Reed couldn't help but chuckle as well. "I mean, he's a great agent, and I love him, but the man needs an off switch."
"I couldn't agree more," she replied. Leaning over, she pressed her lips to his. "Thank you for that."
A few minutes later, they were pulling into the line of cars that led up to the red carpet. When it was their turn to get out, Reed went first and then turned to help her.
The reporters were already shouting, camera flashes going off. They paused and posed together a few times, and then separately. Finally, it was time for the quick interview portion right up against the velvet rope.
"Tell us, Teagan, are you pregnant?" The reporter from TMZ placed a microphone in her face, his cameraman leaning in behind him. "The world wants confirmation!"
Reed wanted to tell them to back the hell up, but Teagan held her ground well.
She glanced up at him, a shy smile on her face. "We're not answering questions yet."
"So, there are questions to answer?" the reporter pressed further.
Reed placed his arm behind Teagan's back, steering her down the row. "The lady said all she wanted to say."
While he definitely wanted to shout their news from the rooftops, he was going to let her take the lead on when she wanted to reveal her pregnancy. After all, she was still pretty early along, so he could understand her caution.
"Reed Scott! Teagan Reynolds!" A reporter from E! Flagged them down next. "We've been dying to know—are you two a couple?"
Teagan's face lit up, clearly unable to hide her happiness. She looked up at Reed. "I'll let you answer this one."
Fuck, yes. "I've never been more in love in my life," Reed replied to the reporter, wrapping his arm back around her waist. "So, yes."
The reporter swooned, placing her hand on her chest. "That is so romantic. And all this happened on the set of Break Down?"
"I’ve been in love with Teagan for more than a decade but Break Down brought us back together." He figured he'd throw Jason a bone.
Teagan leaned her head against his shoulder, curling into his side affectionately. Damn, he loved every second of having her pressed against him.
"Will we be hearing wedding bells anytime soon?" The reporter held out the microphone to them again, her hunger clear.
Reed laughed and shook his head. "I actually proposed to her earlier tonight, but she said no."
"What?" The reporter looked both confused and crushed, then turned to Teagan. "Why did you turn it down?"
Teagan shrugged. "He deserved it."
"She's right about that," Reed confirmed, still laughing. "Don't worry. I'll keep proposing until she says yes."
The reporter swooned again. "You guys are too cute. I can't even handle it."
She let them go and Teagan leaned in to whisper to him. "Jason's going to kill you for saying that."
"Probably," Reed laughed. "But it's true. I'm not going anywhere, Teagan."
She surveyed his face, like she was looking for it all to be a lie. He wasn't sure what he could do to convince her that this was real, and he was here to stay, but he was sure as hell going to keep trying every day until she trusted him again.
"I think I know that," she replied slowly, but the hesitation was unmistakable.
Reed took her hand, squeezing it and leading her further down the red carpet.
Chapter Thirty-One
"Are you going to be okay here alone?" Reed whispered to her, his hand on her knee.
Teagan nodded. "Go. You're the star."
He smiled, placed a kiss on her cheek, then stood and moved toward the aisle. He was heading backstage to prepare for the question and answer panel with journalists about the movie. Teagan watched him go, trying not to be too obvious about admiring his backside. He looked freaking amazing in his tuxedo.
When he got to the aisle, he turned back to face her and winked.
She could feel her cheeks heating as she blushed, smiling back at him. Even in little actions like that—him taking a moment to give her that attention—was a new trait for him. The way he publicly professed his love for her at any chance he got…she didn't know what to do with that. He'd never before been the type to put his own image aside to prioritize her.
The man she'd dated in college had been loving and sweet, but he'd still been an early twenties male who tended to err on the side of selfish more often than not. At the time, she had never really noticed because she'd been the same age and the same level (or lack thereof) of maturity. But the last eight years had been a growing process for her, both forced through circumstances, and naturally through age.
When they’d first met again at the beginning of filming Break Down, she had been able to tell that he’d grown some. He was definitely trying to change, wanting to change…but had he? She’d not seen enough proof back then to dive headfirst. Her instinct had been telling her to hold back, and it turned out her instinct was spot on. The moment they’d hit a roadblock—one stupid tabloid article—he'd gone right back to his old ways.
So, as much as she wanted to believe him this time, she was terrified for the moment when things got too tough, too raw, too real, too hard…and then he'd leave. He'd disappoint her again.
She wasn't sure she could survive it, and she had someone else to think about now.
Teagan sighed. A pressure in her abdomen had her deciding to take a bathroom break before the festivities started. She maneuvered down the row of chairs and headed out of the theatre. The ushers sent someone to fill her seat while she was gone—such an odd practice she still wasn't used to.
"Hey!" Steele, her makeup artist spotted her in the lobby. "How's the movie?"
"It just finished and they're starting commentary and panels," she explained, still heading in the direction of the bathroom. "I'm taking a bathroom break."
"Oh, perfect," Steele replied. "Gives me a chance to touch up your makeup."
"Be my guest." Teagan motioned for her to follow, but she definitely needed to go to the bathroom quickly. She was already feeling a pain in her abdomen, pressure on her bladder, and was starting to panic that she wouldn't make it. She'd barely had anything to drink, so she wasn't sure why she had to go so badly.
