Chapter 26
Griffin’s performance in Accidentally in Matrimony was incredible. But it’s the words he just said off-screen that steal my breath.
“You’re falling for me?” The words barely come out in a whisper, making me sound as stunned as I feel.
“I th—”
“Sorry to interrupt,” the movie director says, “but I need you and Brittany for the Q&A session.”
Griffin turns to me, rubbing his hand up and down my arm. “I’m sorry.”
“Go.” A smirk tugs at my lips. “Besides, I have more questions for Rhett.”
“Of course, you do.” He kisses me, soft and slow. “I’m yours for the rest of the night.”
I pull back, smiling at him. “I like the sound of that.”
Griffin leans in close, his lips brushing my ear. “We’ll continue our conversation then, too.” He walks away but glances back over his shoulder, shooting me the crooked smile I’ve come to love.
I sigh dreamily as I step closer to Rhett.
“He looks good tonight.” I’ve seen Griffin dressed up in photos, but seeing him in a suit in person is a sight to behold.
“I mean, the way the top of his shirt is unbuttoned.” I fan my face.
Rhett laughs, and I grimace. “Sorry, I shouldn’t talk to you like you’re one of my girlfriends. ”
He extends his elbow to me, leading me to a bar table. “I’m always down to yap. At least, I think that’s what the teens call it these days.”
“I appreciate you standing in.” I clasp my hands in front of me, twiddling my thumbs. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Is it possible to settle down in this industry?”
Rhett nods. “Lots of people do.”
“Successfully?”
“I guess that depends upon what you consider successful.” He blows out a breath.
“I think a relationship with a celebrity is just like any other. The falling in love part is easy. Exciting. The staying together and putting in the effort to make your relationship work is the hard part.” Rhett leans his elbow on a bar table.
“Then you add in the paparazzi taking pictures of you wherever you go, and everyone speculating about your relationship. It just means you have to work harder for it. But if you find the right person, the effort is worth it.”
My chest constricts. I never thought I’d be considering signing up for a life in the spotlight.
I’m just a teacher. Heck, I wasn’t even on social media before this.
But if I choose a future with Griffin, I’m in for a life where we’ll always be stopped in public.
Where people will always speculate about our relationship if we aren’t seen together often or posting pictures frequently enough for their liking.
I swallow down the lump in my throat. “What about when he’s filming a movie? Or flying to events like this? How do you survive everything the media is saying when you’re apart for weeks or months at a time?”
I don’t know how often my teaching schedule would allow me to visit him while he was filming or in LA for events. Would I even be allowed to visit him on set? I don’t know how this kind of thing works. I don’t know how anything in the movie industry works.
My palms turn clammy as I think about all the roadblocks ahead if Griffin and I decide to try to make a future together work.
“I’m not speaking from experience here, but from what I’ve witnessed, it all boils down to two things: trust and love.
If you trust and love each other, you’re going to do just about anything to make the relationship work.
And you can weather any storm together because of the foundation you’ve built your relationship on. ”
Rhett makes it sound simple. But the thought of spending months apart from Griffin at a time feels anything but that.
I cross my arms on the table, ready to change the focus of the conversation to him. “You seem to know a lot about making relationships work for someone who doesn’t have a girlfriend. Why doesn’t some lucky girl already have you locked down?”
He runs a hand through his dark-blond hair, making it stand up in a messy way that somehow doesn’t look bad.
“I was focused on getting my music career started, which didn’t leave much time for relationships.
Once I made the time to date, most of the girls I went out with only did it to make a name for themselves, get their five minutes of fame.
I want someone who wants me for me, not my fame. ”
“You deserve that.” I grab a dumpling from a passing waiter. “I can only imagine how amazing the love song album you’ll make will be once you’ve found your person.”
“Does that mean you like my music?” Rhett pops a bacon-wrapped shrimp into his mouth.
“I may be a Rhettinator.”
“No kidding.” He smiles. “I’m honored, thank you.”
I shake my finger at him. “We’re going to find you a girl so you can write the best country love songs of all time.”
He shrugs. “I’ll take any help I can get.”
We talk until Griffin is finally done with all his obligations and rejoins us. He kisses my temple. “What do you say we get out of here? I know it’s been a long two days.”
I yawn. “Sounds good to me.”
Rhett closes the distance between us and pulls me in for a hug. “It was wonderful finally meeting you after how much Griffin has talked about you for the past three years. You always have a place to stay if you visit Nashville.”
“Thanks.” I squeeze him back. “The same goes for you in Louisville.”
He moves to Griffin next, pulling him in for a bro hug. “Don’t mess this up, dude. You found yourself a good one.”
Griffin smiles at me over his friend’s shoulder. “I know I did.”
We say our final goodbyes and head out the back door to the car. Brittany is standing on the sidewalk and waves when she sees us. “It looks like we had the same idea.”
