Page 35 of Promise Not to Fall for the Rich & Famous

Carly couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She slid her thumb along the screen, skimming right past the poem without reading it. She had enough going on in her life; there was no need to get sucked into Jimmy and his drama now or ever again.

With that determination urging her on, Carly began tapping out her reply. She was moving on with her life, and Jimmy—whether he’d follow suit or not—needed to know that she was saying goodbye for good.

Jimmy, you’ve taught me a lot over the years. I hope I’ve done the same for you. But it’s time…

Her fingers froze in place as a deep sadness crept down her body. In flooded the images of Ava cradled in her arms, Jimmy right by her side. Had she forgotten how difficult this was? How impossible it had been to put the final nail in their relationship coffin?

The thought provoked images of a different coffin. Pale pink and newborn small, a wreath of white roses resting on top. Jimmy hadn’t left Carly’s side that day. Of course he hadn’t; not one memory from that time was her own. Every detail she’d encountered with her baby girl was intertwined with the one person who knew the depths of her grief. Like an inseparable trio: Ava, and the young foolish parents whose lives were taken by the crashing storms of love and loss like they’d never known.

But that was just it though, wasn’t it? The trio had been so deeply rooted in her mind, Carly couldn’t separate Ava from Jimmy.

At once she sat up and stared into the dark room, realization hitting her like a truck.

“That’swhy…” she declared, She wasn’t attached to Jimmy; she was attached to Ava. To the precious memory of her baby. Why hadn’t she realized that before?

She just needed to mentally separate the two.

She could do that. She could.

Carly shut her eyes, gripped the pendant at her neck, and focused.I’m not giving you up, Ava. You’re my baby girl forever. But I’ve got to move on now, the way I’d want you to.

She allowed herself to imagine it. The photo Mom had taken of the three of them in the hospital. In her mind, Carly split the image down the center. Only she didn’t have to choose which one kept Ava. They both would. In Jimmy’s picture, he’d be cradling her alone. In Carly’s, she’d be doing the same. And maybe one day someone would join her. A man ready for what life might bring. She pictured Gage filling that spot and grinned.

Gage. She sighed. He was incredible. Just the night before, he’d placed the most gentle kisses over her cheeks. He’d caressed her face so tenderly. The affection he’d shown her was unlike anything Carly had ever known.

She shifted her mind back to the task at hand, feeling ready to do what had to be done. Her reservations put to rest, Carly took hold of her phone once more. She started where she’dleft off and took it from there.

But it’s time we release each other once and for all.

I hope you’ll do what it takes to move on.

That’s what I intend to do.

May God guide your path.

Shedidhope God would guide Jimmy’s path. In fact, Carly took a moment to lift that very prayer for him. She rested the phone back on the nightstand, pulled her knees to her chest, and sat in the silent darkness with her new reality.

Gage is actually falling in love with you, Carly.

A rush of excitement pooled in, but Carly was quick to counter it. Sure, Gage was interested in getting closer to Carly fornow, but that didn’t mean he wanted a future with her. Couples had casual relationships all the time. What if all he wanted was to cozy up to a warm body while he was here, keep himself from getting lonely?

He’d picked the wrong girl for that.

Carly sensed his intentions were better than that, but intentions aside, Gage was about to step into the life of a Hollywood star. That made him a wildcard, and the last thing she wanted to do was dive into a relationship with yet another man who wouldn’t commit. She’d lingered in the stagnantwaiting game with Jimmy for far too long. Could she really trust that a relationship with Gage Craven would be any different?

The dream didn’t go away as easily as Carly would have liked. Meeting Gage on the beach for his lesson only brought the nightmare to life. She couldn’t help but picture him drifting off his board and into the sky and reciting that horrible poem about how he would soon leave her.

Sure, she’d effectively closed one door, she had, but what if this other door wasn’t much better?

Tiny grains of sand sifted through her fingers as she watched Gage from the shoreline. He was doing exactly what she’d taught, diligently stroking to keep up with the oncoming wave. Carly remembered the excitement of catching the next thrill. Not wanting even one chance to come and go without at least trying to ride the wave. What if she fit into that type of category where Gage was concerned? Was she simply Gage’s idea of a good time?She seems to be into me, may as well have a little fun while I’m here. But Carly wasn’t there to be some guy’s latest conquest. She was—as they say—older and wiser and ready for a man to give his life to her, like Shawn had with her sister Jill.

Gage came back into focus as he popped up on both feet.

He caught the wave, all right. Perfectly. He was getting good. He’d been exceptionally focused on boarding today, no doubt trying to avoid the massive elephant on the beach—the fact that Carly hadn’t returned his sentiments last night. She only hoped they’d have a chance to talk things out today after the lesson. Part of her feared Gage would take off once their time was through, saying he’d signed up for a tee-time on the resort’s famous golf course.

Carly pulled in a deep breath of salty air and studied Gage’s form. She had to admit that seeing him apply techniques of his own, face hard, eyes focused as he got up on the board, all of it made him even more attractive. Especially when he broke into that triumphant grin upon finishing. She liked other sides of him too. His ambition for architecture, the way he came to life whenever he spoke about the sunlight pouring into a certain structure, or the way the pillars seemed nearly invisible due to some genius design element.

She liked that side of him most, Carly decided, since it spoke to a life outside of Hollywood. A life where he could possibly be someone’s devoted husband. She pictured him hovered over blueprints in the lamp’s light, going over the home he’d designed for their future family. “Did you want an extra window here in the baby’s room?” he’d ask while kneading a putty eraser in one hand.