Rushing into the stall, she reached for the bottom hem of her long dress and began to pull it up her legs. A red smear across the inner side of her ankle caught her attention, and as she continued lifting her dress, she realized it went all the way up her leg.
Teagan's vision began to blur as a lightheaded sensation assaulted her. Reaching between her legs, she confirmed her fears and her legs began to shake. She was bleeding.
"Steele?" she called out.
"I'm all set up when you're ready," Steele called back. "I've got a gorgeous new set of brushes you're going to love."
"Steele…" Teagan's voice trembled, and she clutched the railing in the bathroom stall in an attempt to stay standing. "I need help."
"Oh, you need someone to hold your dress?" Steele's shoes came up at the bottom of the stall. "Unlock the door. I got you, girl. Wouldn’t be my first time."
Teagan reached out and clicked the lock, but her legs gave out and she slid to the hard tile floor the moment the door swung open. Everything was beginning to feel fuzzy, and cramps were beginning to set in, making her gasp in pain.
"Oh my, God! Teagan!" Steele shrieked, quickly scurrying to her side and holding Teagan against her chest. "What the hell happened? Holy shit…are you pregnant?"
Teagan nodded slowly, but she wasn't sure she could find her words. "Call…call Reed."
She closed her eyes, concentrating on breathing through the pain, or at least trying to…until everything went black.
Chapter Thirty-Two
"Teag?"
Her eyes slowly blinked open, taking in the scene around her. She was in a stark white hospital room, packed full of her entire family.
Simone was inches from her face, staring at her with concern. "You awake?" she asked.
Teagan nodded her head, but d
idn't reply. The events of the last few minutes—was it minutes? Hours?—began coming back to her. Her hand flew to her stomach. "The baby?! Is the baby okay?"
Teagan's mother grabbed her hand, squeezing it. "The baby is fine," she assured her. "It was some irregular bleeding, but you're going to be okay."
Relief flooded her at the news. The thought of losing her baby had hit her harder than she'd even expected. She'd only known about this baby's existence for a few weeks, but already there was no doubt that she wanted the little peanut more than anything in the world. She rubbed her hand across her stomach. It's okay, baby. I'll take care of you. Nothing is going to happen to you.
"You'll need to be on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy," Aria told her from where she was standing at the end of the hospital bed. "But they think everything will be fine."
Teagan looked around the room, searching for the one face she really wanted to see. Reed wasn't there. She wasn't sure why she was surprised. It wasn't the first time she'd looked around a hospital room and hoped to see him there.
She swallowed, trying to keep her grief at bay. She couldn't let it consume her when she had to stay positive for her baby. It was just that…things had felt different this time. He'd felt different, and she'd slowly been deciding to trust him, and trust that this time he was going to stay.
He was going to be there. God, she'd really thought he'd be here.
"These doctors are fucking stupid," a deep voice growled, suddenly entering the hospital room. "We're bringing in a specialist."
"Reed?" Teagan gasped at the sight.
"Babe, you're awake!" Reed rushed to the side of her bed, and her mother quickly moved out of the way, patting him on the shoulder.
"We'll give you two some time together," her mother said. "Come on, guys. Let's go down to the cafeteria for a bite."
Teagan noted the sweet gesture, surprised her family was seeming to embrace Reed.
He squeezed her hand, placing a kiss on her cheek. "How are you feeling?"
Tears welled in her eyes and she couldn't stop them from sliding down her cheeks. Sobs wrenched from her throat, and she couldn't stop herself from crying. Not just small tears, but complete bawling and shoulder shaking as she tried to catch her breath.
Ironically, she wasn't sad. She wasn't even hurt. She was relieved.
"Teag, what's wrong?" Reed ran his hand down the side of her face, cupping her cheek. "Don't cry. The baby is okay. You're going to be okay. I'm bringing in a specialist just to make sure, but you and Peanut are both going to be fine."
She shook her head, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "It's not that. I know that. I mean, I'm so relieved. If anything had happened to this baby…" Her hand rubbed her stomach again. "I couldn't survive it."
He nodded his head in agreement. "I couldn't either." His brows furrowed and he squeezed her hand. "Why are you crying then?"
She wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I woke up, and I didn't see you. I…I thought you didn't come." The memories of years ago after her accident flooded her, and how devastated she'd been every day that she didn't hear from him. "I thought you'd left."
Reed stood and carefully climbed onto the bed next to her, taking care not to mess with the wires and tubes connected to her. He cuddled her to his chest, and she gratefully pressed against him, craving the contact.
"I know I haven't done anything to deserve your trust, Teag. I know I've earned your fear that I would leave," he began, kissing the top of her head and rubbing his hand across her back. "But I meant it when I said I'm all in this time. I meant it when I said that I'll spend every day of the rest of my life proving that to you."
Teagan sniffed, the tears beginning to flow again.
"I love you, Teag. I love our baby. I'm going to love our life together—even if we live in the suburbs behind a white picket fence and I spend my days driving kids around to different sports and activities. I don't care what we do, or where we are. I just want to be with you."
