“Bro. She must really love you to leave you this after how you treated her last night.” Jamie pulls a drag on his cigarette before Ash swipes it from his hand, stubbing it out.
Shame washes over me for the first time, and I’m embarrassed at how poorly I treated Viv at Bruxelles. I let my pain take control, hurting the girl who means everything to me.
“I wasn’t with Aoife,” I blurt, eyeballing my sister. “I just did that to hurt Viv.”
“I know, dumbass. It was a shitty move, and you hurt my best friend.” Her eyes turn glacial. “I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive you for that, even if you do make things right with her.”
I set the guitar aside, too guilt-ridden to test it out right now. “I don’t see how. She’s gone, and I missed my chance to fix things.”
Jamie and Ash trade conspiratorial looks. My sister grabs my mug, thrusting it into my hands. “Drink.”
“What are you up to?”
“Do you love Vivien, Dillon? No bullshit. It’s just us three here.”
“I do. I love her so much.”
“Then get on a fucking plane, and tell her that. Talk to her. Make her see she has options. That this doesn’t have to be the end for you two.” Ash’s eyes blaze with determination. “I think she just needs to hear the words from your lips and she’ll change her mind.”
Ash isn’t aware of everything. I wonder if she knew the truth if she would still want me to chase after her best friend. Going after Viv is risky as fuck, and there are no guarantees. This could all end badly and cause a shitstorm of epic proportions. She could take his side when she discovers the truth. “What if she doesn’t?”
“You won’t know if you don’t try, but you’ve got to hurry. Reeve is going to try to win her back, and she’s vulnerable now.” Ash extracts her phone from her jeans pocket. “There’s a flight leaving for LAX in four hours. Say the word, and I’ll book the ticket.”
Of course, he’s going to try to get her back. I’ve known that all along.
Reeve Lancaster always gets what he wants.
Except this time.
Fuck it.
I’m not a coward.
I’m not a quitter.
And Vivien is worth fighting for.
It’s time to man up and claim my woman.
He is not taking her from me.
I will fight him to the bitter end because I love her. I love her more than life, and she’s worth risking everything.
With my mind made up, I wish I could click my fingers and be in L.A. already. I don’t know how much a plane ticket costs, but I have some measly savings, so I can probably just about afford it.
“Don’t worry about the cost,” Ash says, as if she’s a mind reader. “I’ll get it, and you can pay me back when you make it big. I haven’t paid rent all year, so I’ve managed to save a lot. I’ll book you a plane ticket and a hotel room. Just say the word.” Her finger hovers over a button on her phone.
“How will I find her?”
Ash flashes me a triumphant grin. “I have her US mobile number. You can call her when you get there and arrange to meet.”
Ripping the duvet off, I swing my legs out of the bed. “Book it. I’m grabbing a shower.”
Ash squeals, and I hope I’m doing the right thing.
“Pack my shit,” I tell Jamie, knowing time is of the essence. “Enough for a week.”
“A week?” He lifts an eyebrow. “Don’t forget the scout is coming to see us perform in ten days.”
“I need some time to work through things with Viv, but I promise I’ll be back in time for the event.”
Navigating my way out of LAX and finding the shuttle bus to my hotel is challenging because the place is ginormous, but eventually I find myself on the right bus, nabbing a window seat at the back. Thank fuck, I managed to sleep off my hangover on the plane, so I’m not feeling too bad, despite the change in time zone, climate, and culture. My nose is pressed to the glass as we leave the airport, heading for downtown L.A.
Viv wasn’t joking about the traffic, and it takes forever to reach my hotel. After checking in, I grab a quick shower, order some room service, and map out what I want to say to her.
I’ve got to lay it all on the line. That means coming clean about everything—Reeve, Simon, my initial plan, and how I ended up falling completely and utterly in love with her to the point I know she’s the only woman who will ever own my heart. I know it might mean losing her for good, because she’s going to be pissed, but I can’t beg her to come back to Dublin with me if she isn’t privy to all the facts.
It’s a huge risk, because she’ll want to run straight to Reeve with the truth, but she deserves to know he’s been lying to her too. She deserves to know what kind of man she’s been in love with all these years. I hope the fact I’ve come all this way will help. That she’ll see how important she is to me and how sincere I am about never keeping secrets from her again. I’m even willing to set aside my vengeance for her. If she agrees to be with me, I will drop all plans for revenge. Viv means more to me than getting even with my twin and my father. If she loves me as much as I love her and she agrees to spend her life with me, that is all I will ever need.
I know it’s not black-and-white.
There’s a lot of gray matter to trudge through, but she is all I want.
Nothing else matters except having her by my side, now and always.
Nerves fire at me and my palms are sweaty as I press dial on her number. Her voice mail automatically kicks in, confirming her phone is off. Maybe she’s sleeping or it’s out of charge.
Or she’s already with him.
I rage at the devil on my shoulder, not needing his pessimistic comments right now. Viv wouldn’t do that. Even though I was a total prick to her before she left, I know she loves me. She wouldn’t run straight back into his arms because what we shared meant something to both of us.
I try a couple more times, but it’s the same. Always sent to voice mail. Frustrated, I toss my phone on the bed, pacing the room as I contemplate leaving her a message. I decide against it. I’d rather speak to her in person so she can’t duck out of meeting me.
I turn on the TV for something to do, instantly wishing I hadn’t. All the color leaches from my face as I turn up the volume. Pain slices across my chest as the image of Reeve with Viv fills the screen. They are on an apartment balcony, and he’s holding her in an intimate embrace, his chest to her back. The photo only shows from the waist up, but it’s obvious they are naked. Reeve’s arm is wrapped around Viv’s bare breasts, and he’s nuzzling into her neck, kissing her.
She’s clinging to his arms, smiling like she hasn’t a care in the world. Like she wasn’t in my arms mere hours ago. Like she didn’t just leave me behind in Ireland. She shows none of the emotion I saw in her eyes yesterday when she was telling me she loved me. I don’t even look like a distant memory. I’m like a speck of dust that’s there one minute and gone the next.
Pain eviscerates me on all sides, and I drop to my knees clutching my aching heart as tears sting the backs of my eyes.
The image changes to a live feed, and a reporter thrusts a mic into Reeve’s face as he emerges from a high-rise building. “Reeve! Is it true you are back together with Vivien Mills?” a pretty blonde reporter asks, claiming his attention. “Is the photo from earlier today proof you are in love with your childhood sweetheart again?”