2AM On the private jet headed back to Los Angeles after Loren's performance in New York. Max and Nora are talking quietly, Kelly is on her iPad checking out the buzz about Loren's New York concert, and Jake is listening to Lia and Jeremy's demo cd. Eddie had his head in Loren's lap but he wasn't asleep.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be arriving at the airport in approximately twenty-minutes, please return your seats to their upright positions and fasten your seat belts," the pilot announced over the intercom. Brenda started walking the aisle to make sure everyone was secured.
Loren gently brushed the hair from Eddie's forehead, bends down and whispers in his ear, "I love you." Eddie sits up, fastens his seat belt and lays his head on Loren's shoulder smiling, "I love you too." Loren knew something was weighing heavily on his mind and he just needed time. Thirty minutes later, they are all in the limo headed to Eddie's penthouse after dropping off Jake and Kelly. Loren whispers in Eddie's ear, "do you want me to stay over or do you want to be alone?"
"I want you to stay over." Eddie whispers back.
"Good because I can't bare the thought of leaving your side," Loren smiles at him.
"I love you Loren."
"I love you too Eddie." He leans in and kisses Loren.
"Hey you two. You've had your heads together since we got in the limo. Spill," Nora said.
"Mom, I'm staying over at Eddie's." Loren did not ask, she was telling Nora.
Nora looks at Max who slightly nods his head in agreement, "ok honey, I know how much you've missed each other and need to reconnect, but, you two have to come to the house in the morning for breakfast."
"We will," they both say.
The limo pulls up to Eddie's building and there is a crowd of paparazzi and fans shouting and taking pictures. "As much as I love my fans, I really can't deal with them right now," Eddie frowns.
"How about we stay at our house in Tarzana, the paparazzi and fans haven't found out where we live yet," Nora suggested. Everyone nods in agreement and Max tells the driver to drop them off in the back of the MK club just in case the paparazzi follow the limo.
When they arrived at MK, they quickly grab their bags and jump into Nora's car and drive to the Tate's house. At the house , Loren grabs Eddie's hand and leads him towards her bedroom.
"Eddie, can I speak with you before you head off to bed?" Nora asked.
"Sure," Eddie kisses Loren on the cheek before walking back to the living room. Loren goes in her room to get ready for bed.
"I'm going to bed," Max says and hugs his son. "I love you son, I missed you and I'm happy you're back safe and sound. We will talk more in the morning." He winks at Nora before walking to Nora's room.
Eddie sits down on the couch next to Nora. Nora takes a deep breath, "Eddie, I know you and Loren love one another, and this ordeal has been traumatic for all of us. If and when you guys decide to take your relationship to a more intimate level I want you to please promise me that you will be careful. I was young when I had Loren, and I don't want to see you two have to juggle a child and a career in the music industry at the same time. You guys are young and your careers are taking off, having a baby right now wouldn't be fair to either one of you."
"Nora, I would never pressure Loren into doing anything she isn't ready for. I love and respect her. If and when we take our relationship to that level, I promise you we will be careful. I'm all for taking things slow," Eddie said.
Nora exhaled, not realizing she was holding her breath. "Eddie, I'm so happy you said that, it makes me love you more. Now, I'm allowing you two to sleep in the same bed and tomorrow I'm going to the hardware store to have two house keys made, one for you and one for Max. Eddie I want you to know that you are always welcomed here; I hope you grow to see this house in the valley as a second home. Stay here whenever you want for as long as you want. Plus, your dad will be moving in after Loren's graduation next week." With that said Nora stands up, hugs and kisses Eddie and turns towards her room.
"Hey Nora," Nora turns around. Eddies says with a smile, "I love you too; thanks for making me feel welcome."
Eddie walks into Loren's room to get ready for bed. He goes over to his bag and grabs a muscle tee and sweat pants then goes into the bathroom to take a shower. When Eddie comes out the bathroom, he sees Loren is still awake waiting for him to join her in bed. She lifts the covers and Eddie crawls into bed, wrapping her in his arms and kissing the top of her head.
"Eddie, I've been trying to give you time and space, but I know something is weighing heavily on your mind. Please let me in so I can help you. I love you, and its killing me to see you like this.
Eddie takes a deep breath, "you're right, something is on my mind. I'm going to tell you something that I haven't even told Pop yet. When I think about it, I just want to crawl in a dark hole and never come out."
Loren lifts her head off Eddie's chest and looks him in his eyes. "No matter what it is, we will get through this. But first you have to let me in."
Eddie searches Loren's eyes and finds love, understanding, courage and compassion within those chocolate brown eyes. He leans in and gives her a soft kiss on her lips and begins to tell Loren about that night he and Chloe argued in Max's apartment. That night that changed everything forever. Loren listened quietly and did not interrupt. When Eddie paused, choked up with emotion, Loren wrapped her arms around him, hugging him, encouraging him to keep talking. Eddie even told her about his accident and how Lia and Jeremy helped him. By the time Eddie finished telling his story, the sun was starting to rise.
"You have to tell Max, he deserves to know. Whatever you decide to do about Chloe and Tyler, I will support you one hundred percent. Chloe was very good at lying and manipulating and you can't blame yourself for what she did. All this time Chloe knew what she had done and she still manipulated her way into your life. Her actions say a lot about her character."
"Thank you Loren, I feel a little better and I know I have to tell Pop. I'm just not sure how I want to handle this thing with Chloe and Tyler."
"I will be there with you when you tell Max." Loren says, "You and Max will decide what to do about Chloe and Tyler, you don't have to carry that burden alone. Max has a stake in the outcome just as much as you do."
