Page 24 of (Un)Expected

“I can’t tell anyone the truth?” I asked. “Not even my best friends? I know them. They would never say anything.”

“No one.” Theo shakes his head. “That’s the only way to make certain the plan works.” He turned his attention back to Adam. “That brings us to Cole.”

Adam instantly tensed. “What about him?”

“You can’t tell him about this.”

“Not gonna happen,” Adam snapped. “I don’t keep shit like this from him.”

Theo ran his hands across his face. “Do I have to remind you about the Santa Monica incident?”

Adam’s face instantly fell. “Point taken.”

My head volleyed between Theo and Adam, trying to pick up on their conversation. As they debated what Cole could know, I sat back in my chair, staring out at the lake from the window.

How the hell did I even get here? A couple of days ago, I was living a completely normal, albeit boring, life, and now, I was sitting with a movie star, contemplating playing his fake girlfriend.

The more we discussed the plan, the more absurd it seemed.

No one, and I did meanno one,would buy that Adam and I were a real couple. Hell, we didn’t have enough chemistry to make itthrough one lackluster kiss. How in the hell was anyone supposed to believe we were in love?

Adam might have had dozens of films under his belt, but my acting experience was limited to the Spring Musical in the third grade. There was a reason I was assigned to the stage crew in the fourth.

Adam took my hand. “Alex, you do not have to do this. We will find a way to fix this mess. You don’t need to get involved.”

Great, that worked for me. Where was the door again?

But before I could stand up, I met Adam’s eyes, recognizing hurt and hope lurking in them. Every time I thought my heart couldn’t break anymore for the man, it did a little more. To the outside world, he had it all, but now, after getting to know the real man behind Adam Rice’s brand, it was clear he was lonely. He was almost entirely alone except for the people he paid. Cole was the only one who seemed to have his back out of loyalty.

The whole situation still made me nervous, and I hated the idea of putting myself in the spotlight. As much as I wanted to help Adam, there were some risks I wasn’t willing to take.

But even as I told myself all the reasons this was a terrible idea, I couldn’t bring myself to say no. Instead, I sighed, shifting in my chair. “Can I think about it?”

“Of course,” Theo said. “Just don’t take too much time. We want to get this matter settled before filming begins in a couple of weeks.”

I nodded, standing from my chair as Adam did the same. He walked me to the front door, barely waiting for Theo to call out goodnight before ushering me outside. As soon as the cold breeze hit my skin, breathing became a little easier. The last half an hour had felt like a fever dream.

“I’m sorry about that,” Adam muttered as we walked back to my car. “I promise, I did not know this was the direction Theo was going to go.”

Turning to face him, I asked, “What do you think about it?”

“It seems like a very strategic and thought-out idea.”

I rolled my eyes. “Adam, this isn’t a press junket. Between you and me, how do you feel?”

“Exhausted,” he answered, letting his mask drop for a second. “I’m so tired of putting on an act and being the man everyone wants me to be, tired of having to ask for permission to live my life. That was why I had so much fun with you: I could be myself. But if we decide to do this…”

“Then it all goes back to being an act,” I finish for him.

“Exactly,” Adam said. “I hate the idea of lying to everyone, especially Cole, but at the same time, I selfishly like the idea of doing this with you.”

“Well, I am pretty good company.” I smiled at my own quip. “If I agree, will you tell me who the other two girls were?”

“Nope,” he said, crossing his finger over his chest. “I know better than to fuck with Theo and his NDAs. I swear, he’s going to be buried with them.” Adam stepped closer to me. “But seriously, Alex, there’s no pressure to say yes. If you want to give this a go, I promise we’ll make it worth your while. If it’s too much, then everything will go back to how it was before. Either way, we’re good.”

“Promise?”

“On everything I am.”

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