“And Allen’s mom? Is she doing okay?” Julie had not only covered Allen’s funeral costs, but she’d sent his mother a whopper of a check. Allen had saved her life at the cabin just as Troy had done on the red carpet, and she wanted to make sure his mother didn’t suffer financially because of the loss. Nothing could bring back a son, but not having to worry about money certainly made life a little easier.
Julie reached across the table and took Troy’s hand. “Dinner was perfect. Thank you. How did you know I love Italian food?”
Laughing, Elena closed the dishwasher door. “He’s a P.I. How do you think he found out?” She raised her hand. “He asked me.” She glanced at her watch. “Okay, this cleaning detail is done for the night. Abbey, let’s hit the road. My show starts in thirty minutes.”
“I guess I’ll be going too,” Blake said. “Thanks for dinner.” His mood had gone from somber to downright surly, but he’d been trying his best to hide it. Not much got by Julie though, including Abbey’s cold shoulder to the guy. Blake practically flew out the door and Elena and Abbey followed close behind.
Julie shut the front door and found Troy watching her from the hallway, his eyes hot and smoky. He checked his watch and she did the same. They had approximately four-and-a-half days before she had to be in New York City to start filming her next movie. God, she’d missed him. Missed his big hands, his sexy eyes, and his hard body. She’d spent all her downtime talking to him via text, email, Skype and phone. It was a hell of a way to start a relationship.
“We need to talk,” she said. She had to know before it went any further that he could handle everything that being with her entailed.
“Okay. Sounds serious.” He seemed oddly relaxed as he took her hand and led her into the living room. They sat on her comfortable sofa and he kept her sweaty hand in his. “What’s on your mind?”
Where did she start? She’d had nothing but time to think about how they were going to make this work. He was so intensely private and her life was so freakishly not.
“After Lucas and I broke up I dated a couple of guys,” she said.
Troy just looked at her, his expression unchanged.
“And,” she continued, determined to get this out, “I couldn’t give them what they wanted. I couldn’t give them a quiet dinner out without interruption. I couldn’t give them a normal home life when I was working crazy hours out of town for months at a time. These last few weeks were nothing compared to a big budget film. One of those could keep me out of town for months on end.”
Troy nodded, his face somber. “You’re telling me this because...?”
“Because, I want you to understand what you’ll have to give up to be with me. You’ve waited for me this whole time, and I know we’ve talked and it’s been as good as it can be for a long-distance relationship, but...” She shook her head because she’d been through this before. She hated messy and didn’t want this budding love with Troy to get messy.
“You’re forgetting one very important thing,” he said. Julie waited, her heart full and ready to break if he agreed that the distance was a deal breaker. “What about the perks of being with you?” His gaze softened. “What about the way you make me laugh and the way you make me a better man? What about the light you put in my life just by being you? As long as we have a home together, somewhere where it’s just us and the press or producers or well-meaning friends can’t intrude, then I don’t care what happens if we’re out to dinner or a movie.” He rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. “I’m not those other guys you dated. I’m not looking to compete with you. I know I have to share. I’m on board because I love you and that means I deal with...” He searched for the word he wanted.
“The chaos?” she supplied.
He grinned. “You’re words, not mine. I was thinking more along the lines of whatever comes our way.”
“What about your privacy?”
“What about it?” He shook his head. “If you’re trying to get rid of me, this isn’t the way to do it.” He