After flipping through it for a few seconds, River looks over at me then back at Brooks. “And your investors are okay with you just switching the story like this?”
His arrogant grin brooks no argument. “I’m the only investor for my projects, and I feel like this could be one of my best films to date. So my question is this: are you both in?”
“B-both?” I stutter, convinced I’ve heard him wrong.
“Like I said, we want your story, and we feel like you’re the perfect candidates to portray it correctly.”
“I’m not an actress,” I point out.
“And you weren’t a model either,” Brett declares, clearly more entertained than I am.
Eyes wide, I turn to River and silently beg for him to pinch me or something because this…this is absolutely insane.
“River will be by your side the entire time,” Brooks explains in an attempt to put me at ease. “He’s a talented actor and can carry you through any scenes you’re uncertain about. You’ll also have a pretty damn good director to help you out when you need direction too.”
The world feels like it’s spinning as my eyelids flutter and tell him, “I… I don’t know what to say.”
“Just think about it. We’ll be in touch.”
Gina squeezes my arm in excitement as our guests grab their things then head out the door before murmuring to me, “We’ll be in touch!”
Once everyone is gone, I push my hair away from my face and stare up at the ceiling. “This can’t be happening.”
River laughs. “This is definitely out of the ordinary. I’ll give you that much. I knew Henderson was a bit eccentric and liked to mix things up, but…” His voice trails off as he steps in front of me. “You doin’ okay?”
“I don’t know what to think right now. I can’t do this… Can I? I mean, obviously, you’re a shoo-in, but…”
“But what, Reese?”
“But what if I’m terrible at it?”
“At being yourself?”
“I’m not entirely myself. I’m still technically Kristine.”
He laughs. Again. “Toe-mae-toe, toe-mah-toe. I think you should give it a shot. You always dreamed of being an actress, remember?”
“Well, yeah. But those were just childish dreams––”
“Were they so childish?” he argues, tucking my hair behind my ear before forcing me to look up at him. “Or were you just so used to disappointment that you never bothered to get your hopes up and fight for what you wanted?”
“I don’t…” I take a deep breath. “I guess I don’t know.”
With his mouth ticked up on one side, he points out, “For a girl who loves to tell me that I should fight for what I want, you sure do roll over easy when it comes to your own dreams. But I don’t want to push you into doing this if it isn’t what you really want.”
“I can’t act,” I argue.
“You just had two very important people in the film industry tell you otherwise. What’s your next excuse?”
“Milo––”
“Will be so damn proud of you for going after your dreams.”
“And you?” I whisper. “Is this what you want? I feel like I’d be riding on your coattails––”
“Bullshit. Sure, I might’ve gotten you the audition in a roundabout way, but you got yourself the part. You. Reese Anders. And I’m just the lucky bastard who gets to cheer you on and see how bright you shine.”
His confidence is contagious, though it doesn’t stop my stomach from churning. Rocking back on my heels, I look up toward the ceiling before collapsing onto the couch.
“Am I really doing this?” I ask, my voice laced with disbelief.
The couch sinks under River’s weight as he sits down next to me. “I sure as hell hope so. That way, we can travel together, work together, have sex in our trailers together.” He bounces his eyebrows up and down. “You get the idea.”
I roll my eyes. “Well, when you put it that way, how can I say no?”
His eyes widen in shock. Like he can’t believe I said yes and is speechless.
“Is that a problem?” I joke, wringing my hands in my lap.
He grabs my wrist and stops me from fidgeting. “You serious?”
“Yeah.” I take another deep breath and nod while ignoring the sudden onslaught of butterflies attacking my stomach. “I’m serious.”
With a holler of excitement, he pulls me against his good side and kisses the ever-loving shit out of me. Like I’m his air. His other half. His everything.
“I love you, Floozy.”
“I love you, too, Sex God/Master of Orgasms. And I think I’m gonna love all the adventures we have together.”
“Damn straight?” he challenges.
I nod and blink back my tears of happiness. “Damn straight.”
Epilogue
Reese
“This is insanity. You know that, right?” I mutter under my breath as the limo pulls up to the curb. Flashing lights threaten to blind me through the tinted glass, so I squeeze my eyes shut. Thankfully, there are a few limousines in front of us. I have a bit of time to breathe and get my anxiety in check before the hoard of cameras can document it firsthand.
With a gentleness I’ve come to expect, River rests his hand on my upper thigh. “Just breathe, Reese.”
“Breathe? That’s all you have to tell me? Dude. We’re at a freaking red carpet event with paparazzi and cameras and news people and––”
“You’re cute when you’re stressed,” he quips before planting a quick kiss against my forehead.
I roll my eyes. “And you’re annoying when you’re not stressed.”
“Why are you stressed?” He laughs. “Gina told us about this months ago––”
“I know! But when it was just a blip on the calendar, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal.”
“And now?” he prods, brimming with amusement.
“Now, I’m freaking out! What if the critics or whatever don’t like my dress? What if I trip over my feet and look like an idiot? What if I say the wrong thing and a bunch of news people catch it on camera?” My eyes widen in panic.
“Reese. Calm down.”
“I don’t know how to handle being in the spotlight,” I whine.
“Then you probably should’ve considered that before you knocked it out of the park when you played Kristine.”
I glare back at him. “Har, har. Besides, we aren’t here to celebrate me and my acting skills, mister. We’re here to celebrate your award nomination. So, maybe you should’ve done a shittier acting job, eh?”
Clutching his chest, he feigns offense. “Harsh, Floozy. Real harsh. And don’t downplay your skills. Gina told us about you being in the running for best-supporting actress. Give yourself a little more credit. But I’ll work on making my acting a little shittier for the sequel so that you don’t have to come with me to these things. Mmmkay, pumpkin?” he teases, shrugging off my half-assed attempt at picking a fight. “Now, come on. Let’s get out there and make all of the other guys jealous.”