The Star's Fake Marriage

by Bree Livingston

  “Derek is going to sue you until you have nothing left.”

  “Please, just let me go home. What point is there with having me stay if he won’t have anything to do with me? At least this way, maybe he’ll calm down enough that he’ll be willing to pretend.” She hated talking about him like he wasn’t a person, but that was the only language Stacey spoke.

  “Fine,” she said, dropping her arms and walking into the kitchen as she put her phone to her ear.

  Callie felt broken. Her heart was in pieces, and she’d lost her chance to talk to Tucker. Things blew up so fast and furious that it was surreal. Just moments ago, he was kissing her and smiling. What she wouldn’t give to go back and tell him the truth. But he’d never trust her again, and she knew it. The hollow feeling grew as she wilted onto the couch. She was going to Carolina Beach and hiding for a while.

  Chapter 24

  Tucker stepped into the elevator at Reckless Records, making sure he was early, just as a way to prove a point to Derek that he’d changed in more ways than one. Derek had summoned him to his office. The man was adamant that Tucker needed to continue with the charade of being fake married to Callie, but Tucker refused. Tucker suspected this was Derek’s last-ditch effort to try to manipulate him into continuing the farce. Stacey was supposed to meet him, so he’d wait for her before actually speaking to Derek.

  The past month, Derek and Stacey spent countless hours handling the ensuing PR nightmare that had blown up since he’d found out Callie was a reporter—a famous one at that.

  Yawning, he covered his mouth. Despite himself, he’d spent many sleepless nights over the past four weeks, thinking about Callie. Trying to figure out how she’d duped him. He’d gone through every conversation, every look, every detail, trying to find the piece of the puzzle that he could use to avoid falling for something like that again.

  His heart ached, thinking about her. As much as Petra’s betrayal hurt, it was nothing compared to the pain he’d felt since finding out Callie was a reporter who intended to use the next year as a way to get close to him and write tell-alls.

  The elevator door opened with a ding, startling him out of his thoughts. He stepped off, and his phone buzzed in his pocket. He’d set it to vibrate, knowing he was coming to meet with Derek.

  He frowned when he saw Will’s name pop up on his home screen. Surely Callie told him what happened. If she didn’t, he would have seen the news.

  Tucker ducked into the private bathroom across from Derek’s office.

  “Hey,” he said as he put the phone to his ear, expecting to get chewed out. Tucker couldn’t blame the guy. It wasn’t like details of the situation were out. In Will’s mind, Callie was probably innocent.

  “Hey, um, I have some news about that contract,” Will said.

  “I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me anymore.”

  Will’s laugh was tight. “Well, I didn’t, but Callie told me to call anyway.”

  “What did you find?” He didn’t want to stir a potential hornet’s nest, so he didn’t address the fact that Callie asked Will to call.

  “Well, from what I can tell, if it’s found that either Derek or your manager leaked anything, the contract is void. The problem is proving it.”

  Tucker sighed. Yeah, he figured as much. “Thanks, Will. I appreciate confirmation of what I knew.” It was beginning to feel like the world was against him.

  “Hold up.”

  “What?”

  “I’ve got you some proof.”

  Stunned, Tucker remained quiet. Will had proof? How? Would it be enough to get him away from Derek and potentially get him out of his marriage to Callie?

  “Callie reached out to a few of her journalist friends. There’s a guy in LA that’s willing to come forward and say he was given the information about your marriage by Derek Underwood. Apparently, Derek said he’d pay the guy two grand, and when it came time to pay up, he stiffed the reporter fifteen hundred dollars.”

  “Callie did that?”

  “She loves you, Tucker. From what my wife is telling me, she was going to tell you everything. You two were planning on talking after the press conference, but she was ambushed. She never had any intention of writing those articles, and she knew going into it that she wouldn’t. The only reason she went along with the ruse was because Gil, her editor, told her that Petra was in talks to be your wife, and Callie didn’t want to give Petra the chance to hurt you again.”

  Tucker covered his mouth with his hand. In talks with Petra. Stacey never mentioned that.

  “Thank you for calling me.” His heart pounded, and he was gulping air.

  “You’re welcome,” Will said and paused. “And do me a favor, make this right with Callie. I’m not saying you have to stay married to her, but you owe her the chance to explain herself. You don’t, and you’ll be dealing with me, Ethan, Denver, Heath, and her dad. Don’t put it past Clementine to find her club either.”

  “You have my word. I’ll fix this.”

  “You do that.”

