Page 94 of When Stars Fall

Her shirt is gone, and I’m unsnapping her bra when my phone starts again.

The only time it rings back-to-back is when there’s bad news. I draw Ellie closer, deepening the kiss. Maybe if I pretend my phone won’t ring a third time, it won’t. Ellie snaps the button on my jeans, and my phone bursts to life.

“Important?” Ellie murmurs against my lips.

“Not as important as you.” My hand massages her inner thigh. She still has her jeans on, but her bra hangs off her, ready to fall to the floor.

When my phone kicks off for the fourth time, I sigh, easing Ellie’s legs to the floor. I snatch it off the table. “What?” Irritation and frustration make the word more of a growl than anything coherent.

“Sorry, sir. Anna’s taken off again. I’ve got Jamal here. He was asking for you. I’ve called Tanvi, but you like to be in the loop.” Kyle fires the information off in a rat-a-tat-tat.

Even from this far away, he reads my mood. I run a hand down my face. A burst of swear words almost escapes. Trust Anna to run out on her son while I’m in another country. When I’m there and able to talk her out of leaving, she’s somewhat stable. Once I’m on a shoot or a promotional tour, the question of Anna leaving is neverifbutwhen, and then the next uncertainty is how long it’ll take her to return.

“Uncle Wyatt?” Jamal’s voice is small across the phone line.

“Yeah, buddy. I’m gonna come get you. I’ll be there tomorrow.” My anger circles and drains. None of this is his fault. “You go to Grandma Tanvi’s till I get there, okay?”

“Okay.” Jamal’s high-pitched voice causes an ache in my chest.

How does Anna leave him? Then I remember I wanted a drink today, and there have been a lot of days in the last few months when taking a Perc or oxy or mixing a glass of lean have crossed my mind. I relapsed so many times before I got it right. Kicking drugs is not easy. When I hang up, Ellie’s dressed.

“Anna, again?” She grimaces.

“Yeah.”

“I’m going to my trailer. You probably need to talk to James.” She zips her coat.

“Ellie.”

“It’s probably for the best. Sleeping together wouldn’t have meant anything. We’d still be in the same place we are right now.”

“We don’t have to be.” I tuck my phone into my pocket.

“No? You’re going to be honest about your drinking?”

“I am being honest.” Since I left the island, I haven’t touched a drop. I might have had a drink today, though, if she wasn’t here; I’m not sure. I grab my shirt off the floor and slip it over my head. She’s still creating too many artificial roadblocks for us. Maybe she doesn’t trust me, but I don’t trust her either. “I wasn’t drinking. How many times do I need to say those words before you believe me?”

She sighs. “Good luck getting Jamal. I guess my tutor-nanny will be working overtime?”

“Ourtutor-nanny,” I say, an edge to my voice. Even now, she’s cutting me out as though I’m not part of these decisions.

She slams the trailer door behind her.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Ellie

Present Day

Haven chases after a giggling Jamal, their feet slapping the tiled floor of Wyatt’s kitchenette as they race through. Jamal’s high-pitched, delighted laughter makes me smile. Having a playmate has been good for Haven, and having another buffer between me and Wyatt is a bonus. According to Wyatt, Anna will show up. In the last two weeks, there’s been no sign of her.

“Are you okay to watch them?” I ask Stacy, who is prepping some crafts for them in the next room. “I need to pop over to my trailer for a few minutes.”

“Sure,” Stacy says. “When is Wyatt done?”

“Not sure.” I throw on my coat, hat, and mitts. The walk is short, but the cold is bitter and the frigid wind biting. “They’re running behind.” I check my watch. My hair and makeup slot is coming up soon. “It’s going to be a late night.”

“Your sister arrives today?” Stacy lays out some more pom-poms, Popsicle sticks, and other crafty things.

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