Fairytale Love - Becca & Brian (23 page)

“Since you and Brian have a history from growing up together, do you feel more or less competitive with him?”

“I don’t feel competitive with anyone. I’m just happy to be here.” Even as the words came out of her mouth, Becca was surprised to find that they were actually true.

When this had started, she never would have guessed that a day would come when she actually wanted to be here. But this experience had showed her that she was capable of so much more than she would have ever thought she was.

When she told Brian that she wanted to try new things and when else would she ever have a chance to do something like this, those had just been her pathetic excuses when she’d been grabbing at ropes while she sank in quicksand. Turned out, she had a little more Nostradamus in her than she realized because those words had turned out to be prophetic.

“What do you think of Jax and Madison? Do you think they deserve to be crowned the winners of
Fairytale Love
?”

“I think that Jax is a strong competitor and Madison has a huge capacity for love,” Becca answered, giving Jessie’s PR version of: Jax is a roid-head and Madison is a stage-five clinger.

“How about Brooklyn and your best buddy Brian?”

“I think Brooklyn is beautiful and confident. And Brian…” Becca paused. Jessie hadn’t prepared her to answer questions about Brian, probably because it was
Brian
. Why would her sister think she’d need to be coached on what to say about her best friend? “Well, Brian is…perfect.”

She didn’t know what else to say. To her, he was perfect.

Gavin laughed. “Perfect, huh? Elaborate please.”

She felt put on the spot. She didn’t know how to answer that. Her palms were definitely sweating now. Without any time to try to figure out what the best thing to say would be, she just started talking straight from her heart.

“Brian is the kind of guy who not only opens doors and makes sure you wear a jacket if it’s cold outside, he also knows exactly what to do to make you laugh when laughing is the last thing you want to do. He knows what
really
matters and what doesn’t. He can rebuild your car engine, put a complicated desk together in under an hour after your dad throws the instructions out from frustration, fix your computer when it crashes,
and he
also notices when you buy a new skirt.”

Becca felt her eyes filling with tears. She didn’t want to cry. That was the last thing she wanted to do. But the tears were coming whether she wanted them to or not.

She sniffed as a smile spread across her face. “He has a smile that makes you do things you would never do in a million years. I call it his bad-boy smile. When he flashes that smile, people—myself included—just follow him blindly. Because even if, technically, it’s something you know you shouldn’t be doing, you also know that, whatever happens, Brian will take care of it. He’ll take care of you.

“If you are lucky enough to be someone Brian loves, then you know that, no matter what happens, he will
always
be there for you. He would do anything, sacrifice anything, for the people he loves.”

Becca sucked in a shaky breath.

Gavin stared at her, and for the first time since she’d met the Dick Dastardly doppelganger, he looked as though he were at a loss for words.

She waited for a few seconds to see if he was going to ask anything else, but instead, he reached up and, with his thumb and forefinger, wiped underneath his eyes.

Was he crying?

“Wow,” he said after a few moments. “I think
I
just fell in love with Brian.”

Becca laughed. Those were the last words she’d ever expected to hear come out of Gavin’s mouth. As he smiled and shook his head back and forth, still wiping his misty eyes, she was tempted to tell him to get in line.

“W
elcome back to
Fairytale Love
. I’m your host, Lance Sparrow. This week, our couples were asked to take a
leap
of faith in the journey to their happily ever after. Let’s see who jumped without reservation and who needed a little convincing.”

An applause track played.

“And we’re clear. Three minutes and we’re back,” the assistant director called out.

Brooklyn turned her head to look up at Brian. Her nostrils flared as her steely, cold eyes bored into his. She hissed under her breath, “Do
not
look at her. If you embarrass me, you will be sorry.”

For the last three days, all Brooklyn had talked about, when cameras
weren’t
rolling, was the fact that her friends and family kept telling her that, on the clips of the show that were being broadcast—which none of the cast had seen the footage of—Brian was constantly looking at Becca. No matter what they were doing. Eating, challenges, hanging out—his eyes were tracking Becca’s every move.

That information had not surprised him one bit.

He stared back at her with the blankest expression he could muster at her not-so-veiled threat. It was tough, though. These past few weeks, when he had to pretend to be a couple with Brooklyn, to enjoy her company, had been the ultimate test of his acting skills. She was the most self-involved, shallow, mean-spirited person Brian had ever met.

She’d admitted to him that she was only here because she wanted to be ‘discovered’ and had no intention of falling in ‘fairytale love.’ Truth be told, that had actually been a relief. He was glad that she wasn’t looking for something he had no way of providing. If she had actually come on this show for the right reasons, then he would have felt guilty for being here for the reasons he was and even guiltier for the fact that he was head over heels, madly in love with someone else.

When Brooklyn had first approached him with the ‘breaking news’ that the cameras had ‘caught’ him looking at Becca, he apologized if it had bothered her but explained that it was just a habit he’d gotten into and he wasn’t even aware he had been doing it. It had been pointed out to him over the years by his friends and family. Even Becca’s sisters had teased him about it. But, he could honestly say, it had never been a premeditated action on his part.

When Becca was within a hundred feet of him, it was like she was a homing beacon calling to him. She had a magnetic pull surrounding her, and truthfully, Brian couldn’t understand how everyone didn’t feel it. She was his lighthouse in the storms of life. She always had been.

“I’m serious. Eyes straight ahead or on me. Look at that bitch and you’ll live to regret it.”

