“Micah, I know it’s not the movie. You don’t have to pretend.”

He bent over to pick up the pillow that had fallen off the couch. “What do you mean?” He was afraid to find out the answer.

“I told her.” And Fudge’s tone said he didn’t regret it at all.

Micah’s eyes flitted from Lulu to his bodyguard. “What exactly did you tell her?”

Lulu’s face softened with compassion. “He told me everything, Micah. About Madalyn.”

If Micah could kill Fudge with a simple stare, he was sure this was the stare that would do it.

“I told her the truth. That you’re hung up on Maddie but you’re being an asswipe about it. Excuse my language, Lulu.”

Lulu smiled reassuringly. “You’re fine, Chris. From what you told me, I think asswipe is more than appropriate.”

Micah threw the pillow down onto the couch in complete frustration. “Why are you on his side? You didn’t even want me to stay here to work on her film.”

“I didn’t know you were in love with her. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What do you care about love?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You left your marriage, Mom. You chose your career over love.”

Lulu’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “No, I didn’t.”

“Oh, really?”

Lulu circled the couch and came to Micah’s side. “I chose to leave a bad marriage, Micah, and threw my energy instead into a career.”

“Yeah, that’s not how Dad put it.”

“Your father could never admit we had problems. He wanted to blame it all on my acting. But that wasn’t it at all.”

Micah shook his head. This conversation made his eyes cross. He sat heavily on the couch. Why hadn’t he ever discussed this with his mother? All these years he’d just assumed. “But you haven’t dated since you left Dad. You’ve been totally focused on your career and then my career.”

Lulu laughed as she sat next to Micah. “I have too dated. Just because I haven’t shared it with you doesn’t mean I didn’t do it.”

Seriously. Micah’s whole concept of life was shattering before his eyes. His mom dated? Like, men? “Are you kidding me?”

“Not at all. Actually—” Her face colored slightly as she looked down at her white linen pants. “Stu and I have been dating casually for the last several months.”

No. Fucking. Way.

Micah spun to look at Fudge. “Did you know about this?”

Fudge shrugged.

“Micah, honey.” Lulu put her hand on his knee. “Maybe I’ve been too single-minded about you and your career. And maybe I’ve lived vicariously through you and that put a lot of pressure on you. But all I really want is for you to be happy.”

Micah swallowed. “I’m happy. I like where my life is at.”

“That’s a total f**king lie.” Fudge sat on the chair across from the sofa. “Yeah, you’re at the top of your career. You demand top pay. You can pick and choose each project. You’ve been Golden Globe nominated, for Christ’s sake, but you’re still a miserable sack of shit. Have you considered that there might be more to life than money and making movies?”

Micah frowned. He had considered it. A lot, lately. Truth was the only upcoming project he felt completely excited about was Maddie’s, and frankly, her movie could have sucked and he’d still feel the same. He relished that he was a part of making her dream a reality. He wanted to be part of every aspect of it just to watch her delight, just to be near her.

And if he was really being honest, he wanted to be part of every aspect of everything she did. He wanted to be her partner and her friend and her lover. Her everything.

Fuck. Fudge was right. He was totally in love with Maddie, and he knew it. Why was he being such a prick about admitting it?

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Because he didn’t believe that relationships in his world had any chance of surviving. But that idea had been largely based on his parents’ failed marriage. And now his mother was telling him that his whole concept of their divorce was a lie? He couldn’t even comprehend anything anymore.

He glanced at Lulu beside him.

“Micah, if this girl is what makes you happy, then you should be with her.”

He ran his hand through his hair. “But we’ll be apart so much. And the paparazzi is not kind.”

“But if you really love someone, honey, those things don’t matter.” Lulu patted his leg once. “Who cares what the press says? Who cares what anyone says? They don’t know. And as for the distance and the schedules, you make compromises. You work together. As long as you keep communicating and sharing what’s going on in your head—and your heart—you can make anything happen.”

She turned her head until she met Micah’s eyes. “It’s not any different than building a film career. You just choose to work on each other as much as you choose to work on your own stuff.”

God, he was such a dick. And he couldn’t figure it out until his mother sat him down and told him the obvious. What was he, twelve?

He ran his hand over his eyes, rubbing out the last bits of sleep crusties that still clung to his lashes. “Mom, I think I’ve f**ked up pretty bad.”

“Then un-fuck up.”

He chuckled at his mother’s uncharacteristic swearing. “How? She won’t answer my calls. I agreed to not go to meetings about her movie.” Micah considered. “I could send her flowers.”

Lulu shook her head with a frown.

“Nah, that’s lame,” Fudge agreed. “Your last romantic gesture was a hot air balloon ride. You need to do something drastic to top that. You know what they say, ‘Go big or go home.’”

Drastic. Micah’s brain started whirring, somewhat slowly due to his hung-over state. “Got any ideas?”

Fudge shrugged, reaching for the Cheetos. “You’re Micah Preston,” he said, popping one in his mouth. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“Jen’s dress is hideous.” Bree curled her leg under her, her eyes never leaving the flat screen TV on the wall.

Maddie kicked her flip-flops off and stretched out her own legs on Bree’s couch. “She’s just lost too much weight.” Unlike Maddie, who watched movie awards shows because she loved film, Bree watched to see what the stars were wearing.