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We were meeting everyone at our place and having dinner catered. When we pulled up, they’d all beaten us there, and there were cars parked all along the large circular driveway. I opened the garage door, and we saw Finn standing in the garage on the phone, and he didn’t look happy.
“Is he all right? I’m guessing this shit is getting to him, huh?”
“Yeah. Maybe you could talk to him? You know a thing or two about the press, right?” Brinkley said. Her tone was light, but I heard the concern beneath it.
Big Sky Ranchhad become the number one streaming show out there at the moment. Sometimes, everything comes together, and a show just has that magic.
Finn happened to be the star of the show, and his popularity had soared overnight. Unfortunately, his costar was enjoying the fame and was doing a bunch of interviews, bad-mouthing Finn for breaking her heart. He was taking a lot of heat at the moment, and he’d yet to speak out about it.
We stepped out of the car, and Brinkley gave me a kiss before jogging toward her brother. “I’ll meet you guys inside.”
“You all right?” I asked after he ended the call.
“Yeah. Great game, by the way.”
“Hey, we’re talking about you. I’m sure this shit is getting to you.”
“You know, it’s a weird mix of a lot of things. I’ve waited so long to find a show that would sort of launch my career, you know?” He glanced out at the street before looking back at me. “And now there’s this woman spreading all these lies about me, and it’s not what I want to be known for.”
“What does Angelique say?”
“Well, we just thought it would all blow over at first. But now, Jessica’s going on these talk shows and saying we discussed marriage and having a family together, and none of that is true. We never even went out on a date. We don’t chat on the phone either. I don’t know much about her outside of our professional situation. We hooked up that one time, and I’ve been honest about what happened, as much as everyone wants to joke about it. I did stop things because I knew something wasn’t right. I’ve kept my head down for months since. I haven’t been going out, haven’t been with any women. I don’t want to fuck up my career.” He scrubbed a hand down his face.
“You’ve got the truth on your side, brother. It will eventually die down. Has Angelique tried talking to her or her team?”
He nodded. “Yep. Jessica just keeps saying that all press is good press, and it’s helping the show. She loves it. But it’s making people fucking pissed, and I’m getting these aggressive messages on social media. People want us together now. It’s a fucking nightmare.”
“Fuck. I’m sorry you’re going through this. Just stay the course, Finn. She’ll talk herself into a corner.”
“That’s what Angelique thinks. She said I just need to keep a low profile. If I end up dating someone down the road, we’ll present me as a relationship guy and not some womanizer, I guess.”
“It’s good you have this downtime between seasons. I’m excited to see the house you bought. Brinkley said it’s right on the water and not too far from town.”
“Yeah. That’s been a good thing. I’ve been able to throw myself into working on the new place and taking the boat out on the water. And I’m not going to lie, being home helps. No one bothers me there.”
“Cottonwood Cove, man. It’s hard to beat. The people are nosy as shit but protective to the core. They’ve got your back, and so do we.”
“I know you do, and it means a lot.”
“You know I’m here if you want to talk. And you’re welcome to stay out here with us for as long as you want. We’ve got plenty of room.”
“Thanks. I’ve had a lot of fun out here. I’ll be back for as many games as I can swing, pending my filming schedule.”
“Good. We love having you all here.”
And I meant it.
I followed him inside, and the house was buzzing. My mom and Alana were helping the caterer get all the chafing dishes set up. Maddox and Georgia were standing with Wyle, who was playing bartender. Hugh and Lila were out in the backyard with Gracie, and Tia was out there playing with them. Cage, Romeo, and Bradford were talking about the game, and Finn went over to join them.
“Hey,” Brinkley said as she slid up beside me. She’d changed into a pair of denim cut-off shorts and a white tee. “How’d it go with Finn?”
“He’s going to be fine, baby. Your brother has a good head on his shoulders. I think he probably needs to find himself a woman and let everyone see that he’s the stable guy that he is. Jessica will blow herself up eventually.”
“Well, you know firsthand just how great life can be when you’ve got yourself a good woman,” she said, her voice teasing.
“Damn straight. I used to come home alone after games to a quiet house. And look at this. Look what we’ve created together.” I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
“A three-ring circus?” she said over her laughter.
