Page 16 of Keeping Happily Ever After

“You know I am.” He took her hand in his and twined his fingers through hers. “I would go with you if I could.”

“You should!” She jumped up and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Come with me. That’s a great idea. We could explore LA and the beaches. Maybe we could even go to Disney—”

“Bella.” He interrupted her softly. “You know I can’t do that, right?”

The light in her eyes dimmed a little.

“My life is in Glacier Falls, Bella. I can’t just drop everything and come with you.”

She dropped her chin to her chest. “I know.”

“Hey.” Jeremy reached out, put one finger gently on her chin, and tilted her head up so she looked at him again. “It’s okay, Bella. We’ll make it work. Besides, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?”

He didn’t believe a word of what he was saying, but maybe if he said it with enough enthusiasm they’d both start to believe.

An unshed tear pooled in the corner of her eye.

“Hey,” he said quickly, desperately hoping to keep her from crying. “Do not cry,” he commanded. “There is absolutely nothing to cry about. We should be celebrating.Bombshellis going to be huge and then you’ll be such a big movie star you can be like Steph and make your home right here in Glacier Falls and we can always be together.”

Even if he wasn’t buying into what he was saying—and he wasn’t—Bella seemed to be. And that’s all that mattered. He’d sort his own feelings out later.

“Do you believe me?”

She hesitated, but finally nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay?” He laughed. “Good.” Jeremy leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her nose. “Because I’m never wrong.”

She smacked him playfully and with the serious moment dissolved, Jeremy let the blanket fall away as he stood and reached for his clothes. He needed a drink.

“Would you like some more wine?” He turned, the glass in his hand already, and saw her nod.

Jeremy handed it to her. The last thing he’d wanted or expected was to have their evening take such a serious turn. He must remember that he needed to go easy. They were still new and their relationship was about to face a major challenge that most didn’t have to deal with, especially so early on.

“Do you know what I think?” He worked hard to keep his voice light and fun, exactly the way he wanted the rest of the evening to go. “I think we should toast. To us.”

Bella laughed. “You already toasted to us.”

“I don’t think it can hurt to do it again.” He winked. “Besides, we’re pretty awesome. And we’re going to keep being awesome throughout it all. I’m so excited for you.”

She clinked her glass to his. “Thank you for being supportive, Jeremy. I really appreciate it. All of this is so new and exciting, but also really scary and totally overwhelming all at the same time.” She took a sip of her wine and held it in her mouth before speaking again. “Thank you.”

He paused, his own glass halfway to his lips. “You don’t have to thank me, Bella. I couldn’t dream of being any other way.”

She moved so quickly, he almost spilled his wine all over the couch as she launched into his arms, but he caught her without spilling a drop. Her lips tasted sweet like wine.

“So,” he said when they were seated again. “Do you have any details about anything yet? All you’ve told me is that you got the role. When do you start filming? How long do I have you for?”

Bella shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Well, I know a few things. But not much.” She shrugged. “I do know that I’ll have to go—”

They were interrupted by the sharp ring of his phone .

Damn it.

Jeremy ignored it. Whoever was calling was not nearly as important as Bella.

---