Breaking Stars (The Celebrity 2)

“Told me what?” I asked, downing another gulp.

“It’s a brilliant idea, actually. Hear her out before you say no, okay?” Ryson’s tone had turned serious, which worried me. “Let’s go sit down first, though.”

I followed them through the kitchen, loving how the natural light filtered in from every angle

. A glimpse outside at their backyard and view nearly took my breath away. It was spectacular, the kind of thing that dreams were made of, and I was convinced only existed in LA for the rich and famous.

When we reached the dining room, Quinn and Ryson sat down next to each other, so I picked a seat across from them. It felt like a business meeting, not that I’d ever really been in one before.

“First of all, I need to ask you a couple of questions,” Quinn said, her hands folded on top of the table.

I shrugged my shoulders in response and waited, so she went on.

“I heard how Paige talked about you while she was in Hanford. She likes you, really likes you.”

My insides warmed with that revelation, even if I had already hoped for it to be true. “Good, because I’m in love with her and I want to be with her. That’s why I’m here.”

Quinn’s eyebrows practically shot up to her hairline. “You’re in love with her? Well, that will help things. And we already know how you feel about Colin, which is another point for you.”

The mere mention of that douche’s name soured my mood. “I want to kick the living shit out of that guy. He’s lucky I only hit him once.”

“I call dibs on the next Colin beat down,” Ryson said seriously as he turned toward Quinn and jerked his head my way. “I like this guy.”

“Me too. Maybe,” Quinn said to him before glaring back at me. “You really hurt her. She’s my best friend and you hurt her. Worse than jerk-off Colin did, I think.”

“I know,” I admitted honestly because I knew it was the truth. Something inside me knew that things with Paige and me were vastly different than they had been with her and Colin.

“So, what do you plan on doing about it?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

She slammed her hands on top of the table, making me jump. “Did you really come out here without any sort of plan at all? Nothing? Just thought you’d show up and be all hot looking,” she waved a hand in my general direction, “and she’d take you back?”

“So, your girlfriend thinks I’m hot?” I directed the question toward a now-smirking Ryson.

“Apparently.”

“Will you two stop the bromance already,” Quinn said with a frown. “Your plan?”

“I didn’t come here with a plan at first. I just wanted to apologize and get her to give me another chance.”

“How’d that work out for you?” she asked, cocking her head to one side.

“Not great,” I admitted. “I know that I need a gesture, something that will prove to Paige that I can handle being here for her and that I won’t run. I know what she’s afraid of, and I deserve it. But I need to prove her wrong. I need to show her that this lifestyle doesn’t scare me, and that I’d go through all of it to be with her.”

“So you do have a plan, you just don’t know how to execute it. Fortunately for you, I do.” She rubbed her hands together as Ryson raised his eyebrows and took another sip of beer.

Quinn outlined the details of her idea, excitedly going through each point one by one.

When she finished, I looked over at Ryson, feeling a brotherly bond with him already. “You think this is a good idea?”

“I do, actually. It’s sort of brilliant, if you’re up for it.”

“I think I could pull it off.” Taking another swig of beer, I added, “I hope.”

“You can do it,” he reassured me as I internally freaked out. This was something completely out of my comfort zone, but I was willing to do it.

“And you think it will work?”