One Hour Earlier
I hadn’t heard from Julian in two days. When I hired him, I’d figured he’d snap a few pics, maybe tail Luca for a bit to see what her daily life was like—nothing too crazy. Yet my little snoop job had turned into a cross-country expedition at this point.
Luca hadn’t mentioned in her last letter that she’d been planning a road trip. So when Julian called to say she’d gotten into an RV carrying a suitcase with the old guy, I told him to follow her and see where they were heading. Twelve hours later, he called and said he’d just crossed over the Ohio state border. I figured I was in this far, might as well see where the two of them were going. Plus, I was curious. So far, they’d gone to three different national parks, spent two days in Nebraska at some crazy-looking lady’s house, and then hit the Grand Canyon. Not that Luca owed me any explanation for her whereabouts, but I thought it was screwed up that she’d tell me her fantasies but not mention an upcoming fifteen-state road trip.
If I didn’t have to be at the studio every day this week, I would have hopped in the damn car and driven to Nevada myself, just to get an in-person glimpse of Luca. The thought of her being so close to me had me distracted all day. But when my phone rang at 6:00 a.m., I had no idea just how close she really was.
“What?” I hadn’t even looked at the caller ID when I answered. Whoever was on the other end of the line better have a damn good reason for calling. I’d been in the studio until after two in the morning last night, or rather today.
“Wakey, wakey, Mr. Rock Star. I have some very interesting news.”
Hearing Julian’s voice, I sat up in bed. “What happened?”
“Your little chickadee has arrived at her next destination.”
“Where is she now? Mexico?”
“Close. A little farther north. You’ll never guess.”
“I’m paying you by the hour, so how about we save the guessing games and you just cut to the chase.”
“She’s in Palos Verdes Estates.”
What? She’s here? In my little town? That couldn’t be a damn coincidence. What the fuck?
I hopped out of bed, grabbed a pair of sweatpants, and started to pull them on. “Where is she?”
“Via Cerritos, my friend. She’s parked that heap of metal about half a block down from your house and turned off the lights. Hasn’t come out yet.”
My heart started to race out of control, and my mind reeled even faster. A million questions hit me all at once.
What the hell is she doing here?
She knows who I am?
How long has she known?
What the fuck?
WHAT THE FUCK!
“You still there?” Julian asked. I’d forgotten he was on the phone, even though I still had it held up to my ear.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“What do you want me to do?”
I raked my hand through my hair. “I don’t know. Stay on her. I need a few minutes to think. Call me if she gets out of the RV.”
“You got it, boss.”
I hung up and stared at my phone for a solid five minutes. I seriously couldn’t believe what was happening. Luca was here . . . after eighteen years, the girl who I’d never met yet knew me better than anyone without knowing my real name . . . and she was right outside my house.
What the hell was her plan? Was she going to knock on my door?
How did she think she’d get past the guard at my gate?
How the hell did she find me?
Better yet, what was I going to do now that she had?
I was pissed off, but did I really have any right to be pissed if she’d hired someone to find me? After all, I’d done the same damn thing. Of course, I hadn’t hopped into an RV and driven across the country to knock on her door.
Which brought up another series of questions—why the fuck hadn’t I?
I have no balls.
No goddamn balls.
Luca has bigger balls than I do.
Shit. Balls. FUUUUCK.
I needed some coffee if there was any shot in hell that I’d make sense of things. So I headed to the kitchen to make a pot. While it was brewing, I looked out the windows. The tall hedges that bordered my property line blocked the view of the street, so I couldn’t see down the block. That had been one of the things that first attracted me to the house—privacy.
When my coffee was done, I dialed Julian for an update. He answered on the first ring. “All quiet on the crazy bus still.”
That shit might’ve been funny if I wasn’t so anxious. “So they’re just parked there. What are they going to do, camp out on my block?”
“No idea. But the way the police patrol this ritzy neighborhood, I’m sure they’ll be escorted off the block pretty quickly. Sun isn’t even awake yet. Cops are getting their doughnuts and coffee, so they’ll be around soon.”
He was joking, but he also wasn’t wrong. My area had its share of celebrities. The police really did enforce the no loitering rules around town. Which meant, whatever she was doing here—she might not be doing it for long.
“Let me know if anything changes in the meantime. But I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“You’re coming out? Want me to handle this for you?”
“I don’t think so. This is something I need to handle on my own.”
“Alright. I’m here if you need me. I’ll keep an eye from where I’m parked down the block.”
“Thanks, Julian.”
I hung up, tossed my phone on the table, and drained the rest of the coffee from my mug. When I opened the front door, the chilly morning air hit me. I only had on a pair of sweats, so I grabbed a bathrobe hanging on a hook and slid on some slippers. I looked like James Gandolfini from The Sopranos about to go grab the morning paper and wave to the FBI. I really hoped that a car full of teenyboppers didn’t pass by as I headed down the block.
At the bottom of the driveway, a security guard sat in a little booth next to my tall gates. I waved. “Hey, Joe.”
“Morning, Mr. Archer. You heading somewhere?”
“Just down the block.”
“Not sure that’s a good idea. I’m keeping my eye on a strange vehicle that pulled up a little while ago. Figured I’d give it fifteen more minutes and then call the local guys to escort it out if it’s still here. Could be an eccentric fan or paparazzi.”
Oh, you got the eccentric part right.
“It’s fine. Don’t call quite yet. I’m going to handle this one myself.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
Joe pressed the button to open the gates, and I slipped outside onto the street. Sure enough, there was the RV parked a few houses away. I was used to excitement—getting onstage with a stadium full of cheering fans pumped up the adrenaline. But that feeling had nothing on the anticipation I felt as I walked down the street.
Eighteen years.
