“I can tell you that that isn’t gonna happen. That woman up there is mine. I’m never going to let her go. In my mind, there is no one else,” Ryan declared.
I felt a slight rush in my chest and gasped from hearing him say that.
“Well, I hope what you say is true. I mean you’ve only known her for a couple of weeks,” Pete stressed, a hint of doubt etched his voice.
I heard a glass bottle clink on the counter.
“You want to know why she’s fighting you?” Pete asked somewhat harshly. “Because she is smart enough to know that the day will come when you’re not here every day. You’ve got more opportunities than most men could ever dream of to meet women. You don’t even have to try to get laid - there’s a whole selection waiting and willing right out there on her sidewalk!
“Taryn is an intelligent, attractive woman. Let me tell ya, she’s not without opportunities of her own. You should see how many guys drool over her every day.”
“I know. I’ve seen plenty of them hit on her,” Ryan admitted.
“Yeah, they do. But she’s not like that – she never was. And when some dirt bag from Seaport didn’t think enough of her not to cheat on her, what’s to say you won’t do the same?” Pete asked.
“When you’re out there doing your thing and some hot model climbs on your lap and sticks her tits in your face… you gonna be able to resist that?
“This is her life here, Ryan. This is her stability. It’s the only thing she can count on in this world. She struggled and suffered for every bit of it.
And you come in here, taking that over.
“When you break up with her, every time she looks at that new wall or that new door… “Ah, just do us all a favor - if you aren’t one hundred percent in love with Taryn and ready to make a life with her, then stop. Don’t do what you’re doing. Please don't hurt her like that.”
“Pete, I don’t want to take anything over or hurt her,” Ryan said somberly. “I want to share everything I have with her. My life, my money… I want her to be the mother of my children one day.”
I flinched back from the shock of hearing his admission.
I heard Ryan sigh loudly. “Pete, I know you don’t know me that well but believe me, I’m done with the meaningless shit. I’ve been crazy about Taryn since the first…”
Since the first what? I leaned closer to the wall to hear him.
“Huh. I just realized something. She has been taking care of me since the first day that I met her. Not even - from the first ten seconds of me setting foot in this place. Knowing Taryn, she probably never told you the real story of how we met.
“She stopped the fans that were chasing me. She shut this whole place down for me, and here she is… doing it again. No wonder she’s so sad today. I’m messing with her safety net. Oh fuck, how do I fix this?”
“I don’t know,” Pete muttered. “Marry her? Never leave her for some Hollywood slut? What kind of answer are you looking for?”
“Pete, I’m so in love with her and I’ve told her that already. I’ve never felt this way before, about anyone. I know what I want. I want a life with her.”
“I know Ryan. I can tell just by the way you look at her.” Pete sighed heavily. “Oh, man, well, just treat her right ‘cause I’d hate like hell to have to break that nice jaw of yours if you ever break her heart.”
Chapter 20 - Insight
“I’ll be filming when you pick my parents up, so I’ll call you when I get a break,” Ryan said, rubbing the shampoo in my hair.
I leaned back to rinse under the water. “I thought I’d take them to lunch near the set; there’s a really nice restaurant down by the pier.”
“Just so you know… my dad is going to insist on paying for lunch. It will offend him if you argue.” He looked at me with a knowing smirk on his lips.
“Like father, like son?” I asked jokingly, rubbing the soap bubbles on his chest.
“Exactly! But when we take them to dinner tomorrow, he’ll pass the check to me - just watch. Hey, do you want to bring them to the set this afternoon instead? I’d really like you to see what I do for a living, since you won’t watch any of my movies.”
“I don’t know,” I murmured. “Won’t that cause problems with you-know-who?”
Ryan grimaced at me. “I don’t care. I want my girlfriend... my love,” he looked me in the eyes, “to know what I do and where I go every day. I want you to trust me. I need you to trust me, Taryn.”