Author: Bella Andre

She knew he thought he owed her a debt, but she would have saved him a hundred times over and never once asked for anything back other than the chance to be his friend.

“I don’t want the fellowship this badly, not if it comes at the expense of my friends. And not if it means even more lies are spiraling out one after the other.”

Ryan’s hand cupped her cheek, stilling her from saying anything else. His touch was gentle, but enough to make her look into his eyes.

“The two of us pretending to be engaged isn’t hurting anyone, Vicki. All that matters to me is your safety, and that you and your art aren’t unfairly penalized because you’re a beautiful woman.”

She felt herself flush, both at the intimate way he was touching her in front of everyone, and the fact that he’d just called her beautiful in front of his family.

“I think Ryan’s right, Vicki,” Sophie said softly. “Beauty can, unfortunately, be a liability around men sometimes. Especially powerful ones who think they have a right to everything they see.”

Vicki was suddenly hit with a memory of the first time she’d met her ex-husband. She’d been with a group of nearly graduated art-school students out touring a few studios. Anthony had taken one look at her and claimed her. First, by insisting she work out of his studio. Second, and far worse, by slowly but surely convincing her she was far better at making statues of people and animals rather than the more nature-inspired sculptures she’d been interested in creating up until then.

At the time, it hadn’t occurred to her that he’d been abusing his power. But hadn’t he? Especially since she’d been so young and so inexperienced that he’d seemed like an all-knowing god of a world she so longed to be a part of?

“I agree,” Chase said. “Chloe had some trouble with her ex-husband and I would have done anything to protect her. She ended up spearing him with a pair of scissors, which took him down pretty damn well, but I’d hate for your situation to come to that.”

Gabe nodded. “Dispatch calls in with too many incidents that start out the way you’re describing. Sounds like you trusted your instincts and were smart to call Ryan in before anything could escalate.”

“Besides, we love having family secrets like this,” Lori said with a small grin. “And who knows, maybe you two will be inspired to actually get together for real by the time you get the fellowship.”

Not knowing what to say to that absolutely mortifying bit of pressure Lori had just put on Ryan to throw her a dating bone, Vicki said, “Excuse me,” and bolted for the bathroom.

* * *

“Jesus, Lori, could you have made her feel any more uncomfortable?”

“Sorry,” Lori said, even though it was clear she felt anything but. “I just really, really like Vicki and think you two would be perfect together.”

Ryan wasn’t actually angry with Lori. He was pissed at himself. Swearing, he said, “You guys probably remember how hung up I was on her in high school.”

Gabe looked confused. “The way I remember it, you two were just friends in high school.”

“We were.”

“And you were always going out with other girls, weren’t you?” Lori asked in a far too innocent voice.

He knew Lori’s question was meant to grate on him. “I was an idiot. But it didn’t matter because she wasn’t interested. She still isn’t.”

“Why don’t you just tell her how you feel and that you wish it all was real?”

He’d asked himself that question a thousand times by now, but every time it came down to the same unbreakable reason. “I can’t risk losing her as a friend by coming on to her.”

He’d meant it when he said she shouldn’t have to pay a price for being beautiful. Not just with some creep who had power over her career, but with her friend who could barely remember to keep his hands off her.

Ryan ran a hand over his face. “Plus, her ex was such a dick that she isn’t exactly looking for a replacement right now.” He looked up and realized his brothers and sisters were staring at him like he was speaking Greek. “What?”

Sophie looked around the table before saying, “I think we’re all a little bit stunned. Not about what you and Vicki are doing with the whole fake engagement thing. That seems to make sense, strangely. But because—” She paused to weigh her words. “—everything has always seemed so easy for you.”

“Well, it isn’t,” he snapped.

“Tell us what you need and we’ll do it,” Smith said.

Ryan was pretty sure the subtext behind his brother’s question had just as much to do with helping him to get Vicki to fall for him as it did with making sure some creep on her fellowship board didn’t hurt her.

Knowing there was nothing anyone could do to get her to change her feelings, that she was too strong to be manipulated by anyone, he said, “If anybody asks about us, just back up our story of two old high school friends who reconnected and realized we weren’t going to let our second chance pass by without taking it. We’re going to talk to Mom after breakfast to clue her in.”

Vicki returned to the table just in time to hear Lori say, “Your story really does sound romantic. Like every fantasy of how things could go with the one who got away. Unrequited love made right is the ultimate, isn’t it? No wonder the press is all over you guys.”

Vicki’s face was perfectly blank as she slid back into her space beside him. Before he could smooth over Lori’s ridiculously on-point statements, their waitress came to the edge of their booth.

“Something wrong with your food?” She glared at the table of completely full plates.

It was the perfect opportunity to change the subject, especially because he hadn’t missed the way Vicki had tensed up at the word romantic.