Eddie yawns and his eyes begin to close, "let's get some sleep, I have a feeling it's going to be a busy day." Loren snuggles closer to Eddie and closes her eyes.
"I love you Eddie Duran."
"I love you Loren Tate." They drift off to sleep.
Loren and Eddie wake up to the smell of breakfast cooking. Loren gets up and goes into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. When she comes out Eddie goes in to freshen up. They give each other a soft kiss before going out to have breakfast with Nora and Max.
"Hey sleepy heads, we didn't think you guys would ever wake up." Max joked.
"Mom can I help you with breakfast?" Loren asked.
"Actually, I'm finished honey. You guys can sit at the table." Nora said.
Max helps Nora bring the food to the table. Everyone serves themselves. While they are eating they talk about Loren's upcoming graduation, Max moving to the valley and mowing the lawn on Saturday mornings, Nora working at MK, and Eddie's meeting with the record execs in the morning.
Max could tell that Eddie was nervous about something. "Son, is everything okay?" Max asked.
"There's something I need to tell you but I'm not sure how to say it." Eddie says not looking at Max. He felt Loren grab his hand under the table and give it a squeeze.
"Son, you can tell me anything, I'm always here for you. We're all here for you." Eddie finally looks at his dad with tears in his eyes, Eddie tells everyone about that night. When Eddie finished his story, Nora was crying. She gets up and walks over to him and gives him a big motherly hug.
"Eddie," Max began, "I already know about Chloe and Tyler, Lily Park told me everything. I went to see them at the hospital and told Chloe that I wouldn't pursue the case if she came clean about what really happened that night. Naturally Tyler intervened, so I asked Joe to look into the allegations."
"Did he come up with anything?" Nora asked going back to her seat.
"Yes he did, he's coming over this evening to give me the information he found."
"What are you going to do with the information?" Eddie asked his dad.
"I want to wait and see what Joe has, then we can make a decision." Max reaches over and squeezes Eddie's shoulder. "After everything Chloe and put us through, I want to see her pay for her crimes. But if you feel differently, I will go along with whatever you want to do."
"Pop, I'm sorry I brought Chloe into our lives, I was blinded by this illusion she dangled in front of me, I know now I was lonely and vulnerable when mom died. Chloe took advantage of that. I can't believe I almost married her." Eddie continues with a smile on his face "I'm in love with this beautiful, amazing woman sitting next to me, holding my hand, and silently giving me the support I need right now," looking lovingly at Loren. "The only thing I feel for Chloe is regret. Regret for bringing her into all our lives and I want to make sure that she can't hurt you guys anymore."
"I love you too," Loren leaning over, kissing Eddie.
"Look at the time, Max we better head out to the hardware store, what do you two have planned for today?" Nora asked.
"My last final is tomorrow, so I need to study for a couple of hours," Loren said.
"I guess I better head back to my place and pick up more clothes if I'm going to be staying here for a few days," Eddie said.
"Eddie, your dad and I can swing by your place to pick up whatever you need, so you don't have to deal with the fans and paparazzi right now, plus we don't want anyone following you back here."
"Thanks Nora, I really appreciate that."
Nora and Max go to Nora's room to get ready for the day. Eddie and Loren clear the table. They are washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen when Nora and Max leave out the house.
Eddie walks up behind Loren and wraps his arms around her waist. "So Miss. Tate, what would you like to do now that we're all alone?"
Loren turns around and wraps her arms around Eddie's neck, getting up on her tip toes and giving him a kiss full of passion. Eddie picks Loren up and sits her on the counter, never breaking the kiss. Loren wraps her legs around Eddie's waist pulling him closer to her. She lightly bites Eddie's bottom lip and he moans and deepens the kiss. Loren opens her mouth to allow Eddies tongue to explore. Loren has never had this overwhelming feeling of need and passion before; this is all new to her. She can feel the bulge in Eddies sweats. She knows she's ready to take her relationship with Eddie to the next level. She breaks their kiss and starts kissing Eddie's neck.
"Eddie."
"Yes Loren." Eddie moans.
"I'm…."
"Opps" Mel says as she barges through the front door. "Sorry for interrupting what looks like an intense make out session. I take it that Mama Tate and Papa Duran are out of the house."
Eddie groans and helps Loren to her feet, "hello Mel, nice to see you again." Eddie says with his back to Melissa.
"Hey Eddie, I really am sorry." Melissa says with a smirk.
"What brings you over Mel?" Loren asked.
"Do I have to have a reason to visit my best friend?" Melissa says excitedly.
"How was the prom?" Loren asked walking over to Melissa and giving her a big hug, distracting Melissa to give Eddie the chance to compose himself. Loren guides Melissa over to the couch to sit down.
"It was boring, but hey, it was a prom" Melissa replied.
"Wait, Loren, you missed your senior prom?" Eddie asked with concern.
"Well yes, the prom was last night but I was in New York." Loren looked over at Eddie and couldn't help but to notice that the bulge was still here. She blushed and turned back to Melissa who was pulling her video camera out of the bag.
"I'm sorry you missed your prom" Eddie says.
"I'm not. I performed in front of thousands of people last night that was much more fulfilling than going to a stupid prom."
"Don't worry, I videoed the whole thing, so you could see just how boring it was." Melissa said turning on the video camera.
Eddie could tell that Loren wasn't being completely honest about missing her prom. He has an idea and will need Jake and Kelly's help. First he had to excuse himself from the room before Melissa noticed his current state of arousal. "Well if you two will excuse me, I think I'm going to go take a nap." Eddie quickly walked to Loren's room.
