“Anything, Tatiana.”
“If I call you tonight. Tomorrow. Next week. Next month. Will you promise not to pick up? And if—” Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes. “—if I come by your office, if I tell you I need to do more research, will you promise not to let me in?” She lowered her head to brush tears away. “And if you find me standing on the tarmac again waiting to spin you a tale about needing to get on your plane with you for a role, will you promise not to fall for it?” She pulled her canvas bag up and held it in front of her chest like a shield. “One day I hope I’ll be my old self again and the memories will have faded enough that I’ll be strong enough to resist you on my own. But until then...I’m going to need your help, and your promises, not to fall for any other ideas I might come up with in the middle of the night when I’m missing you like crazy.”
He’d told her he’d do anything for her. But he hadn’t known—hadn’t truly known what it was like to love until now. Not until the most beautiful woman in the world stood so close and just out of reach, at the same time as she asked him to help her stay away from him.
It nearly killed him to say the words, “I promise.”
He watched as she forced the corners of her lips up. “Thank you.” But she still didn’t walk away. “I also wanted to wish you good luck with your meeting with Flynn today, although I know you won’t need it. He’s going to sign the deal.” Her smile was genuine now. “And I’m going to be so, so happy for you when he does. Let him know I said hello.”
When she finally turned to go, Ian felt as though his insides were tearing in two. “I don’t need to do the deal, Tatiana.” She turned back to him in shock as he said, “If I walk away from it, I’ll have more time to spend with you.”
Tatiana had surprised him right from the very first time he’d met her, but even though he now knew her better than he’d ever known anyone else, the very last thing he expected to see on her face was anger.
“Would you ever ask me to give up acting?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why do you think I would ever in a million years want you to give up on your own dreams?” She shook her head. “I saw firsthand how excited you are about Flynn’s company, and about working personally with him. I know how much you thrive on your work, and I love that you do. Can’t you see that you’ve never let me, or anyone else, down before by being true to yourself? But if you blow this deal on purpose, if you walk away from working directly with Flynn after you gave him your word, all because you can’t get it through your thick skull that you’re already perfect just the way you are...well, then, you won’t just be letting me down. You’ll be letting yourself down, too.”
As she turned for the door and he followed her, he felt like he was watching them both on screen, like all of this was happening in a movie, rather than his real life. Because how could he have finally found something so beautiful, so incredible, and then lost it so quickly?
“T!”
Tatiana had called Valentina to let her know they were finally coming back to Seattle, and now Valentina and Smith were standing at the bottom of the steps waiting to fold Tatiana into a hug.
“I’m so glad you’re back safe and sound.” Ian watched Valentina brush the hair back from Tatiana’s forehead so that she could look into her sister’s face to make sure she really, truly was okay. “But you’re crying. Why are you crying?”
“I’m just so happy to see you.”
Valentina pulled her sister closer and lifted her questioning gaze to Ian’s face. He’d barely been able to hide what he felt for Tatiana a week ago.
Now he simply didn’t have a prayer.
Valentina paled even as Smith, who had clearly already put two and two together, came forward with hands curled into fists.
“What the hell, Ian?”
His cousin was clearly spoiling for a fight, but when Tatiana said something in a voice that was too soft for Ian to make out, Valentina cut Smith off with a hand on his arm. “Tatiana’s ready to head home now.”
* * *
Tatiana sat in Smith and Valentina’s living room on a soft chair under a blanket with a cup of tea in her hand. They’d both been kind enough to give her some space on the drive over and to let her settle in for a few minutes while they spoke softly to one other in the kitchen.
About her and Ian, of course.
When they both finally moved hand in hand to sit on the couch kitty corner to her, Tatiana suddenly realized that everything really had changed. It wasn’t just she and her sister anymore. Valentina and Smith were a team in all things now, even loving and protecting her.
“Are you ready to talk about it yet?” Valentina asked gently.
No she wasn’t. Not even close, but seeing how worried her sister and Smith were, she knew she had to at least say something. “I’m in love with Ian. But I’m pretty sure both of you already got that.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, when we were on the phone last week?”
“I wanted to tell you, Val. I almost did, but I knew what you’d say.” She looked at Smith. “What you’d both say. That you’d tell me to keep my distance. And—” She held up a hand to beat them to it. “That you’d only be saying it because you love me.”
“We do,” Smith said, “so much that we hate to see you looking this way now.”
“I know I’m a mess,” she agreed, “so you’re probably not going to believe me when I say that loving Ian was the best thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.”
Valentina moved from Smith’s side to put her arms around her, and by the time Tatiana finally looked up from her sister’s comforting arms, Smith was gone.
* * *
Ian wasn’t at all surprised when Smith walked into his office and slammed the door behind him, snarling, “You should have stayed away from her.”
He stood, figuring he’d make it easier for his cousin to do what needed to be done. “I know.”
“What the hell is wrong with you, leading her on like that, making her fall so in love with you that I’m pretty sure she’s going to be pissed at me for coming here to beat the crap out of you?”
“I’m in love with her, too. And you should beat the crap out of me.”
“You’d better believe I’m planning on—” Smith broke off. “Wait, what did you just say?”