Twisted Reality (Blind Reality #2) (20 page)

“Deal.”

Except I never agreed. I only added terms. He slides a contract over to me and I leave it sitting on the table without even looking at it.

“Read and sign. My fax number is on the last page. Don’t wait too long, though, Wilson. You have another woman waiting in the wings who is ready to make a huge production out of her pregnancy and you can bet she’s already signed the contract.”

Barry throws a few dollars down on the table and leaves. His last words replay over and over in my head. I should’ve known he’d go to Jules and she’d agree. Anything for her to be in front of the camera, making the masses feel sorry for her.

Before I can get up to leave, the waitress brings me my muffin. Instead of taking it to go, I let it sit in front of me, cooling down while I read over the contract. There are things that I have to do, but will need Joey’s help and the first one is hiring a lawyer. A new agent needs to be sought out as well, especially before I sign any new deals. This is another reason why I don’t want to start this movie—there are too many loose ends that have to be tied up. I can’t do them if I’m working and Joey can’t because she’s not on all of my accounts. This is where Jason would come in, but I fired him months ago and haven’t had the time to replace him.

I place a call to Blaze PR and ask them for a referral. Lucky for me, they have an in-house one and ask me to stop by and sign some papers so they can get my files from Jason. Unfortunately, I have to call him to let him know that he needs to comply as soon as possible or else. I’m not sure what the “else” is, but it sounded good when I said it. I make a few more calls, one of them being to Rob. We haven’t spoken much since the night I moved out. I wasn’t too thrilled to find Jules in the apartment. There wasn’t a reason for her to be there. When she showed up, he should’ve told her to go home.

My call to Rob goes to voicemail. I don’t leave him a message—he’ll know I called and if he wants to talk, he’ll call me back.

“You look lonely.”

I close my eyes at the sound of her voice and when I open them, she’s sitting down. There’s a large to-go coffee cup in her hand and a grin that matches the Cheshire cat.

“Far from it. I was just leaving.”

“Well, being as you’re alone, we should talk.”

The Jules sitting across from me isn’t the one I’m used to. Her hair isn’t done up and her face lacks the mass of make-up she’s usually wearing. Of course, the nails, jewelry, and designer handbag are all still there to help her accessorize.

“I know we need to talk, Jules, but I really don’t have anything to say.”

“We’re having a baby, Josh. I’m fairly sure that means we have a lot to talk about.”

“Right …” I fiddle with the rim of my coffee mug; the contents are cold and unwelcoming. My muffin mocks me. I’d wanted to eat it up until Jules sat down and now my appetite is long gone.

“This baby is a good thing for us, Josh.”

I nod, unable to give her a verbal answer. It’s not good, it’s inconvenient and something I don’t want with her. Hell, until I saw what a real family was like I didn’t want kids, period. It’s my wife who should be having them, not my ex. But that’s not the baby’s fault and he or she will never know my feelings on the situation.

“Anyway, you’ll have to bond with the baby, so I figured that will start in the hospital and then we’ll go home to my place. I think it’s important that the baby know both of us, so you’ll stay there.”

My insides turn as she rambles on. I sit here, listening to her tell me about her fantasy world. Only in her mind does something like this work.

“I figure that you’ll spend three to four nights at my place. This way you’re always there for our baby.” She smiles as if this is the most amazing plan ever. By the time she’s done talking, I’ve slouched in my chair and pulled my muffin apart.

“You know that won’t work, Jules.” I sit up and push my coffee out of my way. “I have a wife who expects me home every night and that is where I plan to be. I also expect my wife to be able to bond with the baby as well so when it’s my days and nights to have the baby, he or she will come over to my house and bond with Joey and me.”

Jules leans forward, squinting her eyes. “How many times have I told you that
she
is not allowed anywhere near my child?”

“Too many to count. How many times do you think I’ve given a shit about what you’ve said about her? None. You don’t get to set rules and unreasonable expectations on me, Jules. If this is my child, I will have shared custody and Joey will be in their life.”

“If?”

This the first time I’ve questioned whether or not the baby is mine. From the time she told me that she’s pregnant I’ve believed it’s my baby. I’ve let Joey plant doubt in my mind about me being the father.

“I want a paternity test, Jules.”

Her mouth drops open and she lets out a gasp. “You think I would lie to you?”

“Yes. I think your actions during and after the show speak volumes about your character. I also can’t recall the last time we slept together so that part is a little fuzzy.”

“It’s not safe for the baby, to do it during my pregnancy.”

I nod, not knowing if she’s telling the truth or not. “Well, I guess until then we have nothing to talk about.” I go to stand, but she clamps her hand down onto my wrist.

“Josh, I would never lie to you. I know the things I did were underhanded but I was heartbroken. It should be me wearing your ring, not her. I don’t believe you love her. Not like you love me.”

