“Misty, it’s okay. You’ve gotta be strong; don’t let them make you cry,” Brendan whispered into the phone. He had heard footsteps outside of his door, and he wasn’t sure who might be nearby.

Misty sniffled. “I know, I think it’s my hormones, but I just don’t understand why they’re doing this, Bren. Why would anyone want to purposely destroy something so good, by launching these cruel and hateful allegations at us?”

Running his hand across the top of his head, he spoke in what he hoped was a calm and soothing voice. “Look, I know this is a lot for you to handle right now, but just trust me on this one. We’ll get through it together. I’m not worried about me; I just want to make sure you’re okay. Who do you think leaked the news that you’re pregnant?”

“I don’t know,” she sniffled again.

“Come on, you’ve got to have a clue. Someone at the doctor’s office perhaps? Your best friend?”

“No!” she spoke vehemently. “Val would never do such a thing. Maybe the doctor’s office, but I can’t imagine they would risk the lawsuit.”

“Someone who wouldn’t be impacted by the lawsuit working at the clinic might not care. A receptionist. Another patient. If they saw you at the OBGYN, who is to say they didn’t speculate your reason for being there and sell the story to the tabloid with the highest bid.”

She sniffled again. “Nick’s really up in arms, questioning me about the paternity of the child now. And whereas, he didn’t buy into the rumors about you and me before, now he’s starting to become suspicious about it.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Brendan declared. “He knows the child is his. Misty, you can’t let this upset you. Please. I mean, think about the baby’s health. You have to be stress-free and be in the best mindset for your child. I know when you learned about this baby it was stressful because of your separation and you two were considering divorce, but I was really hoping it would draw you closer.”

“No. If anything this child has drawn a deeper wedge between us. In the beginning, he thought I was purposely trying to keep him in the marriage with this baby, and now he thinks it’s a product of some love affair between us, contrived by the media. I am so overwhelmed right now, Bren.”

“Look, I’ll catch a flight out first thing in the morning—”

“No! Brendan, you’re on vacation, sweetie. I just want you to enjoy your friends and your family, and that beautiful young woman you’re engaged to.”

Brendan winced. He had not even shared with her that this was part of a plan to undo the damage the media had caused to both of their names. Brendan had told no one except the occupants of Keith’s household, and Rick, and his band members, Dylan, Tyler, Stephen, and Kevin.

“Uh…yeah, we’ll be fine. Anyway, I’m coming out.”

“No, there’s no need to. Do you know how many times my name has been involved in a scandal in the past? It comes with the territory; that’s what Hollywood is all about,” she said sarcastically, trying to lighten the conversation.

“No, it’s wrong. And I’ll be there for you, Misty. That’s what friends do for each other. If the shoe were on the other foot, I’m sure you’d do the same.”

“Yep, I’d come running halfway across the country if your baby’s mama questioned if the child you were carrying was hers or not,” she joked.

He smiled, feeling a little better, now that she was back to her corny jokes.

“Text me the details about your flight when you get them, and I’ll come to pick you up.”

“Sounds good,” he said, walking to the door and opening it. Peering up and down the hall he saw no one, but he smelled the scent of Ava’s perfume lingering.

“On second thought, I’d better call a car service to pick me up and take me to my hotel. We can have dinner somewhere exclusive. If you met me at the airport, I’m sure that would start another round of rumors.”

“Okay. Just let me know when you arrive.”

“All right. In the meantime, stay positive, Misty, and think about the baby. Stay off social media at all costs. Please.”

“I will,” she whined with a light note of laughter.

He clicked the phone off and sat on the bed, staring at the floor for a while. As much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn’t take Ava with him. He’d have to think of some explanation to tell Keith and the ladies why he was running out on them. He planned to come back. It had become important to him that he get to know Ava all over again.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, man, with all the problems you’re facing?” Keith asked, shoveling another spoonful of garlic mashed potatoes into his mouth.

Brendan was enjoying the home-cooked meals every night, and it was something he would miss. It was so much better than eating at the various restaurants and the room service he had lived on over the last few months.

“She needs me,” Brendan said. He had decided to go with telling them the truth. They were like family to him, and he refused to do anything other than be honest with them.

“Seems like you keep rushing in to fight her battles. Are you sure there isn’t anything more going on between you two?” Ava asked, grumbling.

Looking up from his plate, Brendan chewed his food slowly, watching her thoughtfully. If he wasn’t mistaken, she almost sounded jealous.

“She’s my friend, Ava. It’s what I would do for anyone. I’d do the same for you if you were in this situation. Just like you’re coming through for me, don’t you think it’s only right that I reciprocate?”

