Page 63 of The Backup Bride Proposal

“It’s a hardship, but I’ll manage.”

She could get used to lying here next to him, to hearing his rhythmic breaths as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, listening to the storm outside.

Chapter

nineteen

Kane was surprisedthat Mae was up before him, which was before dawn since he had an early call. He figured she wanted to sneak back into the house before anyone else got up. Since her clothes were still wet and he didn’t have a dryer, he drove her back to the house wearing his T-shirt and a pair of his shorts, her damp clothes wrapped up in a plastic bag. He kissed her in the car, then lingered, watching her walk up the stairs and into the still-dark house. He knew he’d see her later since she was filming scenes with him today.

He drove back to the trailer, got dressed, and headed outside, taking in the cold morning air as he made his way straight to hair and makeup. Someone brought him coffee and a breakfast sandwich and he ate while they prepped him for his first scene. This was when he could read news and emails on his phone and relax before the day got started.

Mae showed up not too much later, dressed a lot differently than she had been when he’d dropped her off. He caught a whiff of her freshly showered scent as she walked by and smiled benignly at him.

“Morning,” she said.

“Hey, good morning. Sleep well?”

She blinked. “Yes, I slept great. How about you?”

“I was worn out. I slept like the dead.”

He caught the smirk on the makeup artist’s face in the mirror, so he knew whatever they were doing wasn’t some big secret. Not that he cared, but Mae might.

After hair, makeup and costume, they headed into the barn. It was only half set up because it was just him and Mae today. It was the scene of the night before the wedding, and the decorators got the ambiance down perfectly. Mae looked beautiful in a silver dress that clung to her curves.

She looked down at the dress. “This thing is stunning. I wish I was actually going somewhere in it.”

“I’d like to take you somewhere in it.”

She smoothed her hand down his suit, making his heart rate kick up like it did every time she touched him. “You look fancy. I could definitely take you out in public.”

He laughed. “Good to know.”

“Okay, you two.” Alexis had walked onto the set. “You ready to nail this scene?”

Mae nodded and Kane smiled at his director. “You got it.”

He turned to Mae. “How about a fancy dinner tonight? You open?”

“I’m definitely open.”

The way she looked at him made him forget where they were, that there were other actors getting into position for the scene. Time to clear his head and get through this. Then, tonight, he could have Mae to himself.

That thought sustained him as they worked through multiple takes of the barn scene. For some reason Alexis wasn’t satisfied, and he knew damn well it wasn’t him. And itcouldn’t be Mae, because her movement and timing had been impeccable, so it must have been the background players. Then again, sometimes Alexis just got into a mood and it was hard to satisfy her. He’d worked with her enough to know you just had to go with it until she was happy with a take.

It took almost until two before they finished that scene. Kane was never happier to take a break.

He walked with Mae back to the costuming trailer.

“What do you have up next?” she asked.

“Just a quick scene where I’m talking on the phone. It shouldn’t take long.”

“That’s good.”

“How about you?” he asked. “What does the rest of your day look like?”

“Busy. I have work to catch up on.” They walked up the steps of the trailer together, and the costumers immediately separated them so they could remove the clothing. When she came out, he was waiting for her and they exited the trailer together.

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