by M. Stratton
“Wow,” Hope said as she stepped through the front door. She didn’t stop until her nose was pressed against the door leading out onto the deck. “Seriously wow.”
“I can stand here all day watching the ocean change.” Lissa walked over, putting her arm around Hope. “Thank you so much for coming and helping out. It’s good to see you again.”
Hope turned and gave her a hug. “I’m the one who should be thanking you.” She turned back to the ocean. “Look at this.”
“Wait until you see what else we have on the schedule for the next three months. You’ll seriously see some amazing places.”
“I can’t wait. This is going to be so much fun.”
“Speaking of fun, Lissa,” Hannah said. “We should fill Hope in on everything before the guys get here.”
“Well, at least we’re telling her sooner than you told anyone.”
“Hey, now,” Hannah pouted. “I finally came clean.”
“Only because you were running out of time.”
“Blah, blah, blah.” Hannah stuck her tongue out at Lissa.
Hope looked back and forth between the two of them; her brow furrowed, trying to understand.
“See, you’re doing it again.” Lissa grabbed Hope’s hand. “Come on. Let’s sit down and we’ll tell you everything.” Once they were comfortable, she continued, “So, there are a few things we are keeping from the public, for now.”
“Really? I didn’t think that would be possible. Oh, you mean, like Hannah living next door with Royce?”
“Well, that’s part of it,” Hannah said. “The other part is the fact Royce and I were married in New Orleans earlier in the month.”
“Get out . . . You’re . . . you’re . . . married to Royce Rivers?”
“Sure am, and he’s feeling pretty proud of himself.”
“Wow.” Hope shook her head. “You both know I have a better vocabulary than that, but wow.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Hannah mumbled.
“There’s more?” Hope again looked between the two.
“Yes, there is.” Lissa took a deep breath. “Hannah isn’t the only one who’s married.”
“Wait . . . wait . . . are you saying . . . You . . . Will . . . married?”
“Yes, yes we are.”
“Wow. Dammit. That’s so amazing. I’m so happy for all of you! Both of you married. And to Will Martinsson and Royce Rivers no less. Wait!” She sat up straight. “Seriously, how long as this been going on? How have you been able to keep this a secret?”
“We’ve been really lucky so far,” Hannah said. “And really small weddings and confidentiality contracts.”
“I’m assuming you’ve at least told Christine.”
“Oh, yeah, we’ve totally learned our lesson.” Lissa and Hannah looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Hope shook her head. “You know I’m not going to be able to lie, or keep things from her.”
“I know,” Lissa said and patted her hand. “It’s okay. I won’t put you in the middle.”
“Whew.”
“Oh, and there’s one more thing . . .” Lissa paused. “I’m pregnant.”
Opening and closing her mouth a few times, Hoped looked at Lissa.
“Say something.” Hannah shook her shoulder.
“I’m . . . I’m trying to come up with something other than wow.”
Lissa laughed. “That’s okay. Wow works for me. I’ve said that at least a thousand times since I found out.”
“When are you due?”
“October 29th.”
“Halloween baby?” Hope asked.
“A girl can dream.” Lissa smiled. “Imagine the parties I’d throw for his or her birthday. Epic.”
“Wow, a baby. This is amazing.”
“Yes, it is,” Will said as he walked into the room. He leaned over and kissed Lissa, placing a hand on her belly. “And how is the little one today?”
“Junior’s fine, as far as I can tell. I can’t wait until I start to feel him move.”
“Or her.” He smiled into her eyes. “A little girl who looks just like you.”
“Or a little boy who has his father’s devilish grin.”
“Darling, you know there’s more to me than just a devilish grin.”
“Oh, yes I do.”
Hope leaned back toward Hannah. “Are they always like this?” she whispered.
“This is pretty tame for them.”
“Wow. They have a way with words, don’t they?”
“The author and the actor, yeah, just wait until he starts quoting Shakespeare to her. Ear porn.” Hannah whispered the last two words.
