Page 55 of Stone Promises

I laugh along with her. “What about you? When didyouknow?”

“The night of your premiere, when I saw you at the club,” she says. “When you made eye contact with me, I just knew. I knew instantly what I had denied for the past nine years. And that’s why I had to get away. I was in love with a memory. A man I could never have. And I feared the rest of my life would be lived under the shadow of what could have been.”

“Wait,” I say, rising up on my elbow. “You knew then that you loved me but you made me work my ass off to get you to see me again?”

“Can you blame me?” she asks. “You do come with a little baggage, Chad.”

I blow out a long sigh. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m glad you could get past all that. The only thing that matters from here on out is you and me.”

She frowns. “I’m not sure Iampast it yet. There’s still so much we don’t know about each other.”

“We have forever to figure it all out, Mal. All you need to know is that I’m with you and only you. And if you tell me the same, that’s all I need to hear.”

She nods. “Of course, Chad. It’s only you.”

“Good.” I kiss her on the tip of her nose and jump out of bed. “I’m going to clean up. Do you need anything?”

“Nope.” She lays her head lazily on the pillow. “Everything I need is right here.”

There’s that look again—better than drugs.

I get rid of the condom in the bathroom. Then I go grab a few bottles of water from the minibar in the living room. My phone vibrates across the coffee table so I pick it up on along the way. I plant myself back in bed and Mallory rests her head on my chest as I peruse my missed messages. There are a few from Paul, wanting me to look at some new scripts when I get back. Another from him begging for me to lay low and not make a big deal over anything. That’s code for: don’t let the press photograph you with Mallory because it’ll be bad for ticket sales. Ron, my lawyer, wants to sit down and tie up a few loose ends over myDefconsequel contract before pre-production meetings. But it’s when I read Kendra’s text that my entire body stiffens.

“What is it?” Mal asks, raising her head off my chest to look at me. “Your heart rate just went through the roof, Chad. Is everything okay?”

I shake my head in disgust and put my phone on the bedside table. I put my arms around her. “Just some of that baggage we talked about.”

“Can you tell me about it?”

I nod. “You’re not going to like it.”

“Will you tell me anyway?” she asks.

I close my eyes and steel myself for her reaction. “Some girl is claiming I’m her baby daddy.”

Mallory shoots up in bed, drawing the covers around her. “What? I thought you said you hadn’t been with anyone in a while.”

“I haven’t.” I sit up too, taking her hands into mine. “She’s not pregnantnow. Claims the two-year-old kid she has is mine. Listen, it’s not all that unusual for people to come out of the woodwork and make accusations like this, especially considering my reputation. It’s not true, Mal. But you better believe the media will drool over the story.”

She takes in a shaky breath. “But, how do you know it’s not true?”

“For one, I always wear condoms. Always.”

She narrows her accusing eyes at me. “How can you be so sure, Chad? I mean, you didn’t even remember losing a testicle at the Santa Monica Pier. How can you be absolutely sure you used a condom every single time you slept with someone?”

Shit. She does have a valid point. “Because I know, Mallory. I’ve taken a lot of risks in my life, but that’s one thing I didn’t mess around with. Plus, the timeline doesn’t hold water. It’s been over three years since I got clean. I’ve only been with a handful of girls since then. She doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Who knows, maybe I did hook up with her once, long ago, and now she’s looking to cash in on that because ofDefcon One.Kendra’s doing damage control, but one way or another, it’ll get out there. And people will believe anything once it’s in print.”

I can tell Mallory is very upset by this. I squeeze her hands in assurance. “Baby, it’s not true. You have to trust me. Do you know how many other girls have made the same claim? Five. She’s the sixth one. And every one of the six is a lie.”

She closes her eyes. “The thought that you could have a kid out there somewhere . . .”

“I don’t, Mal. If I did, I assure you I’d take responsibility. But that isn’t going to happen. These girls are liars. Con artists. Sluts who made their damn beds and now they have to lie in them.”

Mallory pulls away from me and leans her back against the headboard, drawing her legs up to her chest. “I’m one of them.”

“One of who?”

A tear rolls down her cheek. “One of the sluts who made their bed and had to lie in it.”

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