Loren chuckled and turned to watch the video.
Two hours later, Loren walked Melissa to the door and went to her room. Eddie was asleep in the bed. Loren smiled as she remembered that make out session in the kitchen before Melissa barged in. Loren knew she needed to study for her final tomorrow, but she couldn't help it, she wants to be with Eddie. She started to tell him that she's ready to jump in with both feet and her body. Loren pulls back the covers and snuggles up to Eddie. He smiles and pulls Loren closer to him and kisses. Loren returns the kiss by giving Eddie a more passionate kiss using her tongue to coaxes his lips to part, she explores his mouth. Eddie moans and rolls over bringing Loren on top of him, deepening the kiss. Loren once again feels the need and want fill her body. Instinct takes over and brings her knees up to straddle Eddie's hips, bringing his bulge into more intimate contact with her body. Eddie grabs Loren's hips pulling her closer to his bulge.
Loren breaks the kiss and looks into Eddie's eyes. She finds love, want, and need in his chocolate brown eyes. "I'm…." Loren begins.
"Loren, Eddie, we're back," Nora calls from the living room.
Loren and Eddie groan. Loren climbs off of Eddie while Eddie gets out of bed and walks toward the bathroom mumbling, "twice in one day, I need a cold shower." Loren chuckles and joins Nora and Max in the living room.
"Where's Eddie?" Nora asked.
"He's taking a shower." Loren blushes.
"Did you study for your final?" Max asked.
"No Melissa came over for a couple of hours. She showed me the video from the prom, and we talked about my performance at the concert."
"Oh honey, I forgot the prom was last night, I know that was something you and Melissa looked forward to since the first day of your senior year."
"Mom, it's okay, I didn't want to go to the prom, instead I got to perform at a concert in New York. That was much better than a boring prom. Besides, after watching Melissa's video, I'm happy I missed the prom."
"Hey Loren, can you take Eddie's bag in the room? I'm sure he's going to need his clothes when he gets out the shower."
"Sure mom, plus I want to hit the books before it gets too late. Let me know if you need my help with dinner." Loren takes Eddie's bag into her room and knocks on the bathroom door. "Eddie, your bag is on the bed, I'm going to sit in the living room to study for my final tomorrow."
"Okay, tell Nora I said thanks, I'll be out in a minute."
That evening, Jake and Kelly stopped by and stayed for dinner. Joe had just walked in the door handing Max the envelope containing the information he found on Chloe and Tyler. Everyone is sitting in the living room. "Joe, can you just sum up everything that's in this envelope?" Max asked.
"Well, back when you hired me to follow Cynthia aka Chloe, I had found a dmv record for a car she used to own. When you asked me to dig up any information I could about the car that ran you and Katy off the road that night, I started with that dmv record. Turns out that Chloe sold the blue BMW. I went down there and took pictures of the car, confirmed that the current owner purchased the car from Cynthia and took samples of the paint. When I got back, I went to several auto body shops that specialize in quick fixes and with little monetary coaxing, I found the shop Cynthia took the car to for repairs the day after the accident. The owner confirmed the identity of the person who bought the car in, she paid in cash, and put the car up for sale the day after picking it up from the repair shop. I got in touch with a buddy of mine who works the evidence department at the police station and got a copy of the police evidence taken from the scene of the accident that night. My paint samples matched the police evidence by ninety-nine point nine percent. It is my professional opinion that Cynthia Kowalski was driving the car that ran you and Katy off the road that night."
Everyone sat in stunned silence. Both Eddie and Max had tears in their eyes; Nora walked over to Max and wrapped her arms around him. Loren was already sitting next to Eddie on the couch. She climbed in his lap and wrapped her arms around him. Joe said, "Max, Eddie, I know this is a lot to take in and you don't have to make a decision right now, but if you choose to pursue a case against Cynthia, all you have to do is take that envelope to the police detective assigned to the case. There is no statute of limitation on murder."
"What about Tyler?" Eddie asked.
"I was able to obtain video of Tyler getting into the car with Cynthia that night when they were leaving the premier party, but as for him being in the car when the accident happened, there is no evidence."
"Thank you, Joe. I will call you once Eddie and I make a decision. As always, you have come through for me and I appreciate it." Max says.
"It's always a pleasure working for you Max. Let me know if you need anything else." Nora walks Joe to the door, she returns to Max, once again wrapping her arms around him. Eddie felt empty inside, like he lost his mom for a second time. Max felt angry but was trying his best to hide it.
Jake was the first to break the silence, "Eddie, I will call the record execs in the morning and reschedule the meeting. I will plant a fake story that you left the country for a few days on a little vacation. That should buy you sometime without paparazzi following you around as long as you hide out here in the valley."
"Thanks Jake, but I want to take that meeting with the record label in the morning. I'm not going to allow Chloe to interfere with my life any more than she already has." Eddie replied.
"Max, Grace and I can handle the club for few days." Nora said.
"Thanks Nora, but I really need the distraction of the club to help me grieve once again." Max replied.
"We better get going Jake," Kelly says, "It's getting late. Loren, don't forget to come by the office after your final tomorrow so we can fit you for that dress photo shoot." Jake and Kelly make their way to the door.
"Eddie, I will see you at the office in the morning." Jake says.
"Good night you two, thanks for coming over." Nora says.
"Thanks again for dinner, it was amazing." Jake and Kelly say at the same time.
