Page 33 of When Stars Fall

Wyatt chokes on his sip of his water.

“Kids?” Anna scoffs. “Yeah, right.” Her eyes are glassy and bloodshot. She gives me a wicked grin. “No one at this table will be having kids. Recipe for dysfunction.”

Wyatt squeezes my knee under the table. “Kids aren’t really in the cards for us.”

We’ve never talked about it, but his answer doesn’t surprise me. Family, in any capacity, is a tender spot. Doesn’t stop my heart from sinking a notch. While I might not want them soon, I can’t imagineneverhaving them. The life we live right now isn’t child-friendly. Anna isn’t wrong in that regard.

Tanvi taps her spoon on her plate to dislodge a piece of chicken. “You’ll change your mind. Children are a gift. You are all my gifts.” She takes Anna’s hand and squeezes it.

Tears spring to Anna’s eyes, and she covers her face for a beat. Whatever has caused her glassy eyes has also put a chink in her tough exterior. She’s more prone to rages, and tears are often from regret.

“No crying at the dinner table,” Isaac says, but he’s on the other side of Anna, and he throws his arm around her in a consoling gesture. He whispers something in her ear, and it makes her laugh. She bumps his shoulder and picks up her fork.

“When do you start shooting the TV show?” Kabir asks Isaac.

“That was a bust.” Isaac releases Anna. “Didn’t test well with audiences, so they recast me. But Wyatt got me an audition for the villain in his new thriller, and I nailed it.”

That’s notquitewhat happened. Wyatt tied Isaac to him when the studio came calling. If they wanted Wyatt, they had to find a part for Isaac.

“You get to work with Wyatt again?” Kabir grabs a piece of naan from the center of the table. “Should be a good movie. Lots of promotion behind it. Very bankable. Maybe you can ride this opportunity to some success.”

“Maybe.” Isaac’s tone is tinged with annoyance.

Later when we go to leave, Kabir draws Wyatt into another hug and whispers something in his ear. At the Rolls-Royce, after some cajoling from Isaac, Anna agrees to ride with him so I can go on the motorcycle with Wyatt. When they leave the house with Kyle driving, I can’t contain my curiosity.

“What did Kabir say to you?” I ask.

A hint of a grin tugs at the corners of Wyatt’s mouth. “Told me he was proud of me, and he thanked me for watching out for Isaac.” He passes me a helmet. “About the kids thing—”

“It’s okay,” I say. “You don’t need to explain. I understand.”

He kisses my temple before putting on his helmet. “You always do.”

Chapter Fourteen

Wyatt

Present Day

I called Camila an hour ago to check in. Everything is fine at home with my sister and her son. Thank God. I don’t want to cut my time short with Ellie for anything or anyone. But if my sister needed me, I’d return to LA. When we were kids, I couldn’t protect her from our high-functioning drug-addicted parents, couldn’t even protect myself. I’m doing my best to be there for her now. To be there for Jamal.

On my balcony, I wait for Ellie to text me. I can’t be in my room. The minibar is there, calling to me. The devil in a tiny bottle. I haven’t touched a drop of alcohol since I arrived, but it’s getting harder and harder to resist. I should gather the bottles and take them to the front desk—remove my temptation. I stride into the room, intent on getting rid of them, when there’s a knock on my door. To be safe, I check the peephole. Since I used a pseudonym, the only people who realize I’m here are staff and Ellie’s family.

A sigh of relief escapes me at the glimpse of Ellie. I yank open the door, and the suddenness startles her. When the surprise dissipates, sadness settles over her features. Not the expression I want to inspire.

“You ready?” she asks.

“For anything.” I tip my chin at her. “You okay?”

“Having you here is a lot to process.” She shrugs, and uncertainty coats her like a blanket. “Nikki and I had a long talk.”

“Let me guess. She’s not happy.”

“She gave me some things to think about, that’s all,” she says. “We don’t have to go back to my place, but we shouldn’t go anywhere too public either.” She sticks her hands into the pockets of her shorts.

There are two places on the island that are special to me. The deserted beach and the hotel ruins. When the two of us were together and insanely famous, those places were a refuge from the craziness of our lives. I cock an eyebrow at her. “The hotel?” She didn’t take us past that one the other day, so I’m hoping it’s still derelict and uninhabited.

She nods and turns on her heel. The defeated slant of her shoulders causes my protectiveness to spike. Whatever she’s thinking about, whatever Nikki said, makes her feel like shit. There’s a thing or two I’d love to say to Nikki right now.

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