Cheryl raised her eyebrows. “Are you saying there’s a wedding in the future? This is breaking news.”
“Hold on, hold on.” Scott put his hand up. “I think Emmy’s just trying to help me out.” He turned to his co-star.
“Because if that’s the case, hearts are breaking all over the world this morning.” It looked as if Cheryl might have one of those broken hearts.
Scott leaned forward. “No wedding to discuss right now. Actually, I do have an announcement I’d like to share, Cheryl. Not marriage related.” He winked.
“An announcement? We can’t wait to hear what it is. But first, let’s get this commercial break out of the way. We’ll be right back with Scott Sullivan and Emmy Harper, stars of Love & Bondage.”
“She’s really dragging this out.” I waited while Scott fast-forwarded through the commercials.
“Yep. Cheryl is dramatic. Ok, here’s the good part.” He pushed play.
Cheryl smiled onscreen. “If you’re just joining us, we have a special treat for you. The stars of Love & Bondage, Emmy Harper and Scott Sullivan, are here with us to discuss the most talked about movie of the year and hopefully give us some behind-the-scenes secrets we’ve all been dying to hear. But first, right before the break, Scott, you said you wanted to share an announcement. Why don’t we start with that?” She turned toward him.
He shifted in his seat. “This is a project I’m excited to finally talk about. It’s been in the works for quite some time and now, with the movie out, I can share with all of y’all.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve made the decision that Love & Bondage is going to be my last movie for a while. I’m starting my own production company. I’m going to have more of a secondary role. Try my hand helping screenwriters, producers, directors.”
“That’s quite an announcement.”
“Yeah, I know it’s big news. But I’ve wanted to try some other creative outlets for a while, and let’s face it, what better way to go out than as Jared Love?” He looked at Emmy.
“True. True.” Cheryl seemed to be struggling with the news. “I can’t imagine how your fans are going to react to this.”
“You know Scott is going to be incredible behind the camera. I’m just hoping he’ll consider me for his first movie. I’m dying to be in it,” Emmy purred.
He laughed. “It’s yours, Em.”
“Will you two stay with us? We’ll return in a few minutes with the stars of Love & Bondage. Viewer questions are just pouring in. I think we all need a minute to let this soak in.”
The show’s music cued, Scott hit pause, and turned toward me.
I looked at him. “You really did it. You really retired. This is happening.”
“I really did it. It is happening.”
I threw my arms around his neck. “I love you.”
“And I love you.”
“How do you feel? Any regrets?” I nervously bit on my lip. “This is a huge life change.”
He looked around the room. “You kidding? Spending all my summers here with you at the beach, our falls and winters at the ranch? It’s a dream, baby.”
“Have you settled on the location for the studio?” We had spent hours with a U.S. map spread in front of us trying to decide on a location that would make sense for us when we were in Texas or North Carolina.
“Nah, I figure everything else has fallen into place, and that will too. Besides, I’m off this summer. Production company can wait until after my vacation. I’ll let Scott stress about all of that stuff. He’s good at stressing.” He pulled me into his arms.
“I still can’t believe this.” I listened to the words roll off his tongue, but no matter how many times he said it, I never thought it would happen.
“You want to watch the interview again? I just proclaimed to the entire world that I’m not starring in any more movies. I am done. Completely ready for my life with you.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. It was finally long enough to touch my shoulder again.
“And you’re positive you’re happy about this?”
“Completely.” He grinned. “But tell me, pretty girl, are you? Are you ok with our setup?”
I thought back to the night Scott’s father was in the hospital. I remembered the look of panic on his face, the pain in his mother’s eyes, the confusion Erica tried to muddle through. I knew then that no matter what happened, I was a part of that family. Scott was my family. The only way to make sure we stayed together was to make changes—big, life-altering changes.
I had to give up the next Blue Steel contract. Dalton agreed to let me submit songs, but no more exclusive deals with Reagan or Michael. I missed my writing sessions with Reagan, but we stayed in touch and shared lyrics through email. The writing was still a part of my life—it was only slightly altered.
I couldn’t let Scott be the only one to make sacrifices, and I couldn’t expect him to change completely. He needed excitement and he needed a change of scenery every few weeks. Bouncing back and forth between our two states gave him all of that. A little piece of home wherever we went, but not enough to let us succumb to the mundane. Cowboy seemed to like ranch life as much as beach life. Somehow we had managed to find the perfect dog in the midst of the chaos.
“I’m happy, Scott.”
“That’s all I wanted to hear.” He kissed me. “Can’t believe I had to remodel an entire beach house and give you your own closet at the ranch to get you to move in with me, but I guess it was worth it.”
I shoved his chest. “You moved in with me here.”
“Right, right. I guess so. We moved in together. How’s that?”
I smiled. Nothing had ever felt more right. “Perfect.” I kissed him. “So, can we really watch that interview again?” I rested my head on his chest.
“Yeah, let’s do that.” Scott hit rewind, then play.
I settled against him. Tonight I would spend loving my very own ex-movie star in our own private paradise on an island far from everything that didn’t matter. And nothing felt more right.
* * *
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