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Yet, I never expected him to have me followed. Or have his spies snap pictures of me getting head in the back of a club and snap even more photos when I was out with Sydney. There was even a video. And then to use all of that to blackmail me into a position here. All to get back at Brock Lancaster. I swear, Mark and Brock’s competition has got to stop. It’s literally ruining lives.
It’s ruined my life.
However, I couldn’t let my actions ruin the lives of Brock or, worse, Sydney.
I love her.
Plain and simple.
I absolutely love her.
And I love her too much to ruin her life. I can’t think of any way out of this situation. I can’t allow Mark to go to the press with sordid information about me and the Lancasters. It would hurt Sydney too much.
It would hurt Reilly Records.
I try to imagine the story coming out. It’s not just photos of me with Sydney. There’s a video of Sydney and me having sex in her truck late one night. How they even got that video, I have no idea. But they did. And a sex tape would be bad news for their company. And her new career.
She’s better off without me. Without all of this drama.
Right? Right.
If I tried to go to her now, all of Mark’s threats would come to fruition. I can’t allow that to happen.
It’s better this way.
My cell rings, and I accept the call when I see it’s my friend Ethan Hale. Big bad movie star, Ethan Hale. I wish I was the one who discovered him, but sadly, I wasn’t. We met a while back on the set of one of his movies.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” I say.
“I thought you were staying in Texas. It surprised me to hear you’re back,” Ethan says.
“I wanted to stay in Texas. Believe me. I could have been happy in Harmony.”
Ethan sighs. “Sounds like you met somebody there.”
“She was the best person I’ve ever met.”
“So, what happened? Why aren’t you there making babies with her?”
I laugh. “It didn’t work out.”
“That’s bullshit. If it’s meant to be, it'll always work itself out.” Ethan should understand about impossible love situations. He’s a big-shot movie star, who fell for his stepsister before their parents’ wedding. He never thought it would work out either, but Ethan and Nova are happy and expecting their first child.
“There’s no plausible scenario where this story can have a happy ending,” I say.
“Nonsense. It can have a happy ending if you make it have one.”
I’ve always valued the way Ethan looks at life. So simplistic. So carefree. It’s a way I wish I could live my life.
I cross to the glass wall and stare out at the place I’ve called home my entire life. However, it’s never been much of a home. It never loved me back in all the years I’ve been here. No family to call my own. No roots, so to speak.
I stare at the line of cars on the freeway and wonder if this is my future. My life. A life of solitude, because I know I’ll never find another Sydney for as long as we both shall live.
I want to marry her.
I want to fill her with all of my babies.
I want to create a forever home with her.
“You still there?” Ethan asks, breaking me from my epiphany.
“I have no idea how to make things work.” Because in all honesty, I just don’t know.
“Let me worry about Mark McManus. I’ve got my own dirt on him and the actions he did at a certain award’s party a few years back.”
“Oh, this I got to hear.”
Ethan laughs. “No, it’s probably best if you didn’t. Now go get your girl.”
“Seriously?” I ask him, unable to think of a possibility where I can walk away from this job.
“Yes, go. And you better bring the big guns when you try to win her back.”
I stop in my tracks, thinking about how I could ever deserve Sydney. The groveling I am happy to endure to let her know how sorry I am.
“I’ll talk to you later,” I tell Ethan as I grab my things and rush out the door.
“Mr. Brentwood,” my new secretary calls out after me. “Where are you going, sir?”
I hit the button on the elevator bank and yank at my tie. “I quit.” I’m enraged as I say the words, because I let Mark manipulate me into walking away from Sydney.
But I’m going to make it right.
On my way out of the building, I stop in the lobby and book a one-way ticket to Dallas. I need to get there as soon as possible.
There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
I’m all in on this shit. And if Sydney doesn’t forgive me… well, I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. But I’m not leaving Texas until I’ve proven my worth to the woman.