"I'm pretty tired." Max says, "I think I'll take a shower and head to bed." He gets up and walks towards Nora's room.
"I'll be in after I clean the kitchen," Nora says walking toward the kitchen.
"Nora, Loren and I will clean the kitchen, you go on to bed. Pop needs you right now. If he's feeling anything like I'm feeling then I know he needs you."
Nora walks over to Eddie and Loren; kisses both of them on the forehead and goes to her room to comfort Max.
Loren turns still sitting in Eddie's lap, and kisses him. She meant the kiss to be comforting, but it quickly turns into a kiss of passion and need. As much as she didn't want to, Loren knew she had to stop this kiss before her mom or Max walked in on them.
"Eddie," Loren began
"Yeah, I know, we have to stop before our parents walk in on us." Eddie says, "come on, let's clean the kitchen and get to bed early, you have a final to take and I have a meeting in the morning."
After the kitchen is cleaned and the food put away, Eddie and Loren head off to bed. Eddie allows Loren to shower and dress for bed first. He sat at her desk checking his website and twitter while waiting for Loren to finish in the bathroom. When she came out, he went in. Loren didn't realize how tired she was until she climbed into bed waiting for Eddie to finish in the bathroom. She tried to stay awake, but sleep soon took over and she couldn't keep her eyes open. Eddie came out of the bathroom to find Loren already asleep. He climbs into bed, wraps his arms around Loren and pulls her closer to him. He loves falling asleep with his girlfriend in his arms.
Loren woke up to her alarm going off. She quickly turned it off, not wanting to wake up Eddie.
"Good morning beautiful," Eddie said pulling Loren in closer to his body.
"Good morning handsome. Sorry about the alarm, I didn't want to over sleep. I know it's early so I will quietly get ready for school and you can go back to sleep." Loren says with a smile.
"No worries, I've been up for a couple of hours. I've been laying here enjoying the feel of the woman I love wrapped in my arms while she dreams about me." Eddie said with a smile.
"And how do you know I was dreaming about you?" Loren asked
"You kept moaning and saying my name." Eddie said with a smirk. Loren blushed and buried her head in the crook of Eddie's neck. She felt Eddie chuckle.
"That is so embarrassing," Loren said from the crook of Eddie's neck. She knew he was telling the truth because she did dream about making love with Eddie.
"Don't be embarrassed babe, I've dreamt of you and most of those dreams had me waking up with the need to change my pajamas."
"Really?" Loren asked. "Tell me about one of your dreams."
"I would much rather show you," Eddie says as he pulls Loren on top of him and brings Loren's mouth to him and kisses her with passion and need.
Loren pulls away from the kiss and says, "Eddie, as much as I would love to lay here with you, I have to get ready for school, but I will promise you this," Loren straddles is hips once again bringing the bulge in his pajama pants into intimate contact with her body, "I really want to continue this conversation tonight." To emphasize what she means, Loren slowly grinds her body on his bulge, surprising both herself and Eddie with her boldness.
Eddie's gasp assures Loren that he got the message. She slowly climbs off Eddie and heads to the bathroom to get ready for school. Eddie grabs his cell phone and makes a quick call to Jake. "Good morning Jake. Just wanted to check to make sure everything is set for Loren's surprise tonight."
"Yes everything is set." Jake said.
"Great, I hope Kelly was able to set things up on her end." Eddie says.
"Hold on a sec," Eddie hears the shuffle of the phone, "Hey Eddie, why are you up this early in the morning?" Kelly asks him.
"Kelly?" Eddie asked.
"Yes this is Kelly." Kelly giggles, "And to answer your question, everything is set for tonight."
"You spent the night with Jake?" Eddie asked
Kelly is laughing now, she can hear the shock in Eddie's voice, "No actually, Jake spent the night with me, we're at my place." Eddie can hear Jake in the back ground laughing as well.
"Wow, that's great! Look, I have to go before Loren over hears me. I want tonight to be a surprise." Eddie says, "I will see you guys at the office. Hope I didn't interrupt anything with this phone call," Eddie teased, "I know how it feels to be interrupted when things start to heat up," he added before hanging up the phone. He made one more phone call to his driver before getting out of bed to get ready for the day.
Loren walks out of the bathroom. Eddie walks over and wraps his arms around her kissing her neck. "Don't start with me mister; I have to finish getting ready."
Still kissing her neck, "I'm dropping you off at school this morning, so I can have a few more minutes of doing this," Eddie backs Loren up to the wall and lifts her up in his arms. Loren wraps her legs around Eddie and gives into the pleasure she is feeling. Loren cups his face and brings his lips up to hers, kissing him. Using her mouth and tongue to let him know how much she loves and wants him.
"Loren, honey, are you up?" Nora asks from the other side of Loren's door.
Loren breaks the kiss to answer her mom, "yes mom, I'm getting dressed for school," she says a little out of breath but goes back to kissing Eddie.
"Okay well hurry up, I don't want you to be late."
Once again pulling away from the kiss, "okay mom" Loren replies.
"I better get dressed; the driver will be here in a few minutes." Eddie reluctantly sets Loren back on her feet. He gives her quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing his clothes and going into the bathroom. When he comes out of the bathroom, he sees that Loren isn't in the room; he goes out to find her sitting at the table eating breakfast with Pop.
"Good morning Pop, where's Nora?" Eddie asks sitting down at the table and serving himself.
"She's getting dressed; we're going to head to MK this morning. Have you given any thought to the information Joe gave us last night?"
"Not really, I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything we learned." Eddie says with a frown.
