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When I say advances, what I really mean is contracts—her manager discussing our relationship with my manager and a lot more paperwork than I want to deal with. Emma seems like a sweet girl, but I don’t even know if she wants to be seen with me or if it’s another publicity stunt our managers have arranged.

“And I told you, I don’t know if being a big huge movie star is my plan anymore,” I try to tell her… again.

At this point, I don’t know that it was ever reallymydream or if it was my mother pushing me into it. She’s been pushing me into acting since I was three years old. I’m twenty-six now, and while I’ve had some offers, I’ve always turned them down, sticking to my secondary character roles and mostly lifetime movies. I don’t want to play someone else’s love interest. I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. Everyone is so jaded and consumed by fortune and fame in this industry, I don’t trust any of it. Meaning I don’t trust the women constantly around me wanting my attention.

My best friend Trace just last year had a situation, and he’s about as adamant as I am when it comes to waiting for our “one,” our soulmate. Unfortunately, some crazy costar of his spiked his drink and then told the press they slept together. He woke to her in his bed and both naked and thought the worst. A few weeks later, reports came out she was pregnant.

He was devastated, thinking he saved himself for the girl of his dreams, and this costar took his choice away, got pregnant without his consent, and now he has to be a single dad. Luckily for him, they were able to prove she didn’t actually rape him, and the baby wasn’t his. However, he still took the baby in when both parents abandoned her, and now I have a beautiful niece that I love more than anything. Trace is trying to adapt to being a single father to an infant, and I’m helping in any way I can. He’s taken a break from acting, and I can’t blame him.

I took a small part in this Christmas movie just to get away from all of it. To think about my future and if this is the path I truly want to spend my life on. I’m tired, tired of this busy life. When the opportunity came to play someone’s brother in a Christmas movie here in Florida, I jumped at the chance, much to my mother’s displeasure.

“Brandon, acting is your life. What would you do if you didn’t have it?” she asks me, and I can hear the panic in her voice. In truth, acting is not my life, but my income and her new lifestyle are the most important things to her.

“Mom, I’m pulling up to the set. I’ll call you later,” I say, hanging up before she can try to con me into something else.

For so long, I’ve lived to make her proud. I’m twenty-six fucking years old. It’s time to live for me. I hop out of the car and head toward the set. It takes two hours to film my part for the day, and afterward, I get the rest of the day for just me. I decided to turn my phone off and head to Candy Cane Center. I saw a billboard for this place when I was driving toward the set, and something about it has me curious.

When I get there, it’s like I just walked into the north pole. If the north pole didn’t have snow and was set in Florida. Still, it’s pretty close to how I would picture it, anyway. There are Christmas trees all around, Santa’s workshop complete with Santa and elves for picture opportunities, kids’ rides, and they even have a hot cocoa truck.

I can feel the smile spread across my face as I watch the kids run around with excitement and the adults taking in the sites. It just seems so… cheerful. There is even a petting zoo. I spend the rest of the day walking around, wishing I had happy memories of Christmas from growing up like many of these children will.

Unfortunately, I had a mom who focused more on money than making the holidays merry and bright. My mother never gave me Christmas presents. She told me to stop being childish and focus on my career; that’s the first Christmas memory I have. I came down the stairs Christmas morning hoping for a present but saw my mother talking about a contract on her phone. No use dwelling on the past, though.

I always said when I had my own kids, Christmas would be spectacular in my house. There would be decorations throughout every inch of the yard, carrots for the reindeer and cookies for Santa set out, lights hanging all around my property… the whole nine yards. I’m smiling at that thought as I walk through the town center. Having a wife, a family, being surrounded by people who love me for me and not just my money or career. I stop at an ornament shop with a sign that reads:

Trixies Trinkets: Ornaments and more

I look through the window and see the most beautiful Christmas ornaments I ever could have imagined. There have to be hundreds hanging around the store, and they are all breathtaking. Well, I thought they were breathtaking. That is until I lay eyes on the beauty behind the desk in the back. She has her head down, her long dark hair hanging over her shoulder, and her cute button nose scrunched up in concentration. She’s so tiny yet bright. She reminds me of a little fairy, like a tinker from that movie about all the fairies and different jobs they have.

She’s completely engrossed in her work, oblivious to everyone around her, and like a creep, I’m just standing here watching her. She adds a colorful piece to whatever she’s working on and holds it up. The minute she looks at it, her whole face lights up like… well, like Christmas. Those ornaments she sells have nothing on the beauty of her shine. She’s incredible, and I know that family I was just picturing, walking down these lanes, that family will be with her. I don’t give a fuck if I’ve never even spoken to her. She’s the one I’ve been waiting my whole life for, and I can’t wait to get started.

I take one more look at her before heading straight for the door of the shop. The bell rings when I walk in, but her head is down again, and she doesn’t even spare me a glance when it rings.

She keeps her head down, working on the finishing touches, I’m guessing, but still yells out, “Welcome to Trixies. I’ll be with you in just a moment.”

I smile, loving the little jingle in her voice. It’s so sweet and adorable. I could probably find anything adorable about this woman, which makes me smile wider. I wait patiently by the counter until she finishes up with her project, and when she looks up at me with a smile, I want to walk straight up to her, throw her over my shoulder, and take her back to my cave. Unfortunately for me, she doesn’t have the same reaction.

The minute she glances up, her smile falls from her face, all the color draining in seconds, and she looks behind me and all around the shop for someone, like she’s looking for anyonebutme. What the hell?

“I need you to leave,” she says, panic written over her face as she continues looking around the store. Who is she looking for?

“Umm… are you not open?” I ask, completely confused.

“No. We’re closed,” she says simply, inching away from me.

That just confuses me more. Is she scared of me? Has she seen one of my movies or a magazine somewhere and thinks I’m a bad guy? Does she not have many men come into the store alone? That last thought has me just a bit too overjoyed for the situation.

“Is she with you?” my woman asks. Yes, my woman. No way am I leaving here without an explanation and at least knowing her name.

“Is who with me? Look, my name is Brandon. I’ve never been to your store before. I’m not sure…” She cuts me off with a glare my way.

“What woman? I’m talking about your girlfriend or wife, whatever she is. The one who came in my store and completely destroyed it,” she says, glaring at me.

“Hold up, wait. I don’t have a wife or a girlfriend, for that matter. I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tell her, holding my hands up in surrender. The last thing I want her thinking is I’m unavailable in any way.

“She had a picture of you two. You were holding here in your arms,” she tells me, leaving me completely stunned.

Again, what the hell?

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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