And it all came down to this.
As I approached, I saw there was no one in the driver or passenger seats. A curtain was drawn so that I couldn’t see into the interior of the RV. Guess my visit was going to be a surprise attack.
Arriving at the door, I took a deep breath. It did nothing to slow my racing pulse.
Luca. Luca. Luca. What are you up to?
I guess I’m about to find out, my eccentric, beautiful girl.
My chest felt like it had a runaway train locked inside, and a thin sheen of sweat formed on my forehead. Lifting my hand to knock, I was barely able to stop it from shaking long enough to pound on the door. God, I was a wreck. I couldn’t remember the last time my nerves had gotten to me like this. But that was nothing compared to what I felt when the door swung open.
My heart nearly stopped at the sight of her. Her beautiful, gigantic eyes seemed to be staring through to my soul, causing me to completely blank on what to even say. I had to think quickly and opted not to out her just yet. I wanted to see where this would go if I didn’t immediately come clean—namely whether she knew “Cole” was me.
“You realize it’s illegal to park here, don’t you?” I finally said.
She swallowed and forced out words. “Who are you?”
While I couldn’t be 100 percent certain she knew it was me, I suspected based on her apparent nerves that she did.
“I’m Cole Archer.” I pointed behind me. “My property is right over there.”
Her eyes seemed to be examining every inch of my face. “Oh.”
Beautiful, beautiful Luca.
Wow.
It’s really you.
I wanted to pull her into my arms and devour her plump lips, swallowing up all of those nerves. Instead I said, “You should move the vehicle before someone calls the police.”
She shook her head. “Oh yeah . . . sure. We can do that.”
“Going right now,” the old man said as he jumped up from his spot in the back. I hadn’t even noticed him until he spoke.
He moved into the driver’s seat.
I’d only told them to move as my excuse for coming out here. I didn’t want them to actually move, because then what? I could lose her.
Before he was about to turn the ignition, I held out my hand to stop him. “Wait.”
He looked over at me, expecting more.
Think.
“I . . . suppose there’s no harm in what you’re doing, just parking here. I can’t guarantee that no one else will call the police, but you’re good with me. Stay here as long as you like.”
Luca blew out a relieved breath. “Thank you. We really appreciate it.”
“No problem.” Our eyes were stuck like glue to one another as I nodded. “Very well, then.”
I turned around and headed back toward my house, shaking my head at this predicament.
Although I’d wanted so badly to take her into my arms and tell her I knew who she was, it was easier said than done. I was also hoping she’d fess up to me, but she never did. While I was now fairly certain she knew who I was based on the way she looked at me, I also couldn’t be 100 percent sure.
I had a lot of questions. Did she maybe recognize me as Cole Archer and not know that it’s really me? Could that also explain the reaction? Was she still looking for Griffin? Or worse, did she realize that I was Cole and then decide that she wanted a piece of me just like everyone else? That didn’t sound like Luca, but honestly neither did this entire road trip she’d embarked on. I was so goddamn confused. I felt like the only way I could really learn if she wanted me for me was to continue this charade a little longer. If I told her the truth too soon, I might never really know her true intentions.
I spent the rest of that afternoon looking out the window at the RV parked in the distance. I’d made a few calls to ensure the cops didn’t have them removed. I couldn’t understand why she’d come all the way to California if she didn’t plan on telling me who she was. Then again, I’d completely blown my own opportunity to bare all.
If I knew Luca, she was second-guessing everything, stuck as to how to handle this just as much as I was. I needed to draw her out, make it easier for her to open up to me. There was no way I was letting her leave California before getting to explain myself properly. Jesus. She’d come all the way out here, despite her agoraphobia. That really spoke volumes about how much she needed to find out the truth.
I had to go out there before she made a rash decision and left. It would be nice if I took off my damn bathrobe this time.
After replacing the robe with a halfway decent shirt, I once again passed my very confused security guard and headed down the road to where the RV was parked. She’d never agree to go anywhere in public with me, and given her issues, I wouldn’t put her through the hell of having to deal with paparazzi. But I needed to get her alone, maybe even have a little fun before I pulled the lid off everything tonight.
There was only one way to handle this clusterfuck and that was to wing it.
I knocked on the RV and waited.
Luca opened the door, once again looking flustered.
I waved. “Hey. Me again.”
She blew out a breath. “You again . . .”
“I just wanted to apologize if my knocking on your door earlier was intrusive.”
“Oh . . . uh . . . not at all.”
“What brings you to the neighborhood?”
She looked back at her friend, then said, “He and I are on a road trip. This looked like a nice, safe place to stop.”
“I’m sorry, I was so rude earlier that I didn’t even get your name?”
“My name? I’m . . .” She hesitated, then looked to her left. “Mirada. And this is my friend Chester.”
“Mirada . . . ,” I repeated.
“Yes.”
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you. Welcome to California. I’m Cole.”
I held out my hand, and she took it. Touching her for the first time felt electric.
“Nice to meet you, Cole.”
“What are your plans while you’re here?” I asked.
“Can’t say I have any. Just going wherever the wind takes us.”
Or the hot air . . .
I needed to move this nonsense forward.
“Might you have some time to join me for dinner tonight?”
While Luca didn’t say anything, the old man answered for her. “She’d love to.”
She turned to him. “I would?”
“Yes, you would.”
She looked at me again. “I guess I would.”
“Brilliant, then. Say about six? I’ll give my guard your name . . . Mirada. He’ll let you in.”
She feigned happiness. “That’s great. Thanks. Looking forward to it.”
I knew she was probably dying inside. I hated that, but this had to be done.
As I walked back to my house, all I could think was how ridiculous this situation was; I didn’t have very long to figure out how the hell I was going to handle it.