"You don't have to make a decision right this second," Loren says, "take all the time you need," she leans over and kisses his cheek. Eddie's phone beeps letting him know he has a text message.
"The driver is out front." He tells Loren.
"Okay let me grab my books and backpack." She gets up and runs to her room. Eddie stands up and takes their plates to the kitchen.
"Hey Pop, I'm planning a surprise for Loren tonight, I will stop by MK after my meeting with the record execs to give you and Nora more details."
"Okay son. Listen; don't let Jake or those record label execs pressure you into anything."
"I won't Pop."
Loren comes running out of her room, "I'm ready."
Eddie gives his dad a hug, and calls out to Nora, "We're leaving Nora, see you later."
"Have a good day you two," Nora calls out from her room.
Eddie helps Loren into the back of the Escalade, and tells the driver to drop Loren off at school.
"So, Mr. Wonderful dropped you off at school I see," Melissa said walking up to Loren's locker.
"Yeah, he has a meeting with Jake and the record label execs this morning." Loren says blushing.
"Well from the look of that blush on your face, a lot happened in the back of that Escalade on the way here," Melissa said with a smirk. "Come on give me details."
Loren blushed even more, and said, "Mel, you know I don't kiss and tell."
"But I'm your best friend, we tell each other everything," Melissa pouted.
"Yeah I know, but this is between me and Eddie. I will tell you this though; I think I'm ready to take our relationship to the next level."
"You mean to tell me that Mr. Wonderful has been sleeping in your bed for the past two nights and you two still haven't done it?" Melissa asked, shocked.
"We've gotten pretty close but was interrupted," Loren frowned at Melissa.
"Well by the way you two were making out in the kitchen yesterday, I figured you guys got to know each other on a more intimate level. It took all my self-control to not stare at that bulge in Eddie's sweats pants, and we both know I have very little self-control."
Loren was embarrassed, "you saw?" she asked.
"Yes, I saw." Melissa said giggling. Just then the bell rang.
"I gotta go, but we will continue this conversation later. Good luck on your final. Call me later." Melissa said running in the direction of her class.
Loren closed her locker and ran to her class, trying to get the image of Eddie's bulge out of her head so that she can concentrate on her final.
Eddie got to Jakes office a few minutes ahead of the record label execs. Jake looks up from his computer, "Eduardo, you're early."
"I wanted to see…" Eddie was interrupted by shouting coming from the other room.
"You've got a lot of nerve coming here; get out before I call security!" Kelly shouted.
"I just want five minutes with Eddie!" Chloe shouted.
"Eddie wants nothing to do with you Chloe so leave!" Kelly shouted back.
Eddie and Jake come rushing out if Jake's office. "Chloe, what are you doing here?" Eddie asked.
"Eddie, I need to talk to you privately for five minutes." She looks at him pleadingly.
"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Jake and Kelly. They already know about the accident, they were there when Pop's private investigator dropped off all the evidence he's gathered against you and Tyler." Eddie said.
Chloe was shocked, she looked like she was about to pass out. "Evidence? What evidence did he come up with?" Chloe's voice was just above a whisper.
"I'm not giving you any details, but just know that you will not be able to lie and manipulate your way out of this one." Eddie said.
"You're having me arrested?" Chloe asked.
"I haven't decided what I want to do. But it's not just my decision, my dad has a say in this too. And we both know how he feels about you."
Chloe looked at Eddie, pleading with him, "Eddie I know I've hurt you and the people you love, but I've changed. I'm trying to change. I came here today to ask for your forgiveness."
Eddie wasn't buying this act and neither were Jake and Kelly.
"Your five minutes are up, leave now, security is on their way." Jake says.
"Eddie, you don't want to do this. You don't want to have me arrested." Chloe said with a sarcastic smirk.
"Oh really, and why wouldn't I want to see you go to jail for killing my mom?" Eddie asked.
"If you want to keep your little girlfriend's father abandonment issues out of the gossip columns, then you don't want to have me arrested." Chloe said with a wicked smile.
"I was wondering when the real Chloe was going to show up." Eddie said, as the building security came in and took Chloe by the arm and escorts her out of the room.
The record label execs walk into the room and everyone goes into Jake's office.
An hour later, Eddie walks into MK to find Max and Nora going over the books. Max looks up and sees his son walk in looking upset.
"Hey son, I take it things didn't go well with the record label."
"No everything went well with them actually, they loved Loren's remake of One Day at a Time and wants us to record it as a duet and release it as a single. They are even giving me more time to record my album, if you can believe that. Looks like record sales and downloads on iTunes quadrupled when everyone thought I was dead. They want to build up the anticipation for my new album by releasing some remakes of the songs I sang at MK that night."
"Wow, I'm shocked," Max said. "I can't believe they are being so accommodating."
"Loren will be excited to record with you Eddie," Nora said.
"Speaking of Loren, I wanted to let you two know that I've planned a private prom for Loren tonight. Jake and Kelly helped me set it all up at the beach house. I hate that she missed her senior prom and I hope this makes up for it."
"She will love it," Nora came around and hugged Eddie.
"We won't be home tonight; Loren and I will spend the night at the beach house. If that's okay with you guys."
"It's okay with us, I'm looking forward to spending a night alone with this beautiful woman," Max pulls Nora into him and gives her a passionate kiss.
"You two do realize I'm still in the room, right?" Eddie chuckles.
"Sorry, Eddie," Nora tries to pull away from Max but he just tightens his arms around her. "I hope you and Loren have a great private prom, just remember our little talk."
