Ethan
"Why did we decide to do this?" I narrowed my eyes and the pretty girl that sat across from me. The one that had my heart racing and body purring every time she walked into the room.
"Because." She lifted her eyebrow. I knew that look. "You said that we would get to where we could go out in public and do normal things for our age. We're in our early twenties. We're eating at the food court. Period."
"At a public mall." I glanced around and realized every-fucking-body was staring and pointing. I groaned and turned back to her. "If it's not bad enough that every tabloid has taken pictures of you and swollen your stomach for you with photoshop. It makes you look like you're pregnant with my alien twins. What more do you want?"
She laughed, and I forced myself to sit back and chill out. "Nothing, baby. I wanted noodles at the mall. I'm tired of being in the house or at private parties. I want to live where everyone else does. I want to shop at Old Navy!"
"They have online stories, sweetness." I lifted my hands as she growled. "Fine. Alright. I get it. You're new to this, but when it finally wears you down-"
"It won't. Enjoy being out with other humans that aren't on our support team." She took another bite and sucked a thick noodle into her mouth as several cameras flashed.
I cringed but ignored it. "Let's go down to the store you like in the mall with the great jewelry and get you a necklace to wear."
"I like this one." She pulled out a little heart that was almost too small to be seen.
Leaning over, I took it from her and squinted. "It's pretty. Where did you get it from?" I'd learned enough over the last few months of being next to her that being an ass about something important to her or anyone else would land me in hot water fast. It wasn't a place I enjoyed being. I had sensitive skin and shit.
"My mom wore it when I was little." She took it back from me and glanced down at it. "I was going to bury her with it, but I wanted to keep it to give to my daughter from her grandmother, you know?"
"I do. Let's get you something to go with it, or have them meld it into the center of a bigger heart. That way the center one is from your mother, and the outer one is from you." I shrugged as she glanced up. "Or us?"
"I like it. That's a great idea." She stood and picked up her bags.
I grabbed the plate of noodles and happily pitched them in the trashcan.
"Ethan! Can you sign this?" A group of girls ran toward us, and I forced a smile and took the pen. "Have you ladies met my finance? This is Riley."
"Oh my God! It's Riley Phillips." One of the girls reached out and touched Riley's arm, her smile widening as if that shit was possible. "You look so pretty in that white bikini I've seen you in on the previews for Down Low. We're so excited to see it."
"Thanks. It was a lot of fun." She beamed and glanced over at me, stealing my heart for the millionth time. "And I got to meet this guy. Best catch ever."
"I bet. You guys are so cute together. I'm glad you come out to the mall and stuff." Another girl piped in. "Some actors hide away in their homes and never come out to see their fans. You want to shake them and remind them that it's our dollars that contribute to the box office smashers, you know?"
"We sure do." I glanced up and ignored the incredulous look on Riley's pretty face. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "That's why I force this gal here to get out every once in a while. She's a little cranky about it."
She snorted and elbowed me in the stomach as the girl's laughed. Riley rolled her eyes and turned back to our fans. "Nice meeting you girls. Hope you love the movie."
"We will!" They screamed in tandem, and for the first time ever, I sent up a prayer that our first kid would be a boy so I could get used to the little feet thing without having to hear the shrill screech of a little voice to go with it.
Though a little girl with strawberry blonde hair and big blue eyes would melt my heart. Much like her mom did.
"What are you thinking, handsome?" She handed me some of the bags and wrapped her arm around the back of my waist.
"Me?" I beamed like I'd won an award for something.
"Yeah, you." She pressed her head against my shoulder as we walked to the jewelry store.
"I was thinking about us having a little girl, and her looking just like you."
"Hmmm... sounds scary." She laughed and pulled out of my hold as she walked to the store. "And what would we name her?"
"Chloe? Elizabeth? Blueberry?"
She laughed and turned to face me. "No. We're not naming any of our kids after a fruit."
"Carrot?" I smirked as she popped me in the stomach and disappeared into the shop. It was hella crowded, so I left her to it and found a bench across from the store. I put on my sunglasses and a baseball hat before sitting down and letting out a long breath.
We'd hosted Charlotte and Jace over at the house the night before. It was a good time, and Riley’s ex-lover could play some dominoes like no one I'd ever seen, but it was fucking weird. We wouldn't be doing it again. I almost felt sorry for my girl too, because the situation was awkward around them no matter where they were or who else was involved.
What was Charlotte thinking? Dating Riley's ex? I shook the thought from my head. It was none of my business, and where we decided we weren't hosting dinner for them again, I knew there would be more times of togetherness in the future. It was inevitable.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I was grateful for something to do besides waiting for someone to see me, recognize me and blow my cover. Riley might have wanted to be normal, but I simply wanted peace.
It amazed me how much serenity she'd brought into my life since saying yes to becoming my wife. I couldn't fucking wait until the wedding, though we hadn't set a date. We still had to do the movie preview, and Eon wasn't waiting the usual year or even six months. It was set for the end of November, just four short months away.
