Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 95107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“True. But sometimes it feels like we’re too young to be doing the whole marriage thing,” I answer.
“Says the guy who’s about to propose to his girlfriend.” Garrett laughs.
“We’re twenty-five,” Logan objects. “That’s not too young, is it? I mean, shit, sometimes I’m so beaten up and bruised after a game, I feel ancient.”
I nod solemnly. “You’re an old man. Soon you’ll have to retire.”
“Fuck that, I’m playing well into my thirties.”
“Late thirties,” Garrett says.
“Forties,” Logan says.
I’m about to ask Garrett how long his dad played before he retired but stop myself at the last second. Bringing up Phil Graham is bound to kill the lighthearted mood. The moment Garrett graduated college and was out from under his dad’s financial thumb, he basically disowned the man who’d abused him growing up. He doesn’t even refer to him as “my father” or “Dad” anymore; the rare times Garrett brings him up, he calls him “Phil.”
Unfortunately, G can’t be rid of him entirely because Phil Graham is still a legend in the hockey world. But I’m pretty sure Phil played till he was forty-two, which is impressive.
“Oh, thanks for helping with Tuck’s surprise, by the way.” I rest the beer bottle on my knee. “I can’t believe it all worked out.”
“Tuck’s going to freak,” Garrett says.
“Seriously,” Logan tells me. “I hate giving your ego any more fuel, but I think this was the best idea you’ve ever had.”
“I know, right? It’s a good one.”
Ah, I can’t wait to see Tucker’s face tomorrow night. And I can’t wait for Allie to get here already.
Let wedding weekend commence.
12
Allie
“Come play with us.”
I glance over at my costar, the eagerness on Trevor’s face making me smile. With his thin frame and youthful features, he looks like a teenage boy instead of a twenty-seven-year-old man.
“Malcolm and I are going to that new martini bar on Broadway,” he adds. “They’ve got a VIP lounge, so we won’t be hounded by fans.” Trevor wiggles his eyebrows enticingly.
I offer a regretful look. “I can’t. I’m heading to the airport the moment I change out of this costume.”
“Airport?”
“Yeah, remember? I have a wedding this weekend.”
We fall into step with each other in the back corridor of the studio I’ve called home for three years. Trevor is new this season to The Delaneys, the cable drama I’d been cast in right out of college. He was cast as my love interest for this final season of the show, and we’ve grown close these past six months. A part of me wishes the show wasn’t ending this year, especially since our ratings are at an all-time high. But our showrunners Brett and Kiersten had always planned for it to be a three-season story arc, and each season has beautifully told the story of this horribly dysfunctional family in which I play the middle daughter.
It’s still surreal to think I’ve been acting on the number one show in the country for the past few years. And it’s going to suck so hard to say goodbye, but I’m one of those people who believe in going out with a bang rather than a whimper.
“Ugh. Right,” Trevor gripes. “That’s this weekend?”
“Yup.”
“Who’s getting married again?”
“College friends,” I answer. “My boyfriend’s former teammate.”
“Ah, the hockey boyfriend,” Trevor teases. “I will never get over the fact that you’re with a jock.”
“Trust me, I didn’t see it coming either.” Though is he still considered a jock if he doesn’t really play anymore? These days Dean teaches at Parklane Academy, the all-girls private school in Manhattan where he coaches the hockey and volleyball teams.
We reach the corridor that houses the supporting cast’s dressing rooms. The bigger stars have trailers on the lot, but we’re delegated to these peasant’s quarters. I’m joking. The fact that I have my own dressing room, with my name on the door and everything, is the greatest feeling in the whole world. Not a day goes by that I don’t wake up overcome with gratitude.
Trevor trails after me into the cozy room I’ve looked at as a second home for nearly three years. Ugh, I’m dreading the day I have to pack everything up and close the door to this room for the last time. We still have a few more night shoots to do for the finale, but then it’ll be a wrap on The Delaneys. It’s a bittersweet feeling. After playing the same character for so long, I’m going to miss Bianca Delaney. Yet at the same time, I’m ready to tackle something new. Take on a new challenge.
“You bringing the boyfriend to the wrap party next week?” Trevor asks. “Because you know Malcolm’s gonna want to get one final look at the golden god.”
I snicker. Our costar Malcolm, my on-screen brother, has a huge crush on Dean and scampers after him like a puppy whenever Dean visits set. I don’t blame him. Dean Heyward-Di Laurentis is possibly the most attractive man on the face of God’s green earth. The first time our director met him, she spent an hour trying to convince Dean to get into acting. She even offered him a role in her next movie. But Dean has no interest being in films.