“Hannah, my hearing is quite good, thank you. I’ll have you know I was able to hear what you said.”
“You were meant to. William, where are your manners?” Hannah smirked at him and looked at Hope who sat there with her eyes wide, like a deer caught in headlights.
“Ahhh . . . beautiful Hope.” He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “Please forgive my lack of manners. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for coming to help Lissa.”
“Wow.” Hope shook her head. “I mean nice to meet you too, and no problem.” Her face turned red.
“Will, stop flirting. You’re embarrassing her,” Royce said from the other side of the room.
“You only wish you had that effect on women.” Will walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a water. “Go ahead.” He nodded toward Hope. “It’s your turn, be a pain in the arse.”
“That’s a pain-in-the-arse extraordinaire.” Hannah nodded toward Royce’s frowning face. “And he’s all mine.”
Royce leaned down as kissed Hannah quickly. “We’ll discuss my extraordinary arse later, but for now,” He turned toward Hope. “Sweet Hope, don’t let them soil your mind against me. I’m much more charming than that wannabe Shakespeare over there.” He picked up her hand, holding it between both of his he got down on his knees in front of her. Looking her in the eyes, he said, “Remember, I’m the good guy.”
“Wow.”
“Oh, stop it.” Hannah smacked him on the ass. “You’re going to make it to where she wants nothing to do with either of you.”
“Oh, my hard-hearted Hannah, you wound me.” Royce placed his hands over his heart.
“Yeah, well you’re the one who married me.”
“That I did.” He grinned, pulled her up and started dancing her around the room. “And I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
“Wow,” Hope whispered in awe. “Is it always like this?”
“They are actually on their best behavior.” Beau entered, walked right over to Hope, and simply shook her hand. “I’m Beau, and it’s going to be up to us to keep these four in line. Thankfully, once Royce disappears, we’ll be left with only two.”
“Hey!” Hannah grumbled.
“Oh, honey, I don’t count you. You’re a delight. It’s your worse-half who’s the trouble-maker.”
“See, I told you.” Hannah nodded to Royce. “You cause more problems than me.”
“Do you really want to go there?”
“No.” Hannah sighed. “Fine.”
“Anyway,” Beau said, “when we only have to deal with Will and Lissa, it will be much easier.”
“Great.” Hope gave him a small smile and he squeezed her hand.
“Really, don’t worry. They’re actors, larger than life. You’ll get used to it. Just wait until they start ‘rehearsing’ their lines at dinner. Now, that can be tedious.” Beau turned, headed to the kitchen and pulled steak out of the refrigerator. “Now, everyone out so I can cook.”
“Hey, wait.” Hope looked around. “Don’t you have an assistant, Royce?”
“I do. Eileen lives here in L.A.; besides, she says I’m too crazy to work with day in and day out. We do everything over the phone or by email. See? I’m not as high-maintenance as Will and Lis are.”
“Wow, really, Royce, you have to be kidding me.” Lissa stood up and g
lared at Royce before turning her back on him. “Come on, Hope. Let’s get you settled in your room, away from the loonies.”
“I prefer Goonies,” Royce said. “You know, the classic 80’s movie? No? Okay, well then, never mind.”
Shaking her head, Lissa kept walking down the hall and showed Hope the room she’d be in.
“Wow. Dammit, I feel like such a country bumpkin.”
“Oh, honey, it’s okay. You should have seen Hannah and me our first day here. We sent Beau out to get some groceries and we ran around from room to room looking at the view.”
“True story. I know there was no way I was going to keep count of how many times we said wow.” Hannah walked into the room. “And we did that in two houses. I’m sure everyone at the beach thought we were crazy running from one house to the other and then back again.” She looked at Hope. “We wanted to make sure we hit every room before Beau got back.”
“Then we had to act all cool and casual when he came back. ‘Oh, yeah, we’ve been sitting here all along.’ I don’t think he bought it,” Lissa said.
“Nope, he didn’t. He knows us too well.”
“What’s your schedule usually like? What can I expect for the rest of the day and tomorrow morning?”
