“I know exactly why I like you. Remind me to tell you sometime.”
The look she gives me is a mixture of amusement, affection, and maybe even amazement, like she can’t understand how she ended up here. I don’t blame her. I have no idea why someone as incredible and self-assured as her would choose to deal with the mess that is my life when she is already content with her own simple life.
I haven’t held on to many people in my life—a longtime defense mechanism—but I want to hold on to her. For as long as I can.
Though she doesn’t say anything, Donovan gives me one last smile before shutting the door behind her and leaving me alone.
Pressing a hand to my chest over my heart, I stare at that door for a long time as I process the emotions rolling through me. I’m no stranger to feelings like this, and I’ve played characters who have gone through so many different experiences, from heartache to joy to grief to love. My best scenes have been the ones where I’ve let myself feel the characters’ emotions as if they were mine. But this light burning in my chest is a new one in my own life. I’m falling for her, and hard.
Assuming I’m right about my mom’s involvement withHot Scoop, I’m going to have to deal with a lot soon. Something needs to change before my whole world falls apart. And yet, despite all that, I’ve never felt so hopeful for the future.
That’s nothing but a straight-up miracle, and it’s because I’ve found a guardian angel in Donovan Tate.
I chuckle; she played one of those in a movie once, and it was one of the first times I had a genuine celebrity crush. It’s almost like we were meant to find each other. Hank and Bonnie don’t believe in coincidences, and I always thought the notion was sweet but unrealistic.
Now I’m starting to think they might be right.
My phone, which has been quiet for a few minutes, buzzes with a text, and I wince as I read the latest message.
Cole:
At this point we’re going to assume you’re in trouble and you need a rescue. Be warned that Liam is the most available person at the moment.
Well, that’s a recipe for disaster. I love Liam, and even though he’s gotten better since marrying his wife, Kasey, he still has a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This situation is dicey enough that I should control as many variables as I can. Liam can’t be one of those variables; he’s impossible to control, which is one of the reasons I like him.
Unlocking my phone, I scan over the dozens of texts my friends have left in our group chat. I’ll read them more closely later—there’s a lot of talk about me and who I’m supposedly in love with—but for now, I just need them to know I’ll be okay and can handle things.
Derek:
I’m fine. Stop freaking out. No one needs to come to Utah, and I’ll explain everything tomorrow.
Elliot’s not going to be satisfied by that—I doubt any of them will as messages flood the group chat—and since this concerns him too, I send him a solo text and hope it will hold him over until I can get some rest.
Derek:
I don’t have any real proof, but I’m pretty sure our mother has been puppeteeringHot Scoop’s stories or worse, trying to work them to her advantage. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.
My phone instantly lights up with a call from Elliot, and I sigh as I slide the answer button. “El.”
“Tell me now,” Elliot says in a tone that makes it clear he’s not going to give me a choice in the matter. I had my doubts about him becoming a king alongside Freya—he’s barely twenty-seven—but he sure sounds like a monarch as he adds, “And don’t leave anything out.”
It’s going to be a long evening.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Donovan
OfalltheplacesI thought I would spend a Sunday morning, the bed of Hollywood’s biggest star is not one of them. I’ve been staring at the man next to me for the last ten minutes, trying to understand how I got here, and it still doesn’t feel real.
After my shower, I raided Derek’s suitcase for something to wear while listening to the tense conversation he was having with his brother in the main room. I only caught the tail end, but neither man seems happy about what their mom might be doing. When the call ended, Derek came into the bedroom and found me wearing his T-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts, and with the hungry way he stared at me, I was pretty sure he had to use all of his self-control to keep his hands to himself. Giving me his unlocked phone, he told me I could use it for anything I needed and went straight for the shower.
Feeling like I might melt into a puddle on the floor, I sat on the bed and used Derek’s phone to text Spencer and explain what happened at Red Earth and where I will be for the next…I don’t know how long. I have a Westwater trip I’m supposed to be leading on Monday, but Spencer said Farah could cover if I need her to.
I would say he was surprisingly understanding, but my cousin is no dummy. He knows enough about my past to recognize when an event might be triggering, but, more than that, word’s going to get out that Derek was at Red Earth River Tours. Something tells me we’re not going to be hurting for business from here on out. As far as the river company goes, all of this will likely lead to nothing but fully booked trips as Derek’s fans scramble to do the same trip he did.
That, plus the hundred grand that Janie sent on Monday, means Derek singlehandedly saved Pops’s legacy. The man’s not perfect, but he sure comes close.
I was half asleep by the time Derek finished his shower, too tired to fully appreciate the sight of him in a towel or try to continue the conversation. He was clearly tired too; as soon as he was dressed, he flopped onto the bed and promptly fell asleep. I was quick to follow.
