“Please, don’t go.” The words were a whisper in the wind, but he heard them and turned. Waited. “I’m sorry,” she began, taking the steps towards him. “I know you’re angry with me, and I know we hurt each other. I just—I just couldn’t bear it if you walked away. Stay with me. Please.”
He resisted the urge to touch her, knowing there was more. The more that he could see in her eyes. “Why?”
“Because I-” The words stuck in her throat. They were so difficult to get out, and then she had an image of him walking away in her head. Perhaps…perhaps, they weren’t so difficult after all. “Because I love you. I’m in love with you.”
His arms were around her in a flash. “Right answer,” he murmured before his lips caught hers in a kiss.
“Cut! And that’s a wrap for tonight!” The director grinned at the two actors. “Perfect! You’ve got the rest of the night off. See you in the morning.”
Autumn stepped back from her co-star and smiled. “And it only took us two hours to get it right.”
Logan Jamison smiled back as they headed towards their trailers. “Damn lighting gets us every time.” He stopped at his trailer while she continued on to hers. “Hey, Autumn. I like working with you. It’s fun.”
She beamed at him. “I’m glad! You’re a piece of cake to work with, too.”
“Good to know. You’ll have to let my soon-to-be ex-wife know. She thinks I’m hell to get along with,” he replied good-naturedly.
“Next time I see her, I will.”
“Great. Have a good night and give that kid of yours a kiss for me,” he told her before slipping into his trailer.
“I will,” she murmured and pulled open the door to her own trailer. Lily was curled into a ball on the cushy sofa, while the director’s daughter, who she’d persuaded into babysitting, flipped through a magazine. “Hey, Mel. How was she today?”
The seventeen-year-old smiled. “An angel. As always. She just fell asleep a half hour ago. We went to that small park a couple blocks away, and she loved the slide. I think it tired her out, though.”
“Hopefully, she’ll sleep straight through the night,” Autumn murmured, lifting the toddler. “I haven’t made it to the bank yet this week, Mel. Is it okay if I pay you tomorrow?”
Mel shrugged as she got her things together. “I know you’re good for it. Besides, I’d do it for free anyway. Lily’s adorable.”
“Well, thanks. I’m glad you decided to spend spring break out here. Saves me having to go through the hassle of finding a babysitter.” She laid Lily in her carrier. Her baby was still tiny enough to fit, and Autumn continued to use the vehicle as it was easier than a stroller at this point. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Sure. Eleven-thirty, right? I think I saw that on dad’s schedule.” Mel pulled the strap of her bag onto her shoulder. “I could just take Lily from the hotel, if you want.”
“Whatever works. Thanks, Mel.” She, too, gathered up her own belongings to take back to the hotel room she’d been living in for the past month.
Mel paused, one hand on the door. “Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you, but your husband called a couple hours ago. Lily chattered with him for, like, an hour. She loved it, and I could tell Nick did, too. It’s cute how much he calls you guys. I never thought Nick Carter would ever settle down and be so in love with someone.”
Autumn’s hands stilled on her bag. It was still a jolt to remember that Nick was her husband, that he’d been her husband for a month. She should be used to it by now, but she wasn’t. She wasn’t used to the nearly daily phone calls, either. They always came when she wasn’t around, and she knew they were both avoiding each other. But, she secretly had to agree with Mel. She’d never thought of Nick Carter as the settling down kind of guy.
It took her a moment to remember that Mel was still waiting for some kind of response. Fixing a smile on her face, she turned. “Thanks for letting me know. You’re right, it is adorable that he calls us all the time. We miss him, too.”
“I bet. Well, have a good night!” Mel disappeared out the door, and Autumn set her things aside and plopped onto the sofa.
It had been just over three weeks since everyone had discovered that Nick Carter and Autumn Evans had tied the knot. In those three weeks, the media buzz had gone from “What were they thinking?” over the manner in which they’d married to “Aww, it’s so cute how much they must have loved each other and been unable to wait to get married”. Whatever their reaction, though, the main hype had died down after two weeks. Sure, there were still the constant demands for an interview with both of them, but management had stuck to a hard and fast line. Autumn Evans was shooting on-location for a film, and Nick Carter was busy working on the Backstreet Boys’ new album.
