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“You don’t want the media to know,” he murmured.
After a slight hesitation, she nodded, but still didn’t meet his gaze. He climbed out of the seat and came up behind her, cupping her shoulders and easing her back against his chest.
“They’re going to find out, Lily. What you need to do is make sure you always stay in control.” Sliding his arms down, he covered her flat stomach with his hands, still in awe that a life grew inside there. “Don’t let them start the gossip. I’m sure you have TV interviews scheduled. Make a big bombshell announcement then. You’ll take the wind right out of the press’s sails.”
Lily turned in his arms. Her eyes met his as she blinked back tears. “That may be the best plan of action. But, I need to tell my mother first.”
Her mother. They’d never discussed their parents. That topic usually meant a relationship was building. He and Lily hadn’t planned on building on anything. They were enjoying their time together, not thinking of tomorrow.
Tomorrow, however, had caught up with them and smacked them in the face with a good dose of reality.
The fact they were bound forever now sent a bit of uncontrollable fear sliding through him. Whether either of them liked it or not, they were about to delve into personal territory.
Lily could talk about her mother all she wanted. That was most definitely an area in his life he wasn’t ready to reveal.
“Does your mother live in LA, too?”
“No, she lives in Arizona in a small, private community that’s run by an assisted living facility. She has her own home on the grounds and she’s very independent, but if her health gets bad or as she gets older and needs care, she’s already set.”
Lily stepped back and crossed her arms. “I don’t tell people where she is because I want her to have a normal life and not be hassled by the media.”
Nash didn’t want another reason to be drawn to Lily, but damn it she was protective of her mother. How could he not relate to that? Nash would do anything for his mother...which was why he was still harboring his secret instead of bursting through Damon’s front doors and laying it all out on the line.
Part of Nash wished he’d never kept this secret about his life, wished he’d just confronted his past immediately and moved on. But he’d wanted to protect his mother and wanted to move cautiously without making rash decisions. Lily was a different story. He’d seen her, he’d wanted her. Now, here they were, pregnant and discussing parents.
Irony shot at him from so many angles he could hardly keep up. He had been a secret baby, and Lily was expecting a baby that had to remain a secret for now. The best course of action for him would be to complete his original plans and confront Damon.
“Are you going to see your mom as soon as you’re done filming here?” he asked.
He needed her gone. He needed her away so he could have a face-to-face with Damon and not have Lily right there witnessing his confession of every single lie he’d told since meeting her. There was no way he could avoid the outcome, but he could at least soften the blow if she weren’t present for the bomb he would drop.
He wanted so much, from Damon, from himself...from Lily. In the end, he would have it all. He hadn’t gotten this far in his life by sitting idly by and watching opportunities pass. He reached with both hands and took what he wanted.
“I just need to think.” She rubbed her head and sighed. “I need to find a doctor. I have no idea where to go. Obviously I should look in LA, but I won’t be back there for a while.”
“I’ll find you one.” When she quirked a brow, he added, “I know people in the area. You need a checkup and then you can see a doctor when you get home.”
Assuming she went back home after filming wrapped up. Hell, he had no idea what her plans were. Honestly, all they’d managed to work out was how well they fit together intimately. Any discussion beyond that would be a vast change of pace.
“Just get me a name,” she told him. “It’s going to be nearly impossible to get in and out of a doctor’s office here without word getting out about my condition.”
Nash’s mind was working overtime. He couldn’t say too much or she’d know something was off about him and who she believed he was. She had to keep thinking he was just a groom until he could tell her otherwise. The last thing he needed at this point was her, or anyone for that matter, getting suspicious. Still, money talked and he’d use any means necessary to get her the proper care she needed while she was here.
“I bet we could get a doctor to come here, secretly,” he offered. “People can be silenced for a price.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “You’re not paying someone to keep quiet. I know how this works, Nash. We just need to find someone who can be discreet.”
