Page 104 of Baxter's Right-Hand Man

September,one year later

Lorenzo

After a rainier-than-usual spring, the weather experts advised Southern Californians to brace for a hot summer. Three days into autumn, the heatwave was still going strong. I was wilting like a rose in the desert—and so were my tomatoes. Excuse me…ourtomatoes.

I brushed sweat from my brow, then secured my wicker hat and checked the temperature on my watch. “It’s ninety degrees.”

Pierce looked up from where he was kneeling in front of our veggie garden. His baseball cap shaded his eyes but not the proud papa smile on his handsome face. “Yeah, yeah, it’s hot. So what? Check this out. We have a real fuckin’ tomato here, baby. We can eat this, right?”

“That was the idea.” I chuckled, crouching to observe the fruit of our first harvest. “That’s a beautiful tomato. Oh, my gosh, and look at the eggplant. It’s tiny now, but it’s going to be huge.”

“How can you tell?”

“I know my eggplants.” I nudged his shoulder when he waggled his brows lasciviously and made a lewd gesture. “You’re rude.”

He nodded. “And horny. Help me pluck the last of these off the vine, so we can jump in the pool and have some sexy time on a chaise lounge.”

I leaned in to peck his cheek. “We don’t have time. We’re supposed to leave in an hour. Seb won’t be happy if we’re late. Tonight is a big deal.”

A very big deal. Tonight was the red carpet premiere ofHigh Octane, the newest release in the Baxter Chronicles franchise. Early reviews claimed it was the best one yet. The writing was better, the action sequences were believable, and according to a prominent film critic, Pierce Allen had come into his own, giving his audience an intense and charismatic performance that solidified his reputation as a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. He was praised for his ability to steal every scene and yet somehow, he’d managed to uplift his costars’ performances too.

Kate Bernard and Daphne McAdams were fan favorites now. Not anywhere near Pierce’s level, but he didn’t mind sharing the spotlight. He was relieved their success had nothing to do with pretending to be romantically attached to him. He was mine, and he made sure the world knew it.

The day we’d been photographed embracing in front of the candle display at BGoods, social media went bonkers. Pierce confirmed that he was in a relationship with someone he loved and asked for privacy. That was it.

Of course, it wasn’t that simple. Like it or not, I became an insta-celebrity. I was followed and occasionally harassed by die-hard fans who were either jealous or didn’t approve that their hero had a real-life male lover.

I have to admit, it was daunting at first. I spent those early days hiding out at his house or at Bran’s while Pierce was filming in Toronto and tried to figure out how to deal with the sudden spotlight.

People I hadn’t seen or talked to in years came out of the woodwork wanting to reconnect. It was so…unreal.

I’d never been more grateful for my friends. I knew who I could count on. Bran was a fierce mama bear. He brought Benson and Andrew for sleepovers at Pierce’s house while Jake was on firefighter duty. The house felt like a home with a dog underfoot and a baby cooing. I mentioned that to Pierce on FaceTime one night.

His megawatt grin had lit the screen. “Let’s do that. Let’s get a dog and have a baby.”

And that right there made the headache of unwanted attention worth it. Pierce’s adoring gaze, his soft eyes, and that particular smile were for me only. Baxter might belong to the world, but Pierce was all mine and I didn’t doubt for a second that he loved me.

A long-distance relationship with a superstar wasn’t easy, but we made it work. We talked every day, filling each other in on minor details of our lives. I did inventory while he recounted silly onset squabbles. I called him while I was at Mr. Gowan’s so he could say hello and get a small tour of the behind-the-scenes action. Mr. G had loved it.

I even made two trips to Europe to visit him while he was there, but the moment he returned, we settled into building a real life together. We moved furniture around, bought some colorful art at my insistence, and yes…we planted a vegetable garden.

“It’s too hot for a tux,” Pierce grumbled, pulling me beside him on the grass.

“Mmhmm. But think of how fun it will be to take those tuxes off later.”

He kissed my nose, then hopped to his feet and offered me his hand. “Always looking at the bright side, aren’t you?”

“I try. C’mon, let’s finish up here. We can take these tomatoes with us to Carmel in the morning.”

Pierce cocked his head and stooped again to help me. “We haven’t been there in a while. Are you sure you’re up to it?”

“Yes, definitely. It’s time to start thinking about the remodel. Bran and I want the new store to open this fall…and I know Mr. G would want us to enjoy it.”

“Yeah, he would. He loved you, you know that, right?”

I nodded slowly.

Mr. Gowan passed away peacefully in his sleep last September, a week after Pierce returned to LA. It was as if he’d hung on to say one last good-bye.