Aligned: Volume 3 (10 page)

I smile although inside my heart is bursting. “Why?” I ask barely able to get the words out let alone make them sound normal.
 

“You okay?” he asks staring at my pained face.
 

“Yes, I just hit my leg funny. It still hurts sometimes,” I lie.
 

“Is there anything I can do?”
 

“Just distract me with stories about my past.”
 

He squints his eyes together staring at me intently before continuing. “You loved pizza because that is what you could afford whenever you made a little money. You would always spring for pizza. Even after you made millions as a photographer and you could go get any type of expensive food in the world, you always wanted pizza. You used to say as long as I can afford pizza my life must be pretty good.”
 

I smile. It doesn’t sound like I’ve changed much since before. Maybe that’s what I was getting at with my question. Just trying to find out if I have changed at all.
 

Ethan reaches over and kisses me softly on the lips.
 

“Good night, baby.”
 

“Good night,” I say. Ethan turns off the lamp next to the bed and rolls away from me. I roll the other way, thankful that he didn’t try to snuggle with me tonight. I don’t think it would have gone well.
 

My mind immediately wants to think of Landon, but I don’t let it. If I do, I’ll be in tears in no time and I can’t let Ethan think I’m crying because of what happened tonight. I try counting and focusing on my breathing like my therapist taught me.
 

I breathe in.
 

One.
 

Two.

Three.
 

I exhale.

Four.
 

Five.
 

Six.

I repeat over and over, but I don’t fall asleep. I listen to Ethan snoring softly beside me. I’m not ready to fall asleep. If I do, the nightmares will come again, and I’m not ready to face them. I climb out of bed and find a blanket from my closet before heading back to our large balcony. I curl up on the couch and stare up at the barely visible stars. I know I spent a lot of time out here and not because Ethan said I did. I can feel it. I feel comfort here. I just want to stay right here forever. Instead, in a few hours, I’ll go back inside and pretend to sleep next to Ethan, but for now, I’ll stay out here where I don’t have to think about a thing except the stars.

Please don’t leave.
 

Please give me back my love.

Please don’t give up now.

Please come back to me, love.
 

But most importantly

Please be happy, love.
 

“Yes!” Caroline squeals getting up from her chair and tackling me with her body. Her lips find mine as she assaults me with her tongue. I push her back as soon as I feel her slippery tongue on mine. I don’t want a kiss. And I definitely don’t want more.
 

She sits back on my lap, her lips immediately falling from the smile she was just wearing.
 

“It’s not going to be that type of relationship. At least, not right now. It’s a business arrangement. That’s all. Isn’t that what you always wanted?”
 

Her mouth falls open and her cheeks redden as if I just slapped her.
 
“Well ... yes,” she stutters.
 
“But we can have a
real
marriage.”
 

“Our marriage will be real in the legal sense. We may even occasionally have sex and enjoy parts of the marriage, but that won’t come until after we have discussed the marriage and have lawyers present to draw up a contract.”
 

“Oh really?
You
have terms now that you want in the contract. You forget I control you.” A smug grin curls onto her lips.
 

I push her off my lap and stand up. “No. I control you. I don’t care anymore if you plaster my past all over every tabloid magazine. Do it if that’s what you want. But if you want to marry
me
, if you want
my money
, then you will do this
my way.”
My body is an inch from hers as I shout the words.
 

“You love her.” Caroline’s lips curl into a smirk again.
 

“What?”
 

“You love her. The slutty photographer that’s married. You love her.”
 

“It doesn’t matter who I love.” I run my hands through my hair trying to remain calm, desperately trying to forget about Alex, but I can’t.
 

Her smile widens. She runs her hand up my chest. “See, that’s where you’re wrong, Landon. It matters a great deal who we love. I love you. Well, as much as I can love another person. I always have, but you already know that. That’s why you think you can control me. But you ...” She pushes her fingers into my chest. “You love Alexa. Which means she has the ability to control you. There is a reason you want to marry me. It’s to protect her.”
 

She starts circling me as she tries to figure it out.
 

“Is it to protect her from your past?”
 

“No,” I snap.
 

She smiles as she circles again, her eyes probing me for information.
 

“You think you will hurt her?”
 

“No,” I snap again.
 

She circles again, her sly smile still there.
 

“You’re protecting her image from the shit storm that would take place if you married her instead?”

“No,” I snap louder grabbing her to keep her from circling again.
 

“I’m getting closer.”
 

“No. Stop this now or I’ll retract my offer.”
 

She smiles brighter. “I don’t think you will.” She breaks from my hold. “All the same, I’ll stop. For now. I’ll figure it out at some point anyway.” Caroline inspects her perfectly manicured hands as if this conversation isn’t life changing. But it is life changing for both of us.
 

“So you will marry me?”
 

“Yes, but I have some terms of my own,” she says glancing up as she narrows her eyes.
 

I sigh before walking back inside. She follows. I walk her all the way to my door. I’m ready for this bitch to leave. I open the door and wave her out.
 

She stands calmly in my doorway. She kisses me softly on the lips before turning to leave.
 

“Drew will be in touch to schedule a meeting with our lawyers.”
 

“Of course, he will,” she says never bothering to turn around or say a good-bye. What have I gotten myself into? This was probably the worst mistake of my life. Too bad it’s a mistake that will be relived every day for the rest of my life.