"I remember our talk, and like I said that night, I'm all for taking things slow." Eddie reassures her.
Just then a crashes in the other room. "Let me go check and see if Grace is okay." Nora says and leaves Max and Eddie alone.
"I don't get it, when you walked in you looked upset, if things went well with the record label than what upset you?" Max asked.
"Chloe showed up at Jakes office right before the record label. She pleaded with me to not turn over the evidence to the police, but then her claws came out and she threatened to expose Loren's past with her father to the gossip columns. She's trying to get back at me by attacking Loren again, and now she's dragging Nora into it."
Max was furious, "we can't let that happen. Hurting Loren and Nora is taking it way too far."
"So what do we do Pop?"
"I have an idea, but first I have to talk to Nora. What time are you and Loren going over to meet with Kelly?"
"In an hour." Eddie replies.
"Nora and I will meet you guys there." Max hops down off the bar stool and walks to the back to talk with Nora.
Eddie's car pulls up just as Loren exits the building. Loren runs over to the car and hops in the back. Eddie pulls Loren on his lap and starts kissing her. "How was your final?" He asked in between kisses.
"It wasn't that bad" Loren replies.
"Are you hungry? Let's grab lunch before we head to Jake's office." Eddie releases his hold on Loren before telling the driver to take them to that new pizza place he's wanted to go to for a while. The driver let them out at the pizza place and Eddie asked for a table in the back where they could have a little privacy. After placing their order, Eddie told Loren about his meeting with the record label execs. She was excited about recording his song as a duet. Eddie didn't tell Loren about his run in with Chloe. Their pizza arrived and they ate in a comfortable silence. When they finished eating, Eddie and Loren got back in the Escalade and rode to Jake's office. On their way up in the elevator, Eddie told Loren about Chloe's threat, he assured her that everything would be okay because Pop was meeting them there to come up with a plan.
When Eddie and Loren walked into Jake's office they were surprised to see Lily Park and a camera crew setting up in the outer office. Just then Nora came out of Jake's office and rushed over to hug Loren. "What's all this?" Loren asked.
"Let's go into Jake's office so Max and I can explain everything to you." Nora said. Eddie and Loren follow Nora into Jake's office and shut the door behind them. Max, Jake, and Kelly, begins to explain to Loren that they want her and Nora to do an interview with Lily Park about Trent. They gave Lily a list of specific questions to ask. The questions are designed to enhance her image and allow her fans to get to know something personal about her life and her strong relationship with her mother. If Lily deviates from the questions, Jake and Kelly will plant stories about her knowing all along that Chloe was responsible for Katy's death which would ruin her reputation and career.
"Pop, you came up with this?" Eddie asked, shocked.
"It's the best way I know how to protect my girls." Max says with a smile. "But only if you're comfortable with it," Max says to Loren.
"I don't want to give Chloe any power over me or Eddie or you and mom for that matter, so I will do whatever it takes to gain the upper hand over Chloe Carter." Loren says.
"My girl is a super star," Eddie says as he wraps Loren in his arms.
"Mom, are you okay with this?" Loren asks her mom.
"I agree with you, I will no longer sit back and watch Chloe to hurt my daughter and the two most important men in my life any more. If that means I have to go on national television and answer a few questions about being a single mom, then I will." Nora says.
"Loren, here is the list of questions Lily will be asking, take a few minutes to think about your answers." Jake says handing Loren the paper.
"I have a rack of clothes over there for you and Nora to go through. Pick out what you want to wear for the interview." Kelly told her.
While Loren and Nora went through the rack of clothes, Eddie went over to his dad. "Pop, let's turn over the evidence over to the police."
"I'm glad you said that, I already told Joe to turn everything over. I also went and saw Tyler; he has agreed to testify against Chloe and I promised to do my best to keep him out of jail. Chloe can't hurt us anymore."
Chloe is sitting on her couch when she receives a text message from Tyler. Hey Chlo, watch the Lily Park show, she's interviewing a surprise guest." Chloe reaches for the TV remote and turn to Lily's show. Chloe drops her phone when she sees Loren and Nora sitting there in Jakes outer office being interviewed by Lily Park. It was then that Chloe realized that she had nothing left to bargain with. Her threat to expose Loren's painful past was taken from her. Loren and her mom are telling the whole world that Loren's dad left when she was four years old and what life has been like for them. At the end of the interview, Chloe yelled at the television, threw the remote, grabbed her purse and keys and was headed out the door. When she opened the door a police officer was there with a warrant for her arrest.
After the interview, Max reminded Lily of their agreement; she nodded and left with her crew. Max walks over to Loren, Nora and Eddie and gives them a big hug.
"You know now that Loren and I did that interview, fans and paparazzi will swarm our house." Nora said.
"You've underestimated your man." Max said with a secret smile. "Eddie and I have already discussed this, I contacted my real-estate agent; you and I are going house hunting this afternoon while Loren and Eddie wrap up thing around here. My real-estate agent has already sent me a list of three possibilities and will meet us at the first house in," checking his watch, "twenty minutes."
"Wow, I guess I have underestimated my man." Nora joked. Then she got a worried look on her face.
Max reading her face, "oh ye of little faith, I told you you've underestimated your man. Eddie and I are buying this house together. One of our specifications is that it is big enough for him and Loren too. As a matter of fact the first house she's showing us has a guest house separate from the main house. You and I can move into the guest house and leave the main house for the rock stars." Max said with a smile. "Until me move in, we're staying at Eddie's penthouse, that way we don't have to worry about people knocking on the door at all hours of the day and night."
