Epilogue
Olivia
Hours after everyone has gone to bed, I’m wide awake in the room I’m sharing with Candace, staring up at the dark ceiling, still processing how it felt to see the completed film for the first time. While we were shooting it last winter, everyone kept saying we were making something truly special, but I had no idea how incredible it would be until I saw the finished cut.
Hayden and Jasper have created magic on film, and that I got to be part of that still amazes me. And terrifies me. The thought of losing the ability to move freely through my life is overwhelming to the point of panic.
I’ve never had a panic attack before, but I had a friend in high school who used to get them. They’re terrifying. My chest is tight, and my throat is closed around a lump of emotion that settled there at some point during the viewing and hasn’t let up since.
I’ll be shielded as much as possible by my brother-in-love, as Candace and I call him, and his team at Quantum.
But they can only do so much to protect me from the bomb that’s about to detonate in my life. It’s not like I didn’t know that would happen if I signed on to do a film with Quantum, especially in a starring role playing my fearless sister who survived a nightmare and ended up married to a superstar. The media has been ravenous in their coverage of the movie about Flynn Godfrey’s wife.
I got my first taste of the madness when I was cast to play Natalie.
The flood of attention was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Flynn has done everything he can to prepare me for what’s to come with the release, but I’ll be walking through the fire alone in many ways.
Candace turns over in our queen-sized bed. “Why are you staring at the ceiling?”
“How do you know I am?”
“After sharing a room with you for most of our lives, I can tell by your breathing that you’re not asleep.”
“That’s weird.”
“Stop deflecting. Why aren’t you asleep?”
“Why aren’t you?”
“That’s another deflection. I guess I’m a little stirred up after seeing it come to life on the screen.”
“Me, too.”
She reaches over for my hand. “You were so good, Livvy. So, so good.”
“Thank you.”
“I don’t know how you were able to get through some of it.”
“Any time it felt like too much for me, I reminded myself that Nat actually lived it. Her courage gave me the strength to power through the hard stuff.”
“That’s a really sweet thing to say. You should tell her that.”
“I will if I get the chance.”
“I don’t want you to be scared. No matter what happens, I’ll always be right here, and so will Flynn, Natalie and the others. You’re surrounded by an incredibly supportive family and so many friends who’ve been where you’re going and know how to help you through it.”
“Thank you for the reminder.”
“You’ve got this. We’ve got this. It’s going to be so fun and exciting and all the things.”
“If you say so.”
“I say so, and I’m the big sister, so I’m always right.”
I laugh and give her hand a squeeze. I’m so thankful to have her by my side on what promises to be a wild ride. “Hey, Candy Cane?”
“Ugh with that name.”
“It’s tradition.”
“What do ya want now?”
“Teddy texted to say Merry Christmas and he can’t wait to see me when I get home.”
“I thought that wasn’t going to happen?”
“I dunno. Maybe it is.”
“You need to make up your mind and put that poor guy out of his misery.”
I have to accept that Larkin is going to marry the gorgeous blonde he’s engaged to, and that he hasn’t given me a thought since we wrapped filming last year. We’ll be together again for weeks promoting the film, but that won’t change anything.
Candace is right. I’ve been leading Teddy on since he first hit me up, but after texting nonstop for days now, I need to decide one way or the other about whether I want to meet him in person.
I’ve got a lot to look forward to in the next few months. The last thing I need is romantic complications. But Teddy… He’s persistent. And kind. Not to mention sexy as hell. Plus, if the gossip sites are to be believed, he hasn’t been out with anyone else since we started talking. If he had, it would’ve made news. He’s already a pretty big star, and everything he does—and everyone he does it with—makes news.
My head is spinning as everything I dreamed about seems to be coming true at the same time. I hope I can handle what’s about to happen.
Watch for Oliva’s Quantum Series story MOMENTOUS, coming in 2026!