Annika was beautiful. Sasha had inherited her blond hair and blue eyes and, at one time, she’d thought her determination to be a star. But even before coming to New York, she’d been tired of the life of an actress, and after being with Xander again, she also questioned the sacrifices she’d already made and the time lost because of them. Still, she enjoyed acting, and this film experience was reminding her that her life wasn’t all bad. Talk about conflicted.

She blew out a breath and rubbed her hands together in her lap, deciding to focus on her mother’s life and not her own. “Maybe you were at the wrong time in your career when you met Dad and had me.”

Annika’s blue eyes opened wide, and Sasha swallowed over the lump in her throat. The idea that she’d kept her mother from pursuing her dreams hurt, but she’d lived with the knowledge her whole life. She’d just never expressed the truth out loud.

“I’m not you, Mom, and I’m not sure what I want for my future. What I do know is that, whatever I decide, it’s my choice.”

Her mother placed her cup on the table and frowned. “This is Xander’s fault. I knew that man would put ideas in your head and try to talk you into staying.” She rose from her chair and began to pace the length of the kitchen, her frustration palpable.

Her mother’s extreme reaction forced Sasha to feel like she had to justify herself. At twenty-four years old, she was beginning to resent it. “That’s not what happened. Xander is the one who has put limits on our relationship. He wants me to pursue my career.”

And Sasha didn’t blame him for the anxiety his tour of duty had saddled him with or the things he needed in order to be happy. She also didn’t feel like he was putting his needs ahead of hers. Like her mother, he believed in her talent and didn’t want to keep her from further success.

Her mother pursed her lips. Clearly she wasn’t buying it. Was it any wonder? She wasn’t a Xander fan no matter what she was told.

Sasha decided to keep trying to make her understand because Annika was her mother and she had invested a lot of time and money into Sasha’s career. No matter how misguided her reasons.

“I was concerned about my career before I ever saw Xander again. I’m tired,” Sasha said, recalling telling Cassidy as much in LA.

Although Sasha had to admit, she wasn’t feeling that exhaustion pulling at her here or while working on this movie.

Because here she had more than just acting in her life, a little voice in her head reminded her.