***

I walk with Drew into the large office building that contains my lawyer’s office. Neither of us speaks. Drew doesn’t try to convince me to stop. And I don’t share how much this fucking hurts. We just walk side by side, as we have done for years. I know Drew will always have my back no matter how badly I fuck up. He’s already proven as much. I just hope he knows the same goes for in reverse. I don’t care if Drew murders someone in cold blood; I will be there to break him out of jail. It’s what we do for each other. We protect each other.
 

I feel calm as we enter the elevator to take us to the tenth floor. A few other people enter the elevator with us, but no one talks. No one ever talks in elevators. Maybe that’s why I feel at peace as we climb higher and higher. I should be nervous to sign away my life to another, but I don’t. This is what I want. This is the only way to protect Alexa. Caroline was right about that, but after today, after she signs the contract my lawyers have written, Alexa will be protected. Forever.
 

It will just be a matter of pomp and circumstance after today. A media storm will ensue. That will sting and cause Alexa what she thinks is unbearable pain. The same pain I brought her when I told her the tabloid article was true. But it could be so much worse if she found out the truth ...

I’m saving her unbearable pain. This is easy in comparison.
 

The elevator doors open and we walk out to the secretary’s desk.
 

“Here to see Allen Mund. He’s expecting us.”
 

The young woman who barely looks out of high school smiles at us. “Just a moment. Who should I tell him is here?”
 

“Landon Davis and we won’t be waiting.” I walk past her desk and into the meeting room where we all agreed to meet. Drew follows without a word. There was no way we were waiting in a hallway where everyone could see us. Allen will understand.
 

I take a seat at the far end of the long table, and Drew takes a seat next to me. We sit in comfortable silence until the door opens two minutes later. Allen knows better than to make us wait long. I am one of his best-paying clients, after all.
 

“Landon, Drew, it’s so good to see you both again,” Allen says as he walks over and extends his hand to me first then Drew.
 

He plops a huge pile of paper on top of the table and takes a seat next to me.
 

“We are all set. I have everything you asked for in the contract. I’ll make sure you get everything you want or she will get nothing. But I do need you to do something for me.” Allen looks at me with a stern look, similar to how a father would scold his son. Not that I’m familiar with the look. Allen may be the closest thing to a father figure Drew or I have in our life right now, which is a shame since we are paying him to look out for us. The connection we have with him isn’t real. He’s just another paid employee who tries his best to look out of us.
 

I nod for Allen to continue. Not trusting words right now.
 

“You will say nothing when Caroline and her lawyers get here. You will say absolutely nothing unless I tell you to say something first. Do you understand me?”
 

“Yes,” I say.
 

“Good. The same goes for you, Drew. Not a word unless I tell you to. We are not going to give them anything to counter our offer with. We will show them no weakness.”
 

Drew nods. “We understand. Not a word.”
 

I hear a gentle knock on the door as the young receptionist pokes her head through an open crack in the door.
 

“They are here,” she says in almost a whisper.
 

“Well, bring them in,” Allen says, shaking his head.
 

He turns to us. “It’s so hard to find a competent receptionist nowadays. Twenty years ago, it was so much easier.”
 

We both just nod at Allen, not caring what he says. I just want this over. I just want Caroline to sign then this can be over. Then everything will be okay.
 

I watch as Caroline enters the meeting room accompanied by three men in business suits. I grin, though, unexpectedly. The suits they are wearing are cheap from a department store, no doubt. Not expensive tailored suits like the ones Drew, Allen, and I are donning. They haven’t won enough cases to afford better. Allen is going to walk all over these clowns.
 

“Landon,” Caroline says smiling at me as she takes her seat from across the table.
 

“Caroline,” I say nodding back in her direction.
 

Allen immediately whispers in my ear, scolding me without making it known he is doing so to everyone else in the room. “You are not to speak.”
 

I want to roll my eyes at this man, but instead, I sit back and smile like he just whispered the best secret ever into my ear instead of scolding me like a child. I can’t even greet Caroline. Fucking ridiculous.
 

“I take it you have had enough time to look over our contract and have agreed to its terms by now. It’s more than fair,” Allen says.
 

Caroline looks to her team of lawyers who nod their head at her. “I will agree to the contract. I just have one item that I would like to add. I want Landon to propose to me publicly with a ring of my choosing that I get to keep no matter how this ends,” she says smiling wickedly at me.
 

Allen bends to whisper in my ear. “We need to put a top price limit on the price of the ring. And I think we should take out the part about her getting to keep it. If she breaks the terms of the contract, then she should be required to return it.”
 

“I’ll agree to her terms. The most I’ll pay is one million for the ring,” I whisper back to Allen.
 

“Are you sure? We can get better terms than that. That’s why you hired me.”
 

“I’m sure. No matter what happens, she deserves at least that.” It will only give her enough money to take care of her brother for a few years if she sells the ring if the terms of our agreement aren’t met. It will still ensure that she won’t break the contract. She wants to be taken care of for the rest of her life. I’m giving her the exact life she has always wanted. She knows she doesn’t have the talent to make any real money as an actress.
 

“We will agree to the terms. Just give us a few minutes to amend the agreement,” Allen says.
 

“No need. I’ll take Landon at his word,” Caroline says as her eyes pierce my soul. My eyes narrow in return as I do my best to read her. She’s much too confident. Although I would be too if I was going to easily make five million or more a year for the rest of my life by just signing a piece of paper.
 

“Excellent,” Allen says, unable to contain his excitement. He must think it will be for the better if that isn’t added to the contract. That he will be able to get me out of it if I need to later on. But he doesn’t know me well enough if he thinks I would let him do that. I’m a man of my word.