He shook his head. “I don’t mean to make it sound like a burden, because it’s not. Mom is fucking awesome, and she’s hilarious and crafty and has so much love for everyone she meets, even this demon dog named Snapple. Our family just needs a little flexibility is all. And you’d think that would be an easy thing to get, right? Just a little bit of give around the edges. But it’s almost impossible, andthat’swhat’s hard. Not the being there for her—but the having to fight off the world so she can be there for herself.”
I leaned forward and let my fingers graze his shoulder, which was rigid with tension. “She sounds amazing,” I said softly. “Maddie too.”
His body relaxed a little under my touch. “Maddie is the best teenager ever. No little sister has any business being as cool as she is. The best part is that she’s just young enough for her and her friends to give zero shits about me or INK.”
“And that’s the best part?” I asked.
“If your cousin had ever sold your underwear on eBay, you’d be pretty grateful for any family members who were also unimpressed by you.”
“Well, the real question is: Were they clean? Because the ones that are good and sweaty go for some serious coin.”
He looked up from under those dark brows and with a helpless grin said, “You have one delightfully perverted mind, Bee Hobbes.”
I stood from my perch and let my body drift toward his. “You can take the girl out of the sex work, but you can’t take the sex work out of the girl.”
“I’m not complaining,” he said as he gazed up at me, his head resting against my stomach now.
“What can I do to help?” I asked. “I want to do whatever we can to set your mind at ease during this last week of filming. Maybe we could find someone trustworthy to monitor your phone while we’re on set?”
“That’s not a bad idea, but who? Steph is adamant that no one knows about this, so I don’t get theneedy actorlabel slapped on me.”
I shrugged. “Half the crew are porn people brought in by Teddy. They’re better at keeping secrets than Tom Hanks.”
“Is he... known for that?”
“No, but he should be. He looks so trustworthy.”
He craned his neck back as realization settled over him. “Huh. That... makes so much sense about the porn crew members. Luca and his tote of assless chaps.”
I nodded. “Yup. And Angel. You remember when I told you he was Teddy’s son? Tall Ron too. Well, he’s not also Teddy’s son, but he is a porn person.”
“Uncle Ray-Ray,” he said. “Teddy FletcherisUncle Ray-Ray, right?”
I nodded. “The one and only.”
“That guy is a porn king. What’s he even doing producing a movie for the Hope Channel?”
“Diversifying his income streams,” I said simply.Planning for the future, I thought.Like I should be. Like I’m trying to do.“People don’t pay for porn like they used to, and Teddy might be a lot of things, but he’s a good dad. Angel’s fancy-ass art school tuition is a boner crusher, and Teddy’s also trying to help Astrid, his daughter, finance the prototypes for her eco-friendly sex toys.”
“And that led to joining forces with the Hope Channel how?”
“These Christmas movie shoots might run longer than a usual adult film schedule, but other than that, they’re pretty similar. Replicable story lines, tight budgets. When Teddy lost so many crew members to the UnFestival accident, he started filling in the holes—pun intended—with porn people.”
“If this weren’t my attempt at launching a brand-new, clean-as-a-whistle Nolan Shaw, I would say this was genius.”
“I know there’s a lot at stake here for you, Nolan. I do. But Teddy’s a good guy, and I think he might just get away with this. Have a little faith.”
His lips twitched into a reluctant smile.
“Oh! And Sunny too,” I added. “She’s here taking over for Maya. Oh, oh! Sunny would be the perfect person to be on Mrs.Kowalczk cell phone watch!”
Nolan blew out a low hiss. “Does she do favors for fuckboys?”
“Ooooh, that would be a good nonprofit name. Favors for Fuckboys.”
“Do you forgive this fuckboy?” he asked, nuzzling back into my belly.
“Yes,” I whispered, warmth coiling just under the skin. “And thank you for being honest with me.”
