Love Unscripted (67 page)

“
What’s the problem, Honey?” I asked sweetly, curbing the anger that was starting to swell. It was time for us to have
this
discussion. I let it go when he first dismissed Kyle from our security detail but this jealous attitude needed to stop.

“
What do you mean?” His eyes scrunched together, looking at me like he didn’t understand my question.

“
I was just talking to him. I don’t understand why you’re being like this,” I whispered, thinking he didn’t trust me.

“
I don’t like the way he looks at you, all right?” he growled.

“
I don’t get it. How does he look at me, Ryan?” He was being ridiculous.

He scoffed at me, like I was missing the point. “What? You don’t see it? I’m
pretty
sure you know when you’re getting hit on, Taryn.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please,” I chided.

“
I just don’t want you to accidentally give him the wrong impression, that’s all,” he said calmly.

I sighed heavily. “Ryan, I love you. There is no reason for you to distrust me.”

“
I trust you, but I don’t trust him.” Ryan nodded his chin in Kyle’s direction.

When I looked over my shoulder, Kyle had a cocky smile on his face and he raised his beer bottle in the air to acknowledge us.

“
You worry over nothing,” I groaned. “Now can we go back to having a good time?”

“
Yeah, I guess,” Ryan muttered. “I’m sorry.”

“
Just shut up and kiss me, you fool!” I teased, slipping my fingers over the edge of the front pockets of his jeans.

“
There he is!” Tammy shouted. She hurried over to where we stood. She grabbed one of Ryan’s arms; Marie forcefully removed his other arm from around my waist.

“
Time to blow out your candles, Birthday Boy!” Marie announced as they hauled him off to the food table. Tammy had baked an enormous birthday cake and we all sang to Ryan before he blew the candles out.

Everyone was having a great time; people were dancing, shooting pool, and playing darts. Ryan’s friends were attempting to get him wasted but he reached a point where he refused to do any more shots.

I did the proper girlfriend thing and stayed away from Kyle as much as possible, even though he did try to talk to me several times.

I noticed that Suzanne and Francesca sat at the bar all night. Cory was leaning across the bar, flirting tough with Francesca. He even got away with touching her hair a few times. She was smiling and pretending to be shy, but she was definitely engaging Cory’s advances.

Scott and Suzanne were hitting it off tremendously. She was touching him, squeezing his arm muscles, and laughing at everything he said. Despite outward appearances, she still knew where Ryan was at all times.

It was getting late and many of our guests had already left.

“
Do you mind if I take off?” Cory asked, his eyes slid over in Francesca’s direction. Suzanne and Scott were practically wrestling with each other; they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. Francesca stood by the door, waiting impatiently and staring at Cory while he talked to me.

“
They invited us back to their hotel,” he admitted.

For some reason, I wasn’t too surprised.

“
Go ahead. Have fun. Wait, are you driving?” I asked.

“
Yeah, it’s okay though, I stopped drinking a while ago. I want to remember every detail of the next couple of hours if you know what I mean!” Cory smiled smugly and flashed his eyes back to Francesca. “I’ll bring Ryan’s buddy back tomorrow.”

“
Hey where are they going?” Ryan stopped dead in his tracks and wheeled around when he noticed Scott leaving. Scott didn’t even acknowledge Ryan; he was completely focused on other things.

Slowly the rest of our guests departed and it was almost three in the morning when I turned off the lights. I planned to clean up the bar in the morning. I had more important things to take care of.

Matt and Laura were stowed away comfortably in the guestroom. I closed our bedroom door and smiled in disbelief.

My birthday boy was sprawled out on our bed, wearing nothing but his birthday suit and a slightly drunken grin… waiting for his birthday present.

“
What the hell
happened to Scott last night?” Matt asked, stuffing another piece of bacon in his mouth. Laura was taking her turn in the shower.

“
He left with Suzanne,” Ryan answered. “Maybe she won’t be so bitchy now.” He chuckled to himself.

“
Hopefully Cory gave Fran someone
new
to think about, too.” I winked.

Ryan smiled at me over his cup of coffee.

Once everyone was showered, dressed, and fed I went downstairs to clean up the pub. I was clearing off the tables when Ryan popped through the door. He started to gather the garbage.

“
What can we do to help?” Laura asked. I was thankful that I had willing hands to help clean up the remains of Ryan’s birthday party.

“
I still can’t believe you did this!” Ryan said, kissing me on one of his trips past. “How long have you been conspiring behind my back?” he asked.

“
A couple of weeks. Your friends were more than willing to be in on the surprise.”

“
Matt told me you made him look you up on the Internet,” Ryan teased.

“
Yeah! He didn’t believe you had a girlfriend!” I poked him in the stomach and went to answer the doorbell.

“
Hey! There they are!” Ryan’s voice boomed when he saw Cory and Scott walk through the front door.

“
Man! What the hell is it with all the photographers and chicks out there?” Scott motioned with his thumb, pointing to the door. “Don’t they ever go home?”

“
No. They live here now. They’re like zombies that don’t die when the sun comes up.” I laughed at my own comment.

“
So how was your night, Scott?” Ryan gave him a teasing nudge in the arm.

Scott’s eyes narrowed. “What do you think? I made her fucking night… several times!” he boasted. “She’s a screamer, that girl!”

He held up a small, white plastic bag in his hand. “Good thing we stopped at the drug store on our way back. I’m planning on making her scream again tonight.”

