“Same,” I said.
“Don’t let the idiots get you down,” Hunter said. “At the end of the day, it’s just gossip. Not your real life.”
The way he said it made me think he had experiences in his past that made him understand better than most. Hunter was an enigma. But for now, I set all that aside, and focused on my sweet Lila.
After Hunter left, Lila stared out at the ocean, her hands folded on the table. She looked exhausted. Not just tired but depleted of all energy. She hadn’t been sleeping well or eating enough. This madness had to stop before it damaged her permanently.
Regardless of what Lila wanted next, Kenzie and Beau were gone. That should’ve felt like a victory. And it did. Yet, there was the offer. Such an amazing opportunity. One that would take her away from me and the girls. Marriages of people in the public eye were notoriously hard. Would we be able to weather whatever fame brought? Was that even what she wanted?
“Talk to me,” I said quietly. “What are you thinking?”
She let out a long breath. “I don’t know. That’s the problem. I genuinely don’t know what to do.”
I waited, giving her space.
“Full creative control,” she said, still staring at the water. “Final cut. New co-host. It’s everything I thought I wanted when I started this. Recognition. Financial security. A real platform for my work.”
“But?”
“But it’s still the show. Still cameras. Still producers and schedules and people in my business. I keep having these dreams that I’m walking naked on the beach. I don’t realize it at first until I look down and see I have no clothes on. And I turn slowly to see everyone I know standing there—watching me.”
“Not too hard to decipher that one, huh?”
“No.” She pressed her fingers to her temples. “I don’t want to be gone all the time. Away from Mia. Away from you. And Margot needs me. Probably more than you or Mia, actually. She’s had such an unfair childhood so far. It sounds egotistical to say but I know I’m key to her healing. To entering adulthood confident, knowing she’s loved unconditionally.”
I tried to hold it in, but her words made my eyes sting. A sob escaped from somewhere deep inside me. “Oh, Lila. Where did you come from?”
“Same place as you. A dating app.” She chuckled softly, reaching over to cover my hand with hers.
I swallowed back another sob. “Margot’s life is already better because you’re in it. I agree. You’re key to the rest of her childhood. Truth is—I need you. Margot needs you. Mia needs you. That said, we can all survive even if you’re gone for some parts of the year. We know we’re loved. And we’ll be there when you get back.”
“I keep thinking about the money,” Lila said softly. “That salary would change everything for us. For Mia’s future. College, graduate school if she wants it. I wouldn’t have to worry about slow months or losing clients.”
“We don’t need it,” I said.
She looked at me sharply. “You don’t need it. But I?—“
“Lila.” I leaned forward. “I have more money than I’ll ever spend. If Mia needs college paid for, I’ll pay for it. If you want to expand your studio, I’ll help. If you need financial security, you have it. Through me, yes, but also through your business. You’re successful. You don’t need reality TV to prove that.”
“I don’t want to be dependent on you.”
“You’d not be dependent. We’d be partners. There’s a difference.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Is there? Because that’s what I thought I had with Carter, and he just up and left. Married someone else. Started fresh.” She dabbed at the corners of her damp eyes with her napkin. “I’m scared to trust promises. Even from you. I don’t know if I’d be able to start again if anything tore us apart. Deep down, I know our best chance at a happy marriage would be … for me to be home, not traveling up and down the coast.”
I stayed quiet. Agreeing with her but not wanting my input to sway her either way. Even though I desperately wanted her to choose me. Us.
“What if I’m just scared?” Lila asked. “What if I’m turning down this opportunity because I’m afraid I’ll fail? Afraid I’m not good enough for that world?”
“Is that what you think?” I asked carefully. “Or do you think maybe you’re just not built for that world? That it’s not failure to recognize what makes you happy?”
She was quiet, pulling apart her napkin with trembling fingers.
“Let me ask you something,” I said. “When you think about your life a year from now—really imagine it—what do you see? What does your best day look like?”
She was quiet for a moment. “I’m in my studio. Working on a design for a client I actually like. Someone local. Someone who trusts me and gives me creative freedom without cameras watching my every move.” She paused. “Mia and Margot are at school, but they’ll be home that afternoon. You’ll be waiting when I get done with work, and we’ll make dinner together—talk about our days, enjoy a glass of wine. We’d eat dinner as a family, the girls spilling over with everything about their days. Maybe they’d do homework while we clean up. Or maybe we all do the dishes together, music playing. All of us dancing or singing along with the record. And then we’ll read or watch a movie and just spend time together. Quiet. Happy. No one trying to take my photo.”
My throat tightened. “That sounds perfect.”
