Page 155 of Reel Love

~THE END~

Epilogue

ALANA: ONE YEAR LATER

I'd be crazy not to turn my life

upside down and marry her.

~ You've Got Mail

“I have everything, Mother. I’ll see you and Dad at the premier.”

I pace my apartment, while Brigitte watches me like she’s at Wimbledon. Her head swivels to the left. I turn. Her head pivots toward the right. I walk the length of the couch and spin to walk the other way. Brigitte’s gaze follows me, back and forth, back and forth.

Brigitte stands and snatches the phone away from me. “Angelique, hi! It’s me, Brigitte.”

I’m stunned, but also amused.

I don’t hear my mother’s answer, but then Brigitte says, “Right. Right. Yes. Of course. I’ve got her and all the things she needs.” She pauses. Rolls her eyes. “Angelique, have I ever let you down?” Brigitte smiles at me and waves her hand, shooing me toward my kitchen where I set my glass of water.

“That’s right,” Brigitte says. “And I will never let Alana down. Now go get pampered so you can look your best tonight. We’ve got everything covered onour end.”

I take one more sip of water and then I walk back over to Brigitte, stick my hand out and stand with my other hand on my hip so she knows I mean business. I appreciate her trying to smooth the waters with my mother and shield me from any additional stress with my premier forOnly the Remnantonly hours away. Still, if I’ve learned anything over the past year, it’s that I need to stand up to my mother, especially when it comes to my personal life.

A month after the talk show appearance with Sharla Gibson where Stevens showed up unexpectedly to take his place in the public eye as my boyfriend, my mother finally caved and called me. Stevens and I continued to date, while the media eventually tired of following us and commenting on our every move.

Of course, Mother and I saw one another at the premier forBlasted. I brought Stevens and he walked the red carpet by my side. Bringing him made a statement—to my mother, the press, my fans, and most of all, to Stevens. My mother was civil, but we still hadn’t spoken outside of our public appearances together.

She went radio silent for a week after the premier while the press publicized photos of me and Stevens on every tabloid, celebrity news outlet, and gossip site. Some stories were extremely positive and some were smears. I tried to avoid most of them and let Brigitte act as my filter.

When my mother finally called, she brought up an event she wanted me to attend. She dove right into her agenda as if nothing had been amiss, not Sharla’s show, not Stevens attending the premier, and certainly not the fact that I was falling deeply in love with a marine biologist who had no desire to share the spotlight except if he could soften the blow for me and stand by my side to celebrate my work.

“Mother?”

“Oh. Alana. You’re back. Brigitte didn’t even say goodbye.”

“Right. Sorry. She’s handling something for me. I just wanted to see if there was anything else you needed before we hung up.”

“Nothing big. I just wanted to tell you Rex will be at yourpremier as your father’s and my guest. He’s coming alone—to support you.”

“Mother.”

“Alana, dear. I know you’ve had your fun with this fisherman. It’s definitely run its course. You’ve made your point.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, look over at Brigitte and let out a long sigh. “I must not have made the actual point I intended to make.”

“What point is that, darling?”

“I’m choosing him, Mother. I choose Stevens. He’s an amazing man—a marine biologist, actually, not a fisherman or whatever else you’ve called him. Not that there would be anything wrong with him being a fisherman. He has multiple degrees. He’s brilliant. But beyond all that, he’s kind and thoughtful, and he’d do anything for me. And I love him.

“Do you remember when you said love was nothing to build a life on?”

She’s silent, so I keep talking. “I feel all those things you described—for Stevens. And my feelings for him aren’t going to diminish or go away. They’ve actually grown over the past year. I can’t imagine a day my face won’t break into a smile at the sight of him. For the first time in my life I found someone I can fully trust and be my whole self with.

“He would die before he’d let anything horrible happen to me. And if something sneaks by him and tries to level me, he’ll be there, walking through the shrapnel with me. He stood by me before he even knew I would be his. And this whole year that you’ve kept your distance outside our shared public appearances, he’s been with me, right next to me, or cheering me on from his place in the shadows.

“I will never throw the man I love under the bus. I’m not going to a premier with Rex, even if he’s my co-star again in the future. I’ll do the requisite photo shoots and appearances, but I’ll make it clear Stevens is my boyfriend through it all. And if it comes down to sparing Stevens any pain or embarrassment, I’llsacrifice a movie or any other fame or position in this world to support and protect him. Because that’s what love does.”

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