“I know it won’t.” Sienna frowned. “I’m just thinking about Milo.”
Reagan’s eyebrows shot up. “You’ve heard from him?”
Sienna shook her head. “No, but Dad left when I was little because I was too much. Three kids, fine, but four, and a crazy attention-seeking toddler like me...”
“What does that have to do with Milo?”
“Well, Milo did the same thing, just ten years later. I was too much for him. I’m too much for everyone. I need to show them that I can do it on my own, that they won’t have to take care of me. Then no one else will leave.”
“Oh, Sienna.” Reagan sighed and took her hands in hers and knelt in front of her to look her in the eye. “You had nothing to do with anyone leaving. I don’t know much about your dad, but I do know there is nothing a three-year-old could do to make her father leave.”
The faucet of tears that had started to twist off was back on full blast now. Sienna breathed in Reagan’s words, wanting them to be true, needing them to be true.
“And I only knew Milo a little, but from all the stories your sisters and Eli have told me, he was loyal to a fault—especially to his family. It must have been something beyond his control to pull him away from you all.”
It made sense, hearing it from Reagan. Sienna had told herself that hundreds of times and never believed it. But after everything that had happened in the past few days, anything seemed possible. Her entire life felt like a reality show, with one dramatic surprise coming after another, so maybe she could suspend belief a little more and accept that what Reagan said was true.
“So what am I supposed to do?”
“Be you. Just you, however you want to be,” said Reagan, giving her a hug.
“But I’m an actor. I’m never just me.”
“Well, start now. It’s reality TV, after all.”
Sienna sighed and wiped her eyes. It seemed like they’d stay dry for at least a few minutes. “We don’t have anything until the competition this afternoon. Should we just stay here and try another mask?
“Actually, I think you should talk to your mom.”
“That charcoal one looked good—”
“Sienna.” Reagan leveled her with a stare eerily like Audrey’s irritated teacher look. At least she wasn’t rubbing her temples. “You need to tell her about the money problem. Maybe she can help.”
Sienna snorted. “She can’t wait to tell me ‘I told you so,’ you mean.”
“I highly doubt that. And if she does, then you never have to listen to my advice again.”
Nineteen
6 Days Until Dream Wedding
Fox wokeup to the sound of knocking.
He laid in bed for several moments waiting for the fog of sleep to fade. And as it did, his mind began to come into focus.
There was someone outside his room.
The sun was shining through the thick curtains just enough that Fox could tell that it was late morning.
Late morning?
Fox shot up in his bed and snatched the phone off of his dresser and saw that it was already past nine. He’d slept through that morning’s meeting—that morning’srequiredmeeting.
Fox jumped out of bed and hurried to get dressed. He was pulling his shirt on over his head when a voice cried out from the other side of the door.
“I know you’re in there, so you might as well open up, buttercup.”
It was Wade. Better than Bruce.