Ryan’s face puckered up. He grabbed Scott’s arm and hauled him off into the poolroom. I didn’t care much for Suzanne, but she was Ryan’s co-star and a celebrity - she had no privacy either. There were enough rumors and scandals floating around in the media about the
Seaside
cast already. Suzanne’s indiscretions didn’t need to be added to the pile. I was sure that Ryan was going to tell him the same thing.

“
Francesca and Suzanne are planning on coming here tonight,” Cory quietly informed me. “I hope you don’t mind.”

I shrugged and shook my head. It didn’t bother me, as long as Fran wasn’t here to see Ryan. But I was wise enough to know things like this could have powerful ripple effects.

“
Cory, I’m not going to tell you what you can and cannot do, but you
do
realize that Fran is a celebrity. I hope you keep your private activities with her private and discreet. Understand?”

“
Yeah, I understand. I know what I’ve gotten myself into. Don’t worry, I’m not going to be like that guy and announce stuff to the world.” He nodded his head in Scott’s direction. “Francesca is sweet and I’d never do that to her. But I would like to see her again. And she wants to see me too, so…” Cory shrugged.

“
Just keep it private. That’s all I ask. We’re
all
under the microscope now,” I stressed my point.

“
I will. Hey, sorry I can’t stay to help clean up. I’ve got to get some sleep. I’ll see you at four,” Cory said, putting his sunglasses back on. “Oh, and before I forget, I already talked to my roommate. He’ll cover the door tonight.”

“
Did Cory leave?” Ryan asked me a few moments later.

I nodded.

“
Damn. I wanted to talk to him too.”

I whispered to Ryan. “I talked to him. I reminded him to keep his personal business private and discreet. You may want to talk with Matt and Laura about confidentiality as well.”

“
I already did.” A tiny smile cracked on his lips.

The early afternoon flew by quickly. It took us several hours to clean up the mess and I mopped all the floors and even cleaned the bathrooms. Ryan suggested several times that I hire a company to clean the bar every day but I was used to taking care of the grunt work on my own.

Scott passed out in the guestroom upstairs; guess he didn’t sleep much last night either. Ryan, Matt, and Laura were lounging in the living room, watching television. I logged on to the Internet.

“
What are you doing, Honey?” Ryan’s tone indicated his disappointment.

“
Checking up on things.”

“
Why are you looking?” he groaned, concerned.

I flashed my eyes up to him and kept my reply quiet. “Because your public image is
my
concern too. Before I forget to tell you, Francesca and Suzanne are coming tonight. We’re going to need security in the bar. Do you want Mike here?”

Ryan didn’t answer. He just walked away.

I clicked a link and was directed to a gossip magazine’s website. The headline “Ryan Christensen’s Love Affairs” caught my attention. The site had side-by-side pictures of Ryan and Suzanne kissing, Ryan and I walking down the sidewalk, and the picture of him and that girl from the Manhattan dinner meeting. The story pretty much accused him of being a reckless playboy. The words “plays the field” were included in the article.

I clicked another link and was now viewing pictures of Ryan kissing, smiling, leaning on, and holding Suzanne. The caption stated that their love affair was still going strong.

I hit the back button and clicked on another link – this one described my new bodyguard, Kyle, being the new man in my life and how Ryan was furious and jealous. There was a picture of Kyle and me entering the back door of my pub together. The article posted a random picture of Ryan looking angry next to it. All meant to generate shock, I supposed. The story made it sound like I was cheating on Ryan.

The last click I made showed a picture of Ryan and Suzanne snuggling in a bed. It looked like they were both naked, although you could only see Suzanne’s bare shoulders. Most of Ryan’s naked torso was exposed.

I jumped when Ryan popped his head next to mine.

“
Turn it off before I throw the damn laptop out the window,” he whispered his angry threat in my ear.

I quickly closed the Internet connection. Ryan grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me out of the chair. We hurried down the hallway to our bedroom.

He shoved the door closed behind him with extra force and glared at me.

“
How long have you been surfing the web like that?” he growled between his gritted teeth.

I didn’t answer. His anger caught me off-guard.

“
Why the hell are you looking up shit on the Internet? Do you need more reasons in your head not to trust me?”

“
Please keep your voice down. We have guests, remember? I’m sorry,” I whispered. I felt terrible that I upset him.

“
I am trying so damn hard to make sure our relationship stays on track, knowing full well that we have more obstacles than most. And then I see you doing that shit! What the fuck, Taryn?”

I didn’t know how to fully explain my actions. “I was curious to see what the public was being told.” I was so ashamed my words were barely audible. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

“
What else do you need to know? This is our life, right here! It’s happening right now! I am standing in this room with you. I’m not out there in those pictures. I don’t give a damn what the public is being told!”

“
What if the situation was reversed and the magazines were printing stories that I’m some whore who’s screwing three different guys at once. You don’t think that would concern
you
?” I asked.

“
But you’re not! And I certainly am not doing what they accuse me of. I have no control over what trash they print.”

“
Yes, you do.” I thought about several ways he could get the point across to the world that he was a one-woman kind of man, that he in fact was currently involved with just one woman, but he’d have to make that move on his own.

“
How?” Ryan barked.

I chickened out and bit my tongue. “I thought you had a publicist?” I stated calmly.

He scoffed. “If all those
Seaside
fans want to fantasize that I’m actually living the shit that’s filmed, that me and Suzanne are some star-crossed lovers, what am I supposed to do about it? Put out a public statement that they’re all deluded?” He threw his hands up in the air.

“
And that picture of me and that girl from New York, that little picture is going to still pop up years from now. Those trash magazines are going to say that I’m cheating on you with her one day!”