Page 93 of Just a Distraction

I care less about what I look like tonight and more about the fact that the production company who bought the movie rights toZehmadecided to fast track the movie. They’ve taken my story—my characters and world and everything—and have made a movie!

Even though we’ve been a part of this process for the last year, it still takes my breath away. My story has been brought to life on the screen and we’ll be watching it in less than two hours.

Incidentally, Mrs. Rose Hawkins Tate takes my breath away, too.

I can hardly even believe the whirlwind that has taken place these past eighteen months. We got married shortly after my book came out, and moved into a three-bedroom place off-campus in Chapel Hill. Callum has his own room, and I have an office in which to write book two in the Zehma and Balthor series.

Rose is nearly finished with her nursing classes. She’s doing her senior practicum now and is completing an internship at a kidney care facility in N.C. Memorial Hospital. She already has a job lined up in Denver that will start in a few months.

As for my writing career, sales of book one were so strong, right out the gate, that things for the movie fell into place in dizzying speeds.

And now, we’re in L.A. for a couple of days to attend the movie premiere.

The best part of it all? Callum’s mine now. I adopted him the moment the six-month post-wedding waiting period ended. And even though he’s been legally mine for a year at this point, I’vefeltlike his father a lot longer than that.

Is this real life?

“Are you about ready to go?” I ask my wife. “The family is taking the buses over and asked if we wanted to join them.”

And by “buses,” I mean the new top-of-the-line Volkswagen electric buses my parents rented for the occasion here in L.A. If you have the size of family I have, it only makes sense, since our parents, as well as all of our siblings and their spouses—from both sides—are here to support.

“Are you kidding? I totally want to roll up to the venue in one of those buses,” Rose says, her eyes glittering with tears. “I can’t believe this moment is finally here, Milo.” She takes another lick of her ice cream.

I shiver just watching her. Does she have any idea what she does to me?

“It doesn’t quite seem real, does it?” I ask.

“It’s like a fairy tale coming true.” She nibbles on the top of her cone. “Do you think Callum needs any help?” She cranes her neck to look past me into the bedroom behind me.

“He’s a determined kid,” I tell her. “He’ll come get us if he needs help.”

“It’s probably good those shoes don’t have laces,” Rose agrees.

I grunt my agreement. “You look beautiful, by the way.” I take my last bite and chew and swallow. I always eat faster than she does. “You ready for this?”

She nods and works on her cone. “I think I’m stress eating right now, to be honest.” She laughs. “And I know there’s a reception beforehand where they’ll serve food, but I’m like, if it’s fancy little cucumber sandwiches or something…well…I just need my comfort food beforehand.”

I brush my lips against her earlobe. “You do you, Rose.”

She shudders at my kiss. “Are you nervous? I mean, there are going to be cameras there and everything. And a meet and greet with the actors. And—”

“I’ve been nervous for a long time. But not at this moment. I’m enjoying the here and now with you.”

She only nods, her dangly gold earrings tinkling. She makes a funny face, sticking out her tongue before opening her mouth wide. She shoves the rest of her cone in her mouth.

It takes me a moment to process, probably because I get tripped up by my wife’s beauty and goofiness. She’s the total package…everything I could ever want and more.

But—

“Wait. You didn’t throw away the end of your cone—”

She’s still chewing, giggling, covering her mouth with her hands.

“Do you finally see how ridiculous that was? Think of all the wasted bits of cone over the years…”

She finally swallows. “Milo,” she urges, like I’m missing the punchline of a joke I didn’t even hear.

And then it hits me. “You don’t need to avoid the tip of the cone because…” I stop, inhaling a gust of air, knowing, with a skittering of awareness over my body, what this is.

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