  Will ended the call, and Tucker stared at the phone. His mind was awhirl. Callie wasn’t going to do an article on him? Hadn’t she nearly pleaded with him the day of her sister’s wedding to not tell her anything? But as angry as he’d been since finding out, he’d assumed it was her just trying to act innocent. To play the part so she could get his full trust. But if she never planned on writing a tell-all…then that meant…Tucker squeezed his eyes shut. He’d made a huge, possibly unfixable mistake.

  He stepped out of the bathroom and immediately heard voices—Stacey’s being one of them. When had she arrived? He checked the time on his phone. There were still another ten minutes before she was supposed to meet him. Stacey was never late, but she was never early.

  Tucker stopped at the door to Derek’s office and paused, grateful it was left partially open. They expected him to be late as usual. He turned on the video on his phone to record the conversation. Maybe they would condemn themselves.

  “I thought you wanted them to pretend to be married. He’ll never go along with it now that you’ve outed Callie as Jamie Pearson. I mean, I’m good, but I’m not that good,” Stacey said.

  Okay, at least she was sticking up for him. Their relationship had been pretty strained the past month. Maybe he’d been wrong to question her loyalty.

  “She’s not willing to continue this either,” a man said. It was a voice he wasn’t familiar with. “The only reason she did it in the first place was because I told her you were in talks with Petra to play the part of his wife. That got her on board faster than anything.”

  Stacey laughed. “I knew that would work the moment I found out who she was.”

  They’d known all along who Callie was? It took a strength Tucker didn’t know he had to hold his position outside Derek’s office. These people, people he thought he could trust, had played him, and he’d let them.

  “Finding out they dated was the best thing to ever hit my desk,” Derek said. “She’s going to give me an exclusive, or she’s going to find herself penniless.”

  “I’m telling you; she’s not going to do it. I’ve tried everything I know. Right down to telling her the hospital won’t get their money.”

  The hospital? Callie wasn’t getting paid? That five-hundred thousand was going to a hospital. On top of not writing the article, she wasn’t going to be paid either? Then what was she getting out of it? Tucker sucked in a lungful of air as he braced his hand against the wall and continued to listen. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “Derek, you’re going to have to figure out something. This whole thing is a mess. Tucker isn’t going to give in this time. He’s done with her. Why did you want that to slip anyway?” Stacey asked.

  Derek exhaled. “Because where there’s drama, there’s press. Where there’s press, there’s exposure, and where there’s exposure, there’s money. I wanted fans to see the hurt look on his face when he found out. Nothing brings the women or tour ticket sa
les like a wounded man. His female fans will be lining up to offer him comfort.”

  “Are you still planning to let it leak about Petra too?” asked Stacey.

  “Maybe. It’ll depend on how sorry they are for him. If I think it’ll help, sure. I mean, that was the best money I’ve spent so far,” Derek said.

  “You paid Petra?” the man who Tucker figured was Gil said.

  “Of course. Tucker was threatening to sign with another record label. I couldn’t lose him. I had too many other acts threatening to leave if he jumped ship. The board would have fired me. I had to do something. Stacey’s the one who found her, though.”

  Tucker felt like his world was crashing around his feet.

  “Yeah, I found her, along with a few other girls, but I’m not the one continuing to pay her to stay quiet. Eventually, she’s going to let it out that you paid her,” Stacey said.

  Derek laughed. “But I didn’t pay her. She has no idea where the funds come from.”

  Tucker felt gut-punched as he stumbled into the room. “You paid Petra to come on to me? To get me to drink so I’d destroy my career, just so I’d stay with Reckless Records? I’d never touched a drop of alcohol until she came around.”

  Stacey jumped. “Tucker! I’m just as floored as you are. I just got here and found them talking.”

  Tucker looked at her. “Was that before or after you found the girls for me to pick from? Or after you said you knew that Callie and I had dated before?”

  Her face paled, but she tried to recover. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Darling, it’s been a long month. You’ve had your heart broken. Maybe we should do this meeting another time.”

  “There won’t be another time.” Tucker looked at Derek. “My business with you is done.” He turned his gaze to Stacey. “And you’re fired.” Then he looked at Gil. “I don’t know who you are, but if you’re hanging around with these two, you can’t be much better. I’ll make sure Callie learns that you manipulated her too.”

  Derek stammered and quickly found his voice. “We have a contract, so our business isn’t done. You owe me two years. I’ve got a yearlong tour set up.”

  Tucker turned an icy glare toward Stacey. “Six months, huh?”

