Unscripted (20 page)

Ronan stood. “My beauty, she wasn’t in rehab for heroin.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
She was pregnant and she lost her baby. Heather went crazy and tried to kill herself.”

My mouth dropped open. “Whose baby did she lose? I didn’t know she was dating anyone. Oh my God was it Grady’s?”

“
No.” Ronan hung his head. “It was mine.”

I let out a gasp. “Are you fucking kidding me?” Coldness rushed over me. I stood there in shock. My heart was pounding in my chest.

“
Holliday, are you with me?” Ronan gripped my arms firmly. I flinched back. “Holliday, please do not freak out.”

“
Freak out! How can I
not
freak out?”

“
I understand this is very shocking for you and I get that. I do. Listen, Heather and I were engaged.”

Jesus Christ! What? When?

“
Ronan, I’m going to have a panic attack if you don’t stop dropping these bombs on me.”

“
Please Holliday. Give me the chance to be completely honest with you. If it’s too much, I won’t tell you anymore. Hollywood is a lot like high school— it’s filled with rumors, gossip and drama, and that’s just off-screen.” He smiled warmly. I could tell he was trying to make me feel better. I let out a soft laugh, but the tears came too. Not really understanding why I was crying, I inhaled a deep cleansing breath and counted to ten. I seriously had not cried so much or had such emotional intense feelings since I could remember. Ronan went to get me some water. When he returned my breathing was controlled and my heartbeat was steady.

“
Ronan, oh my God, with our collective baggage we’re going to emotionally kill each other.” He looked at me with confusion. I just blurted it out, “I fucked Grady James relentlessly for an entire summer.” Stiffening my body, I closed my eyes and yelled, “Fuck!” I felt better just getting it out in the open.

Ronan’s eyes narrowed, he sucked in a breath, walked to the bar and poured a drink. He slammed it back even though earlier he had warned me to sip the warm liquid.

“
Here we go Holliday!” he yelled. “We’ve unleashed Pandora’s Box, and now we have to get it all out.”

He poured a drink and slid it down the bar to me. I picked it up and slammed it.

“
If this is how the Irish solve problems and communicate, I’m in. Sorry baby, but I fucked Grady James for about six months…
everywhere
.” I slid the glass back to him.

He picked it up and poured more of the liquid beverage into it and then slammed it back. “I was engaged to Heather Young. We fucked like bunnies. I loved and hated every minute of it. The sex was…” His voice broke. Ronan knew better than to finish that sentence with me in arm’s length of him.

“
The studio encouraged it and our agents set us up.” He slid the glass back to me filled with more of the warm, dark brown liquid.

“
I’m a natural blonde.” I took a sip and slid the glass back to him.

He let out a soft chuckle and took a sip. “Heather and I were supposed to announce our engagement the night before the Emmys so that our big news would trend with the TV industry’s biggest night. We were walking the red carpet together because she was nominated for her guest role in
Common Place
.” He sent the glass sailing down the bar again, and following suit, I slammed it back.

“
I’m adopted. My dad, Jay Prescott, died of a heart attack when I was eleven. After he died we found out we were nearly penniless. He was a closet alcoholic and drug addict. The days after his death were a super fun time.” I sent the glass sailing back to Ronan who was standing there wide-eyed, and my own eyes were starting to glaze over from the alcohol.

“
Holliday,” he said softly. “I’m sorry about your father. Do you want to talk about it?”

“
No, not right now,” I replied coldly, still in shock from the bombshell news about Heather and Ronan. “I want to know about your engagement to Heather.”

He shoved his hands through his hair and let out a deep sigh. “As I’m sure you know, Heather and I ended up not attending the Emmy’s that night. Heather lost the baby the day before. It was truly awful. I stayed with her a few days after the miscarriage, but when I tried to leave she went nuts.”

“
Oh God, Ronan. I am so sorry.”

He scrubbed his hands down his face, “I was able to calm her down and get her to take a nap. Her maid found her unconscious lying on the bathroom floor an hour or so later. I guess she tried to down a bottle of pills with vodka.”

“
That’s awful. I am sure that only fueled the accusations that you tried to drug her.”

Ronan shrugged, “And I felt horrible because I really never wanted to be with her, not married anyway. I didn’t love her. I wasn’t about to marry someone for the sake of a child again.”

“
Jesus,
Ronan
,” I began, my voice was strangled. “You’re swept up in this bizarre fucking weird world. How… how can I even be in it with you when marriages and babies are like business transactions?”

“
Let’s make it work,” he said. His eyes looked tired, but he seemed happy, probably because he was a little drunk. I figured this was as good a time as any to bring up my ex. But my plan was diverted by Ronan’s voice. “Oh! I have a gift for you, my beauty.”

“
But it’s not Christmas yet.”

“
This
gift simply can’t wait.” He reached under the tree and grabbed the long rectangular box. He handed it to me, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. Lifting the lid, I reached inside to find papers and a document of some kind. I read: AGREEMENT TO PURCHASE REAL ESTATE. I scanned the document. Ronan was thinking of purchasing a penthouse in Manhattan at The Addison, which was only a few blocks from the hotel.

“
You’re buying the penthouse at The Addison?”

“
I
bought
the penthouse at The Addison, baby.”

