“No freaking way,” my dad said.
“Yup. I called and asked him to go for coffee. He was so shocked, he could barely speak, but it was adorable.”
I leaned toward her, lowering my voice so only she could hear. “Keep calling me adorable in front of my family, and I might have to show you what else I’m good at, Ellie baby.”
She went still for a heartbeat, her fingers tightening almost imperceptibly around her glass, before she turned back to the conversation.
Dotty made a dramatic gagging noise. “I’m gonna need a bucket.”
Dorian pointed his fork. “You’re the one who asked how it started. As if you and Trent are any better.”
“I don’t want to hear it from you, Mr. Fell in Love with My Best Friend.”
Dorian pointed to Trent. “Says the girl who fell in love with my best friend first.”
I looked around the table, then to Ellie. “This is exactly why I never bring people home. They’re vultures. Loving, nosy vultures.”
My dad raised a brow. “Better to be nosy than unaware. I had to find out my son was dating a celebrity from a news article.”
“Sorry about that,” Ellie said. “We were hoping to beat the media.”
I look across the table to see Colt smiling. Again. This time, Lilah was whispering something in his ear.
The dinner was loud, chaotic, and exactly what you’d expect from a James family gathering—which made it all the moreinsane how easily Ellie fit in. It was as if she’d been doing this for years instead of a single night.
After dinner, she teamed up with Gracie in a board game and even teased my dad.
I caught Ellie’s gaze across the room and gave her a nod, letting her know I was stepping out for a sec.
I needed air, even if that air was cold enough to freeze the freckles off my face.
The wind slapped me the second I stepped onto the porch. I sucked in a deep breath anyway, letting the chill settle in my lungs, and dropped into the old rocking chair that had been here since I was a kid, groaning as it creaked under my weight.
It was all so strange. A small-town boy with big dreams somehow made them all come true. The kid in a pee-wee football league who once dreamed of making it to the NFL was now a man about to retire, a pop star sitting in his childhood home.
Maybe I manifested this shit. Back in college, I used to have her poster taped to my dorm wall right next to my San Francisco Rebels one, as if they belonged in the same universe. Now, she was here—real, grounded, and good in a way that couldn’t be faked.
I'd seen firsthand how the spotlight could wreck someone, how it could turn decent people into ego-fueled, power-hungry monsters. But Ellie? Fame hadn't touched her like it did most people. She stood firmly for what mattered, using her voice and generosity to help where it was needed most. She had become a powerful role model—especially for girls like Gracie, who looked up to her as if she were the center of her universe.
She didn't act like the world owed her anything. She was just…Ellie.
Tonight, that same Ellie was letting my niece destroy her in Monopoly while my dad cheered her on—no ego in sight. No complaints. I just sat there, watching her like an idiot. Anidiot who was definitely catching feelings in a situation that was supposed to be fake.
I wasn't sure what the hell I was supposed to do. A fake relationship was definitely not on my bucket list, but hey, I wasn’t complaining either.
The front door creaked open, and I didn’t have to look to know who it was. Colt stepped out like the damn Grim Reaper and dropped into the rocking chair beside me with a heavy sigh. He didn’t say a word.
I rocked slowly. “Out here to enjoy the breeze?”
He ran a hand down his face, then let it drop with a thud into his lap. “Needed air.”
“Same. Lots going on tonight.”
He grunted in agreement. “Does anyone else know you and Ellie are faking it?”
I nearly choked on the air I breathed. “Jesus, man. What the fuck?”
“You heard me.” He turned his head and met my eyes. Unbothered and annoyingly fucking perceptive.