From her tone and the worry filling her eyes, Nash knew she didn’t like the idea of him spending his money on her health care. Little did she know how heavily padded his accounts were. Even if they weren’t, even if he did only make groom’s wages, he’d spend every last cent if that meant proper care for his baby.
“I’ll take care of it,” he assured her. “You won’t have to worry about a thing.”
Lily leaned her shoulder against the narrow kitchenette cabinet and stared at him. “There are so many layers to you,” she muttered. “You’re all casual and laid-back, yet sometimes you’re all business and take-charge. Makes me wonder who the real Nash is.”
She’d barely scratched the surface. All too soon those layers would be peeled back one at a time, revealing things that would change lives forever.
Forcing himself to relax, he hooked his thumbs through his belt loops, intending to keep playing the part of groom. “Which Nash do you think I am?”
With a shrug, Lily continued to stare. “I’m not sure. You just seem more, I don’t know, powerful and composed than I thought you’d be about the baby.”
In one stride he’d closed the space between them, snaked his arms around her waist and leaned over her so her back arched. “You saying I wasn’t powerful when we were in the loft?”
Lily’s hands slid up his chest. “Oh, you were powerful, but you didn’t have that serious tone you just used.”
Nash eyed her mouth, then traveled back up to her eyes. “Trust me, when it comes to someone I care about, I’m very serious.”
Lily’s tremble vibrated his entire body. He couldn’t let her know anything about his real life, but at the same time he had to use his influences to keep her near, keep her and the baby safe. Everything in his life was at stake—things he hadn’t even considered a possibility were now major markers on his journey. He’d started down this path with one vision, now suddenly there were forks in the road. Still, he had to stay on track because no matter which way he went, hearts would be ripped apart. Two life-altering secrets would shatter the trust he’d built with everyone around him over the past couple of months.
Even with the odds drastically stacked against him, with the devil in the corner mocking him, Nash had no intention of failing. He’d have it all: the horses, a family, his baby.
Four
“What do you mean he’s still not accepting our offer?”
Nash glanced behind him, making sure he was still alone. He’d stepped out of the stables and around the side where he was sure to have privacy when his assistant had called.
Damon Barrington may technically be his boss here, but Nash had a surprise in store for him.
“I know what they’re planning,” Nash said in a low tone. “I know exactly what he’s willing to let go of and what he wants to hold on to. What the hell will it take to get him to sell to me?”
“I think that’s the issue,” his assistant replied. “You know how he feels about you. He may sell to someone else.”
Nash raked a hand through his hair. Yeah, he knew how Damon felt about him. They’d been ongoing rivals in the horse industry and for the past two years or so, but they’d pretty much used their assistants to handle all business dealings between them. That gap in time had only aided in Nash’s covert plans. All he’d done was grow a beard, grow his hair longer and put on old, well-worn clothes. Sometimes the easiest way to hide things, or people, was right in plain sight.
Nash had wanted to purchase several of Damon’s prizewinning horses, knowing the mogul was set to retire after this season, but Damon kept refusing. Nash needed those horses, needed the bloodlines on his own estate because he’d not been faring well in the races and losing was not an option.
The most recent offer had been exorbitant and Damon still wasn’t budging. Stubborn man.
Like father, like son.
“Let me think,” Nash said, heading back toward the front of the stables. “I’ll call you back.”
He slid the phone into his pocket and rounded the corner. Stepping from the shade to the vibrant sun had him pulling his cowboy hat down lower. He needed to figure out what it would take to get Damon to sell those horses to him because Nash had never taken no for an answer and he sure as hell wouldn’t start now.
Pulling the pitchfork off the hook on the wall, Nash set out to clean out the stalls at the end of the aisle. Tessa and Cassie had taken two of the coveted horses out for a bit which gave him time to think and work without distractions.
What if someone else called Damon’s assistant and made an offer? Would the tenacious man consider the generous offer then if he knew the horses weren’t going to his rival?
Nash shoved the pitchfork into the hay, scooped out the piles and tossed them into the wheelbarrow. He missed his own estate, missed doing the grunt work with his own horses, in his own lavish stables. But he’d left his groom in charge and knew he could trust the man.
