He set me down gently but didn’t let go, his hands resting on my waist as he leaned back to look at me. His eyes were filled with a pride so great and so pure that my own eyes stung with tears.
“I’m so proud of you,” he told me.
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” I whispered. He had been my rock through it all, through the late nights studying, through the moments of self-doubt, through the lingering shadows of the past. He had built a world for me where I was safe enough to dream, and then he had cheered me on as I chased those dreams.
“Yes, you could have,” he said, his tone firm but gentle. “This was all you, Lana. This is your talent and hard work. I just had the best seat in the house, watching you achieve everything you’ve ever dreamed of.”
My tears started to fall, and I quickly wiped them away with a shaky laugh. “I love you,” was all I could manage.
“I love you.” He leaned in and placed a soft kiss to my lips. “So fucking much.”
Rocco and Holland joined us then, their arms still around each other as they stepped closer. Rocco clapped me on the shoulder, his grin wide. “Congratulations, Lana. You’re gonna step up Hollywood’s game.”
Holland grinned. “I say she’ll win an Oscar for her first-ever movie.”
Callan’s arm tightened around my waist, pulling me closer to his side. “I’d bet on that.”
“Me too,” Rocco said, his grin mischievous. “But she won’t be the first to receive an Oscar between us four.”
I looked up at him with a wide expression. “You won an Oscar before?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Callan rolled his eyes and let out a dry laugh. “You’ve won an AVN Award.”
“No, I have won five,” Rocco shot back, still grinning.
“What’s an AVN Award?” I looked between them, intrigued to find out more.
Callan’s eyes dropped to mine. “Adult Video News Award. It’s the Oscars for porn.”
“There are Oscars for porn?” Holland asked.
“And I’ve won five,” Rocco repeated, needing us to fully understand what he was saying.
“Congrats.” I laughed, then turned to Callan. “Did you ever win one?”
He rubbed his neck nervously. “I’ve won sixteen.”
My jaw dropped. “You’ve won sixteen Oscars for porn awards?”
“Yeah.”
“Callan, that’s incredible! Congratulations!”
“What’s more insane is that he never shows up to that award show and still gets a damn award almost every year,” Rocco muttered.
“Why not?” I asked.
Callan shrugged. “I used to show up, but it got boring over time.”
I decided to let it go. He clearly didn’t want to talk about it anymore, but I was still proud of him. I wrapped my hands around his arm and leaned into him.
“So…” Holland started, her brows raised up high. “What do these trophies look like? Are they, like, a cock with balls or something more classy, like two people fucking?”
I laughed softly and shook my head at her questions, which I thought were reasonable.
“It’s two people in a sensual embrace,” Callan told her.
