Page 120 of Unscripted with Mila

Nick stopped beside me, not opening the door. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re funny, Shortcake.”

“Let’s go in.”

We were greeted warmly, coffee poured, cookies set out. Everyone wanted to hear the whole, real story, and Nick indulged them, giving them the scoop. When he got to the part of me taking down MJ, he stood, reenacting it. His ring flashed in the light, but no one seemed to notice. Aiden whooped and hollered, giving me a high five. The diamonds on my band caught the light, glittering and sending a rainbow over the wall.

No one even blinked.

Finally, I yawned, and my mom patted my shoulder. “You’re tired, my girl. Go have a nap. We can do dinner later if you want. Aiden already ordered Chinese.”

Nick grinned. “Awesome.”

“Sammy’s back at the ranch. Is she doing okay?”

“She’s very happy. She’ll call you later.”

“Okay.”

I felt strangely disappointed. Not a single member of my family had commented or asked about our rings. I’d purposely pushed my hair back, letting my hand linger, but there was no reaction. I looked at Nick, who seemed confused.

“So, Mila and I have some news to share.”

“Oh my goodness,” Mom said. “We’ve had all the news we can take. Save it for later.”

My dad yawned and rolled his shoulders. “Yeah, I think I’ll go work out. You coming with, Aiden?”

Aiden stood. “Sure.”

But his tone was off, and I saw him trying to hide his smile.

I jumped out of my chair. “Oh my God, you know. You all know!”

Aiden began to laugh. “Who says we can’t act?”

It turned out Andi had called and told my parents. She’d seen a picture of Nick and me in Vegas snapped by some random fan, with the headline of something along the lines of “Nick’s New Life Starts Early.” She’d wanted them to know before the story broke wide.

My family had decided to play a joke on us.

Once they explained how they knew, the hugs and voices became loud. I went from one set of arms to another. My mom was a teary mess, my aunts beaming. Nick was jostled around like a sack of potatoes until we both ended up in front of my dad. I met his eyes, seeing only his love.

“He makes you happy, Pumpkin?”

“Yes.”

“You plan on keeping her that way, Hollywood?” he asked Nick.

Nick slid his arm around my waist. “Always, sir.”

“And you’re staying here—in your house—right?” Dad asked me.

“Yes,” both Nick and I answered.

“Then there is only one thing I can do.”

“Which is?” Nick asked, tightening his arm on me.