Sparking the Fire (12 page)

“You need to keep everything drama-free while she's here.” Which meant that having the Dempseys attached to the movie and using them as official inspiration was not going to happen. Not when Wyatt was trying to convince this girl's mother to let her be a full-fledged Dempsey. She understood the priorities. “If you'd told me why—”

“You'd have understood?” His face remained a wooden mask, distrust tainting the air between them and unexpectedly stinging her skin. Of course he shouldn't have told her. A six-day sexfest back when dinosaurs roamed the earth did not make them bosom buddies. “When Logan and Sean died, I had a chance to step up with my family and I failed. Luke was there for me and took care of business. I can't screw this up.”

“You don't have to explain.” Hearing about his devotion created a well of yearning in her chest, a yawning gap she wanted filled. Completely unfair of her to want him to fill it. “If you need to get someone else to take your place as tech consult, I understand.”

He looked at her hard. “That's probably for the best.”

Oh.
She'd offered it as a courtesy, not expecting he would truly want out. But then he'd never wanted in, had he? She was a job assignment for him, and given their past connection, his curiosity had gotten the better of his usually rock-solid judgment. Now that curiosity was sated, and apparently even a strictly professional association with her would be toxic.

That conclusion should not have hurt her heart the way it did.

The intimate conversation had erased the gap between them. His scent addictive, his mouth drew her in, and all she could think was:
Kiss me, Marine. One last time, kiss me.

A shriek sounded from upstairs, closely followed by a gruff “What the—!” and a door slam. Wyatt and Molly exchanged puzzled glances.

Roni bounded in, her face a bright red. “I met Uncle Gage.”

“
Ker-ist,
” Wyatt said, covering his face.

Soon the kitchen was filled with Dempseys drawn by the commotion, and Gage not too far behind, pulling a shirt on. His curious gaze fell on Roni.

“So, I would apologize if I knew who the hell you were and why you're wandering around opening doors in strangers' homes.”

“Gage,” Wyatt said, his voice a warning. “This is Roni, Logan's girl.”

“Good fuck,” Gage said. “F'real?”

“What the hell were you doing?” Luke yelled at Gage.

“Scarring my niece for life apparently. Brady, too.” At the horrified expressions, he held up a hand. “Don't worry, my billboards and calendar revealed far more flesh than what she just saw. Totally PG.” He spoke to Roni. “How old are you, kiddo?”

“Fifteen.” The first inkling of a grin brightened her previously moody demeanor.

Wyatt arced a hand in a sweep that encompassed the entire family. “This is why we can't have nice things.” He pointed at Roni. “You will not tell your mother about—shit,
anything
you've seen today. She's already going to be pissed at me. Now, come here.”

Tentatively, Roni walked over and Wyatt placed his hands on her shoulders. “I don't know what you did to piss off your grandmother so much she had to drive all the way from Bloomington, but you're here now and we're gonna deal.”

Molly couldn't see Roni's expression, but she'd lay odds the girl was embarrassed at Wyatt's go-deep intensity.
Get used to it.

Wyatt turned her around and held her back against his chest with his arms wrapped around her shoulders and his lips pressed to the top of her head. Such a protective gesture that Molly's heart squeezed to see it.

Ovary down!

“Veronica, time to officially meet your family. Everyone, this is Roni. She'll be staying for the summer.”

N
eedless to say, Roni's mom was not pleased.

“Hey,” Wyatt said when he answered the call she'd made before he had a chance to dial first.

“Hey? That's all you have to say? Why am I hearing about my daughter's whereabouts from my mother instead of from you?”

“I was about to call you. And Judy is the one who laid this on me without consulting anyone. She didn't even come in to talk to me. Just dumped her outside.”

Jen, the queen of selective hearing, ignored that. “Did you put her up to this? I know you've wanted her with you, and the first time I'm away, you see your chance—”

“I'm gonna stop you right there. I did not tell Roni or your mother to do this.” Though he suspected that Roni might have manipulated the situation and forced Judy's hand. Pride that she would find a way warmed his chest.

Jen wasn't having any of it. “You will drive her back home tomorrow.”

“No.”

She coughed. Spluttered, more like. “No? Do I need to call a lawyer?”

“You don't want to put her through that any more than I do. I've been very patient with you, Jen, and now the box is opened. She's here. Her uncles and aunts know about her and they want to know her better. If you fight me on this, I can't be responsible for how it's going to go down.”

“You're—you're threatening me?” She sounded aggrieved and a little bit scared, as if every nightmare she'd envisioned about the all-powerful Dempseys had come true. Well, time she learned what she was truly up against.

“Jen, you're the only one who sees us as a threat. You're her mother. That's not going to change. You are doing an amazing job raising her. Let her stay for a few weeks, have her curiosity satisfied. Putting us in the forbidden zone just makes us more appealing.” Christ almighty, this was Parenting 101.

“I don't like this, Wyatt.” She sounded chastened, less sure. “I should come home.”

“I'll keep her safe, Jen. God, I love her like she's my own. You know I do. Trust me.”

At her surrendering sigh, his heart cheered in victory.

“She's become so difficult in the last few months. I've no idea what to do with her.” She dragged in a noisy breath. “I'll email you a list of foods she shouldn't be eating.” Which he suspected was longer than the list of what she should be eating. No problem, he'd put the chefs next door on the case. “And she has a doctor's appointment in Bloomington in a few weeks. It's just routine, but she can't miss it.”

“I'll drive her myself.”

“No drama, Wyatt. If I see or hear of any of you pulling your usual Dempsey crap, I'll be on a plane so fast your head will spin.”

“You have my word.” He'd have to make sure Roni didn't mention the presence of a certain Hollywood star at the family barbecue. Exactly the sort of spectacle Jen would not be on board with.

