No Matter What (89 page)

“
You
tell
me
.”

“You’re ready.”

Michael came over and slipped his hand into hers, smiling at Bobby.
 
Being at home so much over these past few months had meant he’d seen a lot more of
India
’s quirky, gay personal assistant, although it was more than evident that he was far more to her than just that.
 
He was her friend, and a very close one who cared a lot about her.
 
Michael liked him.
 
He made
India
laugh and he looked after her, whether
he
was around or not, and Michael knew
India
really wanted him to be a Godfather to their baby, something which he had no problem with whatsoever.

Bobby looked at the two of them, standing with his arms folded, a soppy smile on his face.
 
“You look so gorgeous together.
 
You have no idea ... that baby is going to be
so
beautiful.
 
Right ...” He clapped his hands twice, springing into P.A. mode again.
 
“... let’s get this show on the road.
 
Come on, into the cars and let’s go.
 
It’s time to launch this movie.”

India
and Michael looked at each other and smiled.
 
They knew tonight was going to be fun.
 
They just had no idea what else was on the cards.

CHAPTER
44

Layla Boyd loved going to premieres, especially when the movie in question was one she was starring in.
 
Being the centre of attention was something Layla had been used to since she’d been a little girl so nights like this were something she almost craved.
 
She may only have what they called a “supporting” role in ‘Above Board’ but the reviews she’d heard already had been quite positive, and Michael Walsh had been very pleased with her performance.
 
Very, very pleased.
 

She smiled as she thought about Michael.
 
In the beginning she hadn’t found him in the slightest bit attractive, and the only reason she’d ever made a play for him was because her mother had told her it could be beneficial to her career.
 
Well, she hadn’t been wrong there.
 
He was a very powerful man in this town.
 
He’d put the word out on her behalf and she now had a number of projects lined up but she wasn’t finished with Michael Walsh just yet.
 
He’d been off the scene for a while because his wife was expecting their first baby and that hadn’t exactly filled Layla with joy.
 
It hadn’t been part of her plan for India to get pregnant and take Michael’s attention away for all that time but she was sure, almost positive, that once this baby was born and the novelty wore off, he’d be back.
 
He’d be back to pick up where they’d left off and then India would get what Layla thought she still deserved.

As the car door opened and Layla stepped out onto the red carpet, flashbulbs started popping and the noise of the crowd almost deafened her as people shouted out her name, asking her to turn this way and that to get the best shot they could of her.
 
And she was most definitely dressed to impress in a very short and very tight white dress with very high heels, her hair piled up on top of her head.
 
She looked striking to say the least, and she was certainly getting the attention she so badly wanted as she smiled and waved to the crowd that had gathered outside, waiting to catch a glimpse of the stars arriving.
 
This is where she belonged.
 
Layla was in heaven.
 
Until, almost as suddenly as it had begun, all attention seemed to focus on something else, the cameras turning away from Layla onto something going on behind her and she turned around just in time to see the arrival of Michael and India Walsh.
 
She’d had her five minutes and now the real stars, in the eyes of the media, had arrived.

She stood and watched as Michael helped a pregnant
India
out of the car, his hand holding tightly onto hers as they walked the red carpet, every photographer in the place clicking away like their lives depended on it, and Layla couldn’t take her eyes off the attention that was focused on the two of them.
 
She hadn’t seen
India
in months.
 
She’d seen that interview she’d done a few weeks ago, and the photographs of her and Michael that had been featured, but to see her here, in the flesh, looking heavily pregnant but totally stunning, it made Layla feel sick.
 
India
was almost thirty- four years old, ten years or so older than Layla, but she looked amazing.
 
And watching the way Michael looked at her, almost over-protectively, Layla couldn’t stand it.
 
She turned away and walked into the theatre, knowing that she’d lost the battle for tonight.
 
But eventually she’d win the war.
 
She’d see to that.

***

Kenny had decided to go to the premiere.
 
Why not?
 
It was a night out and he was curious to see this movie.
 
As much as Michael Walsh was his lifelong competition as far as
India
was concerned, he’d always admired his work.
 
Or maybe he was just going to see
India
.
 
Whichever reason, he was going on his own.
 
No plus one for Kenny tonight, he just wasn’t in the mood for a date with someone he wasn’t really interested in.
 
He was going it alone.

He arrived just before
India
and Michael and he stood on the sidelines, talking to the press, while out of the corner of his eye he watched the arrival of the director and his wife.
 
And just looking at
India
almost took Kenny’s breath away.
 
Was he ever going to stop feeling this pain every time she was around?
 
 
It hadn’t happened yet so why should it stop now?

His eyes went down to her prominent bump, noticing how she kept one hand almost permanently resting on it as she walked, her other hand holding tightly onto Michael’s as they posed for photographs and talked to people in the crowd.
 