"But the reason Eddie has been staying with us is because of all the paparazzi hanging out in front of his building." Nora said.
"Pop, let me answer this one please." Eddie said with a smile.
"Be my guest." Max answered with a knowing smile.
"There is a back entrance to the building that the paparazzi don't know about and it's hardly used by the other tenants. If we're careful, we can use that back entrance to come and go until we move to the new house."
"I guess you guys have thought of everything," Nora said to Max. "Loren, honey, how do you feel about moving out of our little house in the valley?"
"Mom, I couldn't be more excited. I knew that when my career really took off that we wouldn't be able to stay in that house in the valley any more, I'm just a little sad that it is all happening so soon. But mom, I don't want to sell the house."
"Honey, we don't have to sell the house. We can keep it for as long as you want." Nora said while hugging Loren. "Well I guess it's settled, let's go house hunting." Nora said to Max. And they leave Jake's office.
"Now Loren, let's get you into one of these dresses for this photo shoot this evening." Kelly said
"Oh right, I guess I forgot about that photo shoot, what magazine is this for?" Loren asked.
"Which dress do you like?" Kelly replied not answering Loren's question.
"While you two are trying on dresses, I have a few errands to run." Eddie said. "I will meet you at your photo shoot," giving Loren a quick kiss on her lips before leaving the room. He turns around and mouths Thank You to Kelly and Jake. Eddie leaves the office with a smile on his face; he can't wait to surprise Loren. Eddie hops in the back of the Escalade and tells his driver to take him to the beach house.
Loren started getting suspicious when Kelly told her that she couldn't come to the photo shoot with her and the limo ride to the photo shoot is taking longer than it should. Loren was dressed in a soft pink evening gown that hugged all her curves. Her hair was curled and her make-up is light and natural. Loren knew she was somewhere near the beach, and the sun was starting to set. She looked out the window just as the limo stopped at a private beach entrance next to Max's beach bungalow. The driver wasn't the one who opened the door, when Loren looked up; it was Eddie standing there in a black tuxedo with a bow tie and cummerbund that matched her dress exactly. Eddie was smiling his million dollar smile at Loren.
"Welcome to your private senior prom" Eddie said as he helped her out of the limo. Loren turned around and there on the beach were candles that lit a path to a dance floor in the middle of the beach, a bandstand next to the dance floor and a band playing soft music, on the other side of the dance floor a photographer set up a back drop for pictures.
Loren turned back to Eddie with tears in her eyes, "I can't believe you did this." Loren said, "you are the best boyfriend a girl could ask for."
Eddie, blushing, "I couldn't stand the fact that you missed your senior prom, I hope that this makes up for it," Eddie says kissing Loren's lips.
"It's perfect." Loren cried.
"Shall we?" Eddie asked as he offered Loren his arm. Together they walked the path that as filled with pink rose pedals that matched her dress. They walked to the dance floor. "May I have this dance?" Eddie asked bowing to Loren.
"Yes you may," Loren curtsied and took Eddies hand. They danced around the dance floor all night, stopping only to eat dinner prepared by the chef Loren recognized from one of those shows but couldn't remember his name. They even took the customary prom photo in front of the backdrop.
Loren looked up at the moonlit sky and thought to her herself, tonight is perfect. There's soft music, candle light, waves are crashing on the beach. Eddie thought of everything.
"Penny for your thought's" Eddie said smiling down at Loren. He loves that look of happiness on Loren's face.
"I was just thinking how perfect tonight is. You made my dream prom come true. I love you."
"I love you too. And I'm happy I was able to bring to reality one of your dreams."
Loren cupped Eddies face in her hands and pulled his lips to hers. The kiss started off soft and innocent, but Loren deepened the kiss pulling Eddie closer to her body. She pulled away from the kiss and moved her lips to Eddie's ear, using her tongue to trace his hear, Loren whispered, "Eddie, I'm ready to give you my heart and body."
Eddie moaned and scooped Loren up in his arms, nodding to the event coordinator indicating that they were done and carried Loren into the beach bungalow. Eddie didn't stop in the living room; he took Loren straight to the bedroom. Still holding Loren in his arms, Eddie climbed in the bed placing Loren on her knees facing him. Eddie looked in Loren's eyes and asked, "are you sure you want to do this?"
Loren leaned her body into Eddie's giving him a kiss that made his heart skip a beat. "Yes, I want to do this." Loren helped Eddie slide his tux jacket off. She reached up and untied his bow tie and started unbuttoning his shirt. Eddie reached around and unhooked his cummerbund, as Loren slid his shirt off his body. Loren leaned in and kissed Eddie's neck and chest causing him to close his eyes and throw his head back. Loren's hands moved from Eddie's shoulders and traveled down his chest to his stomach and stopped at his belt buckle. Loren looked up at Eddie; he opened his eyes and smiled at her. Loren undid his belt, unzipped his pants and pulled them down until they fell to his knees. Eddie reached for the side of Loren's dress and unzipped it. He gently pulled the dress down until it was to her knees leaving Loren in her bra and panties. Eddie expected Loren to become shy at this point but when he looked in her eyes, all he saw was love, passion and need.
Eddie gently laid Loren down on the bed and pulled her dress all the way off. He undid the straps of her shoes and let them fall one by one to the floor. Loren looked so beautiful laying there in the middle of the bed in her bra and panties. Eddie stood up and took off his shoes and socks then stepped out of his pants and boxers. He stood there fully naked in front of Loren, giving her time to take it to realize that they were about to take their relationship to another level.
