InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (68 page)

            “I just need
to figure out how to let it roll off my back, like you do. I’m not there yet,
obviously, but I’m working on it.”

            “It never
rolls off your back. It sits there like a weight until you shrug it off; but
you do shrug it off eventually because it gets too much to bear. But you can
trust me, Tia, always. I’m going to fuck up sometimes; God knows I’m not
perfect; but I will never, ever, do anything to hurt you. I know it’s hard, but
you can absolutely trust that.”

            “I do know,”
she whispered, “I’m so sorry that it took me so long to figure it out, Dyl. I
never should have doubted you.”

            “So you’ll
still marry me, then?” he smiled.

            “Try and stop
me.”

            He laced his
fingers through hers and lifted her hands over her head, bringing his lips to
hers. “I love you, Tia Hastings. Nothing and no one will ever change that.”

            “Show me how
much,” she breathed against the soft brush of his lips.

            “Oh my sweet,
sweet, baby girl.” He pressed his lips to hers and smiled. “I desperately need
a shower.”

            “I’ll wash
your back if you wash mine.”

            “Always and
forever,” he whispered, taking her by the hand and leading the way.

            “Great to see
you, Dylan, although I wish it were under better circumstances.”

            “Indeed,”
Dylan said, shaking his hand. “Bradley Erikson, meet Tia Hastings, my fiancé.”

            “Now there’s a
good circumstance,” Bradley said, shaking Tia’s hand. “Best wishes to you
both.”

            “Thank you.
It’s good to meet you.”

            “I assume
you’re in LA for the premier?” He looked at Dylan and tipped his head.
“Congratulations on the release, right? I mean, in light of the whole
situation…she isn’t going to be there, is she?”

            “She sure as
hell hasn’t been invited, but frankly, I think she’s gone a bit off her rocker
lately, so I wouldn’t put anything past her. I thought about skipping it
myself, but it turns out that Tia really wants to do it, so here we are.”

            “Do you have a
restraining order against Miss Caglio?”

            “No. I didn’t
see it necessary.”

            Bradley frowned.
“Considering the fragile nature of her…psyche…and her connection to those porn
stars, I’d advise you to be extra cautious. She could use this as another
platform to spew her BS, and showing up would give her the national audience
she’s been so desperate to get.”

            “We’re both
prepared for that scenario, I think, and I’ve been assured that there will be
extra security on hand, just in case.”

            “I’m glad to
hear it.” Bradley turned to Tia. “I’ve followed the story; with Dylan being my
client and all; and I have to say that you’ve really handled this whole thing
well. You’ve got class—a lot more than she’s been showing lately.”

            Since she’d
been out on bond, Penelope had been making the rounds of the talk show circuit
and posting frequently on social media. She continued to insinuate that she and
Dylan had more than a professional relationship, and that it was only a matter
of time before he got bored with the choices he made. It was getting old, but
Tia was way past the point where her words had any sting. If anything, her
pathetic attempts at gaining sympathy made her look even more desperate.

            “Yes, well,
retaliating only brings me down to her level, and means I have to interact with
her in some way, which I’d really like to avoid as much as possible.”

            “Which brings
us to the point of this meeting; to discuss your options for a civil suit. The
buzz that I hear around town is that her lawyer is going to enter some sort of
a mental health plea—and her behavior lately is making me think that maybe he’s
right. I’ll be honest with you; I don’t think that the prosecutor is going to
push very hard to make an example of her—she’s young, famous, and let’s face
it—a bit unbalanced. She wasn’t stealing Social Security checks or credit card
numbers; they were love letters. The Feds don’t really stand to gain anything
by going for prison time. I think they’ll go for a stint in a psych facility
and some fines; probably some community service of some sort. Of course, she
won’t be able to profit from the situation, either—that option will go to the
two of you.”

            “What does
that mean?” Tia asked.

            “It means that
she can’t write a book about her ordeal or secure any film rights for the
story. If it were made into a movie, she couldn’t star in it or even have a
minor role, for that matter. She can’t consult, and she can’t be paid for
interviews related to what happened in New Zealand.”

            Tia’s eyes
narrowed. “Made into a movie? Our story?”       

            “Why not? It’s
got intrigue, adventure, a great love story—it would be a film about making a
film that has a perfect villain and a love triangle tossed in for good measure.
Sounds like Hollywood to me.”

            “Don’t forget
a happily ever after,” Dylan added with a smirk.

            “Wouldn’t be a
chick flick without one,” Bradley winked. “Speaking of chick flicks, I also
hear through the legal grapevine that she’s been pretty much blacklisted. No
one wants to work with her until they figure out the whole legal mess and
frankly, a lot of them are worried about her state of mind. She’s kind of teetering
on a rail right now, if you know what I mean.”

            “Do you know
how much she ended up having to pay in New Zealand?” Dylan asked.

            “I think it
was somewhere around one-fifty.”

            “Thousand?”
Tia asked, her eyes wide.

            “Yes, ma’am. I
imagine she’ll face even more here. New Zealand wanted to get rid of her.”

            “That seems
like an awful lot.”

            “Well, there
was a long list of offenses, and each of them held a penalty. Plus, she wanted
to get out of there, so was willing to pay it. Which brings us back once again
to why we’re here.” Bradley slid a thick folder from his desk and opened it for
Dylan and Tia. “She imposed on a lot of your civil rights and caused you both a
lot of very public pain and suffering. The fact that she documented so much of
it for herself, which will be on display for all the world to see, is going to
make it pretty open and shut.  Just the pain and suffering alone could…”

            Tia held up
her hand to interrupt. “I don’t want to press charges.” 

