Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
“Yes.”
“My favorite,” she said, her voice soft, hesitant.
Aah.
“Yes, Fern… I know.”
“How do you know that?”
“We live together,” he reminded her.
“It’s very thoughtful of you, but I’m sure Mike Holmes’s people know better than to forget something as major as an allergy. Besides, I can read labels, you know?”
“Not chancing it,” he maintained, inserting some steel into his tone, while continuing to hold the bar out toward her.
She pressed her lips together before reaching for it.
“Thank you.” She silently unwrapped her snack and took a bite, before saying, “It’s a miracle I lived this long without you there to monitor my sun intake and run peanut interference for me.”
The words, mildly spoken, were teeming with sarcasm and Cade fought back a grin at the little kitten scratch.
“I promised to protect you,” he reminded her. “It’s a full benefits package.”
She kept her eyes on the bar and picked a berry out of the granola with her nails to pop into her mouth, before muttering, “Not quite full benefits.”
He gaped down at her downcast head in shock, not certain he’d heard her correctly, but seeing her cheeks pinken beneath the artificial flush the make-up artist had already put there, confirmed what he’d heard.
He coughed awkwardly into his fist and was about to respond with something ill-advised, when a fuss at the door distracted them from their conversation.
It was the young production assistant, followed by several other people. The assistant—Tim—was talking a mile a minute, his voice filled with a reverence that had been markedly absent when he’d spoken with Cade and Fern.
And when the small crowd parted, to reveal the couple who were just entering the room, Cade could see why.
Well at least the audience were going to be richly rewarded after having to endure his and Fern’s boring segment.
Cade’s eyes dropped to his wife’s face, wanting to gauge her reaction to the new arrivals and he found her staring with wide eyes, face filled with the same reverence he could hear in Tim’s voice.
He had to admit, he didn’t enjoy seeing Fern in such awe of another man, even one as good-looking and undeniably charismatic as Trystan Abbott. The man was one of the biggest movie stars in the world right now, so her reaction was entirely justified, but yeah, he’d rather she not stare at the guy with such stars in her eyes.
He told himself it was because they were supposed to be pretending to be head over heels for each other here, but deep down inside he recognized that it was something a lot more basic and visceral than that. He was feeling territorial, and wanted to shove her behind him, pound his chest and growl mine at any and all who dare think otherwise.
It did help that the other man hadn’t even noticed them yet, he was too occupied with his own new wife, a solicitous arm around her waist, as he escorted her into the room.
Tim led them to the couch opposite Cade and Fern’s, still talking—well gushing really—a mile a minute. The guy seemed to have forgotten about Cade and Fern’s very existence because—after he’d gone through his spiel, gushed about how much he’d loved Abbott’s last movie, and secured a promise for a selfie with the star afterward—he left without sparing the Hawthornes a glance.
Abbott’s entourage had also disappeared—barring one massive sandy-haired guy who stood just inside the door, facing the room with hands impassively folded in front of him—which left the two couples staring at each other in curious silence for a quick beat.
“Tim must be new,” Abbott said, turning on the charm with effortless ease, as he leveled that instantly recognizable smile at them. “Usually, they introduce the guests to each other.”
“You’ve been on this show before?”
Both Trystan Abbott and his wife’s eyes reflected mild surprise at Fern’s question and Cade gave her a swift startled look, as he tried to see if she was being disingenuous or not. Even Cade, who didn’t follow the celebrity scene at all, had heard about how Abbott had stormed off Mike Holmes’s set a year ago. Which had been followed by that instantly viral interview where he’d publicly groveled for his now-wife’s forgiveness. But disingenuity wasn’t Fern’s style and all he saw in her eyes was genuine curiosity.
Abbott must’ve seen the same because he smiled gently and nodded.
“He’s been on Mike Holmes’s show a few times,” the small, pretty woman next to the actor informed with a warm smile. “I’m Iris by the way, and this is my husband Trystan. And the big, hot guy at the door is our muscle man, Chance.”
Fern threw an uncertain glance at the huge man and caught him rolling his eyes at the irreverent introduction before schooling his handsome features into impassivity again.
“Oh, gosh, I know who you are,” Fern said, her cheeks going bright red. “I love your book. I must have read it five times. Oh… and I know of you too, of course.” This last bit was tacked on awkwardly and directed at the world’s biggest movie star. “But I don’t really watch a lot of movies, I’m afraid.”