She was smiling constantly, occasionally turning to her husband for a quick kiss and that’s when Kenny had to turn away.
 
He’d accepted it but that didn’t mean he had to enjoy living with it, especially considering what might be at stake here.

He finished talking to the reporter who’d been interviewing him and turned to look at
India
again.
 
She was still clinging onto Michael, still talking to the crowd, still looking like the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
 
Pregnancy hadn’t altered that, it had only emphasised it, and
India
and this baby were being treated like the
Hollywood
royalty they’d become, that was evident.
 

Because of her pregnancy, and her obvious need to be with the baby after he was born, the release of their movie, ‘The Wedding Convention’, had been put back a couple of months to give India some time with her new arrival.
 
She wanted to take part in the movie’s promotion, she wanted to do the publicity and attend the
U.S.
premiere at least, and the studio were only too happy to accommodate her.
 
The fact she was pregnant and having the baby in the first place was already providing more publicity for the film than anyone could have hoped for anyway so nobody was complaining.
 
Not even Kenny.
 
Because, when the time came for that promotion wagon to start rolling, they’d be together again, working closely, promoting the movie they’d made together.
 
Maybe then he’d finally get her on her own.
 
Because standing there, watching her with Michael, seeing how caught up with him she was, that almost protective hand never leaving her baby bump, he knew he just couldn’t compete right now.
 
But that didn’t mean any of it was over.
 
It wasn’t over by a long shot.
 
Infact, once this baby arrived, it was only just going to begin.

***

“Oh, Reece, honey, doesn’t she look incredible?” Martha gasped as they watched
India
and Michael arrive on the red carpet, and Reece could only agree.
 
His beautiful daughter was commanding more attention than anyone else here and she wasn’t even in the movie.
 
But he could see the reason why everyone wanted a piece of her.
 
He could only watch with pride as she walked that red carpet like the professional she was, breaking away from the press to talk to fans in the crowd who’d gathered to see everyone arriving, all the time holding tightly onto her husband’s hand.

But once the press caught sight of him he knew they’d want that inevitable father/daughter picture that everyone seemed desperate for - he was the star of the movie, Michael was the director and India was the director’s wife and leading man’s daughter, it was movie gold, and in these situations you did what was required of you in order to get the film you were in as much publicity as you could.
 
That was just the way things worked.

India
practically ran up to her father as she saw him approaching her, breaking away from Michael for a few minutes to hug Reece, something that caused the paparazzi to go on overload.
 
Only in
Hollywood
could you have a family reunion on a red carpet premiere in front of the world but
India
was used to anything after almost twelve years in this business.
 
Nothing surprised her anymore.

“Are you ok?” Reece asked, holding her tightly round her waist, or what waist she had at eight and a half months pregnant.

“I’m fine.
 
Just waiting now, really.
 
Dr Goldman says everything’s going according to plan and both me and Junior here are in perfect condition.”

He kissed her cheek, smiling.
 
“Good.
 
I’m glad to hear you’ve been looked after while I’ve been in
Europe
.
 
And are you still set on this home birth or has anyone managed to change your mind?”

She looked at him.
 
“Everything’s set up at home so yes, I’m still going through with a home birth.
 
I want him to arrive in a place where he’s going to be safe and happy, dad.
 
I want him to come straight home.”

“Ok, ok, I’ll stop nagging.
 
I don’t know where you get this stubbornness from because it certainly isn’t from me.”

She looked at him again and smiled.
 
“No.
 
Not much it isn’t ... Martha!”

And she was off, running over to her step-mum - although she called her mum these days because that’s how Martha wanted
India
to think of her - receiving a huge hug once she got there.

Reece turned to Michael.
 
“Is she really ok?”

“She’s absolutely fine, Reece, really.
 
It’s all under control, and half the time, to look at her, you wouldn’t think she was about to give birth.
 
I think
I’m
more terrified than she is.”

Reece smiled.
 
“Only to be expected.”

Michael looked at his father-in-law.
 
During the making of this movie they’d become quite close and that was good.
 
For
India
’s sake if nobody else’s.

“I’m going to look after her, Reece.
 
I promise.
 
She is the single most important thing in my life and I’m going to take such good care of her, and our son.” He couldn’t help smiling.
 
“Our son ... I never thought it would happen, y’know.
 
I never thought we’d get this far.”

Reece smiled too, touching Michael’s arm.
 
“Neither did I, if I’m being honest.
 
But we’re very lucky.
 
All of us.”

“Yeah.
 
We are.”
 
Michael looked over at
India
as she talked with Martha, letting her step-mum touch her bump, both of them laughing as the baby obviously kicked
India
from inside.
 
“And there’s not a day goes by when I don’t realise that, Reece.
 
Not a day goes by when I don’t realise how very, very lucky I am.”

***