Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
“I’m sorry.” I kissed her lips. “I was being stubborn. I was hanging on to something that wouldn’t let me see the mistake I was making.”
“What was the something?”
“Just, like . . . an old fear that anything can be taken away from you at any time. So it’s better not to care about anything or anyone too deeply.”
“What made you realize it?”
I smiled. “You’re gonna laugh.”
“Is it funnier than the shark onesie?”
“It’s close. I went back to Delphine.”
Her eyes went wide. “Did you really?”
“Yes. I’d started to get pissed that I’d done all the things she said, and not only was there no big movie role, but now I had all these feelings. I wanted my walls back.”
Ari laughed. “What did she say?”
“She told me the universe isn’t a vending machine. You don’t put the money in, punch the number, and get the prize. But she could sense that I’d done the work. She said my heart energy was flowing freely, but I was still closing myself off out of fear.”
“So how did she get you to conquer it?”
“Somehow she opened my mind to the possibility of us. She made me picture it. She made me feel it—I’m telling you, it was some voodoo shit. But it just felt so fucking right. So good. I knew right then I’d do anything to have it, even risk the hurt.”
She laid her hand on my cheek. “If it were up to me, you’d never hurt again.”
“I think it’s probably unrealistic to imagine life without any pain, and there will be bad days, but knowing you’re there at the end of them will make all the difference.”
“I’ll be there,” she whispered.
“So will I.” I circled her wrist and lifted her hand from my face, kissing her palm. “I want to be in this with you, just like you said. I want to take care of you. Lift you up. Give you everything.”
“I want to work for it.” She smiled seductively. “But I will let you spoil me. You’re very good at it.”
“It will be my pleasure.” I kissed the inside of her wrist. “There’s something else.”
“What else could there be?”
I rubbed my lips back and forth against the soft skin of her inner arm. “I have an audition for All We’ve Lost. A real one this time.”
“What?” She placed her hand on my chest. “Tell me!”
I told her about the message I’d gotten from Katherine Carroll and how Izzie had confirmed it was real.
“I can’t believe you’ve known this the whole time, and you’re just getting around to telling me about it.”
“Well, I had other things to focus on. More important things. Like getting you back.”
She kissed me. “You never lost me, Dash. You’ve always had my heart.”
“You had mine too. I just didn’t know it.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “Can I keep it?”
“For as long as you want.”
The look in her eyes told me how long she’d been waiting to hear that. “How about forever?”
“You know I love a happy ending.”
She laughed. “The diner waitress gets the movie star. I love this story.”
“I love you.”
Her laughter faded and she kissed me again. “I love you too.”
epilogue
TWO YEARS LATER
ARI
“And the Oscar goes to . . .” The beautiful actress in the long sequined gown opened the envelope. I held my breath. “Dashiel Buckley for All We’ve Lost.”
The music swelled along with my heart and my tears and my pride in Dash, who squeezed my hand and drew me to my feet. After placing a hard kiss on my lips, he turned to the row behind us and hugged his two co-stars and finally, Katherine Carroll, whose eyes were glossy.
With one last look at me, he made his way to the stage, shaking a couple hands on the way, and accepted the statue from the actress. After kissing her cheek, he looked in disbelief at the award and took his place at the podium.
“Oh my God,” he said. “I hardly know where to start.”
My eyes were so blurry. I had to fan my face to get them to clear up a little. I had so much makeup on—applied by a glam squad in my hotel suite earlier this afternoon—and I didn’t want to ruin it. I knew the cameras were on me. Cameras were often aimed at me these days. I’d gotten used to seeing myself on the internet or in magazines, and I’d given up trying to always look perfect. Dash had made it clear he loved me for me and didn’t want me to look like a Hollywood starlet.
But tonight was different. Tonight, I wore the red satin gown, the Cartier jewels, the updo, the lashes, the siren lip. When Dash saw me, he kissed the back of my hand and told me I took his breath away.
“My dad, my siblings, my entire family—I love you so much. Thank you for always believing in me. And being in my corner. My mom hasn’t been with us for a long time, and yet she’s with me every day, and I know none of this would be possible without her love shining down on me.” He glanced up. “Thank you, Mom.”