"This is Ethan," I mumbled into the phone, trying to keep my voice down, though there was no way in hell anyone could hear me over the noise at the mall.
"Ethan Lewis?" A woman stopped in front of me.
Fuck me. I pointed to the phone and shook my head no, pulling it away and mouthing that I was a look alike.
"Oh. Never mind." She gave me a snarl and walked on.
"Deza?" I put the phone back to my ear. "I'm in the mall. Come get me before these crazy bitches tear the flesh from my bones."
Deza's laugh filled up my ear, accompanied by Frank’s. "We have you on speaker. What the fuck are you doing at the mall on a Saturday? And a public mall at that."
"Riley forced me to." I pouted and watched for signs of my girl in the windows of the store she was shopping in. "She's still wearing rose-colored glasses about this shit."
"I'm taking it she didn't see those horrible pictures the Daily Star posted about her being-" Deza started.
Frank finished it. "Pregnant with Ethan's alien twins?"
They both cracked up laughing. I rolled my eyes.
"Glad you asshats are enjoying this. I thought it was bad with when the tabloids did that full-blown report on my new fan club. You guys remember? The two-cock club that girls were joining by the groves, all of them saying they'd slept with me, and my dong was so big it could have been two of them stacked side by side." I smiled, knowing I could gross them both out.
Deza gagged. "Yep. Moving on."
"Hey, buddy. We called because we're getting tickets together for the premier in late October before opening night. Do you know how many tickets you and Riley are going to want together? We need a number pretty soon." Frank got us back on track. He was good like that.
"Let's go with twenty for us together. That should cover everyone in our families and our close friends." I stood as Riley lifted a necklace from the other side of the glass and smiled, pointing to it. "Anything else, guys?"
"No. What are your plans today? What else are you guys doing? Just hanging out at the mall?" Deza asked.
"We're getting Riley a new necklace, and then I think I'm going to talk her into trying on wedding dresses for me. I had a dream we had sex while she was in one last night. I want to live it today."
They both gagged as I smiled and walked into the shop.
"Alright. We'll talk to you later. Try not to get mauled, alright?" Frank said.
"Alright. Later." I slipped the phone in my back pocket and turned sideways to get through the hordes of people in the shop.
"Oh my God, mom. That's Ethan Lewis. He just touched me. I'm never washing this shirt again." Some girl behind me was losing her shit.
I narrowed my eyes at Riley and leaned toward her. "This is why this is a really bad idea. Hurry up. I want to go check out stuff for the wedding." I was whispering and hoping for the best.
She lifted the necklace and put it against her chest, ignoring my last comment. "You like this? I don't think they'll have to do anything. I can just wear them together."
"I love it. Get it." I handed the clerk behind her my card. "We want this necklace. Like now, please."
"Absolutely." She took it and smiled. "Nice to see you out and about, Mr. Lewis. I don't think you've ever been in our store."
"No, but it looks like hell was offering ice water, and you guys have the wellspring in the back." I nodded toward the curtain behind her.
She laughed, as did Riley. "It's always crazy in here. We can't keep some of our stuff on the shelves."
"That's because it's all beautiful." Riley turned to face me. "Thank you for doing this. You didn't have to."
"I wanted to." I leaned down and brushed my lips against hers as the sound of cameras clicked all around us filled my ears. Really? In a fucking store?
"Thank you." Riley took the necklace back and walked through the store with me in tow. She glanced over her shoulder. "Where do you want to go for wedding stuff? Are you thinking anything in particular?"
"Dresses." I took her hand as we walked down the center of the mall. I had no doubt we would be on the front cover of every magazine by Monday, but with her next to me, holding my hand so tightly, it didn't matter. Everyone should know that we were in love. We'd be married soon just to prove the point.
"Oh." She glanced over at me. "I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to go with Deza or Charlotte to look for dresses."
"Why? I had a dream last night that we had the best sex of our lives, and you were in this sexy white wedding dress that showed the top of your tits. I want to reenact it today."
She rolled her eyes but didn't deny me my request. She never would. She loved me too much.
"Alright. Where are we going for this slutty rendezvous?"
"Vincent’s on Third Street near Rodeo." I bit my lip as deliciously naughty thoughts raced through my mind. "They have the best dresses in the city from what Google said last night."
"You Googled it?" She laughed and leaned against me. "I love you so much."
"Yep, and then I came and snuggled your hot ass. You don't remember that?" I opened the door for her and breathed in deeply as she walked by me. She was everything to me. I only hoped that I could somehow keep up.
"I do remember. You didn't just snuggle it." She licked the side of her mouth and reached for me. "It was hot."
"Wait until the dressing room, princess." I pulled her closer and kissed her hard, ignoring everyone around us. Nothing existed but her for me anyway.
I prayed it stayed that way.