“Avoiding the paparazzi?” Griffin gives her a side hug.
“Exactly.” Brittany opens her arms to me, and I fold into them like we’re old friends. “How’d you enjoy your evening?”
“It was fun to see Griff in his element.” I run my hand along the side of my dress. “And to feel like a princess for the night.”
“What’d I tell you?” She smirks. “He couldn’t keep his eyes off you all night. I’ve never seen that man so distracted.”
“Hey,” Griffin cuts in. “You’re giving away all my secrets.”
“If the fact that you find your girlfriend attractive is a secret, then you have bigger things to worry about.”
He shakes his head, stepping closer and settling his hand on my lower back. It’s starting to get chilly as the weather drops into the high fifties, though it’s not even close to the kind of winter temperatures I’m accustomed to. But Griffin’s hand feels warm and sure.
“Mallory knows just how gorgeous I think she is.” He brushes his free hand along my chin, turning my head to face him.
“Don’t you, beautiful?” His eyes dip to my mouth.
I bite my bottom lip, and his hand on my back draws me closer.
The romantic tension between us hangs in the air like a thick fog, palpable and unignorable.
Brittany looks between us with a grin. “You two have a fun car ride.” She winks at me. “And a safe flight home tomorrow. Griffin has my number. Let me know if you’re ever back in the area, and we’ll get brunch or something.”
I wave to her, unable to find words with Griffin looking at me like that. After she leaves, Griffin’s driver pulls up. We slide into the car, and Griffin slides up the divider between us and the front seats.
The moment we’re fully alone, he turns to me. He trails his fingers along my ankle, my calf, and thigh before settling them on my hip. He reaches over, cupping the side of my face with his other hand.
The way his eyes soften as he looks at me makes me feel like I’m precious.
Not an object to be won, but the prize he’d spend his whole life striving for.
“To answer your earlier question, I think I’ve been falling for you ever since I met you.
” His voice is low and husky. “I never had a chance of stopping it.”
My heart pounds in my chest. I’m still processing my own feelings and what a future between us would look like. But there’s one thing I know for certain: hearing him say he’s falling in love with me makes me happy. Like front-row-at-a-Taylor-Swift-concert-with-my-besties kind of happy.
“Griff, I—”
He presses a finger to my lips. “You don’t have to say anything.
I didn’t say I’m falling for you because I needed you to say it back.
I said it because it’s become such a large part of me that I couldn’t not say it.
It’s like going up to someone I just met and not telling them that I’m Griffin Reynolds or an actor or falling for Veronica Mallory Porter. It’s just who I am.”
A tear leaks from my eye at his last words. I never knew I could be loved so deeply by someone. Sure, my friends and family love me, but this kind of love feels different. I feel pursued, understood, and cherished on a level that no one else has ever shown me.
He wipes away the tear with the pad of his thumb. “Don’t cry, beautiful.”
“It’s the good kind,” I assure him.
Griffin wipes his brow. “That’s a relief. Because if I told you I was falling for you and you were crying sad tears…I’d probably become a hermit or an old man who sits on his front porch yelling at the neighborhood children to stay off my lawn.”
“How would you become an old man so quickly? Is there a Hollywood secret to aging that fast?” I laugh.
“I don’t know, but I’d find a way.” He smirks.
“Well, then it’s a good thing I wasn’t crying sad tears, because I’d hate for you to deprive the world of your handsome face in many movies to come.”
His smile falls, and he sits back in the seat.
“Did I say something?”
“There’s something I need to tell you.” Griffin clears his throat. “I wasn’t planning on telling you so soon after saying I was falling for you, but I need to be honest.”
I lean forward, bracing for whatever bomb he’s about to drop.
“You mentioned seeing my face in many movies to come, and that might be a little sooner than expected.”
I blink. “What do you mean?”
Griffin’s eyes are full of pity. “Yesterday, when I was at my meeting with Karina, the director of The Heartless Prince called.”
“Griff, that’s great,” I exclaim, squeezing his arms. “Did she want you to audition?”
“I actually auditioned for her yesterday. It was all very spur of the moment.”
My mouth drops open. “Seriously?” He nods, and I pull him in for a hug. “Congratulations! I know this is your dream role.”
“It’s everything I’ve been working toward.” Griffin presses his lips into a firm line.
“Then why don’t you sound excited?”
“Because if I get the role—and according to Karina, I’m at the top of a short list—it would mean leaving Louisville sooner than expected.”
I take a deep breath, finally understanding his hesitation. “Leaving me.”
He winces. “Yeah. They won’t start filming until summer, but I would have to go to LA for strict physical and combat training for the movie.”
“I’m so happy for you.” I am, even if the thought of him leaving makes me heartbroken. Even if all I want is for him to tell me that he wants me to come with him, or that he still will prioritize our relationship.
But why would he do that when I can’t even admit that I think I’m falling for him too?