“I thought you were still breastfeeding,” Ash says.
“Nope. Emily is taking formula now, and as it’s Alex’s turn to do the night feed tonight, this mommy is partying to the max!” Audrey gave birth to their first child four months ago, and Ash is due in three months’ time. Our daughter, Fleur Belle Lancaster-O’Donoghue, is twenty-one months old now and the apple of her daddy’s eye. I love that my daughter will have a ready-made friend in Emily and her new little cousin, and she has two older brothers who dote on her.
“You must be relieved the movie was so well received,” Ash says.
“I am, and I love that it was a true family affair.” I wrote the screenplay. Studio 27 made the movie. Dillon and I were executive producers, Mom played herself, Dad directed, and Collateral Damage recorded a number of new songs specifically for the movie soundtrack.
Easton played Reeve in a couple of scenes, and I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing during those parts of the movie. We had asked Bodhi if he wanted to share the role of young Reeve, but he is more of an introvert than Easton, and he turned pale at the thought.
“It makes it more special,” Ash agrees, glancing over her shoulder to where the guys are chatting.
I look over, and Dillon’s bright blue eyes lock on mine. He mouths, “I love you.”
I blow him a kiss, admiring how hot he looks in his suit. Waves of white-blond hair tumble over his brow, and nobody would ever believe he turned thirty in January. He is so unbelievably gorgeous, and every time I look at him, I’m reminded of the young guy I met in Dublin who showed me how to let go of my reservations and truly live.
“Earth to Vivien.” Ash waves her hands in front of my face before poking her tongue at her brother. “You two are always sending googly eyes at one another. It’s disgustingly adorable.”
“We have fought hard for our love. I never want to take it, or him, for granted.” I’m feeling especially emotional after watching my life with both my loves play out on the screen. “I’m relieved I got through tonight without puking,” I truthfully admit. “Dillon will tell you I’ve been a hot mess all week. I could barely sleep or eat, worrying if I’d done the right thing.”
“That’s understandable.” Audrey knocks back her champagne like it’s water. “You have serious lady balls, my friend. I’m not sure I could have opened my heart and my life for the entire world to see.”
“It hasn’t been easy, and I’ve been panicking all week that I made the wrong call. I have a responsibility to both my loves and my children to do right by them, and I was plagued with last-minute doubts.”
Dillon has been repeatedly talking me off a ledge all week long. He is my rock, and I know I couldn’t have done this without his support and his permission. He wasn’t sure when I first broached the subject, until he read my book, and then he told me I had to do it.
“That’s completely natural. I would’ve been the same.” Ash gives me a quick hug.
“I was shaking like a leaf on the red carpet, and when those women hurled their accusations, it sent me reeling back in time. It was like Reeve had only just died, and I felt the pressure sitting on my chest again.”
“I can’t believe the nerve of those bitches. I thought that was all behind us,” Ash says.
“I knew what I was getting into when I chose to make this movie. I knew it would dredge up good memories as well as bad, and I knew it would bring the crazies crawling out of the woodwork. This is only the beginning too.”
“Do you regret it?” Audrey asks.
I don’t have to think about it. “No. So much has been said over the years that is incorrect, and I wanted, needed, to set the record straight. I know there will be people who won’t ever understand, people who will probably hate me more after this, but I didn’t do it for them. I did it for me. For Dillon. For Reeve. But most of all, I did it for the kids. I hope when Easton and Bodhi are older they will understand how I came to love both their dads. I want them to know the true story, not the twisted version that will forever remain on the internet.”
After we adopted Bodhi, we filed the relevant paperwork to have his birth certificate changed. While Lori will always be Bodhi’s mom, and we do what we can to nurture her memory and ensure he never forgets her, his biological parents were Reeve and Saffron, and that needed to be officially documented, for a number of reasons. One of them is so Dillon could transfer his half of the Lancaster inheritance to Bodhi.
At the same time, we got Easton’s birth certificate altered to list Dillon as his father.
We had a dilemma then in terms of our family name. The changes we made meant Bodhi became a Lancaster and Easton became an O’Donoghue. But Reeve is still Easton’s other daddy, and we promised we would never take that from him. Bodhi and Easton are brothers, in every way that counts, and we didn’t want them having different last names. Also, Dillon’s US citizenship was proclaimed around the same time, and his birth certificate now confirms Felicia Lancaster and Simon Lancaster as his bio parents. Technically, in the eyes of the law, Dillon is a Lancaster. Which means I’m still a Lancaster too.
For me, the solution was simple: Lancaster-O’Donoghue. But I knew it wouldn’t be as easy for Dillon because of what Simon Lancaster had done to him. However, my husband surprised me when he readily agreed. For him, the decision was simple too. He loves our sons enough to put aside his own feelings to do what we both felt was right. Plus, the Lancaster name is a way to remember Reeve and Felicia, and none of us want to forget them.
So, now we are all Lancaster-O’Donoghues, and it feels right. The press and the haters had a field day when that news broke, but they can all kiss my ass.
“Uh-oh.” Ash looks over her shoulder, and I turn around.
Dillon is jabbing his finger in Deke Rawlings’ face, looking like he’s seconds away from punching him in the nose. Deke is the head of security for Studio 27, and he was in charge of security for tonight’s premiere. Ultimately, it’s his fault those women slipped through the net and were able to harass me on a night that was already going to be difficult enough. I’m not surprised Dillon is tearing strips off him. I’m only surprised my dad isn’t joining in.
My parents are around here somewhere, along with all our Irish family. Conor even graced us with his presence, and he brought a date too. He’s the only remaining single member of Collateral Damage now that Ro tied the knot.
Ronan shocked the whole family when he returned from a weekend in Las Vegas married to Shania Webster—an up-and-coming name on the country music scene. Apparently, it was love at first sight. The guys had bets on how long it would be before they broke up, but it’s been seven months, and they seem more in love than ever.
I’m happy for Ronan.
He deserves love in his life after the ordeal he’s been through with his ex, Clodagh, over access to his daughter Emer. Things are good between him and Dillon again, but they’re not quite as close as they once were, which makes me a little sad.
“I think you should get over there,” Audrey says, pulling me out of my inner monologue. “Dillon looks like he’s about to commit murder.”
My husband has fistfuls of Deke’s jacket now, and he’s shoving him up against the wall. I spot several security guards getting ready to move in, so I walk toward them to defuse the situation.