Twisted Reality (Blind Reality #2) (19 page)

I hold my hand up to stop him. “I do. I always have. I knew with you it’d be a hard sell, but when Jules told you she’s pregnant I thought that would make you shut down completely. That children would never be an option for us.”

“I’m making it an option if you want, Joey.” He pulls me back into his arms.

“Okay.”

“Yeah?”

I nod and wipe away the tears that have fallen. “Yeah.”

“Perfect. Now before we decide about the house, let me tell you that it comes fully furnished if we want and the owner has never lived here.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“It means we get to be the first ones to have sex in the house!”

I roll my eyes. “Is that all you think about?”

He smiles then laughs. “You know, apparently it is. I can’t get enough of you.”

I want to tell him that I feel the same way, but I like the idea of him needing me. He can have anyone he wants and he’s chosen me and it’s not because of circumstance. And I still fear he could leave me for Jules. They have history and the baby is coming sooner rather than later. Does that mean I go off the pill now to secure him, or do I trust that he’s not going anywhere?

“What do you think of the house, Mr. Wilson?” the agent asks Josh, knowing full well he’s the one with the money.

“We love it.”

“Would you like to make an offer on it?”

Josh looks at me for an answer, but I can’t give him one. Can I see myself living here? Yes, I can. I can see it all. My parents visiting, my cousins doing cannon balls into the pool, Josh over by the grill and our children being held and loved by our family.

“Yeah,” he answers, never taking his eyes off of me. “All cash offer. I want to close tonight if possible.”

“I’ll be right back, Mr. Wilson.”

“Josh—”

He silences me with his lips. “I saw it, too, Joey and I want it. I want the noise from our visitors, the wet feet traipsing through the house. I want the sounds of laughter and the smell of a home to be all around us, and this house does it for us.”

“But it’s expensive.”

“It’s what I’m making off my next movie. We’ll be fine. I promise.”

We sit on the edge of the pool with our feet in the water. Josh says the house is ours unless someone else is coming in higher, but cash usually speaks louder.

“Do you like the furniture?”

“I wouldn’t change it now, if that’s what you’re asking. This house is huge, Josh. I don’t know where I’d begin if I had to decorate it myself.”

“Mr. Wilson?”

“Yes,” he replies, glancing over his shoulder.

“The house is yours. My assistant is bringing the paperwork up now. She’ll be here in an hour. Here are your keys.” She drops two sets of keys into his hand and disappears.

“Open your hand.” I do and he closes it as soon as the keys are set in my palm.

“Welcome home, Joey.”

I can’t help but smile as I look over my shoulder. The house is still open and I see right into our bedroom. The navy blue comforter is inviting and I know that tonight I’ll be in that bed with my husband.

As soon as the papers are signed, we head back to the hotel and pack our things. Now that we have a place, my mom will be able to ship the rest of my clothes to me and a few of my personal belongings that I left behind when we returned to Los Angeles.

Our next stop is Josh’s apartment. He’s not sure how Rob is going to take the news, but figures that he has to realize Josh and I can’t live there with him. I’m not going to lie, but moving to a house with twenty-four-hour security is very welcomed. I hate that anyone can have access to Josh whenever they want.

Rob’s watching television when we enter and Jules is sitting next to him. Or she was until the door opened and she put some space between them. Josh glances at me and shakes his head. I can see the anger in his eyes, but can’t tell if it’s because Jules is here, or if it’s because her and Rob were sitting so close to each other.

Either way, he doesn’t say anything and pulls me down the hall into his room where he starts emptying his dresser onto his bed.

“There are black bags under the sink … I think. Can you go get them?”

“You want me to go out there?” I point toward the living room where my worst enemy is sitting.

“If I go, she’ll talk to me.”

“If I go, she’ll say nasty shit to me and I might hit her.”

A smile spreads across his face before he realizes that he’s laughing and shouldn’t.

“So what do I do?”

The only bag in his room large enough to hold his clothes is my wedding dress and I don’t want him to see it, so taking it out of the bag isn’t an option.

“Come back tomorrow and pack?”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” he says.

Before we leave, though, I snag my dress out of his closet and drape the garment bag over my arm. If Jules is here, I’m not leaving my dress.

“I’ll carry that for you.” Josh slings the bag over his shoulder and walks out of his room, letting me shut the door behind him.

“Joshie, we need to talk about the baby.”

He pauses near the door. I make sure to hold his hand so he knows that I’m there for him, and so she sees that we’re together.

“Not today, Jules.”

“When? Because every time I call you, you don’t answer.”

“That’s because I don’t want to talk to you.”

She points to her stomach and mine rolls. “This is happening whether you accept it or not.”

“I’m aware.”

“So talk to me then. We’re going to be a family, Josh.” She tries to touch him, but he steps back.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Jules. Joey is my family. You and I will co-parent, but when it comes to family photos, you’ll be nowhere near ours.”

