Page 43 of Promise Not to Fall for the Rich & Famous

Gage regretted saying that final word the moment it slipped out of his mouth.Yet.He knew how much Carly worried about him becoming one of Hollywood’s elite. “I’m going to be a flash in the pan,” he assured. “That’s all.”

He’d planned to tell her about his run-in outside the market, but he didn’t want to upset her further. Not if it would make her second guess their relationship. Then again, he didn’t want to hide things from her either. His mom always said that concealing the truth was just another form of lying.

“They tracked me down outside the market today,” he said. “A small group of paparazzi. They were asking about you.”

Carly spun around in his arms and looked him in the face. “What did you tell them?”

Gage shrugged. “Nothing, of course. It’s none of their business.”

She chewed on her lip and looked around the room, as if she might find the solution to their problem. Suddenly she set her eyes back on him. “Why are you doing the movie?”

Gage shrugged. “What do you mean?”

She wiped at her nose and sniffed, a familiar light shining in her eyes. It was that I-found-a-way-out-of this-mess look. “You don’t want to act for a living. You’re putting your whole life on hold over it, and it’s causing a bunch of unwanted attention. Just quit.”

Quit?It felt like a jackhammer had fired up in his chest. Gage gulped, ran a hand through his hair, and scrambled for a way out of the horrible scenario. From an outsider’s perspective, her suggestion might make perfect sense. But Carly wasn’t an outsider.

“It’s not that simple,” he said. “I thought I already explained this to you, the situation with my dad. I just think it’d be nice to finally have his approval foronething I do in life. Besides, I’ve signed the contracts already. Backing out isn’t an option.”

Carly nodded, but for the life of him, Gage couldn’t read her expression. She looked so…conflicted. “Did you hear yourself just then?” she finally asked. “You said you’re doing this for his approval. You went right back to theonething you’ll never be able to keep unless you continue to give up whatyouwant.”

Gage stifled a groan. He might have liked the way she’d challenged him on the topic before, but now it was starting to hit too close to home. He didn’t want to think so hard about why he was doing the stupid movie. He was doing it, and then he was heading back to school no matter what his old man said. “Tell mewhat bothers you most about me doing the film. We can at least talk about it.”

Carly shook her head as her cheeks flushed red. “I don’t know. I just…I didn’t like hearing your dad say that, okay? That’s what it comes down to. I don’t want to be part of that equation.”

Now she was losing him again. Frustrated heat pulsed through him. “Part ofwhatequation, Carly?”

“I don’t want to be a step you have to take—or a person you have to hide—in order to keep your dad’s approval. Being careful for the sake of my job is one thing. But I can tell that’s not your only concern. It’s like you step off the resort for a minute and suddenly you’re, like, ashamed of me.”

“I’m not ashamed of you, Carly. That’s thefarthestthing from the truth.” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “I’m trying toprotectyou. I’ve seen the way they exploit people, and trust me—it isn’t pretty.”

Carly took a few steps back and folded her arms. “Do I look worried about that to you, Gage? I’m not, so stop using that as an excuse.”

Her comment struck a nerve in him, but Gage wasn’t ready to give in. He had enough reasons for keeping things under wraps without admitting theonething she was referring to—his desire to keep his father ignorant of the relationship for a little while longer.

“Listen,” he said, recalling the other reasons with ease. “A few weeks from now, I’m going to be on a plane and you’ll be left here on your own. I don’t want the paparazzi to harass you the whole time. All I’m suggesting is that we wait until we’re both back in California. As soon as I’m done filming and you’re finished up here, we can go out in public all we want.”

Carly had been poised to speak, but at his words stopped short. “You mean you’re not trying to hide it until the movie comes out?”

The question was a spark of hope. A spark that shot through his entire body in a blink. “No, ofcoursenot. I don’t care if women out there know I’m already taken.” He took a few steps to close the gap. Slowly then, testing almost, he reached out and cupped his hands around her hips. “I want people to know you’re mine. Just…not until I can actually be here with you, not halfway across the country.”

She nodded in understanding. “So we keep it quiet while we finish out the summer. That’s it.”

“That’s it,” he confirmed, hoping to douse the chaotic explosion in his chest.

Carly wrapped her arms around his waist in return. With a small, delicate-sounding sigh, she rested her cheek against his chest.This.This is what he needed. Something about having Carly in his arms soothed all the upset stirring within him just moments ago. Hedidwant to keep her safe, but more than that, he wanted Carly to know that she was loved.

As he tuned into the smooth rhythm of her breaths, her small ribcage expanding with each inhale, Gage’s muscles went from tight and rigid to lax. He rubbed a hand up her back, cherishing the feel of her in his arms, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

Carly pulled back to meet his eye once more. “You know, I guess I don’t care if the media thinks you’re single as much as I care that…that you know how to own your decisions whether your dad approves of them or not.”

“And you think that he doesn’t approve of you?”

“Yes. I don’t like that he sees me as some messy little fling. It’d be nice if he knew that youdoactually care about me.”

A flame of fear sparked up at the thought of telling him, but as Gage studied Carly’s face, considered everything she’d been through with Jimmy, his concern shifted off himself and his need to keep his father happy.

First and foremost, he wanted Carly to realize how important she was to him. He pictured navigating the old video game, bubbling lava pots ahead, the key in his hand, and the princess in the tower. Suddenly Gage realized he wanted her more than all of it.