A Humble Heart (Hollywood Hearts #1)(71)

“Mommy?” Cole said, nervously.

“It’s okay, honey. Ignore them.”

“Why do you let them call Edward daddy knowing he doesn’t want them?”

“I heard Edward say your kids were brats.”

“Hey, kiddo, are you going to be okay when Edward leaves?”

She heard Cole start crying. “It’s okay, baby,” she said, trying to get him to walk faster.

“I just got word that Edward is moving out.”

Cole stopped short on the sidewalk and looked up at Dana with tears streaming down his face. “Daddy’s leaving?”

“No honey, they’re lying.”

“I’ll be good I promise!” he began to wail.

“Shhh. Cole, Daddy isn’t going anywhere.”

“No! They said he’s leaving!” He pointed at the mass of paparazzi. "I don't want daddy to leave! I'll be good!"

She went to put her arms around him, but he pushed away from her and ran. She ran after him only to watch him trip and fall down. The next second he was screaming bloody murder. Dana rolled him over. Cole’s hands were bleeding. She looked down his body, thankful for once for the bright lights their cameras produced that allowed her to see that his pants were torn. His knees were skinned badly and bleeding.

She tried to pick him up. He pushed away from her kicking and screaming in a full tantrum like nothing she’d ever seen from him before. “Daddy! I want Daddy!”

Chapter 14

The house phone ringing woke Edward. He reached out blindly and picked up the phone. “Hello?” he said groggily.

“Hey, Edward, it's Jim. I’m just calling to make sure they got back safely.”

“What?” Edward asked confused.

“Dana and Cole, aren’t they there?”

Edward’s eyes shot open he looked around. “Dana?” he yelled. No answer.

“No, they’re not here.”

“Oh no, Edward, they left here twenty minutes ago.”

“Shit!” Edward said.

“They were walking.” Jim said.

“Thanks, Jim.” Edward hung up and saw her note on the couch next to him. “Damn it, Dana.” She should have woken him up. When he got his hands on her he was going to spank her ass. He opened the door and ran down the driveway onto the sidewalk, ignoring the paparazzi that waited for him.

About twenty yards ahead of him on the sidewalk was another large group of reporters. They were having a field day with something. He could hear a child screaming. It was Cole, he realized. His little boy's screams made him run faster. He saw Dana kneeling over him.

Edward dropped to his knees in front of Cole. The little boy’s eyes were closed. “Daddy!” he screamed. "I want my daddy!"

“I’m right here, Cole.” Edward said.

Cole’s eyes shot open and he practically jumped into Edward’s arms. He stood up with Cole firmly attached to him. He reached back and grabbed Dana’s hand. They made their way back home with Cole sobbing hysterically into his neck.

Edward watched silently as Dana cleaned and kissed every scrape on Cole’s little body. He was so exhausted from crying by the time she tucked him into bed that he was asleep before his head hit the pillow. Edward had to promise him damn near a hundred times at least that he wasn’t leaving him.

Dana walked past him to their room. He followed her. “Edward, I would appreciate it if you saved the lecture for later. I know I should have told you I was going. I’m sorry it was stupid of me to think a simple walk to get our son was okay. I just want to soak in a hot tub and have a good cry before we have this talk.”

He nodded and backed off, allowing her to do what she needed. He was pissed, but he wasn’t a jerk. He could tell she was pretty shaken up from the experience and he wasn’t going to push it. He watched her grab a silk teddy and a pair of lacey panties and head out of the room. “I thought you were taking a bath?” he asked.

“I am,” she said. He followed her curiously as she went into her office and grabbed a copy of the script for their new movie. Then she went to the far wall of the room and pushed a piece of wall paneling aside, revealing a small electronic key pad.

Dana pressed the code in and waited for the hidden door to slide open. She always felt 007 when she did this. This room was the main reason she purchased the house. Not that she would tell anyone. She had no idea it was here until the homeowner took her aside and asked her if she liked baths.

At first she thought the man was coming on to her, but he was very serious. Turns out the man absolutely adored baths. He was an investment banker and had a great deal of stress so he liked to sit in a hot bath an hour each day. With a wife and four daughters he never got the chance to have a relaxing bath so he had this huge bathroom built. He decided to guard it like a treasured secret. He wanted one room that was totally for him and a huge bathtub he didn’t have to worry about hair clogging it.

If anyone asked Dana, she would tell them she bought the house because it had more rooms than she or her children could ever use, that part was true and as well as the brand new roof, the pool was well cared for as was the lawn, the windows were double insulated to keep in cool air, all the appliances were brand new and energy savers, and the neighborhood was one of the safest in California. But the truth was she bought the house because of this room.