Page 1 of He's The Reason Why

Chapter One

Piper Bellamy, one-third of the former pop sensation The Bellamy Sisters, leaned toward the camera in her formal living room turned recording studio and beamed at her 150 million streaming followers.

“Good morning! First, I’m so sorry I won’t be able to stick around for the comments today. I know, I know. It’s your favorite part. Mine too. But wait until you hear why.”

She cherished theseWednesday Morning Coffee Chats.Connecting with her fans kept her grounded and sane, especially after her little sister, Della, had turned all their lives upside down by going solo. The people who stuck with her after that weren’t just fans of The Bellamy Sisters, they were Piper Bellamy super fans.

“Today is finally the table read forScorched. Can you believe it?” She put her coffee cup down because her wild gestures were putting it in serious danger of spilling over. “I can’t believe we’re finally moving forward on this. When they cast me, what, almost two years ago now? Wow, time flies. Anyway, I was so excited to get started. That was all thanks to you, by the way. I’ve mentionedit a thousand times but one more can’t hurt…if you hadn’t put up that Twitter campaign, I’d never have been cast. So thank you, thank you, thank you, a million times.

“Then, as you know, there was the writer’s strike, and a problem finding the right leading man. But now, finally,finallywe’re getting started. Today is the first read-through, where we go through the whole script with everybody at one time. Some of us have also spent the past six months practicing some of the big songs, and you know I’ve put some quality time in the studio, but everyone will be there today, from the director, Tamar Shurer, to Paul Lester, the producer, to…wait, am I allowed to say this? I hope so because I’m going to…Blake Ryan!”

She almost squealed his name, she was so excited.

“He just signed on to play Prince Jesse a couple of weeks ago. They probably haven’t even announced that yet.”

She put a finger to her lips. “Shh don’t tell anybody, okay? Can you say fourth time’s a charm? I can’t believe they didn’t pick him first because I can’t imagine anyone else being so perfect for this part. Sexiest Man of the Year, hello! Plus, I get to meet Gina Paige, Jeremy Graham, and Rachel Morris. Seriously, it’s a huge,hugeday for me. A giant step forward into something new and different. Can’t wait to see what working on an animated movie is like.”

Piper gave her audience a wave and a big smile. “I promise I’ll check in on the comments later and let you know how the day went. Bye for now, and remember…yourock! Wish me luck!”

She clicked the Stop button, checked to make sure the video uploaded to all of her streaming platforms, then carried her coffee to the kitchen.

Call time was eleven a.m., which left her forty-five minutes to get to the studio. While it gave her plenty of time, she didn’t want to be late. Not today. She needed to get going.

She was halfway to the kitchen when she heard the code beingentered into the front door security lock. Romi Mizrahi, her friend, bodyguard, and head of security, probably just wanted to check in before Piper left for the day.

The door opened, and a tall, lanky blonde wearing strategically ripped denim shorts, a white crop top, and red-stitched ankle boots bopped through the door like she owned the place.

“Della!” Piper did a double take, then narrowed her eyes at her youngest sister. “What are you doing here?”

“Good morning to you too,” Della said, looking offended. She dropped her red handbag onto the entry table and held her arms out wide. “I want to give you a hug.”

Piper submitted to her sister’s over-enthusiastic greeting, then led the way to the kitchen. “You should have called first. I can’t stay, I have a meeting.”

“I know, silly, that’s why I came.” Della looked around the kitchen like she’d never seen one before, then meandered far too casually toward the coffee bar.

Piper watched her sister over the edge of her coffee cup and did her best to hide her irritation. Della had shown up this morning with a too-sunny smile that Piper didn’t trust for one second.

“Explain to me again why you need so many coffee makers?” Della poked a button on the drip coffee maker, then quickly poked it again when it started to gurgle.

“Explain to me again why you’re here,” Piper countered. She tapped her phone to double-check the time. “I have to leave in fifteen minutes, okay?”

Della flicked the espresso maker on. “You said today was the run-through. That’s huge, right? I just wanted to wish you luck. Is that a bad thing?”

“Not exactly, no.” Piper watched her sister wrestle with the machine for a few amusing seconds before helping her sort out a shot of espresso for her latte. “But you could have done that overthe phone or by text. Showing up in person this early feels like there’s strings attached.”

“That’s just mean.” Della pushed her lips out in a fake pout.

“Not if it’s true.” Piper added frothed milk and vanilla flavoring to the coffee before she handed it to Della. “Is it?”

“Of course not.” Della pointed at the large family photo on the wall.

It had been taken at Belhurst Castle, the inn their oldest sister, Lizzie, operated, just after Lizzie’s wedding two months ago. Lizzie glowed in the center next to her new husband, Jackson Renic, and surrounded by her sisters.

“That picture came out great. Usually, bridesmaids’ dresses look so hideous, but I actually wore mine again to that dinner thing last month. What did you do with yours?”

Piper stared at the photo. “I shoved it in the back of my closet with all the other costumes.”

Lizzie’s wedding had been classy and elegant and filled with love. For the first time in a long time, they’d felt like a family again. It made her smile every time she looked at that picture.

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