In reality, management and their publicists had no desire to see Autumn and Nick open their mouths to the media. They were probably right, too.
However, despite all the buzz and the anger of their individual teams, Nick had completely thrown himself into being a husband. Even if it was an act, and even though it was from afar. He’d been reported as telling his friends that his wife was incredible, that she was the love of his life. That his new daughter was the most precious gift he’d ever been given in his life.
Only the last, Autumn knew, was remotely true. While everything else was a lie, the fact that Nick doted on Lily was the absolute truth. Not a day went by that Lily didn’t receive some sort of toy, piece of clothing, or whatever that had caught Nick’s eye. If she wasn’t careful, he was going to spoil her irreparably.
As she toyed with the ring on her finger, she knew that she’d stopped being angry with him somewhere around week three of their marriage. It was pointless, and he was just as much a victim of the situation as she was. At least he was making the best of it.
She wondered how he and Liz were doing, then shook the thought off. It was their business, and Liz was still too upset with her to talk. Though it hurt, she knew she’d hurt her best friend, too. There were no excuses good enough.
Sighing a little over the state of her affairs, Autumn stood and, grabbing her things, lifted Lily’s carrier and carried it out to where her assigned chauffeur waited beside a car. Maybe, if she wasn’t too tired, she’d try calling Nick in an hour or so.
Maybe.
Two days later, she still hadn’t called him, but, at the moment, it probably wasn’t the best idea to worry about it. Autumn paced her trailer, reciting her lines for the next scene. The crew was setting up the sound stage, so she’d taken the extra time to brush up on her lines.
Her makeup felt too heavy on her face, and the short, strapless red dress she wore was just a little too tight. She tugged at the low neckline, trying to bring it back up to ensure she was covered comfortably. Of course, the dress had a mind of its own and refused to cooperate. So, she was stuck with a “heaving bosom”. She figured that was what the scene required anyway, so she’d deal with it.
There was a short rapping sound on her door and a voice called to her. “Evans, on set. Thirty seconds.”
“Okay,” she called back. Brushing back her unbound curls, she took a deep breath and stepped out in character.
They shot and re-shot the scene in which she was nearly killed by a masked gunman at a country club Valentine’s Day dance. Under the glaring lights of the set, there was no way to prevent the sweat that dripped down her face. The makeup artist dabbed it off and retouched her makeup between every take while Autumn and her fellow actors guzzled water.
Like eager vultures to a kill, the ever-present crowd of reporters tried to catch glimpses of the set and its actors. Security held them back, and, for the most part, those that worked diligently on their scenes didn’t notice them.
Until a cheer went up in the middle of a re-shoot.
“Cut!” The director scowled. “What the hell is going on? Why don’t I have silence on my set?”
Autumn squinted in the direction of the cheering and frowned. The reporters were turned away from the set, which meant there was something, or someone, else going on.
“See anything?” Logan asked as he came to stand next to her.
“Nothing. I wonder what’s going on.” But it was dark and hard to tell.
Then, she saw him. Even as her heart begun to thud, she stood watching as he made his way towards them. Security obviously hadn’t bothered to hold him back.
“Hey, isn’t that your-” Logan turned to find she’d disappeared. When he turned back, he saw her.
Autumn didn’t know what compelled her to do it, but she was nearly running towards him. She couldn’t tell anyone, not even herself, why her heart beat the way it did, but it was speeding. She came to a halt in front of him.
A fist had surely knocked the breath out of him, he thought. If it was possible to become incredibly attractive within a few weeks, she’d done it. Nick had always known she was beautiful, but it had never really affected him. Now, though…
“Hi.” Her voice was soft.
“Hi.” His was just as quiet. Then he grinned. “It’s good to see you.”
And then they were wrapped up in each other’s arms as dozens of flashbulbs went off around them. “It’s good to see you, too,” she whispered into his ear before burying her face against his throat. Breathing him in, she wondered what was happening to them. What it all meant.