“Everything’s great, thanks.” Ryan picked up his fork and shoved a bite of egg into his mouth before saying to Smith, “So, how’s preproduction going on the film?” It was his cue to all of them that they were done talking about the fake engagement.

And he was definitely done with everyone in his family feeling sorry for him because he was in love with a woman who had only ever looked at him as a friend.

* * *

After Ryan and Vicki had left the diner to head down to Palo Alto to meet with Mary Sullivan, Sophie said, “Ryan’s never been like that before. So frustrated...almost angry. I’m worried about him.”

“Vicki sure looked like she’s crazy about him to me.” Lori made a face. “Maybe he’s wrong about her not returning his feelings.”

“She was terrified when they put her picture up on the big screen,” Smith reminded her. “Even if she does feel something for him beyond friendship, she might not want to deal with everything that comes with being with Ryan. Marcus has had to make a lot of sacrifices for Nicola’s music career over the past year.”

“And if he were here, he would tell you every one of them has been worth it,” Lori shot back stubbornly.

“Maybe,” Chase said, “but since Ryan is probably going to be a pro coach one day, the pressures on whomever he’s with are only going to get bigger. And even more public. I’m guessing Vicki’s happiest when it’s just her and her art.”

“She’s also happy when she’s with Ryan,” Lori argued. “I remember how much fun they used to have together. I haven’t ever forgotten the look on her face the day she came over to say goodbye when we were kids, and she’d found out she was moving away again. She looked like her heart had just broken into a million pieces. So did his.”

Gabe nodded. “If you ask me, he’s just using the friend thing as an excuse. He should stop making excuses and make his move. I wanted Megan and I went after her.”

Sophie rolled her eyes. “Sure you did, Gabe, after Summer and I totally schemed to throw you guys together.”

Everyone grinned at Gabe and he had to laugh. “Okay, so maybe I needed a little help getting my head straight. Thanks, Soph.”

As they all threw cash down on the table, Smith said, “We did our part by convincing her to keep the fake engagement on. Now it’s up to Ryan to make the most of that extra time with her.”

Smith scooted out of the booth and held out his hands to Sophie to help her up as she said, “Mom always did like Vicki.” She grinned at her siblings. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she has some ideas about how to make sure everything works out the way we all know it should.”

Chapter Thirteen

“I really do love your mother,” Vicki said to Ryan a couple of hours later as they headed back into San Francisco from the suburbs where Mary Sullivan had raised her family.

Ryan’s mother had made them coffee and listened patiently as they explained the strange situation. Stranger still, she’d almost seemed pleased by their fake engagement, laughing with honest humor when Vicki had recounted her horror at the big public congratulations on the huge screen at the baseball game.

Although all of Ryan’s siblings had been in support of keeping up the ruse, it wasn’t until Mary Sullivan laughed over it with such easy humor that Vicki finally decided maybe they were right...and she should stop feeling so guilty about it all.

“She was so happy to see you,” Ryan informed her, “that she didn’t care what the reason was.”

After they’d dispensed with the fake engagement news, Mary had coaxed Vicki into telling her all about her travels through Europe over the past decade. Vicki had loved hearing Mary share her own stories about when she’d travelled the world as a young, in-demand model before she married Jack Sullivan and had eight kids keeping her busy at home. Chatting with Mary and Ryan in the comfortable living room with the big oak tree out in the backyard, Vicki had felt just as at home with her as she had when she was a teenager.

She planned to hold onto that deep, comforting warmth—that beautiful feeling of unconditional love and support from Mary Sullivan and her children—no matter what else happened.

Ryan hit the brakes at a red light and glanced over at her. “Feel better now?”

Finally, she was able to give him a real smile. “So much you wouldn’t believe. You?”

He covered her hand with his. “As long as you’re smiling, I’m good.”

From any other man’s lips, those words would have been nothing more than just that: empty words. But when Ryan said it, she knew he meant it.

A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the studio building and Ryan said, “Call me if you need anything today. Anything at all.”

According to Anne’s texts, reporters and bloggers had been calling the studio all morning to try to find Vicki. It didn’t sound like any had come by yet, but she suspected it might not exactly be a safe haven for her in the aftermath of her engagement news to the hottest bachelor in the city. She and Ryan had called her parents from his car to explain, but when no one was home she left a quick message just saying hi. She wasn’t crazy about them believing she and Ryan were actually engaged, but then, they hadn’t ever much followed sports or the tabloids, so maybe they didn’t know.

“Thanks. I’ll keep my phone in my pocket just in case you need to get ahold of me again today.” She’d already programmed a special ring for him so that she could tell when his came in and ignore all the rest from any strangers who managed to hunt down her cell number to try and get a sound bite out of her.

The day had already been so full that it was only at the last second that she remembered. “What time do we need to leave for the team party tonight?”

“The limo will come for us at eight.”

She worked to push away the new flutter of nerves at having to publicly pull off the ruse that she was the woman Ryan Sullivan had decided to spend the rest of his life with.