She still didn’t reply.
“Your mom used to cry,” I said, which got their attention. Austin’s face dropped.
“What?” he asked.
“When we started to film, your mom would go hide somewhere, cry until her eyes were red, and then hurry up and clean her face before people came looking for her.”
They were silent. I’m sure they couldn’t picture it. Amelia now was an amazing mother, always laughing and joking with them. They were her world—our world. The people on our list.
Austin looked to Aurora as her shoulders dropped.
“Fine,” she finally let it go. “But when I’m a grownup, I’m going to do it!”
“When you’re a grownup, I’ll be right behind you, cheering you on,” I smiled, taking a bite of her pie.
“Hey!”
Laughing, I couldn’t imagine my life without these two.
“Aurora,” Austin said seriously, looking over to her again. “When Mom comes back, say you’re sorry.”
“What—”
“You said you hated her. Say you’re sorry,” he demanded.
That’s my boy, I thought proudly, messing up his hair, much to his annoyance.
Amelia
It was 1 a.m. when I got back in. Taking off my shoes, I tip-toed up the stairs, first going to Austin’s room. He laid on the edge of his bed, his headphones around his neck, damn near ready to choke him and give me a heart attack. Putting my shoes down, I gently lifted his head, unwrapping the thing and putting it on his bedside table.
“Sleep tight, Little Bear,” I whispered, kissing his forehead.
Grabbing my heels, I moved back to the door when he said, “Sleep tight, Mama Bear.”
Grinning, I closed the door behind me, heading to Aurora’s room. Even though I knew she was sleeping, I had to mentally prepare myself. She scared me. She scared me because she was so strong-willed that I was worried she’d do something like run off to get cast by herself.
Her room was pink, just like mine was, and she slept with the covers kicked off, just like Noah. I pulled the sheet up, tucking her legs back in and kissing her forehead.
“I love you,” I said before getting back up again. Just like Austin, she rolled over, opening her eyes—the same blue-green eyes as her father—and whispered, “I’m sorry, Mommy.”
“What?”
“I don’t hate you. I’m sorry I was mad. I love you.”
Walking back to her, I sat down on the bed. “I know, and I love you more. I know it’s confusing, but it’s the truth, and that’s why you can’t act yet.”
“Did you really used to cry when you were on set?”
Noah. “Yeah. I did. It was really hard. A lot of people don’t know that.”
“Daddy says when I’m a grownup, he’ll cheer me on.”
I grinned. “I will, too. In fact, you’re going to be so sick of us, you’re not going to want us to come to your premieres.”
She yawned.
“Why are both you and your brother still up? It’s late.”
She giggled. “Daddy let us watch movies with him, and he forgot what time was us. He heard Uncle Daniel drive up and told us to rush to bed.”
“Go to bed, okay?” I giggled with her, tucking her in more.
“Okay. Night,” she said, rolling over.
Leaving the door open just a crack, I walked into the bedroom where Noah sat up, reading a script. He glanced at me, and I stared.
He tried not to smile. “Which one of them sold me out?”
“Aurora.”
“Dang it. And I thought it would be Austin,” he said, putting the script beside him.
Closing the door, I took off my jeans and his shirt, throwing them into the corner. He lifted the sheets for me to crawl inside.
“Why did you think it was Austin?” I asked, patting down the pillow.
“He’s a mama’s boy,” he stated matter-of-factly, and I smacked his shoulder. “Ha—what? He is. There is nothing wrong with it. How was work?”
“I hate my co-star, but other than that, it was fine. How was home?”
“I think we hit a breakthrough with Aurora. Thank God,” he sighed, relaxing against the headboard. “Today it felt like I was breaking her heart when I kept saying no.”
Sitting up, I threw my leg over his lap, his hands going to my waist, holding me in place. “I know, but we have to.”
Leaning forward, our lips met, and after all these years, it was still as passionate and lustful as ever. My hands were in his hair as our tongues brushed against each other and he undid my bra.
Between kisses, he said, “If we never do anything else right, at least we can say we never let them become child stars.”
I couldn’t agree more.
-The End-
More by J.J. McAvoy
Ruthless People Series
RUTHLESS PEOPLE
THE UNTOUCHABLES
AMERICAN SAVAGES
DECLAN + CORALINE (prequel novella)
Single Title New Adult Romance
BLACK RAINBOW
SUGAR BABY BEAUTIFUL
Child Star Series
CHILD STAR: Part 1
CHILD STAR: Part 2
CHILD STAR: Part 3
CHILD STAR – full novel
About the Author
J.J. McAvoy was born in Montreal, Canada and is currently studying Humanities at Carleton University. She is the oldest of three and has loved writing for years. She is inspired by everything from Shakespearean tragedies to Pop Culture. Her first novel, Ruthless People, was a runaway bestseller.
Please stay in touch via any of her social media outlets.
http://iamjjmcavoy.com/,
http://jjmcavoy.tumblr.com/,
https://twitter.com/JJMcAvoy,
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjZyrCxoOpspUIXmB0zHDKw/videos,
https://www.facebook.com/iamjjmcavoy,
http://instagram.com/jjmcavoy,
https://www.pinterest.com/jjmcavoy52/https://www.pinterest.com/jjmcavoy52/
Table of Contents
Copyright
Chapter One
Noah
Amelia
Chapter Two
Noah
Amelia
Chapter Three
Amelia
Noah
Chapter Four
Amelia
Noah
Amelia
Chapter Five
Noah
Amelia
Noah
Chapter Six
Amelia
Noah
Amelia
Chapter Seven
Amelia
Chapter Eight
Noah
Amelia
Noah
Chapter Nine
Amelia
Noah
Amelia
Noah
Chapter Ten
Noah
Amelia
Chapter Eleven
Noah
Amelia
Chapter Twelve
Noah
Amelia
Noah
Amelia
Noah
Epilogue
Noah
Amelia
More by J.J. McAvoy
About the Author