After Daniel left my room, I quickly showered and changed into a t-shirt and some jean shorts, since I never know what Carrie has planned for us from day-to-day. When I get to the living room, Carrie is already waiting there with Rose and Darius, and they look both concerned and annoyed. For a moment, I’m worried that they all know what Daniel and I did this morning, but I realize they aren’t even looking at me. So, I sit down next to Rose and try to act natural.

“So, what’s going on guys?” My voice comes out all high-pitched and panicked and I chastise myself for being terrible at acting natural. They all turn and look at me nervously.

“Do we tell her?” Darius asks.

“We might as well. We’re going to have to tell everyone,” Carrie answers.

I am starting to get even nervous now. “Will you just tell me before I have a panic attack, please.”

“There is a major weather system headed straight for us. And it looks like it’s going to be bad. The main office thinks, for safety purposes, that we need to pack up and shut down.”

My stomach drops, and I don’t know why. All I’ve wanted since this whole insanity started was to get the hell away, but now, the idea of leaving before we finish what we began? That makes me feel worse. “What does that mean for the show if we have to shut down?”

Rose looks over at me sadly. “Our insurance kicks in and covers our losses, and we just scrap the season, then move on to the next. With our production schedule, we can’t wait out a storm like this. We don’t have time, and we lose the lease on the house in pretty short order. So, there isn’t a lot else we can do.”

I don’t know why I’m upset. There is literally no reason for me to be. I’ve wanted to get out of here since day one. But I also don’t want Carrie to get in trouble, I want to make sure I accomplished what I came her to and get as much press as I can for my business, I want all of the people who have been working here to lose the opportunity for their work to be seen, and… when it comes down to it… I really want for everyone in the world to see what an asshole Grill Reynolds is. Then, a light bulb goes off.

“I have an idea.”

All three of them look at me. “I’m listening,” Carrie says, already exhausted despite the fact the day has just started.

“How long do we have before the storm hits?”

“A day. Two, max,” Rose answers.

“You have plenty of footage you can use for the contests and challenges. Then we can shoot all of elimination scenes today, in one swoop. Just change clothes fast in between shots, I’ll do my hair and makeup so you can go ahead and get the HMU crew out of here. And then we’re done! You have your show. You may lose an episode or two that you’d normally have, but I have an idea for that too.”

Carrie looks utterly amused. “Hit me with it, but if you keep up like this, I’m going to have to give you a producer credit as well.”

I laugh. “After I make my choice, you leave me one of the cameras, a good one preferably, but something mobile. And Da-- whoever I pick and I can stay behind and weather out the storm, then give you some action footage of our first days as a couple set against the backdrop of Mother Nature going wild? It would kind of be the perfect way to wrap up a season of Wild Love, don’t you think?”

“Do you think Daniel would go for it?” Darius asks.

Well, I guess we did a worse job hiding it than I thought. “I’m sure he will. And once you tell the other guys, I think they will be fine with it too.”

Rose sighs. “Honey, I know this might come as a surprise, but Stuart actually likes you a lot. I’m not saying he thinks you’re going to pick him or anything. But you may want to have a talk with him before we put this whole insane plan in motion.”

I nod. I’ve suspected for a while that Stuart has feelings for me, so I’ve tried not to give him the wrong impression, or lead him on in any way. He’s a wonderful man, and I don’t want to anything to hurt him. He deserves better than that, and better than someone who is still in love with the same jerk she’s been in love with since she was a kid. I look up from my lap and realize Carrie, Rose, and Darius are staring at me, grinning.

“What?”

“We never had a chance of you picking anyone other than Daniel, did we?” Carrie asks, shaking her head.

I think for a second and smile. “I don’t think I ever had a chance either, Carrie.”

Carrie jumps up to her feet and pulls her cell phone out of her pocket. “All right, kids. I need to make some calls. This is going to take a while. I need to get flights booked out for everyone for tomorrow, then figure out where we’re going to send you and Daniel for the next couple of days. Any requests?”

I think for a minute. “Somewhere safe and private near the airport so we can punch out in a hurry if we need to?”

She nods. “You got it.”

I head outside while Carrie, Darius, and Rose rush around in the living room, and look for Daniel. Over the ocean, I can see storm clouds building in the distance, and they look intense, sending a shiver through down to my bones. The guys don’t seem to notice: Max and Alex are playing a game in the gazebo under the palm trees, Grill is lifting free weights, and Oscar and Stuart are playing chess by the pool. But I don’t see Daniel anywhere.

“Hey, guys. Have you seen Daniel this morning?”

“Not since he left your… I mean… since he left the pool,” Max answers, not looking up from the beanbag he’s about to toss. I give him an eyebrow raise before walking his way so no one else hears, not that it really matters at this point.

“You know plenty, huh?”

Max throws me a beanbag, and I toss it into the game in one hand flip. He clicks his tongue impressed. “Yeah, I know stuff. But what I don’t know is where Daniel is. I think he was going for a run on the beach an hour ago. He might still be out there. Why? Is everything okay?”

I smile, and give him a spontaneous hug.