Only Nash’s assistant knew where he was and that he was trying to spy on the Barringtons in an attempt to buy them out. But even his right-hand man wasn’t aware of the other secret that had Nash uncovered here. Nobody knew and until he was ready to disclose his full plan, he had to keep it that way.
If Damon hated him before, how would the elderly man feel once he discovered the real truth?
By the time the first stall was clean, sweat trickled down his back. Nash pulled his hat off, tugged his T-shirt over his head and slapped his hat back on. He didn’t often take his shirt off during workdays, but the day was almost done and the heat was stifling. He’d even gotten used to the itchiness of his beard after endless hours of working in this heat.
After both stalls were ready to go, Nash put all the materials away. Damon kept a clean, neat stable—something they had in common.
Nash didn’t want to admit they had anything in common, but over the past several months since he had been on the Barrington estate, he’d seen Damon many times, seen how he treated his family, the crew filming there. But Nash hadn’t allowed himself to get swept into that personal realm. He was here for a job, both as a groom and as a businessman.
Nash’s last order of business was sweeping the walkway, ridding it of the stray straw and dust. The chore didn’t take long, but had him sweating even more. He pulled the T-shirt from his back pocket and swiped it across his neck and chest.
“Have you ever thought of doing calendars?”
Nash jerked around to see the object of his every desire standing in the stable entryway, the sunlight illuminating her rich hair, her curvy build.
“What are you doing here?”
“Is Cassie around?”
“She’s out riding.” He took a step closer, since no one was around and he couldn’t resist. So, he’d actually found one thing he had absolutely no control over. “You all right?”
With a soft smile, she nodded. “Yeah. I have a short break between scenes and I needed to ask her something.”
Fisting his shirt, Nash crossed his arms over his chest. “Care to elaborate?”
“I’m asking her what doctor she used while she was pregnant, if you must know,” she whispered.
“I already found out and you have an appointment.” He’d had to do some sneaky digging, or rather his assistant did, but he’d been able to find the doctor in town who Cassie had seen for her pregnancy. “I was going to tell you this evening because I wasn’t sure of your schedule today.”
Her eyes raked over his bare chest and he didn’t mind one bit being the recipient of her visual lick. “Keep looking at me like that and people are going to know more about us than we want them to.”
Her eyes snapped up to his. “I can’t even think when you’re working like that,” she muttered, gaze darting back down to his bare chest. “But thank you for arranging the doctor. When is he coming?”
“She will be here on Thursday.”
Lily nodded. “That will be great. We’re supposed to finish filming Thursday, but they may have something else for me to do last minute. I’ll make sure I’m free, though.”
“We’re meeting at my house so there’s no question as to why she’s here.”
“Taking control again?” A corner of Lily’s lips kicked up into a grin. “This once I don’t mind and if we were alone, I’d show you how grateful I am for you taking care of this.”
Damn, his body responded immediately and he couldn’t wait to get back to her trailer. “We’ll be alone later and I’ll let you.”
At first all the sneaking around had been exciting, thrilling. Of course, that part was still arousing, but they basically knew nothing about each other. All he’d wanted was to confront his past, secure his future and now he was dealing with a whole new future.
Lily was an amazing woman, there was no denying that fact. But that didn’t make him ready to settle down and play house, either. Could he see himself with someone like her? Considering they only knew each other in the bedroom, sure. Reality might be a different story.
Why the hell was he thinking like this? They were having a baby, that didn’t mean they had to register for monogrammed towels.
“Hey, Lily.”
Nash turned to see the beautiful Barrington sisters as they led their horses into the stalls.
“Hi, Cassie, Tessa.” Lily walked around him, sending her signature scent of lilac straight through him. “I had a break from filming and thought I’d come see you guys since I rarely get in here.”
Good save.
Nash went on with his duties, trying to ignore the feminine laughter of the three women in his life...only two of them had no clue just how close to him they were.
