Page 19 of Keeping Happily Ever After

“I’ll be there.”

With Papa’s house empty and ready for the new owners, they couldn’t stay there and with their relationship still pretty new, she hadn’t wanted to impose on Jeremy for too long, so along with her mother, they’d rented a small cottage to use for the time being. If she was going to keep coming into town, Bella was going to have to figure out a longer term solution, but that seemed like a problem for later.

“Are we going, or not?” Papa yelled from the car, making both Bella and her mom laugh.

“You better get going,” Bella said. “I think someone’s excited to get to his new place.” She shook her head as her mother returned to her car and pulled away from the curb. Papa didn’t even look back as they drove off.

Bella stood there another minute and was just about to get in her car and make the last trip to the donation center when her phone rang.

Lewis’s name and number appeared on the call display. Bella quickly pushed the button to accept the call.

“Lewis?”

“Are you sitting down?” her agent said without preamble. Bella shook her head, but didn’t have a chance to tell her she wasn’t, in fact, sitting down when Lewis continued, “It’s been announced.”

“What has?”

“The movie. The cast.You.”

“Me?”

Lewis laughed. “I love how completely unaware you are.”

Bella shook her head and tried not to be offended.

“The studio made the official announcement on the casting,” he said. “I’m going to try to have everything run through me and Michael, so—”

“Michael?”

“Your publicist.”

“I have a publicist?”

“Trust me,” Lewis said seriously. “Youwanta publicist. He’ll be in touch with the interview requests, but no doubt some will sneak past and try to get to you directly. If that happens, just let us know and—”

“Interviews? Get to me directly?” Bella spun around slowly, scanning the snow-covered street looking for what, or whom, she wasn’t sure. But she had the sudden unsettling feeling that someone was about to pop out of a snowbank with a camera pointed at her. “What are you talking about?”

“Bella? Hang on tight,” Lewis said happily. “Because you’re about to go on a wild ride.”

The last few days after Charlotte’s phone call had been intense. The moment he’d heard his sister’s voice on the line, everything else faded away. It had taken him a few minutes to calm Charlotte down enough that he could actually understand what she was saying.

When Bella returned to the living room with crackers, he shrugged an apology and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

She was so sweet and understanding. She’d kissed him on the cheek, letting her lips linger a moment before excusing herself to the bedroom so he could have some privacy. They’d finally been able to resume their date and they’d watched an old romantic comedy on the couch afterward, but he couldn’t hide how distracted he’d been. He definitely couldn’t tell Bella what was happening. Not until he knew for surewhatexactly was happening. And even then, Charlotte had sworn him to secrecy. She was so embarrassed that she’d let herself get into such a situation. Besides, the last thing he wanted to burden Bella with on the night she’d gotten the best news in her life was the details of Char’s situation. Jeremy felt terrible about all of it, but…he’d make it up to her.

But first, he had to help his sister.

As it had turned out, there’d been nothing Jeremy could do right then for Charlotte. She’d made the call in the middle of the night from the bathroom, when she’d been sure Billy was sleeping.

She was scared of her boyfriend, just as his dad had thought.

Scared.

His brave, strong, untouchable big sister. The very thought of some asshole laying a hand on her, making her scared in any way at all, made him see red.

He had to fight the urge to fly across the country and teach the jerk a lesson. No one messed with his sister.

“No!” Charlotte spoke firmly. It had been the first strong thing she’d said since he’d gotten her on the phone. “You can’t come. It was so bad after Mom and Dad left and—”

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