Shrugging, she replied, “Well, if it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t be in this situation and you wouldn’t need me. Now would you?”

Scowling at her, he set his fork on the table beside his plate and scooted his chair back. “Excuse me. I need to head upstairs and prepare for my flight tomorrow. Roxi, thanks for the meal. This was great!” he said, sharing a smile with her.

The smile that graced her lips did not quite reach her eyes, which were filled with sympathy and something more. Something he could not detect. Glancing at Ava and trying to hide his disappointment in her, he shook his head, as she refused to meet his gaze.

He walked to the sink, rinsed his plate, and quickly headed upstairs, leaving the tension-filled kitchen behind. Brendan had just packed a couple of items before there was a slight knock on his door.

“Come in,” he muttered, his head down, as he placed some underclothes into a duffle bag.

“Hey, I’m sorry about what happened downstairs. I know that she might have come off a bit insensitive, but she didn’t really mean it,” Roxanne spoke softly, her hands folded in front of her.

“You don’t have to apologize for her,” he mumbled, shaking his head.

“There are some things that you don’t understand about my sister-in-law. Things that I’m not at liberty to share, but I feel like I need to, especially when I wasn’t forbidden from doing it. Can I?” she asked, pointing to the bed.

“Sure,” Brendan replied, moving his bag to the floor and sitting beside her.

“Ava is very sensitive to what others go through, especially those that mean a lot to her. For those people, her instinct is to protect. And when she believes that isn’t welcomed or appreciated, then she puts up a wall and blocks you out.”

“Doesn’t make sense. Why not just communicate to the person what her intentions are, and if they still aren’t appreciated, then she should just wipe her hands of the effort,” Brendan stated.

“To you and some other people, that’s the sensible thing to do. But not to Ava. It’s how she protects her heart. Especially when the person in question is someone she loves.”

“I don’t really get where you’re going here?”

Roxanne sighed. “When you first returned, she really believed in her heart that you were involved with Misty, no matter what her brother and I said. But since you’ve been back, she’s been reminded of who you are, and she knows that isn’t true.”

“Is that why she was so angry with me?”

Roxanne nodded. “Yes, she had lost respect for you, and she was hurt.”

“Hurt?”

“Look, Ava hates what you’re going through and how the media drags your name in the mud. She sees Misty as sitting back and letting you be her knight in shining armor while you foolishly run to her rescue.”

“That’s not what’s going on,” he disputed.

Roxanne reached out a hand and patted his. “It’s hard to see someone you love being attacked, Bren.”

“And that’s what I feel about Misty. She’s like a sister to me. I’d be the same way with Ava. The fierce, protective love that she has for me is the same love she has for Keith. So, I understand that. Because I feel the same about them. I’d never let anything happen to either one.”

“Only it’s not the same, Bren.”

He looked at Roxanne, his brows furrowed in confusion. “I don’t understand. How is it not the same?”

“Because…she doesn’t love you the way she loves Keith. She loves you the way I love Keith.”

Brendan felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. Turning his head to the side to look at Roxanne, he squinted. “Are you saying…?”

“Yes, I’m saying she loves you romantically. Always has, and my guess is always will. She’s had a crush on you since she was a little girl and you were a young teen visiting her house. She’d kill me if she knew I was telling you all of this. So, I’m just asking that you take it easy on her. This fantasy you’re weaving to dupe the rest of the world, be careful you don’t allow her to get too caught up in it. Her heart truly is on the line. And no one knows that except her and me, and now you. Besides, you wouldn’t want to do anything to ruin your relationship with Keith.” She lifted an eyebrow at him to make sure they had an understanding.

“Is this the reason that you were so obstinate about not pulling her into the plan?”

“Yes. I just wanted to protect her heart.”

“Then why didn’t you just say it, Roxi? I would have respected that and left it alone.”

“It wasn’t my place to tell, and it still isn’t. Besides, if Keith had known, I don’t know what would have happened. That’s his baby sister, and he’s so protective over her. I didn’t want this to be weird for anyone, but she literally freaked out when Keith announced you were coming to stay for a few weeks. The only reason I’m sharing this with you now, is because I’m worried at how quickly this can spiral out of control. Maybe…” she looked down at her hands crossed together in her lap.

“Maybe what?”

“Maybe, you should call this whole thing off, Bren?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, just go to LA and handle the thing with Misty. Think about it while you’re away and let’s talk about it when you return. Don’t make any rash decisions, hon, okay?”

He nodded. “Sure.”

She stood, patted him on the shoulder, and left the room, leaving Brendan alone with his thoughts.