“If their shooting schedule allows it, which is most of the time, we all eat dinner together. Then we either relax together on the deck, play a game, or watch a movie. Or sometimes Royce and I go back to our place and do the same thing. It’s all really casual. The guys have early calls in the morning. So they are gone early. I get up with Royce, Miss Thang over there sleeps in. Even before she was pregnant, she hated mornings. Now, don’t attempt a serious conversation until she’s been up and moving for a couple of hours.”
“Ha-ha . . . but sadly, she’s right. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not the easiest to get along with first thing in the morning. So Hannah and Beau are usually up before me and downstairs plotting their day. Once we’ve had our little morning meeting, I’m usually somewhere writing. Lately, it’s been on the deck down here, or the family room with the windows open.”
“We take turns cooking, so no one has to do it all the time. I’m warning you now, you’ll want to snack on the days Royce is cooking. He’s not bad, just not as good as the rest of us.” Hannah shrugged. “Well, it’s true, and he knows it too.”
“Oh, and they’re coming to the end of the shoot and are going to try to get most of the night shots done, so everything is going to be changing again next week. But we’re pretty casual here.”
“You all almost seem like a family,” Hope observed.
Lissa smiled. “We are. And now you’re part of ours.”
Tears filled Hope’s eyes. “You have no idea what that means to me.”
“I’m sorry you’ve lost everyone.” Lissa gave her a hug. “This is exactly what we all need.”
“Thank you,” Hope said.
“Well, so much for that. The cat is out of the bag, as they say. Everyone knows you are married. Both Will and Lissa, and Royce and Hannah.” Beau walked in and tossed his phone to Will to show him the website which was carrying the news story. “I’ve already been in contact with all of your PR people and they are releasing the statements we had prepared. The only thing they are holding back on now is Lissa’s pregnancy.”
“Have the local law enforcement been notified? It may get a little busy in front of the house and beach,” Will said.
“Yes, that was the other call I made. We’re all covered.” Beau paused as he heard a helicopter. “And it would appear not a moment too soon.”
Lissa held Will’s hand. “What is that going to mean for us, on a day-to-day basis?”
“You’re going to have people following you around more. I’m thinking when they discover you’re alone, without Royce or me.” Will nodded toward Hannah, “They won’t be as rabid to get a picture. Now, that may end up being a bit different for Lissa, since she’s also a bestselling author who has one movie coming out based on her books and another one in the works.”
“Do you think we should let them know Lissa’s pregnant?” Hope asked. “They might give her some space, or not be as aggressive if they know that.”
Royce shook his head. “No, some would respect that, but others wouldn’t. Besides, every photo is going to be analyzed a thousand times, they’ll speculate on any little stomach bump either one of you have.”
“Beau, I’d feel better if you’d make yourself available for the ladies, especially if they need to go out anywhere, and feel free to add security depending on where you are going.” Will nodded toward him.
“Already done. I have their schedule for the rest of the time we’re here.”
“So, no spontaneous trips to the store for ice cream?” Lissa asked.
“Not for you, little mother,” Will said. “We will make sure you have enough ice cream.”
Lissa crossed her arms over her chest. “You know I’m more of a homebody, but as soon as you tell me I have to stay home and not go out, that is when the need to go out is going to make me stir crazy.”
“Well,” he leaned down so he was face to face with her, “then we’re just going to have to see what we can do to distract you.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “You can’t be home all the time.”
He lowered his voice to a whisper. “No, but I can make sure you are so thoroughly ravished you won’t want to get out of bed for hours.”
“Promise?” She smiled at Will.
“Always.”
“Okay, okay, okay, enough of that,” Hannah said. “I have to agree with the female of the over-the-top-mushy couple. I know I’m going to go bonkers if I have to stay in all the time.”
“We didn’t say you had to stay in all the time. We all have to plan your outings now. You’ll get used to it.” Royce waved her off.
“You’ll get used to it he said. Ha. Want to bet on that, husband mine?” Hannah narrowed her eyes at him.