She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Yes."
Leaning back slightly, he looked in her eyes. "Yes?"
"Yes, I'll marry you."
Reed smiled, his green eyes sparkling. "That's the best news I've ever heard."
"But, I have one condition," she continued. "I want to get married right now."
His brows furrowed. "Uh, babe, we're in the hospital."
"They have a chapel and chaplains here." She grinned, squeezing him tighter. "I've already done the wedding planning thing, and I'm never doing it again. I'm also not going to put myself through the torture of being terrified you're not going to show up again."
"Babe, I would never do that to you again," he assured her, kissing her temple and squeezing her tighter. "Never. I know I don't have a leg to stand on, but I can promise you with everything in me that that is not who I am anymore."
"I know," she replied, leaning in and kissing him gently, brushing her lips over his. "I believe you. I see that that isn't who you are. But…it's still a thought that's going to cross my mind. Not just about you showing up, but the memory of the accident afterwards. It's too much pain, and I don't want something as wonderful as our wedding day to be tainted by the memories of the past."
"That makes sense. Okay, let's do it." Reed reached into his pocket and pulled out a small ring box. "It's a good thing I've been carrying this around for a while."
Teagan's eyes widened. "Reed…"
He opened the box and the most beautiful diamond ring she'd ever seen stared back at her. "I can't wait to marry you, Teag. I don't care if it's in a big church or in a hospital bed. I just want to be with you. I want to raise this baby together. I want to start the life we should have had years ago."
He took the ring from the box, and she held out her hand. Slowly, he slid it on her finger. She couldn't take her eyes off it, but then he kissed her and she wound her arms around his neck. His tongue slid across her lower lip and she parted for him.
"I love you, Reed," she finally admitted, whispering between kisses. "I love you so much."
"I love you, Teag." He kissed her harder. "Now, let's go get married."
Teagan smiled, and despite the fact that she was in the hospital, this was the best wedding day she could ever have imagined.
Epilogue
18 Months Later
"Cut!" Mario waved his hands in the air. "That was fucking perfect!"
Reed glanced over at his wife, grinning. "You were amazing."
"I had a great partner," Teagan replied, blowing him a kiss and then heading off the set. "I need to pump."
"The miracle of motherhood and all that," Mario commented, watching her go. He turned to Reed, who was now stretching after just having finished an insanely complicated dance scene in Break Down 2. He and Teagan were both in starring roles, and she was absolutely amazing in hers. "How's fatherhood treating you?"
He couldn't even put into words how wonderful being married to the love of his life and raising their child together was. Reed hadn't known such bliss was even possible. Every morning, he woke up and looked over at his sleeping wife cuddling an old snoring cat, and then in the crib next to the bed with their ten-month old daughter, and it was by far the most beautiful scene he could imagine.
Teagan was the best mom he'd ever seen, and she spent every free moment loving on Piper Simone Scott. She barely ever let her out of her sight unless they were working, even insisting the crib stay in their room despite the fact that they had a huge, professionally decorated nursery right down the hall.
Reed didn't mind, because he loved having his daughter around too. But even more than that, he loved seeing his wife happy. He loved seeing her hold their daughter, and the way her face lit up with love when she looked at her.
"Piper is perfect," he admitted to the director. "She's definitely got me wrapped around her fingers already."
"Baby girls will do that." Mario chuckled. "My daughters are the love of my life."
T
hat was exactly how he felt.
"How's my favorite star?" Jason Allen walked up to the two men. "You guys killed that scene. This movie's going to be a bigger hit than the first."
Reed hoped, but it was hard to top the fandom that had surrounded the first movie. The press credited his relationship with Teagan for a lot of its success, because the PR around them had been an amazing marketing tool. He didn't care one bit about that though. All he wanted was to come to work every day and do his best, then go home every night with his wife and be the best father and husband he could be.
"Thanks, Jason," he replied, shaking his hand. "What do you have for me today?"
"Actually, nothing for you. I've got a new contract for your wife on deck, though."
Reed laughed, feeling an overwhelming sense of pride in Teagan's success over the last year and a half. "Is she your biggest client now?"
Jason nodded his head, grinning. "She seriously is. You've been upstaged, kid."
"Good," Reed said. "She deserves it. She's insanely talented."
"One of the best I've ever seen," Jason admitted. "Where did she go? I've got to talk to her about this contract."
"She's pumping."
Jason grimaced. "Uh, I'll…come back later. How's Piper doing anyway?"
"She's beautiful." Reed pulled out his phone and began showing off photos of the tiny baby.
"What an angel," Jason agreed. "Well, I'll come back later today to talk with her. Get back to shooting."
“Yes, sir.” Reed saluted with his middle finger against his forehead and a wide grin. “I’ll make you proud.”
Rolling his eyes, Jason shook his hand again then headed off the set.
Reed glanced toward the hallway to the dressing rooms, and decided to go find his wife. He strolled along the corridor until he saw the room with her name on it, then walked in without knocking. Teagan was standing in front of the vanity mirror, running her hands down her sides. Concern etched her face.