“Now, can I speak with my daughter, please?”

“Sure. And Jen? Thanks.”

“Don't make me regret it, Wyatt.”

Wyatt pressed the mute button on the phone and looked around. “Roni?”

“I'm here.” She popped in from the other room, looking nervous, as well she should.

“Your mom wants to talk to you. She's pretty pissed, but I think that's understandable because she assumes you engineered this. You're going to let her shout at you and you're not going to make excuses, 'kay?”

She nodded, biting down on her lip.

“Another thing. Might be easier if you didn't mention that Molly Cade is here.”

“You mean lie?”

“I mean omit.”

“Okay.” He handed off the phone to her and headed out back. Everyone was standing around, still in a daze over what had happened. They all looked to him for an update.

“Roni's mom is going to let her stay here for a few weeks.”

“I should freakin' well hope so,” muttered Alex before turning silent at Wyatt's glare.

“I don't know how long she'll be here but I do know this: it's going to be the best summer she's ever had.”

“Fuck yeah, it will,” Gage agreed.

“Which means we need to set some ground rules.”

Everyone groaned. No one hated rules more than a Dempsey, but it had to be said. Wyatt caught Molly's eye and found her doing her utmost to suppress a grin. In his corner, that's how it felt. Like the two of them were a team.

But that had to be nixed in the face of what needed to happen.

Wyatt started a count on his fingers. “No swearing. No sneaking off to have sex in bathrooms during family gatherings.”

Gage opened his mouth.

“Or anywhere else,” Wyatt finished, arrowing a dark look at his baby brother.

“It was the most convenient. And all our best work is done in bathrooms.” A grinning Gage threw an arm around Brady, who by the looks of it had still not recovered from the intrusion.

Wyatt went on. “No getting into fights or any drama whatsoever. We clear?”

“Of course we are,” Luke gritted out, still steamed. “You don't even have to tell us that.”
Unlike the family secret Wyatt should have shared
was the undertone.

“We're going to need to work up a schedule to keep her entertained and ensure someone is always with her. She looks older than fifteen but she's just a kid.”

“Shouldn't be a problem,” Beck said. “An army of teen-sitters. As long as she's not into One Direction or something that makes my ears bleed.”

“Does she look like she's into One Direction, handsome?” Darcy asked. She had a point. Those guys were likely a little too squeaky clean for Roni, with her emo-Goth look.

“I dunno. Don't want to judge a book by its cover,
princesa
.” He kissed Darcy's temple. “You've been known to belt out the Biebs in the shower.”

Maybe this could work out. “She likes alt-rock. Like her dad,” Wyatt said.

“Thank Christ,” Luke said, then held up his hand in a gesture of mock apology. “Thank the goddess.”

That concession, and the mention of Logan, had a cheering effect. Everyone broke into grins, the reason why Roni was here seeping in. She was their dead brother's girl and nothing was more important.

“She also likes hockey, so I was thinking—”

“I'll talk to Bastian,” Alex said. “Maybe we can get her some one-on-one time with the league's hottest player.” Eli bristled and everyone laughed. Bastian Durand played right forward for the Hawks and had a thing for Alex, about which she liked to tease Eli mercilessly.

“Best summer ever,” Gage said. “I feel like we should join fists or have T-shirts made.”

“Summer of Roni,” Kinsey said, swiping a hand across an imaginary billboard.

“Hashtag SummerOfRoni,” Darcy clarified.

On a burble of chatter about how awesome the summer would be, Wyatt walked over to Molly, who had stayed back through the discussion.

“I should probably get going,” she said before he had a chance to speak. “Leave you to it.”

Wyatt nodded. Much as he wanted her to stay, this summer had just taken a left turn, and if he was enforcing the no-drama rule among his siblings, he had to be the first to set the example. But he couldn't resist a few final, private moments with her.

“I'll see you out.”

“You don't have to. My security followed us here.”

Like he trusted them. “Let's go.”

 CHAPTER SEVEN

T
he knock was soft. Reverent. “They're ready for you, Miss Cade,” the PA said from the other side of the makeup trailer door.

“Be right there,” she called back, careful to sound calm, sweet, and pliant. Ryan had always said never to answer—it was their Hollywood-given right as the talent to ignore “the help.” What a jerk. These days she could ill afford the slightest rumor about her behavior on the set. No fodder would be given to the machine.

“Watch you don't overdo the powder, sweetheart,” Gideon said to the puppy-eyed makeup artist, currently trying her damnedest to minimize the sweaty sheen that insisted on reappearing after every sponge press. Pores by Jose Cuervo.

“Sure thing, Mr. Carter,” the woman said breathlessly. “Of course, you hardly need it. Your skin's flawless.”

Gideon offered a smirk of
I know
and an eyebrow lift of
Let's bang later.

“I see Ryan's been busy.” He held up his phone. In the mirror's reflection, Molly saw the now-familiar silhouette of her ex wrapped around a (much) younger woman. Grasping on to his youth by having a pair of tits-in-diapers prop him up as he walked into Urasawa on Rodeo. Molly would have loved to warn her of the dangers of getting involved with a megalomaniac. How she risked having her personality whitewashed, her every decision second-guessed, her life consumed in service to the Ryan Michaels enterprise.

It wasn't so hard to believe she'd loved him once. What woman could fail to be smitten when the biggest actor in Hollywood—in the world—showed an interest? Her first big audition, and Molly had been blinded by Ryan's dazzle. He'd insisted she be hired for the film, then proceeded to shock and awe her with rare orchids, Harry Winston jewels, lavish trips. He'd set his sights on Molly Cade, Midwestern rube, and she'd fallen at his feet in adoration.