#Starstruck (#Lovestruck, #1)

by Sariah Wilson

“He thinks I’m in love with Chase, and that’s why I was mad at you. I kept trying to explain it to him, but he’s so stubborn. It’s like he decided this was reality, and there was nothing I could say to make him see things differently.”

“But it’s okay. There are lots of other guys to date. Maybe we should go out and find some.” She smiled and said the things she always said after a breakup. But she wasn’t okay. Gavin was special. She loved him.

I stuck my foot in the frame. He wasn’t going to get rid of me that easily. “Lexi is not in love with Chase. He was a childhood crush. She met him. Twice. And she didn’t go after him. In fact, after she met him, she pretty much stopped talking about him other than to make you jealous. If you haven’t noticed, Lexi can be insecure and needs constant reassurance. You are the only guy I’ve ever seen her serious about. I think she might even love you. She was mad because I lied to her. And she had every right to be mad. I shouldn’t have done it.”

Two heartbeats later she reached up and undid the chain lock to let him in. He grabbed her in his arms and lifted her against him. If my heart had to be broken, I was so glad my best friend’s would be mended. But it made me ache to see how much they loved each other, and I missed Chase all over again.

No way! “Yes. I would love to work here!”

“Well, not really about you. It’s about how he isn’t dating Amelia Swan, and how everything that’s been said about them is a lie. How he was in love with someone else but wanted to keep the relationship private. You should watch it.”

“Hi, Chase,” I heard Lexi say. “This is Lexi.” Then she began to talk, but I heard only her side of the conversation. She would say a sentence and then pause, listening. “She’s sleeping. Yeah, he stopped by tonight. She knows you didn’t send him. I know. Can I give you some advice? Zoe is a person who doesn’t get mad easily, but when she does, it takes her a long time to calm down. And you really hurt her. She needs to know you won’t do that again. She’s lost too many people she loved. I know it was a mistake. She knows it, too. I don’t know. Maybe show her how serious about her you are. A big gesture. You work in Hollywood. I’m sure you can figure something out. I know she misses you. And she still loves you. Okay. Yeah, I can do that. Okay. Bye.”

“Nah. They haven’t had a good season since they had those Monterran princes on it.” Plus, I wasn’t really in the mood for a sappy, romantic show. I had been trying to decide what to do about Chase and didn’t want to watch people falling in love.

“What is P.S. I Love You?” Karl said smugly. “One thousand.”

I put it all together despite the rushing sensation in my head. Zoe, please forgive me, I love you, will you marry me.

“That first night when you stayed over, I already knew I was in love with you. And it scared me to feel that way, but it was okay because it was you. I woke up with you in my arms, and it was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I want that. Every day. For the rest of my life. To fall asleep at night holding you and wake up to you every morning and everything that happens in between.”

“I am committed to you. I’m committed to us. You’ve made me want things I never thought I wanted. I want you to be my family. I want you to be the mother to a houseful of our kids. I want you to be my first and only love. I want you to be my wife.”

I’d thought we didn’t have a future, but Chase had just offered me the best possible one. And I knew he meant every word he’d just said. This wasn’t some Band-Aid he was using to fix us. He loved me and wanted a life with me. Just like I loved him and wanted a life with him. I knew our lives wouldn’t be perfect, but we would be perfect for each other, and that’s what mattered. As long as we trusted and loved each other, the rest of the stuff would work itself out. I would figure out a way to deal with the paparazzi and privacy invasions and harassing Internet trolls or him going on location. Because I loved him, and he was worth anything I had to go through in order to be with him.

We were married three months later. Chase didn’t see a point in waiting, and to be honest, neither did I. We hired a wedding planner, Madison LaRue, who charged us an arm and a leg because of the short notice, but she was famous among the Hollywood set for keeping everything private. And we both wanted that. A private day that was just for us and our loved ones.

“I love it when you talk nerdy to me,” he said, finally doing as he was told. He dipped me back and kissed me soundly.

No, I couldn’t have. I looked up to see him dancing with Zelda, who stood on his shoes as he turned her in a circle. Every time I thought I couldn’t possibly love him more, he did something to prove me wrong. The reality of being his wife was so much better than I could have ever dreamed up.

That was so Chase. “I love you, Mr. Covington.” “I love you, Mrs. Covington.”

I showed Chase my phone, but he just nodded, distracted. He was nominated for Best Actor for the movie Spectrum. It was the one I’d encouraged him to do while we were dating, the one he’d invested his own money in that had almost fallen apart. It had been a long labor of love, and Chase desperately wanted it to succeed.

“And finally, I want to thank my wife. She encouraged me to make this movie.” He looked directly at me. “You make me a better man. I love you, Zoe. I wish I could say that winning this award was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It’s not. The best thing that has ever happened to me is sitting in the audience, pregnant with the second best.” As if he’d realized what he had done, his eyes went wide. “I think I just let the cat out of the bag. Sorry, babe. Although now we have a pretty good reason to name him Oscar. Thank you!”