The Trouble with Marrying a Movie Star (11 page)

I love Andrew with every fiber of my being, but I swear, the Aussie hunk that stars in those comic book movies is h.o.t. hot! Keira and I have been gawking at him throughout the day during our breaks from casting when we stepped outside to ogle the guys across the way filming a new movie. We call it our Coke break. There is an old Diet Coke commercial in which an office full of women takes their "Coke" break, and watches the guy across the building with no shirt on drinking a Coke. We were taking several breaks.

The studio had finally chosen Christopher to direct
Deception
. At first, I continued to pull for another director. But, after speaking with him on several occasions, and getting Andrew's insight, I think the studio has made an excellent choice.

When we had dinner together in Vancouver, he had spoken about his vision for the movie. I love his artistic directions and watching several of his previous films gave me chills. He was going to bring depth to my characters that I had not previously thought of.

Casting hadn't been as simple—or easy—as I had imagined. I had a specific guy in my head to play the part of Thomas, but he wasn't showing up. I wanted a newbie—a fresh face. Nothing really grabbed me in the photos I had seen. And the few men that we had asked to come in for an audition hadn’t done anything for me. Christopher had heard how frustrated I was about this process, and asked another director friend for her assistance. Hopefully, she knew someone who could play the part of my male lead, Thomas.

"How was your day?" Andrew's fingers tickled as they circled around my bare stomach. We had spent many hours reconnecting, and talking in bed always seemed to bring us closer. Being totally exposed while baring your heart was freeing, in a way, and it was becoming a ritual between us. No matter what time of day, after lovemaking, we would spend time talking.

"I'm thinking that I will never find the right person to play Thomas."

"I'll do it."

"Absolutely not!" Andrew lifted his head off of my stomach, surprised and a bit hurt. I didn't mean for it to come out so harsh. My heart started beating out of my chest. "I'm sorry. That came out the wrong way."

"Why wouldn't you want me to play Thomas?"

"I didn't know that you were interested."

Oh, God, please don't let him be interested.

"I would be, for you." I looked at him, speechless. "I know what it is; you don't want me to do all of those sexy love scenes you’ve created."

I had to tell him the real reason. I sat up, propping my back up against the headboard and started to say, "Andrew…"

"You do know those scenes are done with the utmost professionalism, right?" He grinned sympathetically; like he felt bad that he had to do them.

"That's not it. Oh, and I don't want to think about you doing that stuff by the way."

"Now that I think about it, I only want to do 'that stuff' with you. You know...it's been a while…" he said crawling up my body as he hovered over me. "…Since we
acted
out one of your chapters." He started nipping at my neck.

Feeling his lips brush over my skin caused a quick diversion of thought, yet my mind was still torn. I needed to tell him.

"Hey, where are you?" He tilted his head staring into my eyes.

"Sorry, just thinking."

He lifted my head to look at him. "It will work out. Follow your instincts and you will find the perfect Thomas."

I stared back, lost in the depth of his eyes, before saying, "I love you."

Andrew started to place soft kisses around my lips. "I'm going to make passionate love to you now," he said and threw the sheets over our heads. Needless to say, talking was over.

"You ready?" I asked Andrew as we pulled up in front of my childhood home.

"I brought beer. Your Dad has to like me now."

I laughed, and said, "I told you that he already likes you. He just needs to get to
know
you better."

"The beer should help," he said, grabbing the twelve-pack from the back seat.

"Maybe we should have brought more," I said laughing.

Andrew looked as if he wanted to run.

"Andria?"

"In here, Pilar," I yelled from inside my bedroom. She walked into my room as I was drying my hair. I was seated at my old vanity table. "What's up?"

"We haven't had much time alone since you arrived."

"Okay?" She busied herself around the room, dusting things with the kitchen rag in her hand. I watched her from my mirror. "Is everything okay?"

She turned, staring at me in the mirror and said, "I was going to ask you the same thing."

I gave her a quizzical look. "I'm good."

"Are you really?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"I have known you since you were a little girl. I have seen you grow up into a beautiful young lady, by the way." She smiled warmly. "I know you're happy, but there's something behind those blue eyes that are saying otherwise. Is everything okay with Andrew?"

I didn't answer immediately with "everything is great!" It was the silent pause that gave Pilar a knowing look that reflected in the mirror. She sat on my bed and gave me a minute to try to explain. "I love Andrew. I love everything about him, but….it’s taking some time to get used to the whole celebrity thing."

"I'm sure it is. Dan worries about that often."

"He's mentioned it. Several times." We both laughed out.

The moment we arrived, he had mentioned it at least once an hour. He started with, "How do you do it, Andrew?" Then, "Did you know someone called me for an interview?" My favorite, "Andria is on the best-sellers list, and no one cared who I was. She dates you, and they want to know what do I do for fun? None of their business, that's what I do for fun!"

Pilar shook her head grinning before she said, "Your father loves you very much."

"I know that."

"It seems Andrew loves you as well."

"I know that too. But...it's the people around him that I'm not loving so much."

"Are his parents accepting of you?"

I smiled at her. Her mamma bear face came out. "I love the Hughes’s. They have been nothing but supportive towards me."

"That's good to hear," she said relaxing back. "Then it shouldn't matter what those reporters say."

"It's not what they said; it's what someone else said."

"You want to talk about it?"

"Andrew has a psycho ex, who unfortunately, lives in the same town and is around the same circle of people as is Andrew."

"You mean Brittney?"

I turned around to face her. "How do you know about her?" She raised a brow.

"Jaimie?" She nodded. Of course, she would tell her everything that she read.

"I know those gossip magazines aren't truthful."

"I'm glad that you do. Well, we had some words, and it's been eating me up ever since."

"Have you told him?"

"No. I was going to at first, and then I thought more about it. She's the type of person that would want me too. She knows Andrew, and the moment I would have told him, he would have flown off of the handle and gone to see her. That is what I think she has wanted all along. He's been staying away from her and she's tried everything to see him. Using me would have been clever, if it had worked."

"What a foolish girl."

"She's crazy, but crafty. That's why it bothers me to let anything she says affect me."

"You're human. Whatever was said must have been harsh."

"I hate doubting, Andrew."

"The little time that you have been here, that man's love has poured out. He listens attentively to Dan's grumbling. He went fishing—"

"Wasn't that funny? It was his first time."

"Oh, we know." We both laughed out. "Andrew's done a lot of things for you."

I shook my head. "He's done all those things for Dad."

"He's done all those things for
you
, Andria. There's no doubt in my mind that Andrew loves you. He's even downstairs now sitting patiently while Dan lectures him on dating his daughter."

I stood up. "What!" I bolted out the room, down the stairs, straight into the kitchen where I heard my father's voice. I was always around to stop Dad's ranting’s, but Pilar and I weren't in the room.