“It’s going to be. I’m going to go look for Daniel. If Carrie comes out here, tell her I’ll be right back.” Max nods, and I walk through the trees out to the beach, looking up and down the sandy shore for any sight of Daniel. It takes a minute, but eventually I catch a glimpse of his tattooed torso in the distance, jogging toward me from the direction of town. I make my way toward him slowly, since the last thing I feel like doing after our morning work-out is run, and when he sees me, he picks up his pace with a smile. He catches up with me, and gives me a sweaty kiss on the cheek, which I wipe away playfully.

“What are you doing out here? I thought we weren’t supposed to be alone?” he asks nervously. I grin at him, barely able to hold back my excitement.

“We’re about to be even more alone with Carrie’s blessing!” Daniel looks at me like I’m crazy.

“What are you talking about?”

I take his hands in mind and tell him everything Carrie just told me in the house. Slowly, his jaw drops lower and lower, until he’s staring at me, mouth agape, completely in shock.

“So, that’s it? Just like that? We’re going to finish filming today and then you and I are together? We don’t have to keep pretending and hiding?”

I take a deep breath. “I mean, we have a lot to talk about, off camera, about how we’re going to move forward. I don’t think it’s as simple as riding off into the sunset together. We need to figure out what went wrong between us the first time and make sure we work to prevent it from happening again. But I think we have a shot, Daniel. And these couple of extra days together will help us figure out how where we stand. Also, at the end of the day, despite the fact she’s been a huge pain in the ass, I think we owe Carrie for helping us get to this point. The least we can do is help her get this show on the air, you know?”

Daniel lifts my hands to his lips and kisses them softly. “Whatever you want, Anya. I’ll do whatever you want. As long as you think we’ll be safe here, I’ll do it.”

I squeeze his hand. “We’ll only stay a day or two to get the extra footage, and then we can fly back to my place in San Francisco. We can figure out the future from there.”

We start walking back to the house, and when we get to the pool, we find that Carrie has gathered everyone out there, including the crew. She shakes her head at us with a laugh.

“Can you two just stay in one place for five minutes? I only need you for another twelve hours.”

Grill spins his head around so fast, I think he’s going to break his neck. “What? What do you mean twelve hours? What the hell is happening?”

Carrie sighs. “Guys, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but we’re shutting down production early. There is a huge storm system moving in, and it’s not safe to keep everyone here. We can’t delay shooting to wait it out, so Carrie had the idea to shoot all of the elimination scenes in one shot today, then get everyone out first thing tomorrow morning. This way we haven’t all wasted our time here.”

No one says anything, except Grill, whose face turns bright red as he leaps to his feet in a huff.

“That’s fucking bullshit. That makes it sound like it’s not actually any kind of contest at all, and she already knows who she is picking!”

Alex snickers. “Seriously, dude, do you really think you ever had a chance?”

“Yeah, this wasn’t like a game show where you won a race and Anya was the grand prize. They weren’t going to deliver her to your house in a bow,” Oscar says with a scowl.

Grill knocks a vase off a glass table by the pool and sends it crashing to the floor in pieces. Carrie takes a few steps back, and Darius steps in front of her defensively.

“All right, man. You need to take a few breaths and think about how you’re reacting. The cameras are still on and if you think this isn’t going to show up on the show, you’re crazy. And if you were here to repair your image, you’re going a long way to making it a lot worse. So, give it a long minute before you make your next decision.”

Grill smirks, and everyone can feel the tension among the group ramp up considerably. Grill’s expression is flat, and still arrogant. For a moment, everything is silent. Then when he speaks, everyone instinctively moves away from him, out of his reach in case he starts throwing punches.

“I don’t care what you do. Fuck this. I’m out of here.”

That snaps Carrie back to attention. “Wait a minute. You have a contract. You can’t just walk out, you massive piece of shit!”

Everyone is watching them go back and forth like they’re watching a tennis match. Grill takes a step toward Carrie, and Darius stands up taller, for the first time making it more obvious how evenly matched they are, size-wise. Darius may be older, but he looks stronger, and I wouldn’t count him out in a fight. Grill almost growls as he postures in Darius’ face.

“I don’t give a crap about your shitty contract. This is idiotic. This whole thing has been a waste of my time, and I’m not going to waste another day dicking around just so you can use me as a prop to save your stupid show. Screw all of you. I’ll walk to the airport if I have to, but I’m leaving. Now.”

Darius turns and looks at Carrie for direction, and a few of the crew seem ready to step up if necessary too, but she just crosses her arms over her chest and shakes her head.

“Fine. Go. I’m sick of dealing with you and your macho posturing. No one is buying it anyway. You are literally the least-convincing villain we’ve ever had on this show, because anyone who sees you knows you’re full of shit. So, go back to Denver and tank your career the old-fashioned way… by ensuring everyone you come into contact with hates you and you can’t get re-hired when your contract is up.”

Grill just stares at her with a look of complete shock on his face. It’s entirely possible this is the first time he’s ever been told off like this, and he doesn’t know how to react. Rather than yell, or fight, he just turns on his heel and disappears into the house. We all just stand there in complete silence, waiting for something to happen. We can almost hear the sound of stomping and slamming inside, and then the silence is completely broken by the front door slamming shut.