            The men stared
at her. “Excuse me?” Bradley asked.

            She turned to
Dylan and let out a huge sigh. “I don’t want to do it, Dyl.”

            “Why the
bloody hell not?”

            “Believe me,
I’ve thought about it a lot, and I just don’t see what it’s going to
accomplish.”

            “It’s going to
accomplish justice, Tia, pure and simple.”

            “It tastes a
little more like vengeance to me, and it’s really sour. It isn’t me, and I
don’t think it’s you, either.”

            “Either way,
she needs to pay for what she stole from us.”

            Tia took his
hand and looked into his eyes. “What’s the right price, Dyl? She’s already
paying, and not just with money. She’s lost her credibility, maybe her career,
maybe even her mind—and I know from personal experience how it feels to lose
you.”

            “Oh, Tia…”

            “I mean it,
Dyl. She really thought she loved you; maybe she even did. Her own family has
dragged her through the mud and disowned her; she could be looking at jail time
and another big fine…how much more should she pay?”

            “You know, you
could get a pretty penny; especially since you can both sue her individually,”
Bradley tossed in.

            Tia’s eyes
didn’t leave Dylan’s. “We don’t need a pretty penny, or any amount of pennies,
baby. Suing her isn’t going to prove her guilt; she’s already done that to
herself. It isn’t going to change anything that’s already happened; it’s only
going to rehash it. I don’t want to have to appear in court to repeat what I’ve
already said at least a hundred times, and I sure as hell don’t want to relive
it all again. I don’t even want to give her the chance to tell her side of the
story, much less have to hear it. Whether we sue or not, we’ve already won—and
she’s already lost. A lot, if you ask me. I just want to put the whole thing
behind us and move forward. We’re planning a bright future, and I don’t want a
single minute of that joy getting tarnished by Esther Caglio.”

            Dylan pushed
his fingers through his hair and dropped his head, cradling it in his hands and
murmuring to himself. Finally, he sighed and looked at Tia, nodding slowly and
smirking with a half-smile.

            “Bloody hell.
You’re right; of course you are; about everything, and I couldn’t love you more
for it.” He leaned over to kiss her cheek and whispered, “You have the most
beautiful heart, baby girl.”

            “I love you,
too—I knew you’d understand,” she whispered back.

            Dylan sat back
in his chair and contemplated a moment longer before speaking. “You’re sure?
This is your final decision?” Tia pressed her lips together in a thin smile and
nodded, and Dylan turned to Bradley. “OK then, I concur. She certainly isn’t getting
away with anything, and it would be a breath of fresh air to put it behind us
once and for all.” His eyes met Tia’s again and he smiled. “There you have it,
then. I want it firmed up that she can’t profit from any of this, but aside
from that, we won’t be pressing charges. This whole thing is officially over.”

            Bradley
pressed his lips together and alternated between nodding and shaking his head.
“As your attorney, you know I need to advise you of what you stand to lose if
you don’t go through this, but as your friend, I have to say that I respect
your decision. You’ve got yourself a great girl here, Dylan. Penelope didn’t
stand a chance.”

            “Not even for
a second,” he smiled at Tia, pure adoration in his eyes.

            They spent
nearly another hour signing papers and going over details with Bradley before
he stood to shake their hands. “Until next time, Dylan, it’s always a pleasure.
Enjoy the premier, and best of luck to both of you.”

            “You’re going
to rock that red carpet tonight,” Dylan said as they left Bradley’s office.
“You ready to turn some heads?”

            “Oh, I’m more
than ready,” she smiled.

            Three hours
later, Tia glided out of the bedroom of the suite and did a slow twirl in front
of a waiting Dylan. “Wow,” he whistled between his teeth. “Stunning doesn’t
seem an adequate word for how incredibly sexy you look, but I can’t think of a
better one. You are one gorgeous lady, soon-to-be Mrs. Miller.”

            Gus had
designed her dress; and it was a knockout. The blues and greens captured the
colors of both their eyes, and it fit her perfectly, accentuating her best
features and flowing in soft layers from her waist to the floor. The borrowed
teardrop diamond rested just above the gathered bodice, and made her neck look
long and lean. She felt like a dream, and Dylan’s eyes concurred.

            “You clean up
pretty well yourself,” she smiled as she ran her eyes over the man she loved,
taking in the perfectly tailored tux and the careless tumble of his wavy hair.
“Talk about turning some heads.”

            “We are pretty
damn good together, aren’t we?”

            “In every
single way,” she smiled, moving into his arms.

            “Oh my God,”
Tia breathed as the limo took its final turn and slowly approached the theater.
“It’s like Disneyland.”

            She’d seen it
on television, of course, but that didn’t even come close to preparing her for
a Hollywood movie premier; especially when she’d actually be walking the red
carpet. Searchlights tossed beams into the fading sky, the theater was
illuminated in a full spectrum of colors, photographers stood at the ready to
get the first photos of them exiting the limo, and hundreds of fans stood along
the velvet ropes and spilled into the street waving and cheering. There were
hoards of people stepping off busses parked down the street, and one of those
open-air tour busses slowed, people on the upper deck waving and snapping
pictures. A few of Dylan’s co-stars were already on the carpet, some chatting
briefly with fans and others posing for photo ops or interviews. The whole
thing had been orchestrated so that Dylan would arrive last, and the fact that
Bruce Dinsmore, his character’s kidnapper, was just starting his walk, allowed
Tia to breathe a little sigh of relief. She wasn’t nervous about tonight—well,
maybe now she felt a flutter in her stomach—but she had worried that the star
who should have hit the carpet right before Dylan might show up, and the last
thing she wanted was a public confrontation with Penelope.