, remembering how Tia had first approached Dylan and told him
something along those lines. She too had questioned whether or not the man
sitting across from her at the little dive bar could actually be Dylan Miller.
It was his tattoo that had given him away, but if it weren’t for that
identifying symbol, would she have approached him at all? She thought not. “But
this is a game-changer,” he continued. “Now that you’re going to be out in the
open, they’re going to have to be a much more visible presence, at least for a
little while.”

            Tia shrugged.
It was just one more thing she’d have to get used to in her new life, and she
had much bigger things to worry about than a security detail. She greeted the
guard when she opened the door and offered him a slice of pizza, then she and
Dylan sat down to their little makeshift feast.

            Tia hooked the
clasp on the purple bra and opened the door. The place was just as she
remembered, and she was beyond thrilled that Dylan had thought to get the same
room that they had stayed in the first time they’d made love. She never would’ve
guessed back in May that she’d be here again all these months later under such
different circumstances—she’d been so afraid that night that it would be the
last time she’d ever have with Dylan. She’d certainly changed a lot since that
evening, she thought as she grabbed the bottle of wine that sat chilling in the
silver bucket and two glasses. It was much too cold for the hot tub tonight, so
instead Dylan had started a fire in the gas fireplace and laid some blankets
and pillows out on the floor before it. He was sitting, shirtless, leaning
against the couch strumming absent-mindedly on his guitar, and she stopped to
just look at him for a moment and say a silent prayer of thanks that this
incredibly beautiful man had come back into her life. Tomorrow they might
belong to the whole world, but tonight, no one existed except each other, and
she had every intention of making the most of it.

            “Even better
than I imagined,” he said, looking appreciatively at her nearly naked body and
leaning the guitar against the couch. Tia poured the wine, handed him a glass,
and stretched out beside him.

            “Very happy to
exceed your expectations,” she purred, swirling her fingers through the soft
hair on his chest. 

            “About bloody
time we really get this reunion officially started,” he teased, pushing her
hair behind her ear and bringing his mouth down to meet hers. The kiss was
tender, soft, and left her wanting more. “A toast, then,” he smiled, touching
the rim of his glass to hers. “I don’t think there’s ever been anything I’ve
wanted to celebrate more than having you back in my life.”