Brian’s jaw locked. He was about two seconds from walking off this set. Instead, he stared back at her and said one word. “Don’t.”

Brooklyn narrowed her eyes at him but did not say another word. She was a smart girl, and he knew that she would understand that his statement had been equal parts warning and promise. With a stiff back, she slowly turned around and faced forward. Brian was a little shocked that she didn’t cross her arms and stomp her feet like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum.

Brian knew people like her. They pushed to see how far they could go with him because he was a ‘nice guy.’ Well, she’d just found the line. If she crossed it again, he was leaving. She could try and get ‘discovered’ without him.

His family was the only thing that kept him from walking off this set. Tonight were the results that would determine which two couples would be going on the fairytale getaway. None of the contestants knew where they would be going if they made it. All Brian knew was that they would be gone four days. And he only knew that because Becca had made sure that, no matter what, she would be home for Krista and Chase’s wedding.

The applause track began playing, signaling that they were going live again.

Lance took his spot, and just like that, he was ‘on.’ Brian watched as the words Lance was saying scrolled up the teleprompter. The guy really did know how to host a show.

At the beginning of this, Brian had thought that Lance was kind of a prick, but after seeing him switch it on for the camera take after take, Brian had to give it up to the guy. What he did took talent, and Lance had it. Last week, on the live elimination show during which Natalie and Andrew had been sent home, the teleprompter had gone dead, and without skipping a beat, Lance switched to using his earpiece. He didn’t think anyone else in the cast had even noticed. Brian only had because, from where he stood, he’d had a straight view to the teleprompter, and when it had gone dark, he’d seen Lance reach up and adjust his earpiece.

“Okay. Our first couple that will be heading to their fairytale getaway is…” Lance paused.

Brian knew that the cameras were getting close-ups of each of the couples to add suspense for the viewers. He waited, like he had every week, with an internal battle of whether or not he wanted his name to be called.

Of course, he needed the money that, every week he remained on the show, he got closer to. But he also wanted to get as far away from Brooklyn as he could. After his talk with Becca, he’d decided that he was just going to look at this as an acting job. Like when celebrities did cameos in movies but were exaggerated versions of themselves. That’s what Brian was. He was exaggerating the fact that he could actually stand to be in Brooklyn’s presence.

“With over fifty percent of the votes from you, the viewers, the first couple that will be continuing their journey to happily ever after is…Colton and Becca!” Lance announced enthusiastically, and the canned applause sounded through the speakers.

Brian looked over just in time to see Colton pick Becca up off the ground, holding her tight against him, his head buried in her neck, her arms wrapped around him. Brian’s stomach dropped. He wasn’t sure he would ever get used to seeing her in another man’s arms, even if the arms belonged to a good guy like Colton.

His chest tightened as he turned his attention back towards Lance.

“The second couple that will not only be enjoying a fairytale getaway but will also be at the
Fairytale Love
finale in two short weeks, where the couple with the most votes will be not only be crowned Fairytale Couple, but will also win five hundred thousand dollars is”—Lance paused, staring directly into the camera—“going to be announced after a word from our sponsors! Stay tuned!”

After several seconds, the AD yelled, “We’re clear. Back in two.”

Brian walked over to congratulate Becca and Colton. When her baby-blue eyes met his, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. His hands rested on her bare back. Tonight, she was wearing a white dress that had a cutout on the lower back. She’d gotten some color over the past few weeks since most of their ‘activities’ had been outdoors. The contrast of her golden skin, dark hair, and simple, white, curve-hugging dress was almost more than Brian could handle.

It wasn’t just her dress that was driving him crazy. It was her voice, the sweet smell of her shampoo and lotion, her smile, her laugh. He’d thought this last year had been tough. Realizing that he was in love with his best friend. Not knowing what to do about it. How to process it.

Now, all of that seemed ridiculous. If he could go back six months to Haley’s wedding or even three weeks ago, when he’d pulled her into his arms in the airport, Brian knew now that he’d do things differently. He’d tell her he loved her. That he’d always love her and that he knew he could make her happy.

Brian knew he could love her the way no one else could. Not some random guy. Not some guy she met at Stanford. Not even Colton. He knew her better than anyone, had been taking care of her, watching out for her since they were four years old.

No matter how hard he’d try to convince himself otherwise, the truth was she was
his.

“You okay?” Becca whispered in his ear.

He didn’t answer, just held her tighter. For just a moment, he wanted to forget that they were shooting a TV show. A dating show. A live show. All he wanted was for the world to disappear like it always did when Becca was in his arms.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get his wish. He felt Brooklyn’s bony fingers digging into his biceps and heard Jennifer calling out, “Thirty seconds.”

Brian’s jaw tensed as he, reluctantly, stepped back and into his spot. He didn’t make eye contact with Becca like he wanted to. He was scared that, if he had, the thin thread of control he was hanging on to would snap, and he’d drag her out of there, not giving a damn about the show, the money, Colton.

“Welcome back to
Fairytale Love
. This show started with five couples all competing for their happily ever after. Now, we are down to three. Colton and Becca received an impressive fifty-four percent of the votes, guaranteeing them a fairytale getaway and a spot on our live finale show in just two weeks, where five hundred thousand dollars is up for grabs.

“The question is what couple will be joining them on that stage. Will it be Jax and Madison? Or will it be Brian and Brooklyn? Your votes determined who will be continuing their journey to happily ever after. With over twenty percent of the votes, the couple that will be heading off to their fairytale getaway is Jax and Madison!”