He’d created a complete and utter mess and he had to gain control and figure out how the hell to keep his plans and deception from blowing up in his face.
As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he’d come to care for this family. Even though he hadn’t let them in beyond work, he knew these sisters, saw the love their father had for them, witnessed bonding moments when they thought no one was around.
They were a family. A tight-knit, perfectly woven-together family. And when Nash ended up besting Damon, Nash had no clue where that would leave him in the family tree.
* * *
Ridding her body of her meager breakfast of dry toast was not a promising start to her day. It was the final day of shooting and Lily just wanted to crawl back into bed and tell the crew to do the scene without her. With her stomach revolting, she didn’t care that she was the female lead, she just wanted to lie in her bed and die, because she was positive that’s what was happening.
She was already fifteen minutes late for hair and makeup. She was never late. Some actors and actresses had a reputation for being divas while filming, often times making the rest of the crew wait on them, but Lily had prided herself on being professional. Her time wasn’t worth any more than any other person’s on set.
She slapped her sunglasses on, hoping to hide the dark circles until she got to the makeup chair. She’d had enough energy to throw on her strapless maxi dress and flip-flops before heading out. But her mind wasn’t on filming. Besides the baby, Lily was seriously starting to worry about her and Nash.
Her and Nash? Why did they instantly click like a couple inside her mind?
Because that’s the way her mind—and her heart—had started leaning. The man exuded strength, not just in his physical job, but with everything he did. Since he found out about the baby he’d been ready to control every aspect of this pregnancy, to anticipate her every need. And, as much as it pained her to admit it, his dominating presence only deepened her attraction to him.
There was so much to the man and she wanted to discover it all. She completely trusted him with her body, now she wanted to see if she could trust him with more.
What did he want? Did he want more with her? If he did, would he be able to handle the very public life she led? One worry after another cycled through her head.
The overcast clouds were about as cheery and pleasant as she felt at the moment. She really hoped the first trimester passed quickly and she was a textbook case pregnancy because, while she was excited about the little life growing inside her, she was so over feeling carsick, as if she was riding a roller coaster and spinning in circles all at once.
Adding all of that to the uncertainty about Nash and what move they would take next was about to break her.
“I was just coming to check on you.” Ian fell into step beside her. “Everything okay?”
Tears pricked her eyes. Was everything okay? Not really. She was pregnant by a man she knew little about and she was falling in love with him. That chaotic mess had somehow become her life and she had no clue how to sort out all these emotions to make sense of things.
Ian stared at her, waiting on her to answer. Shoving her hair away from her shoulders, Lily blinked back tears, thankful for the sunglasses.
“I wasn’t feeling very well this morning.”
He gripped her elbow and pulled her gently to a stop. “You’re looking a little pale. Are you okay?”
Lily sniffed and shook her head. “No, I’m not, but I will be.”
Ian’s brows drew together as he glanced around, then focused back on her. “You’re crying. That’s not okay. Did something happen with your mom?”
“No, my mom is fine.”
Lily reached beneath her sunglasses and swiped the tips of her fingers at the tears just starting to escape. Why couldn’t she control her emotions? She just wanted to wrap up this day of filming and go back to her trailer where she could think of how to gently let Nash know she was developing stronger feelings for him.
“If you’re sick, maybe I should see about putting your scene off. A few more hours shouldn’t make a difference.”
A few hours? She needed a few weeks, or months, depending on how long this state of feeling like death lingered. Of course by that time she’d resemble a whale which would totally knock her out of playing Rose Barrington.
“A few hours won’t make a difference, but thanks.”
She sniffed again, desperately needing a tissue. Wow, if the paparazzi could only see her now. Sniffling, crying and looking like pure hell. They’d make up something akin to Starlet Hooked on Drugs or The Girl Next Door Reverts Back to Her Wild Days as their top story.
“Does this have to do with Nash?” he whispered. “You seem really upset for just not feeling well. Did he do something?”
