“So, you want to know what’s going on with me and Ryan?” I ask, his eyes narrowing at my annoyed tone.
“Carina, maybe now isn’t the time—”
“No.” I shake my head. “You wanted to know. You said no secrets, right? I’m fucking falling for him, Archer. I know it’s soon and it’s crazy. It’s crazy to me too, but—”
“I knew it!”
Lina’s little voice shouting triumphantly behind me causes me to jump. Archer winces as I feel the blood draining from my face.
“I tried to stop you,” Archer says quietly.
“Lina, bambina,” I start, scrambling for my words. Turning, I see both Lina and Ryan standing in the doorframe and looking at me wide-eyed. “I don’t know what you heard, but we should talk about this.”
The commotion in the garage has undoubtedly grabbed the attention of everyone in the kitchen. It’s only a matter of time until we have an audience.
“I’m going to let you guys handle this,” Archer says, chuckling awkwardly. “I’ll try to hold off the masses.”
Other than stepping aside to allow Archer to pass by, Ryan stays put.
The words I just spewed at Archer hang heavy in the air, but that will have to wait. Right now, I need to somehow convince my daughter she didn’t hear everything she just did.
“I heard that you loooove Ryan,” she says, her smile stretching from ear-to-ear as she turns to him. “Do you love my mom?”
“Lina! That is enough,” I scold before turning to face Ryan. “I’m so sorry. We can talk about this later, but right now I need to talk to her.” Then, I point to the open door, the lighting from the kitchen glowing behind Ryan. “March, little lady.”
I swallow as I pass Ryan, certain that his look of concern stems from the sound of my heart beating rapidly against my chest.
“Carina, wait,” he calls, following after us. He stops when he sees that every single member of my family is now crowded in the kitchen—along with his own brother.
I knew it wouldn’t take long for everyone’s attention to be on us.
“I do,” he says when his eyes find mine. “Like you said, it’s crazy. I don’t know how it happened, but, bloody hell. I do.”
“You do what?” I ask. But his confession starts to make sense as soon as the words leave my mouth. “Wait, you do?”
“He does what?” I hear my dad ask in the background.
“He loves her!” Lina says, squealing excitedly and clapping. “I knew it! I so knew it.”
28
Carina
“I still can’t get over yesterday.” My sister laughs as we walk onto the set for the first time together. “How did your talk with Lina go?”
After the spectacle Ryan and I caused at my grandparents’ house, we decided to take Lina out for ice cream. After spending an hour trying to find an ice cream stand open in October, we ended up at the grocery store, picking up everything we needed to make brownie sundaes.
As the brownies baked, Ryan and I explained to her that we’re still taking things slow, an explanation that was necessary after she asked when he was moving in. She’s so mature that, sometimes, it’s hard to remember she’s only eight. As far as she’s concerned, Ryan and I are in love, and that’s that.
Trying to get an eight-year-old to understand that things are still in the very early stages of our relationship, even if we might love each other, wasn’t exactly easy. By the time we were adding maraschino cherries to our sundaes, I think she mostly understood it though.
I look at Val and say, “Okay, I think. There will definitely be more questions, but that’s expected. This is uncharted territory. For her. For me. For Ryan.”
“Speaking of that hot Brit you’re shagging—”
“You do remember you’re married, right?” I laugh, shaking my head.
“Listen, just because I’m on a restricted diet doesn’t mean I can’t look at what else is on the menu.” Valentina winks before turning around and flashing the West brothers a bright smile. Too bright for eight in the morning if you ask me. “Don’t you worry. You know better than anyone, it’s the ginger I’m drooling over.”
She has a point there. Her husband is a redhead. Her celebrity crush is Ed Sheeran. Valentina has a type, that’s for sure.
“Good morning, ladies!” Alfie’s chipper greeting is just as nauseating as my sister’s smile. “What a beautiful day for a pilot shoot!”
Ryan hands me a white Styrofoam cup, studying me for a moment. Leaning forward, he plants a quick kiss on the side of my cheek.
“For those of us that aren’t morning people,” Ryan chuckles, pulling back. “There’s espresso.”
“You are my hero, Ryan West.” I smile, inhaling the robust smell of the double cappuccino from Roasted and Toasted.
“Wait ‘til you see what else he has for you,” Alfie beams. Nudging his brother with his elbow, he looks at him expectantly. “Well, come on. Give it to her.”
As he pulls a small envelope out of the inner pocket of his jacket, Ryan rolls his eyes. “I wanted to wait until after the taping today, but since my brother is an impatient wanker, this is for you. It’s from me, Alfie, and the entire network.”
Carefully tearing the sealed envelope, I pull out a small congratulations card, slowly opening it when I see paper sticking out of the closed card.
“Are these…?” I can’t even bring myself to say the words. A million different emotions flood through me as I try to process what I’m holding in my hands.
“Elton John tickets?” Ryan finishes before confirming that I’m not hallucinating. “Yes, love.”
The water building in my eyes begins to form into big, fat tears sliding down my cheeks.
“You guys,” I manage to choke out. “This is…this is so much. Too much.”
Ryan laughs, shaking his head. “Do you realize what’s happening today? It’s not enough.”
“I haven’t been able to see him in years,” I say, slowly getting a grip on the overwhelming surge of emotion. “I didn’t know if I would ever get to see him again.”
What I don’t admit is that I knew my bank account just wouldn’t allow for it. After Elton John had announced this would be his farewell tour, I entered every single radio contest to win tickets. I even spent thirty minutes on the phone with a car insurance agent, having zero intention of switching my insurance companies, in order to gain an entry to win two tickets.
“We’re really excited about this,” Alfie starts. “The show—not the concert. Although, if you need someone to go with you, I’m sure Ryan would join you. He listens to him all the time now. But, in all seriousness, hopefully this is the just the beginning of many pre-taping celebrations.”
The proud look on his face reminds me of the way Archer looks at me. Adoringly. Brotherly.
Our conversation is cut short by the opening of the warehouse doors and then it’s nonstop from that moment on. From sitting in hair and makeup, to introducing myself to every single person working on set, to the very first “Quiet on set!” called by the director.