Page 122 of Cast to be Mine

The room went silent for a beat.

Then everyone laughed. Including me, though mine was mostly relief.

“You know my mother?” I asked.

“We crossed paths a few times over the years. She was always gracious, even when your father was being…” He paused, searching for the diplomatic word. “Difficult.”

“That’s a generous description.”

Max chuckled. “I’m trying to be on my best behavior. Micah made me promise.”

I glanced at Micah, who was watching the exchange with barely concealed anxiety. I reached over and squeezed his hand, letting him know it was okay. Better than okay.

“I appreciate that,” I said to Max. “And for what it’s worth, I’m not here to defend my father. Whatever happened between you guys, that’s between you and him. I’m just here because I love your son.”

Max’s eyebrows rose slightly. He exchanged a look with Tiana, some silent communication passing between them.

“Well,” he said finally. “That’s refreshingly honest.”

“Grace doesn’t know how to be anything else,” Micah said, slipping his arm around my waist. “It’s one of the things I love about her.”

The tension in the room dissolved. Someone handed me a glass of wine, and suddenly I was being introduced to Beau, Micah’s younger brother.

“The entertainment lawyer,” Beau said, shaking my hand with a grin that was pure charm. “I handle all the boring contract stuff so these creative types can focus on their art.”

“Boring?” I raised an eyebrow. “From what I hear, entertainment law is anything but boring. Half the drama in Hollywood happens in negotiation rooms.”

Beau’s grin widened. “I like her already. She gets it.”

Dinner was served in a dining room with views of the city sprawling below us. The food was incredible—some fusion of Mediterranean and California cuisine that melted on my tongue. But more than the food, I was struck by the conversation.

The Blackwells were loud. Passionate. They interrupted each other constantly, argued about everything from the best place to vacation to favorite foods. It was chaos, but the good kind. It was so different from the formal, tense dinners of my childhood.

“You’re quiet,” Tiana observed, catching my eye across the table. “Everything okay?”

“More than okay,” I said honestly. “I’m just taking it all in. My family dinners were never like this.”

“Like what?”

“Fun.”

Another round of laughter. Even Max cracked a genuine smile.

As the evening wound down and we moved to the living room for coffee and dessert, I found myself just taking it all in. They were a lot. I thought about more meals with them. Holidays. Movie premieres.

Tiana sat next to me, her hand patting my knee. “Welcome to the family, Grace. For what it’s worth, you’ve got my blessing.”

“Thank you.”

“She’s a keeper,” Max said.

EPILOGUE

MICAH

Six months later

Six months later, I sat in the back of a limousine, watching the city lights blur past the tinted windows, feeling like I was living someone else’s life.