I smiled widely at him, deeply touched that he’d do something so sweet. “Ryan!

God, they’re beautiful.” I shoved my nose in-to one of the open blooms, savoring the fresh smell. “Thank you.”

He appeared confused, then pissed. “I’d like to take credit, but I didn’t send you flowers. Who the hell is sending you flowers?”

I opened the card and read it out loud.

Dear Taryn,

I know you don’t know me but I am a huge fan and I hope these flowers brighten your day. I thought this might encourage you as welll. . . “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Have a wonderful day lovely lady!

Jeremy

I suddenly felt sick. Ryan’s murderous glare was enough to make me go pale. “You don’t leave the house without an escort.

Ever. Got me?” He yelled over his shoulder for Mike.

“I can’t live in fear, Ryan,” I muttered, annoyed that my once-peaceful oblivion was now convoluted by psychopaths and unknown birth certificates. I pushed the vase off to the side as if it were a ticking bomb.

I knew he was angry; that much was evident. “The shit is coming to your house, Taryn. To your damn door.” He dialed someone on his phone and seconds later, Mike rushed into Ryan’s trailer. After brief-ing him, Ryan asked for Marie. He made her read the card, out loud. “She doesn’t go outside without someone by her side— ever.” I was mad, disgusted. Stupid flowers, se-questering me to my own home, making me feel as if I were a prisoner.

I was on the telephone with Andrea, who works for Ryan’s agent, ironing out my travel arrangements to ll.A. for the MTV Movie Awards next week when someone pounded on the apartment door, startling the crap out of me.

I was relieved to hear Tammy’s voice answer back. I opened the door to see her standing there, visibly shaken. I had heard her down in the kitchen, but it was barely noon so I had no idea what had her so frantic.

“They just took Pete to the hospital,” she sobbed. “He dropped me off this morning so I don’t have a car.”

I yelled for Marie and grabbed my purse and keys.

“He fell off a roof. That’s all I know,” Tammy said as we rushed down the alley to my car.

Marie gave me a concerned look, knowing I was violating Ryan’s direct order.

“He said I don’t go out alone. He didn’t specify with whom.” I really didn’t care about my safety; I was more worried about Pete.

Tammy hopped in the front seat. “What’s going on?”

Marie climbed into the back. “Oh nothing.

Just the usual whack-jobs stalking Taryn.

Someone sent her roses yesterday.” I didn’t want to think about it for too long or else I’d be inclined to run and hide in my closet with the baseball bat. “It’s nothing.

Just flowers.”

“It’s creepy as shit,” Marie muttered.

I drove as fast as I could to the emergency room, knowing Tammy was beside herself.

We were all fraught with worry. The three of us stormed through the automatic doors at St. Luke’s and into the large waiting room.

I saw the color drain out of Tammy’s cheeks when the girl behind the desk asked if Tammy was immediate family. Her fear for the unknown, thinking the worst, mirrored mine.

“Go.” I gave Tammy’s elbow a nudge for her to follow the nurse. Marie and I found an empty corner of the waiting room.

“God, I hope he’s all right,” Marie uttered, scrolling through her cell.

I shoved my keys in my purse, beating back my worry for Pete. Hopefully we’d hear something soon. “Did you talk to Tammy this morning?”

She shook her head and concentrated on her phone. “What am I supposed to say to her? I guess I’ll just bow out of being in the wedding, since Gary seems to be hell-bent on staying a groomsman. You know what pisses me off? He hates weddings. We almost didn’t get married because he didn’t want a big wedding. You remember that? He’s doing this crap out of spite. I know it. I don’t know what I ever saw in him.”

“Doesn’t matter much now, does it?” I nodded at her thumbs, busy texting to Mike again.

Marie gave a wry smile and snapped her phone shut. “He’s pretty incredible. I’m trying not to mess this up.”

I gazed at the Weather Channel on the waiting room television. “I wish you could go with me to ll.A.”

“Yeah, me too. I hate that you’re doing all of this world traveling without me.” Her eyes cut over to me. “I miss him.” I could hear the longing in her voice. “Can I ask you something?”