Page 94 of Unscripted with Mila

“Holy fuck,” I muttered. They grew them big here.

“It’s a lot of fun. If… I mean, if you want to come, that is.”

I took it all in. The people. The relaxed atmosphere. The unexpected welcome. The incredible building and the scenery. The sense of family and home that permeated the air. The intense feeling of contentment being here with Mila. I had never experienced anything like it. Normally one to shun large crowds, I found myself smiling at the thought of another gathering with these people.

“Yeah, I do, Shortcake.”

“Yeah?” she replied, looking pleased.

I bent close to her ear. “But I need you alone soon.”

She leaned up, murmuring into my ear. “Sammy is spending the night with Ronan and Beth.”

I turned, meeting her gaze. “Then we need to leave.”

“Follow my lead.”

* * *

“I think you’re hiding your true talent behind your writing,” I mused as we strolled toward her house. I had her tucked tight to my side, my arm wrapped around her. She fit perfectly there, as if meant to do so.

“What do you mean?”

“You should be an actress. You even convinced me I was exhausted and felt a headache coming on.”

She laughed. “You do look tired, Nick. It didn’t take a lot of convincing. My family travels a lot, so they understand jet lag.”

“I didn’t sleep well after you left,” I confessed. “It seemed odd. You were the first person I ever shared a bed with more than once, yet it felt wrong to be alone.”

“You didn’t do the overnight thing?”

We stopped walking, and I looked down at her. “Contrary to my reputation, I rarely dated. I had some casual relationships. Dating a celebrity isn’t easy. There are some women who want to be seen with you. I figured that out early on in my career. There are others who have a fantasy about you.” I shook my head. “I rarely lived up to the expectation, and they walked. There was one woman early on…” I took in a deep breath. “It didn’t work out.”

“Why?”

I ran a hand through my hair. “I was diagnosed in my mid-twenties, not long after I made it big. I was with Gwen, and we both had a hard time with the result. There are often side effects with the meds, Mila. I experienced a lot of them when I first went on them.”

She looked at me with a frown. “Gwen didn’t like that?”

I barked out a laugh. “Neither of us did. I had problems—sexually.”

Mila’s eyebrows shot up. “I see.”

“Gwen informed me it was hard enough to put up with me, but if I couldn’t give her what she wanted in bed, she wasn’t sticking around.”

“That was selfish.”

“It was for the best. We wouldn’t have made it in the long run. I know that now, but it hurt like a bitch at the time.”

“Obviously, things changed in that area.”

“Yes. I got the right meds, the right dosage, and things improved. But it shook me. I really cared about her, and she walked.” I touched her cheek. “And how I felt about her is nothing compared to how I feel about you, Mila. I don’t think I’d survive it if you left me.”

“I’m not walking.”

“What if I had to have my meds adjusted and it did happen, Mila?”

“Well, there is more to intimacy than sex.”