Hysterical laughter burst through her as more tears flowed. Yeah, she was officially a disaster and she was totally falling apart in front of her new agent. An agent who had flown all the way out here to convince her to sign with his agency...the poor man was probably reconsidering his decision even though in the short time they’d been official, they had come to think of each other as good friends.
So instead of letting him continue to think she’d gone completely insane, she blurted out, “I’m pregnant.”
Ian’s eyes widened for only a second before he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a friendly hug.
“I assume this is Nash’s?”
Lily nodded against his shoulder and held on to his arms. “Nobody knows. Please keep the news to yourself until I tell you otherwise.”
“Of course.” He gave her shoulder a slight squeeze, then stepped back. “Is this why you haven’t gotten back to me on either of those scripts?”
His smile warmed her and she nodded. “I’m so torn. I have no clue what work you can find for me and I just don’t know how I’ll manage with being pregnant or even what will happen when the baby comes.”
Ian kept his grip on her shoulders and tipped his head down to look her straight in the eye. “Listen, this news is a shock to you now, but you are a strong woman. Actresses have babies all the time. You will do just fine and I’ve no doubt I’ll find work for you. Never worry about that. That’s my job. Okay?”
The strong wind had her hair dancing around her shoulders. Lily shoved the wayward strands behind her ears. “I need to get to hair and makeup. I’m really late now. Thanks for understanding and for keeping my secret.”
Ian dropped his hands. “You go on. I’m going to see Nash because he’s been shooting death glares at me from the stables since we stopped to talk.”
Wrapping her arms around her waist, Lily smiled. “He’s a bit protective.”
“Looks like a man in love to me.”
Love? No. Lust? Yes. They weren’t near the stage for love to enter the equation—well, she was teetering on the brink. Their sexual chemistry was completely off the charts, though.
“Tell him I’ll see him later and that I’m fine,” she told Ian. “He worries like my mother.”
With a soft chuckle, Ian nodded. “Will do.”
Ian walked toward the stables and Lily paused briefly to stare at Nash. Even from across the wide concrete drive and the side yard, she could see the stone-solid look on his face. That wasn’t jealousy. What did he have to be jealous of, anyway? Yes, they were having a baby together, but they’d still made no commitment to each other.
Why shouldn’t they try for more? Why couldn’t she just tell him what she wanted? She wasn’t asking for a ring on her finger. This innocent baby wouldn’t be caught in the middle. Lily wanted her child to have security and the love of both parents whether they were together or not. She had to figure out how Nash felt about her beyond the sexual aspect.
But she had a feeling she knew how his mind worked. A man like Nash wouldn’t let go of anything that belonged to him and since this baby was his, she knew he wouldn’t let go of her, either.
This could be an opportunity to see if she was ready for something long-term with the man who had literally turned her world upside down.
Five
Nash had no idea how nervous he had been about this appointment until he closed the door behind the doctor once the checkup was done. Now he and Lily were alone in his rental house which was only a few miles from the Barrington estate.
The baby was healthy with a good, strong heartbeat. Lily’s blood pressure was a bit on the high side and the doctor warned about too much stress and urged her to rest for the next few weeks until the next appointment. Nash vowed silently to make sure Lily was relaxed, pampered and wanted for nothing as long as she was here. And she would stay here for the next few weeks...if not longer. They hadn’t really discussed her living arrangements, but Nash wasn’t backing down on this matter. His child would stay under his roof for now.
The movie had officially wrapped up yesterday and Lily was free. Which meant he had some decisions to make. This wasn’t just about Nash and Lily anymore. An innocent baby would be coming into this world soon and would depend on his or her parents to provide a stable, loving home.
When he stepped back into the living room, Lily was reclining on the leather chaise in the corner, pointing the remote toward the flat screen hanging above the stone mantel. He may be using this home as a prop for his plan, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t decorate it according to his style and his needs, just on a smaller scale. His designer had done quick work before Nash moved in and everything was perfect for a single groom who splurged only on a few necessities. A large television was a necessity.