past, their awkward encounters in the present. With his reemergence into her life, Elle wondered if she’d ever be able to stop thinking about him. If the jurors inside her head were any indication, it was going to be a struggle.
After a long hot shower, several cups of coffee, and a decent breakfast, Elle was feeling less stricken by the previous night’s activities. To her relief, it was a Saturday. She took the opportunity to lose herself in a good story. She hadn’t read a full-length novel in ages. It was time for her to rectify that.
Elle grabbed her iPad, tapped on her Kindle app, and scrolled through the latest titles she’d grabbed online. While scrolling, she reminisced as she eyed her own titles on the device.
She’d written four books, each one about her relationship with Troy. She’d transformed their complex love story into an ongoing saga between Desmond and Molly. She’d poured her heart into those novels, but each had a very clear message.
She was fine.
No matter what happened with Desmond, Molly was resilient, strong, stoic. She could take anything, handle anything, deal with anything. She was a clear projection of how Elle longed to be while carrying out her day-to-day life and while dealing with her and Troy’s heartbreaking past.
She tapped on the first book in the series, reading the title page aloud to herself: I’ll Follow the Sun by Eleanor Riley. The network had shortened it for the television series, in order to make it more succinct, more modern. She turned to the first page.
Chapter 1
Whoever said love was blind never met Desmond Fiore.
He owned any room he entered, his charisma bouncing from the walls of the casinos of Las Vegas, captivating the women around him.
And despite the fact that he was her greatest competition, Molly Lynch was drawn to him in a way she resented and despised.
Elle laughed at the first words of her book, immediately remembering the emotions she felt when constructing those first sentences. She turned the pages several at a time, skimming through Desmond and Molly’s ups and downs, their fights and makeup sessions, their failed attempts at romance, and the moments that made her knees buckle with passion.
Their story was worthy of telling.
Unlike in years past, she wondered if perhaps Molly didn’t have it all figured out. Maybe Molly had a lot to learn about Desmond. He wanted to protect her, keep her safe, take care of her. But more than that, despite everything, he was proud of her and everything she’d accomplished. Tears threatened to build in Elle’s eyes as she was struck with that realization.
In the books she’d crafted, Desmond was never proud of Molly. Did he protect her? Yes. Did he care for her? In his own way. But this character she created from memory, from the longings of her heart, was jaded, flawed, and not quite accurate.
And for the first time in ten years, as she read through the passages in that first novel, she wondered if perhaps their story wasn’t quite over.
Her reading was interrupted by the ping of her cell phone. She grabbed it, hoping to hear from Whitney. Her friend was smart. She took measures to maintain her safety when going home with men; however, Elle couldn’t help feeling protective of her when Saturday mornings rolled around. Over the years, she’d requested a simple text to let her know all was well.
To her surprise, when she glanced at the screen, it wasn’t a text from Whitney, but rather one from Luke.
I miss you. Any plans today?
Elle smiled as she stared at the simple words. Despite her unfinished business with Troy, she was still drawn to the handsome actor. Despite Luke’s naivety about the world of Hollywood, or his possible flirtation with his leading actress, Elle was in no hurry to end their relationship.
Luke relaxed her like no other man had in the past. He fascinated her with his laid-back nature, and being near him satisfied her in a new and inexplicable way.
No plans. What’d you have in mind?
Elle placed the phone back down and moved her attention back to her book. Before she could even find her place in the story, her phone pinged once again.
You. Me. Whatever you want.
Excitement stirred in her belly as she thought about a day spent with Luke. She made a firm decision not to mention anything about Gina or the pictures of them at the bar. She was going to enjoy him, trust him, lose herself in him. She