Sitting back down, I face her. She doesn’t let go of my hand and I don’t want to make a scene so I let it stay. “That is where you’re wrong, Jules. Joey … she’s everything that I never knew I was missing. From the moment I kissed her on stage, I knew I was in trouble. We have a magnetic pull and it’s constantly drawing me to her. I can’t be away from her.”

“You told Rob you were getting an annulment after the show.” Her voice breaks and her eyes well with tears.

“That was the plan, but there was no way. I fell in love with her before I could even stop it.”

“But you love me.”

“I may have thought I did, and at one time it was probably true, but I haven’t for a long time, Jules, and you know that. Things have never been the same since Bronx came into the picture. You chose to confide in him. You let him into our relationship. You did that. Not me. Joey isn’t coming between us because there’s nothing there. My heart, as much as I wanted to deny it, was open for her. I know this is hurting your feelings, but you need to realize that she’s not going anywhere. She’s not.”

With that I get up and leave her at the table. Over the years I’ve consoled her, been her shoulder to cry on and her doormat. All of that ends here. It ends now.

Once I’m outside, I text Joey to let her know I’m on my way home after I stop at Blaze. I love typing that sentence: on my way home. Even in the short time that we’ve owned the house, she’s made it ours. Her mom sent a slew of photos to us from the time we were there and Joey has framed and place them strategically around our house.

I know that she’s not thrilled about the baby, but I have to commend her—the other day when I came home she was in one of our spare bedrooms taping paint to the wall for the baby’s nursery. I realized in that moment I love her more and more each day. After I made love to her that night, I promised to give her a baby if that is what she wanted. I know she wants to be a mom, but now it’s all up to her.

I
t’s unrealistic to think that all of Josh’s movies can be filmed on a back lot or on location in Los Angeles, and if I could have one wish that would be it because having him home every night has been a blessing. His filming schedule is hanging from the refrigerator. He put it there so we could plan dinner, or when we can meet up for lunch.

In the last month, everything has changed. We’re domesticated and it feels odd, but it’s a welcoming feeling that I’m falling in love with him more and more each day. We bought another car and he hired a cleaning service to come in once a week after I told him I clean a room a day to keep on top of the house. The house is enormous and too big for the two of us, even the three of us when the baby arrives.

Jules is still adamant that I have nothing to do with the baby and her court ordered paternity test went unanswered. I told Josh not to pressure her. It’s her body and if she doesn’t want to stick a mile-long needle into her abdomen then that should be her choice, even though I’m having a lot of reservations that she’s even pregnant.

She shows up here randomly, takes shots at my character and expects me to wait on her. Her demands are never met, though, as Josh is always having to remind her of her place in our lives. But I’ve watched her when she’s here and she’s never rubbing her belly. Maybe it’s just me and the copious amounts of Lifetime movies I’ve watched, but I never see her touching her stomach or asking Josh to feel the baby kick. He’s even mentioned that at night when we’re lying there and his hand is resting on my abdomen. His thumb will move back and forth along my skin, reassuring me that he wants us to have a child. I do, too, but not now. Part of me questions if he’s only telling me this because of Jules. I want to ask him, but I don’t want to hurt his feelings. Besides, he has enough on his plate. Josh doesn’t need two screaming babies in the house with everything that is going on.

“What are you doing today?” Josh comes out of the closet, dressed in shorts and a tank top. My mouth waters at the sight of his biceps. There’s a massive tattoo covering his shoulder and disappearing under his shirt. It’s airbrushed for his movie, but that hasn’t stopped me from pretending it’s real. He’s also growing, or maintaining facial hair. I’ve never been a huge fan of beards, but on him it’s fucking sexy and I’m climbing him like a tree every night.

I close my eyes and count to ten, hoping to ward off the instant throbbing I feel for him.

“Going out with Rebekah.”

Since coming back to L.A., we’ve spent time with Bronx and Rebekah. They come over for dinner, we go to their place, or we go out. While Rebekah and I have grown closer, Josh and Bronx are still pissing on each other for dominance, but they’re at least cordial with each other.

Josh crawls onto the bed, hovering over me. He’s already been reprimanded for being late and since then the studio decided to start sending a car for him. They figured if there were someone waiting, he wouldn’t be late. They were wrong. My husband is insatiable.

“Where are you going?” He kisses my neck, tickling me with his beard.

“Shopping.” I giggle, trying to get away from him, except he straddles me, pinning me between his legs.

“What are you buying me, something sexy, right?” He pulls the sheet down and cups my breasts before his fingers tweak my nipples.

“You’re going to be late.”

“I want you to be late.”

“What?” I gasp as his tongue circles my nipple.

“I think you know what I mean.” I do, but I’m more focused on the fact that the sheet I had covering my naked body is now pushed below my waist. The subtle hints aren’t lost on me, but the timing isn’t right. The drama that would ensue from us getting pregnant now would be too much to handle. The constant ‘you treat your child better than you treat ours’ would get tiring and the last thing I want is for Jules to use this baby against him. I know he’s going to be a great dad. I also know he’s been having conversations with my dad in regards to parenting. That alone is a huge step for Josh.