“Oh, hell no.” Royce held his hands up and backed away from her. “But look at it this way; you can wear your ring all the time now! And so can I.” He smiled and held his hand up, wiggling his finger at her.
“That’s not going to work on me.” Hannah crossed her arms.
Royce grinned and winked at her. “It was worth a shot.”
“How do you stand it?” Hope asked. She was looking out the glass door at the people who had started to gather on the beach with cameras pointed toward their houses. “I know based on the time of day and the lighting, they can’t see in here, but I still feel so exposed.”
“It’s easier for us. This is our life. We’re used to having cameras focused on our faces or people staring at us while we’re up on stage or out in public. If you listen to us, we’ll help you through this,” Will stated.
Lissa cocked her head to the side. “Is that your polite way of saying we really should take your advice?”
“What do you think, darling?” Will rubbed Lissa’s back.
“You know I hate asking Beau to do extra work because of me.”
“Oh, my Lord, Melissa Martinsson,” Beau sighed. “We’ve been over this before, what a hundred times? A thousand? You are not a burden. Please, I’m more than willing to help you.”
“Lissa, darling, it’s not only for you, remember. You’re also carrying our child. You are going to need more help. You might as well get used to it now.”
“But—”
“No buts, suck it up,” Hannah said. “We all are going to have to deal with this situation. You might as well sit back, kick your feet up and let us pamper you. Maybe it will keep me from going stir crazy.”
“Fine, but I don’t have to like it.” Lissa’s bottom lip trembled.
“Lis, I just want you to know you aren’t going to be the only one who’s suffering. I’m living with Betty Boxer here. She’s going to be unbearable.” Royce tried to lighten the mood.
“Oh, you can sleep on the couch if you want.” Hannah crossed her arm
s over her chest.
“Hannah, honey . . .”
“Don’t you ‘Hannah honey’ me.”
Royce smiled at her, “But I just did.”
Since Hope hadn’t been anywhere near a movie set, they spent the day with the men. It worked out well since Beau had things he needed to finish, and if he wasn’t catering to them, he could actually accomplish something.
They happened to be shooting the big action sequence at the end of the movie. Standing off to the side, Hannah noticed Lissa swayed a little. Casually putting her arm around her, she tried to hide her concern. She whispered in her ear, “Are you all right?”
“I’m not sure. All of a sudden, I’m so tired.”
“Let’s get you back to Will’s trailer where you can lay down for a little bit.”
“Yeah, that sounds good, but I don’t want him to worry.”
“I’ll have Hope stay here, and after I get you settled, I’ll come back here. Don’t worry.”
“Okay.”
Hannah frowned. Lissa typically wasn’t this easy going about someone giving her direction. Quickly, she whispered in Hope’s ear what they were doing.
As soon as the scene was over, Hannah and Lissa made their way off the set and across to Will’s trailer.
“Is your phone on silent?” Lissa asked.
“Come on.”
“Yeah, what was I thinking? Please make sure Will doesn’t worry about me. I’m just going to lie down. I’ll text you when I’m headed back to the set.”
“You just get your rest. We’ll be fine.”
“I know you will. Thanks.”
Hannah quietly closed the door behind her and was starting back when a voice stopped her in her tracks.
“Well, well, well, look who’s packed on a few extra pounds. Really, dear, you had more than enough to begin with. You might want to go on a diet.”
Hannah slowly turned around. “Well, Amanda, look who still doesn’t have a decent personality. Too bad they don’t sell those. You totally could buy one.”
“Doesn’t matter.” She spread her arms wide. “There’s no one here to listen to what I have to say to you.”
“Just get it over with. I’d like to watch my husband film this scene.”
“Oh yes, your husband, I heard about that. Wow, do you really think he’d be happy married to someone like you? You have no idea about this business. I give it six months before he leaves your sorry ass for someone else.” Amanda’s eyes shot daggers at her. “Like me. Do you know we laugh at you while we are naked in bed together? Every. Single. Time. He’s really a giving lover.”
