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For the very first time I had a story and I knew it wouldn’t bethelast.

Fast forward twenty years and nothing hadchanged.

Well, except for understanding that no matter what I wrote or how well I acted, my name overshadowed everything.It wasn’t about the art or the story.Oh no, those were mere details when it came to marketing and box officepredictions.

“Emily has assured me they are taking this seriously,” Ted said the minute the call ended.It was his daily check-in call with his production company and since his company was working with Holt Pictures to produceThe Price of Love, he’d taken the opportunity to check on my status withcasting.

“But?”

“But they haven’t had time to work on casting Jacqueline’s part yet.Emily said your agent should expect a call in thenextday.”

Yes.I let out a slow breath.“Thank you, Ted.I owe you forthisone.”

“You owe me nothing.This is what friends do.We work the system.”He dropped a kiss on the top of my head.“Besides, I’ll never repay you.So this isnothing.”

I froze as the memories of that night hit me hard, mostly because Ted never spoke of it.Not ever.We agreed it was something neither of us wanted to remember and the best way to do that was to erase it from existence.Mentioning it, even casually and without name, was still more than I ever wanted to hear ever again.So instead of replying I sat quietly, searching for something—anything—else to say.“I’m goinghiking.”

He grinned.“With thecowboy?”

“Yep.”

“Did you tell him whoyouare?”

I blushed crimson.“No...not exactly.I told him I was an artist.Or, well, at least Annie is.”I know it sounds counterintuitive that anactresswould feel funny playing a part, but this wasn’t the same thing.When I was working everyone knew I was acting.Colt didn’t.And even though it gave me the exact freedom I needed to finally relax, I felt terribleinside.

I was a big fat liar to a really nice guy I caredabout.

Even though we’d only known each otheraday.

Okay, so all of it was nuts.The connection, the sex, the wanting...none of it made sensesosoon.

So did it really matter if he thought my name was Annie from Miami?Or that I had a trust fund so it didn’t matter that I worked in a small private school as the art teacher?None of these pieces of information mattered or hurt him inanyway.

But for me it was everything.I wasn’t Lily Lawrence—a tabloid joke.For the first time I finally understood my sister and why she legally changedhername.

That last little bit of hurt I felt toward her slipped away.Elizabeth needed to escape our parents even more than I did.If anything, I felt terrible for asking her to stay as long as she did.I owed my big sister a big, fatapology.

“And was the sexamazing?”

I shot him a look that told him to mind his own damnbusiness.

“Never mind, that was a trick question.I know you got laid and I know it was amazing.All I really care about is whether you wereresponsible.”

Now what the hell did that mean?“We both consented to the semi-anonymous and short-termsex.”

He rolled his eyes.“Well of course you both did.You’re hot, hungry, and alone.You used a condom,right?”

I froze.Condom.

“Oh fuck.You really are out of practice.”Ted disappeared into the bathroom and came back with a stack of foil wrapped condoms.“Too late to fix the twenty times you did it last night, but for fucks sake be safe fromnowon.”

I stared at thecondoms.

How had we not even thought about using protection?We were two grown, overly responsible adults.Condoms were safesex101.

Ohgod.

Ted touched my chin.“I’m sure everything is fine, Princess.You won’t get preggo, you’ve got the IUD still, right?”I nodded.“Good.Then all you have to worryaboutis—”