“And neither will she.” She points at me, her voice rising high enough to get Rob to stand. “This is our child, not hers, and I won’t let the harlot who stole you away from me be a part of our baby’s life.”

Josh groans and has to let go of my hand to run it through his hair. “She’s not a harlot, she’s my wife.”

“You cheated on me with her. That makes her a harlot in my book.”

“Well your book is skewed, Jules. We were broken up long before I went on the show,” he fires back, but it does nothing to curb her anger.

“I’ll make you pay, Josh.”

“I have no doubt, Jules. I have no doubt.”

Josh motions for us to leave so he doesn’t have to listen to her anymore. Once inside the car he doesn’t say anything as we drive back to our house. Pulling into the driveway, he hits the garage door opener that he put on his visor earlier.

“We’re home,” I say, trying to ease the tension.

“Yep. Come on, wife, we have a lot of rooms to christen. And I think we should start in the pool.”

He doesn’t give me a chance to protest. By the time we get through the mudroom clothes are already being shed.

T
here’s one day until I have to get on set and I’m already dreading it. I wish I hadn’t signed onto the movie, but it was done a year ago, long before I met Joey. The only saving grace is that we’re shooting on the lot and that means I’ll be home each night with her. Breakfast, too, unless it’s an early shoot.

Much to my dismay, I’m meeting Barry for coffee this morning. I asked Joey if she wanted to come, but she opted to lounge by the pool and bask in the sun. To say she loves our house would be an understatement. I know I fucking love it and am pretty sure Joey’s sentiment is right up there with mine.

The coffee shop is buzzing when I walk in and it takes me a minute to spot Barry. I don’t usually conduct business in public, but considering my agent and I aren’t on speaking terms right now this was better than inviting Barry over to our house. He’s already asked Joey and me to do another reality show, but she’s declined and I respect her decision for that.

“Morning, Josh.”

“Barry.” I pull my chair out and sit down across from him. It’s only a matter of seconds before a waitress is taking my order.

“How’s married life?”

“It’s pretty damn awesome.”

He chuckles as if there is something funny about being married. I should Google him and see how many times he’s been married or if he’s a perpetual bachelor. A quick glance at his hand shows no ring, or ring line, so I’m guessing he thinks he’s a playboy. Barry’s an old man with a rounded belly and balding head, but with a fat checkbook. He’s every starving actress’s knight in shining armor.

“Given any thought to my proposal?”

I take a sip of my coffee, letting the hot liquid heat my already warm body. I don’t know why I don’t switch to iced coffee. It seems smarter to drink when living in California.

“Joey’s not on board.”

“We can film you.”

“Seems pointless, don’t you think? Who the hell is going to want to watch a show about me?”

Barry leans forward. “You and Jules. I’ve already spoken to her and she’s ready to sign on the dotted line. I’m sure if you tell Joey that you’re going to do a show with Jules, she’ll jump on board.”

“Or she’ll cut my dick off. Don’t underestimate Joey, Barry. It won’t bode well for you.”

He laughs once again and sits back in his chair. “Money talks in Hollywood. The sooner she realizes that, the better we’ll all be. Besides, you’re the only couple still together from the original three and the fans are chomping at the bit to see what you’re up to.”

“They can watch TMZ or buy
People
magazine. The paparazzi are following us everywhere these days.”

We stop talking when the waitress appears to refill our mugs. I tell her that I’d like a blueberry muffin when she gets a chance and Barry tells her he’s fine.

“Of course they’re following you. Everyone is waiting to see if you fuck it all up and leave your wife for Jules Maxwell.” This time Barry isn’t trying to hide the volume of his voice. A quick survey around the coffee shop tells me that no one is listening to us.

“And why would I do that?”

“For starters, you’re having a child with Jules. People are placing bets on whether you bail and go back to her. Put her up in your fancy house in the Hills.”

My stomach rolls and I want to hurl my coffee all over the table. Instead, I push it away, no longer interested. “Tell your friends that Jules isn’t even on my radar. I’m more than happy with Joey.”

“If that’s what you think,” he says, sighing. There’s probably a reason this ass isn’t married. Aside from being a chauvinistic pig, he’s a complete douche.

“It’s what I know. Are we done?”

“Nah, I have one more offer even though the first one still stands. We want the exclusive rights to your wedding. It’ll be a six-week production schedule, we follow you both around while you get ready, film the wedding and the reception, and we’ll air the ceremony on national television.”

“For how much?”

“Ah, I see you’re interested,” he gloats. “We’re offering a million, plus we cover all the expenses.”

It’s not enough, but I don’t tell him that. “I’ll talk to Joey and let you know.”

“When’s the wedding?”

I shake my head. “We haven’t set a date, but it won’t be in the US. We want a destination wedding, so that means you’ll be covering the expenses of her family as well.”