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I know because I've heard it all before.
Freak. Scarface. Krueger. I didn't disappear for the fun of it. I got sick of seeing my picture online and reading the endless parade of comments. I know what they're putting Laura through now because I've been there. People can be vicious, especially in this town. Especially when they think no one is looking.
Now, Laura will hear the same names. She'll endure the same whispers. Only, it'll be worse for her because she has more to lose. Because her heart is so goddamn big. What they say about me will wound her, hurt her. How is that possibly healthy for her or the baby? How is any of this healthy for her or the baby?
I'm the last goddamn thing they need in their lives.
"You know what I really hate?"
I glance back toward the set to find Scarlett Cassidy watching me with her head cocked to the side. Her brunette hair is pinned back from her face, her white blouse shimmering beneath the lights. She looks regal and composed, every inch a star. She doesn't stare at me in pity but with fire in her amber eyes. She heard every word Loraine and her redheaded friend just spoke.
"What's that?" I ask.
"People who have nothing better to do with their time than talk about things that are none of their business." Her lips compress into a thin, disapproving line, her amber eyes narrowed after Loraine and her friend. "In my experience, they're never worth the time we waste internalizing what they've said."
"You're probably right about that," I say quietly.
"Laura is glowing. If you're responsible for that, good for you." Her lips tip up into a small smile. "I hope jealousy eats the catty bitches alive while she's living her best life."
I jerk my chin in a nod of thanks, not sure what to say to that. Scarlett doesn't wait around for an answer. She sails past me, her heels clicking across the floor as she continues on her way to wherever she is going. I watch her for a moment and then expel a sharp breath.
Shit. Maybe she's right.
I let this fucking town and the people in it chase me into the shadows last time, let myself become a shell of the man I used to be. My scars defined me; their words buried me. I lost myself. Lost everything.
But I'm not that man anymore.
I'm Laura's now. She dragged me out of the shadows and breathed life back into me. Little by little, she reminded me what it means to live…to truly live. I'm on a film set again because of her. I'm facing my fears because of her. I remember the man I used to be because of her, the one I buried long ago. And that man? He wouldn't slink away. He'd fight.
He'd fight like hell.
So where the fuck is he right now?
By the time Laura emerges from the set an hour later, the wild tangle of emotions running through me has cooled. The yawning pit of anxiety has settled, my doubts falling silent again. I'm settled, my course set. I know what I need to do now, and the framework of a plan is in place.
Laura may kill me when she finds out, but it needs to happen. To protect her and the baby, it's the only thing I can do. It's what I need to do.
"Hey," she says, walking straight into my arms.
I pull her into me, cradling her gently. "I missed you."
"Having someone else's hands on me didn't feel right, Kaiden." Her somber eyes meet mine. "I didn't like it."
I brush my lips across her forehead. "Then maybe I should erase the memory of them, hmm?"
"Yes, please."
I chuckle at how politely she says this. She's so full of grace that it bleeds out of her. I hope to God she never loses that. No matter what the world throws at her, I hope it never turns her bitter or hard. I hope she's always this fiercely gentle and powerfully bright. I hope our child is just like her.
I sweep her up into my arms and stalk toward her trailer, more than willing to erase this memory for her. If this is the last time I get to touch her before everything changes, I want it to be here…in the place where she reminded me that there is magic in this world.
She sighs in contentment, wrapping her arms around my neck.
Scarlett was right. She is glowing. Goddamn. How did I miss it? She's the brightest little star in this town, but every day since I met her, that shine has intensified. It pulses in the air around her, stamping her with a luminescence that's impossible to miss.
Please, don't let her lose it, I pray.
"I love you," she says, reaching up to cup my cheek in her palm. She doesn't shy away from my scar. Since day one, she hasn't shied away from it. She places her hand over it, her fingers gentle, her gaze soft. As if to remind me that she loves all of me, that she accepts all of me.
