But she’d stolen my heart when I was filming in Mexico. She’d found my trailer, and once I’d given her a piece of turkey from my sandwich, that was it—she’d claimed me as hers.
Getting her back to the States had been a nightmare, but I couldn’t leave her behind. I’d never forget the flight back. Peaches had climbed into my lap, all sixty-five pounds of her, shaking like a leaf. If it had been possible for her to crawl inside me, she likely would’ve done it.
I gave her a scratch behind the ears. “I like it, too.”
Maybe this was just what we needed after being cooped up in my Malibu house for months on end. I’d had to get my assistant to take Peaches out because the paps had resorted to flying drones over my private street.
But slowly, attention waned. Some pro-baseball player had been caught having an affair while his popstar wife was pregnant at home. I was sorry for her but grateful for the diversion.
For the first time in six months, I might be able to breathe. I pulled the fresh air into my lungs, rolling my shoulders back. Pine laced the breeze, even in the dead of winter, and I could only imagine how amazing it smelled once the weather warmed. Maybe this was just the place I needed.
My phone rang through the speakers in my truck. I checked the readout and hit a button on my steering wheel. “Hey, Dad.”
“Where are you? You make it there yet?”
I couldn’t help but grin. “Thirty-three, and he still worries I’m gonna get kidnapped.”
My dad grunted. “There are crazies on the roads these days.”
“I’m just driving through Wolf Gap now. It’s gorgeous here. You can see the mountains and the lake from downtown. You’d love it.”
“Maybe I’ll have to come for a visit.”
I paused for a moment. There was nothing I’d love more than some time with my dad, but executing it was complicated when I was trying to keep a low profile.
“Towards the end of your stay,” he hurried to say.
“That’d be perfect.”
He was quiet for a moment. “I hate the idea of you up there all alone. You sure you don’t want to hole up at the compound? Your mom and I would love to have you. You and Peaches can take the pool house so you have your own space.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Eli could show up—”
“I don’t think he will. We’ve still got paparazzi on the street out front.”
A flush of anger swept through my system at my parents having to deal with the press hounding them. My father was used to the media to some degree. He’d been a child actor before moving on to directing. But even with blockbusters and Oscar wins, he’d somehow managed to keep a low profile and be boring enough for the gossip rags to leave him mostly alone.
At least until my brother stirred up trouble. He’d always had a gift for it. But this time, it hadn’t been trouble. It had been so much more. He’d torn my life apart with casual disregard. And Carissa had paid the ultimate price for it all.
“Bo?”
I blinked a few times, coming to a stop at an intersection. “Sorry. What’d you say?”
Dad was quiet again. “Say the word, and I’m on a plane.”
My throat burned. He was such a good man. The best. “I’m fine, really.”
“You’re not, but you will be. Each day, you’re working yourself towards that.”
I swallowed hard. I hoped he was right. But the truth was, I’d fallen out of love with Carissa years ago. I’d stayed because we’d always been a package deal. Because she knew what it was like to grow up in the limelight. Because I’d thought staying by her side would save her.
How wrong I’d been. Being with Carissa had meant her destruction. Made Eli fixate. Because he always had to destroy what he thought made me happy.
“Thanks, Dad. I should go. I need to pay attention to these directions.”
“Sure. Text me when you get there. Send your mom a picture of the house.”
The corners of my mouth lifted. “I think it’s just a cabin. Probably a little rough. Gaines warned me that this guy wasn’t exactly making his property a welcome place for visitors.”