Loren realized what Eddie was doing, he pulled away to give her time to change her mind. She knew that if she really isn't ready to do this he would respect her wishes. Loren loved him even more for it. But she wasn't going to change her mind; she wanted Eddie in a way that she couldn't explain. To show him that she wasn't going to change her mind, Loren stood in front of Eddie and removed her bra and panties. Holding his hand, Loren pulled Eddie back into the bed and on top of her. The kiss they shared said everything words could not. Eddie reached in the drawer of the night stand next to the bed. He removed a condom from the box he stashed in there earlier today. He opened the foil packet and rolled the condom on. He once again looked Loren in the eyes giving her the chance to stop this before they went further. Loren smiled up at him and said, "I love you Eddie."
That was all the confirmation Eddie needed as positioned himself between Loren's legs which brought him to Loren's entrance. "I love you too Loren," Eddie said as he guided himself into Loren.
Loren gasped and winced at the sudden feel of Eddie at the entrance to her body. She grabbed his shoulders as he gently thrust against her barrier again trying to gain full entrance to her body. With one last thrust the barrier broke and Eddie is fully inside of her.
Eddie did not move. He kept still. Giving Loren time to adjust to the feel of him inside of her. He knew that she must be in a little pain and didn't want to hurt her anymore. Loren is breathing heavily and he could feel her heart racing. As much as he wanted to move inside of Loren, he didn't. He is waiting for Loren to adjust to the size of him inside of her.
Loren knew Eddie is giving her time to adjust to him being inside, but there is a need coming from within that she wanted him to fulfill. Instinct took over and Loren started moving her hips against Eddie. Eddie looks down and Loren surprised by her movements. Loren reached up and pulled Eddie's lips to hers forcing his lips to open and using her tongue to explore his mouth.
Eddie began matching Loren's hip movement by thrusting and grinding. The throaty sounds coming from Loren assured Eddie that he is pleasing her. Loren wraps her legs around Eddie's hips giving him deeper access inside of her. He felt her muscles tighten around him letting him know that she is reaching her peak.
Loren broke the kiss, she couldn't breathe, there is a fire building inside her body and Eddie's thrusting is fanning the flames. She can't believe the throaty moaning and groaning is coming from her. All she knew is that she didn't want this feeling to stop. Her hands traveled down Eddies back pulling his closer to her body. She isn't exactly sure what is happening but she let her body take over and scalled out Eddie's name.
Eddie is trying to be gentle but Loren was driving him crazy with need and passion. The way she called out his name pushed him over the edge as his whole body shook from his release, he called our Loren's name. Still supporting his weight with his arms, Eddie slowly slid out of Loren, pulled off the condom and discarded it in the waste basket he next to the bed. He pulled Loren to snuggle with him as he pulled to covers over their bodies.
After an hour of silently laying in each other harms, Loren said, "thank you for making my first time more than I thought it could ever be."
"I wanted your first time to be everything you dreamt it to be and I'm happy you chose me to be your first. I am truly humbled by this experience with you. And I don't take your gift lightly. Tonight meant everything to me." Eddie said.
Loren giggled.
"What's so funny?" Eddie asked.
"Tonight was sort of a cliché."
"How so?" Eddie asked.
"I lost my virginity on my prom night" Loren laughed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Eddie said. "I hope you're okay with it."
"Oh, I'm okay with it Mr. Duran." Loren said in a sexy voice as she climbed on top of Eddie. "I'm very okay with that." Loren said and she started kissing Eddie's neck. She felt Eddie starting to swell beneath her legs.
"You're not too sore for another round?" Eddie asked
"You know the best way to cure sore muscles is to keep exercising until you're no longer sore." Loren reached in the drawer of the night stand and found Eddie's box of condoms. She opened the foil packet and rolled the condom on him. Eddie placed his hands on Loren's hips and guided her onto him until he filled her once again.
"Well you know, I'm all for exercising." Eddie said and he started moving inside of Loren.
Loren woke up the next morning to her phone going off with dings and beeps. Careful not to wake Eddie, Loren grabbed her phone and saw a text message from Melissa. She opened the message.
Hey Lo you and Eddie looked amazing at your private prom.
How did Melissa know about the private prom? And how did she know what I was wearing?
She opened the next text message that alerted her to an update on Eddie's website. When she opened the link, there were the pictures of her and Eddie at her private prom. She looked up at Eddie who was watching her this whole time.
"When did you do this?" She asked turning her phone so that he could see the pictures.
"I had the photographer send the pictures to Jake and Kelly, and they uploaded them to my webpage." Eddie said smiling.
Loren smiled back, and then looked back at her phone; there was another alert message, this time it was for one of the celebrity magazines. When Loren opened the page, the headline read "Chloe Carter arrested for the hit and run accident that took the life of Katy Duran."
"I guess we better head back soon, I have a feeling we will need to move out of the house sooner than anticipated." Loren said.
"Why do you say that?" Eddie asked. Loren turned her phone to him so he could read the headlines.
Loren was climbing out the bed; she didn't bother to cover herself. Eddie had explored every inch of her body last night so she wasn't embarrassed by being nude in front of him. She looked over her shoulder as she headed to the bathroom, "We can save time and water if we shower together," Loren said as she disappeared behind the bathroom door.
Eddie chuckled and shook his head, "I can't believe that that is the same person who fainted when she won my song writing contest. Loren Tate isn't as shy as I thought she is." Eddie said to himself as he climbed out the bed and followed Loren into the shower.