Blackout After Dark (Gansett Island #21) - Marie Force Page 0,10
biggest night of your life, and I need to be there.”
“This isn’t the biggest night of my life.”
“Right. You won an Oscar. What am I thinking?”
His low rumble of laughter had her raising her head to see what was so funny.
He tipped her chin up, compelling her to look at him. “The biggest night of my life was the night you finally married me and made me the happiest and luckiest guy in the entire world. Nothing I ever do or have ever done would or could top that.”
She sighed. “You still have a way with words.”
“I hope so. They’re my bread and butter.”
“I want you to know how proud I am of you and how hard you’ve worked to tell our story in a way that’s respectful of what we went through.”
“It was a labor of love so big, it’s the one thing I can’t seem to describe in words.” He caressed her face. “I want you to stay home tonight.”
“I need to be there for you.”
“You are. You’re there for me every single day. You’re the reason I had this incredible story to tell, a story that’s resurrected my career, which was flagging badly before you came along with your guts and your grit and your determination. You inspired me, and you’re the star of this entire thing, Steph. And while I can’t wait for the rest of the world to know what an amazing woman my wife is, I’ve known that for a long time now. I get that it’s too painful for you to relive the past, even for me, and I’d never put you through something that would hurt you.”
“That’s the thing. I don’t know if it would hurt me, and I’m too scared to find out.”
“You’re not scared. You’re protecting yourself from old wounds, and I completely understand that.”
“Thanks to you and Dan and so many other people, I’ve traveled a million miles from the mess I was when we first met and—”
Grant kissed her. “You were not a mess. Please don’t say that. You’re the reason this film is called Indefatigable. You refused to give up, no matter how big the mountain was that stood before you. That’s what people will see when they watch this film. They’ll see the same brave, strong, resolute woman I saw when we first met.”
“That’s not what you saw,” she said with a small smile, desperate for a bit of levity.
He grinned. “Well, after I got past your sexy body and saucy mouth and how you put me in my place like no one else ever has, I saw the rest of you, and I was in awe. I still am.”
Deeply moved by his sweet words, she said, “I want to be there for you tonight.”
“Let’s do this… I’ll go to the premiere by myself and send a car to pick you up for the after-party. That way, you can achieve your most pressing goal, which is meeting Flynn Godfrey and Hayden Roth.”
Stephanie smiled. “Do you think we’ll ever hear the end of Dan talking about Flynn playing him?”
Laughing, Grant said, “Never. I’ll be hearing about that for the rest of my life.”
They’d cast unknown actors to play Charlie, Stephanie and Grant, but they expected the star power of Flynn Godfrey, Quantum Studios and Hayden Roth’s direction to make the film a massive hit. It was already generating Oscar buzz, and it hadn’t even been released yet.
“What do you think? Sit out the screening and come to the party?”
“That sounds good. Thanks for understanding. I love you so much, and I’m so, so proud of you.”
“I love you more, and I’m prouder of you than you’ll ever be of me.”
“Wanna bet?”
“Uh-huh.” He kissed her lips and then her neck. “Come back to bed for a while.”
“To sleep?”
“Sure. Unless something else comes up.”
Stephanie laughed at the suggestive way he said that. “When we’re in bed together, something else always comes up.”
He helped her up and led the way to the bedroom. “I can’t help it that you’re so sexy, you make me want you all the time.”
“So it’s my fault, is it?”
“Absolutely.” He eased her onto the bed and came down on top of her, careful not to put too much weight on the baby bump. “You make me crazy with wanting you, Mrs. McCarthy.”
As she looped her arms around his neck, she drank in the sight of his handsome face, messy hair and scruffy jaw. She loved him like this, the way only she got to see