One of the camera crew appears from around the corner at the front of the house, shaking his head.

“He’s gone. He took his bags and disappeared down the driveway.”

Carrie throws her hands in the air. “Good riddance! I was tired of dealing with his attitude anyway. We’ll just have Darius explain everything. Is everyone else on board with the plan?”

All of the guys nod, but I catch Stuart looking at me sadly for a moment. I wipe a tear from my eye at the thought of hurting him, cross over the patio, and give him a hug. When I pull away, I give him a kiss on the cheek.

“You’re a wonderful man, Stuart. And you deserve a wonderful woman who loves you. You’re going to find that.”

He nods at me with a smile. “I’ll bounce back, princess. I always do.” He gives me a wink, and maybe I’m totally wrong, but out of the corner of my eye, I feel like I catch Carrie watching him with a fond expression on her face. Maybe he’ll bounce back more quickly than I thought?

“Okay, everyone! We’re going to have a very long night, so I need you to go to your rooms, grab a mountain of clothes you can change into between shots, and get ready. It’s going to be a bumpy shoot.”

* * *

Carrie wasn’t lying. The process of shooting scene after scene of eliminations isn’t just already starting to be stressful; it’s emotionally exhausting. In between every shot, we have to change clothes, makeup, and hair. We have to move the set around, and make things look different enough that no one will know we shot everything in one day. And because I offered to do my own hair and makeup, I’m doing everything myself, which is more complicated than I expected.

On top of that, I’m saying goodbye to one guy after another, without any buffer time, and given how much time I’ve spend with each of these men as friends over the last four weeks, it’s more upsetting than I expected it to be. I’ve grown attached to them in different ways, and now that Grill is gone, there is an atmosphere of love and friendship in the house that wasn’t there before.

We draw straws before we start shooting to determine the order people will leave, and it ended up being Alex, Oscar, Stuart, then Max last. After each guy films his scene, Carrie’s plan is to get him in a cab and send him straight to the airport, so everyone is on planes and out of Mexico before the storm hits. She’s made it very clear that she doesn’t want to worry about anyone’s safety, and she’s already uncomfortable with the idea of leaving Daniel and me here to face it alone. As I’m getting into my first dress in the changing area of the pool house, I hear Darius filming his monologue about Grill leaving.

“Sometimes, contestants just don’t work out. On previous seasons of Wild Love, we’ve had single ladies and single men disappear, we’ve had couples take off together, and we’ve even had a host quit mid-shoot in our early days. But it’s rare that someone leaves just because they are absolutely impossible to work with. Grill Reynolds is a first for Wild Love, because he is that special kind of contestant… a guy that just made existence for everyone on set a living hell. He left early today of his own volition, and will not be continuing as a contestant. We decided it was best for everyone. We wish him nothing but the best of luck moving forward as he searches for his own wild love.”

I chuckle as I shimmy into a snug red dress, then slip on some black heels. That was probably the nicest way they could have come up with to say, “Grill Reynolds was an arrogant asshole and everyone hated him and now he’s gone,” but I appreciate their tact. I walk out of the poorhouse, and the guys are all standing in a semi-circle around the stage in their suits, looking handsome, but nervous and exhausted. Carrie is off to the side, directing the remaining camera guys around with a wave.

“All right, Alex. Are you ready?” she asks with a smile. Alex nods, then looks at Max with a wink.

“See you back home?” he whispers to Max, who laughs and shakes his head.

“You bet.”

“Worst kept secret since Daniel and Anya creeping off to her bedroom every other night,” Oscar says with a grin, and everyone laughs. It’s nice that the tension has completely disappeared with Grill gone. It’s just a shame it took this long to happen.

We film Alex’s elimination scene, and then quickly say goodbyes off-camera before everyone starts hurriedly changing clothes and makeup. Then we repeat the process two more times, each goodbye harder than the last, until it’s just me, Max, and Daniel standing by the pool with the crew. We take a break to scarf some food and have a few glasses of wine, and suddenly, Max gives me a huge, tight hug.

“What was that for?” I ask with a laugh.

“Without you, I wouldn’t have managed to sort out my life, and find anything good. I’m not saying everything is going to work out for sure or anything, but at the end of the day, you did a good thing for me, and encouraged me to be who I am. That means a lot, Anya. Thank you.”

I wipe a tear away. “Thank goodness the cameras aren’t recording. Good grief. Listen, make sure you call me when you get back and settled in, you hear?”

“Hey, me too. I was serious about choreographing our next video,” Daniel calls over to Max. Max grins.

“You guys are the best. Seriously.”

“Okay, kiddos! Take your places. I want to get this last shot done so we can get the rest of the crew out of here tonight. Anya, back on the stage. Daniel and Max, on the black tape. Try to pretend you don’t know how this going to end, please,” Carrie says as she adjusts the location of the cameras.

A few flashes of light, a few shouts from Carrie, and I’m declaring to the world that Daniel, a man I’ve known for my entire adult life, is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. And the part that surprises even me…

It’s all true.