“I wish for a simpler life.A life when I wasn’t who I was and could come to you without any baggage.”
“You wouldn’t be you if that wish came true.It’s because of all of that.All the things you’ve gone through have made you the man holding me.I like this man very much.”
It was easy for her to say that.She hadn’t walked in his shoes.How hard had it been for him to have a famous mother?Some kids reveled in it.Wanted to take their parent’s fame and twist into something that put them more front and center than their parent had ever been.Zach had done the opposite.He’d chosen a profession that was out of the limelight.An honorable one.
“I guess you’re right,” he said finally.“But there’s nothing worse than having your every move photographed.Or the people you thought were your friends, the people you trusted—turn on you and sell you out for a quick buck.”
The pain in his eyes was evident, and Tilly wanted to take it away.Wanted to see his beautiful brown eyes sparkle with happiness.Or go dark with desire, like they had been when they’d first sat down on the couch.“Did that happen to you?”
“Not me, my mom.”
Considering how successful and popular Kathryn was, Tilly assumed it had to be prior to that, but if she’d been betrayed, the fact that she’d picked herself up and started over, creating an even bigger career than before, was testament to the woman she was.
“Can I ask you what happened?”
Zach shifted so that she was tucked beside him now instead of on his lap.She missed being able to see his face.To read his expression.
“Mom was a rising star on one of the top soaps on television.Her part was getting bigger and bigger, and she loved it.Loved going on set every day, learning her lines.She loved the life it gave us.The money wasn’t like what major movie stars earned, but it was good and gave us a good lifestyle.She was also pretty savvy when it came to where to invest any surplus she had.”
“What about your dad?Was he around?”
Zach shook his head.“Apparently, he was a one-night stand.Mom was shocked, but happy to be pregnant.When she found out, she tried to track him down to tell him, but she couldn’t find him.It wasn’t as if they were each other’s true loves.Apparently, she attempted to locate him again after I was born, and she found out he was traveling around Europe.After that it was just the two of us.For all her recent faults, she’s always had my best interests at heart, and she is a good mom.”Zach finished quietly and stared at the Christmas tree, as though saying the words out loud had him acknowledging the truth of them.
A little of the earlier admiration she had for Kathryn Lancaster, before she’d seen what she’d done to her own son, a son she clearly wanted from the beginning, returned.It would’ve been so easy for his mom to look at alternatives, particularly if she was just starting out in her career.Yet her love for her unborn child had her making sure that she did what was right for him.How had that changed?
Why had she changed?“Did you ever try to find your father?”
“I didn’t have a lot to go on.Mom didn’t want me to search for him.She didn’t want me to be disappointed if it didn’t work out.But she also knew I wasn’t going to give up.Mom gave me his name, and I found him.He has another family.I’ve got a half sister and brother.In the end I decided not to make contact with him.”
“But why?”
“I didn’t want to disrupt his family.It didn’t seem fair to do that.”
“They might have been thrilled to find they have a brother.”
He shifted, stiffening slightly.“I’ve made peace with the outcome.”
The thought of having siblings out in the world and not knowing them wasn’t one Tilly could fathom.How hard must it be for Zach to know he had a brother and sister, but could never form a relationship with them?Her sisters were everything to Tilly.But Zach’s decision didn’t surprise her.It was the type of man that he was—caring and sensitive and aware of how actions could be damaging.
“You are a good person, Zach Langley.”She pressed a kiss to his cheek.“We’ve gone off topic a bit.”
“That we have,” he chuckled and nuzzled the top of her head.“Fortunately for Mom, the pregnancy didn’t affect her that much.”
“What do you mean by ‘didn’t affect’ her?”
“She wasn’t on the soap when she was pregnant with me.”
“Ah, I see.”
“But she did audition for the part of a pregnant woman in a television advert.It ended up being a series of ads, and they paid well.It was one of those ads that caught the eye of the producers of the soap, and they reached out to Mom’s agent.She got the part.She’d been on the show for a few years and was really popular when a friend—and I use that term loosely—encouraged her to audition for a movie role.It wasn’t unusual for actors on soaps to do other projects.The producers were usually very good in allowing them time to pursue other opportunities.”He was drumming his fingers on his thigh, and Tilly placed her hand over his, stilling the nervous movement.“Anyway, it turns out that this friend began to spread rumors about Mom.Rumors that she was talking bad about the show.She leaked a recording she’d taken of her and Mom, where Mom was ranting about how she was being mistreated and deserved more.The producers were suppressing her talent and were imbeciles and awful to work with.”
“Oh, wow, and was she?”
“No.Mom loved that job.Loved the people she worked with.She didn’t even know the conversation was being taped and believed she was helping her friend audition for a role for a big movie.She was reading from a script, but no one believed her because Mom is a hell of an actress and sounded so convincing, like she meant every word she said.Her friend didn’t even try to defend Mom when Mom told her side of the story.Just started to spread more and more lies.She was also a good actress and convinced the press that Mom was the bad guy and not her.In the end Mom was fired from the show and was basically blacklisted by all the networks.Kathryn Lancaster’s career as an actress was in the dust.”
Now Tilly understood his cynicism from that night when he’d first come over and they’d gone through the list of celebrities she wanted to email.How had his mother not stayed bitter against the very industry that turned their backs on her?Then again, she was doing a talk show now and that was different.
“How did she get her current show?”