“
Holy shit Ronan! You’re moving to New York?” I checked the paperwork. It was signed and dated.

“
Yes. I’ve made arrangements for the girls to move here and go to school. They’ll have a new nanny though. Ruth wants to retire in a few months. And I put my house in Los Angeles on the market. I’m going to rent a place there and move my permanent address to Manhattan.”

“
Ronan, oh my, I hope you didn’t do all this for me.”

“
Holliday, it makes sense. My parents live in London, shorter flight. I’m shooting my next movie here, and it gets me closer to you. Besides, I can also work on real estate projects for my dad in my free time.”

“
Real estate projects?” I shot him a confused look.

“
I told you my dad’s a developer. He owns a few buildings here in the city. I also like doing the work. I have several investment properties here, in Los Angeles and London.”

It suddenly occurred to me that there was so much I had yet to discover about this man. Obviously Ronan had many passions in his life. It was either that, or he had a back-up plan in case his career in the entertainment industry fizzled out. I could definitely see Ronan as a powerful business mogul. He spoke about things with such affection and excitement. It was easy to see why he had been so successful. It was like everything he touched turned to gold.
Luck of the Irish perhaps?
No, no luck needed. He was truly talented.

A call from the front desk jolted me from my sleep. The ringing of the phone was making my head pound. It was a bit after four, and I had a terrible headache. Ronan answered the call, and all I heard was, “Okay. Please send him up.”

I wondered if Ronan felt as bad as I did. I climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom. As I stood there brushing my teeth, I heard the door open and some mumbling of voices. Crossing the bedroom to the living room, I saw Ronan opening a large manila envelope.

“
Hey babe, do you have any ibuprofen anywhere?” I asked softly.

“
Oh, my beauty, you’ve got a bad dose of it. You should just drink more whiskey, or I’d be happy to fuck the hangover out of your system,” he grinned.

His mood was overly chipper. Obviously he was
not
feeling as bad as I was.
Jerk.

“
Uhmm, no, I shouldn’t and that sounds tempting, but I don’t want to vomit on you.” I sighed as I collapsed onto the couch.

He laughed that sexy gritty chuckle that I found irresistible. “Here you go. Drink this and take this.” He handed me a cup of warm tea and a pill.

The beverage soothed my throat that felt a little raw from the burn of the whiskey. “What is this?”

“
It’s a B12 vitamin. It will help you get over the hangover quickly. I know some crazy Irish drinkers. They tell you to have two raw eggs for breakfast, two for lunch or a full Irish breakfast to cure what ails you. People claim eating eggs neutralizes the alcohol in your system.”

I made a sour face. “Ronan, please stop talking about eggs and alcohol, or I really will vomit. The tea is just fine.” I took another sip. “What are you reading?”

“
The magazine sent over a preview of my interview. I’m checking the facts, my quotes, basically making sure everything is on the up and up for printing. You can read it too if you’d like.”

“
Okay that sounds like fun. I’d love to read it.”

He smiled at me affectionately. I studied his lips and the curve of his jaw. God, I think I just might love this man. I watched him quietly as he perused the article. He sat there, intently reading, making a few changes on yellow sticky notes and placing them on the pages.

“
Here you go. Most everything looks good. The article is quite nice.” He handed me the papers, kissed me on the forehead and said he was going to take a shower.

Feeling less lightheaded, I began reading as I sipped some more of my tea. The introduction was well written, praising Ronan for his work in
These Streets of Dublin
and touching on his philanthropic work. Of course the main focus of the article was about Ronan playing the dashing Cameron Carlisle. I continued to scan the pages, finding two questions that immediately captured my attention.

Q: DO YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND OR ARE YOU DATING ANYONE?

HIS ANSWER: I HAVE MET SOMEONE VERY SPECIAL. SO, YES YOU COULD SAY THAT I AM DATING SOMEONE.

Q: IS SHE IN THE BUSINESS?

HIS ANSWER: IF YOU’RE REFERRING TO SHOWBIZ, NO. SHE’S IN THE FASHION BUSINESS.

Ronan had done this interview before he’d met me. How could these be his answers? I hoped he was talking about me. Seeing him admit that he was off the market brought a smile to my face, and warmth seeped through my entire body. Closing my eyes, I pressed the stack of papers to my chest while images of the last few days crept through my mind. My feelings for Ronan were intense, like nothing I had ever experienced. Everything about him made me crave him— his touch, his kiss and just the way he made me feel.
The sound of the shower turning off released me from my daydream bordering between bliss and lust.

Ronan returned smelling oh so deliciously clean, his natural scent working a number on my senses. I think he wanted to grow his facial hair back. He didn’t shave. Clean shaven or a little scruffy, I’d take him either way. Sitting beside me on the couch, he kicked his legs up onto the coffee table and crossed his ankles. I noticed the grey lounge pants hugging his strong thighs. The navy blue t-shirt made his eyes appear a deeper shade of green. Ronan must have a plethora of those pima cotton t-shirts. I loved when he wore his comfy clothes just as much as those expertly tailored suits.
God, why does he always look so fucking handsome?
He could be covered in mud, and I wouldn’t mind being all over his body. Smiling, I ran my fingers through his damp locks.