  “We were still negotiating,” she said.

  “Not anymore. You don’t speak for me, and this contract? It became null and void the moment you leaked information, Derek.” Tucker’s voice rose.

  Derek worked his jaw. “You can’t prove anything.”

  “Really? Then you should pay your people the agreed-upon amount next time you do something underhanded. Telling someone you’ll pay them two grand and then shorting them isn’t the way to make your secrets remain hidden.”

  Derek’s jaw dropped. “How?”

  “Turns out, my wife actually cares about me. Something I should have known and trusted. Why I ever thought I could trust either of you is beyond me. My folks warned me, but I defended you.” Somehow Tucker kept himself together, even though he felt like he was falling apart. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an apology to make. I just hope I’m not too late.”

  “We’ll sue!” Stacey yelled as Tucker turned to leave.

  Tucker raised his phone so they could see their faces on the video screen. “This is a video of your conversation.” He pushed a few buttons. “And that was me sending you the name and number of my lawyer. You have anything to say to me, say it to him first.” And with that, Tucker stormed out of the office.

  When he got to the elevator, he stepped in and inhaled, trying to catch his breath. He was going to find Callie and beg her to forgive him. Beg, plead, whatever he needed to do to get her back. He’d been so stupid. He should have known she’d never betray him like that. She cared about him, and he’d been vicious to her.

  After the hateful, horrible things he’d said, if she actually took him back, it’d be a miracle.

  Chapter 25

  “It’s Tucker again, Callie,” her mom said as she checked the caller ID on Callie’s phone. Tucker had been calling for three days almost nonstop, but Callie didn’t want to hear from him.

  Since flying back to North Carolina, she’d hidden from the world at the home in Carolina Beach. It didn’t keep reporters from periodically showing up, but the fact that the beach house was private property made it easier to get the police involved.

  Callie shook her head. “I don’t want to talk to him. I know he’ll just be upset, and I can’t face him right now.”

  Her mom silenced the ringing phone and came to sit next to her. “You really do need to talk to him. When we talked that night of Georgia’s bachelorette party, you knew he’d be upset when he found out who you were. You can’t fault him for being upset. Now that he’s had a chance to calm down, maybe there’s a chance.”

  “No, I lied to him, and he’s never going to trust me again.” Callie squeezed the pillow she sat holding against her chest a little harder.

  Her mom patted her hand. “Perhaps you should read a little news? Turn on the TV and see what’s going on?”

  Another thing she’d avoided since arriving in Carolina Beach. She’d made a conscious effort not to watch anything or visit any type of social media. It didn’t help her aching heart, but reading anything about Tucker just yet wasn’t something she could stomach. She loved him, and that wasn’t stopping anytime soon.

  “Well, you’re getting out of this house tonight.” She looked at her phone. “It’s three in the afternoon, and you’ve been in those same pajamas for two days. It’s time for a little fresh air.”

  “Mom, no. Until this whole thing blows over, I’m sitting here and hiding. I don’t want to leave the house. I won’t.”

  Her mom lifted one eyebrow, and Callie knew her time on the couch had come to an end. “You are coming with me and your sisters tonight, and that’s final.”

  “I know you’re trying to help, but please, Mom, don’t. I don’t want to go anywhere.” Tears pooled in her eyes. “Please don’t make me.”

  Her mom twisted in her seat and held Callie’s face in her hands. “Sweetheart, staying in this house isn’t going to help you get over Tucker. You loved him, and it’s going to take a while for that heartache to ease into something manageable. You need to get out for a bit. Just come tonight. Please, I’m asking you to just come with us.”

  Callie held her mom’s gaze. “All right, but if I go, I get to hide for a while longer without getting grief.”

  “If that’s the only way I can get you out of this house, I’ll take it.” Her mom dropped her hands from Callie’s face. “Have you spoken to your editor again?”

  “No, after the last conversation, I told him he could speak to Dad. Well, I said lawyer. Gil didn’t need to know it was Dad.”

  Her mom nodded. “Wasn’t the contract void the moment it came out that the reporter was given the information by that record label executive?”

  “Yeah, but Gil isn’t known for his willingness to give up. He’s the reason I was able to do exclusives on some of the hardest celebrities and politicians to nail down. He doesn’t take no for an answer.”

  Pushing off the couch, her mom stood. “Well, when your dad gets done with him, he’ll have an education on what the word means for sure.” She smiled. “Now, you need to get a shower and start getting ready. I’m not saying makeup is required, but the place we’re going doesn’t allow bathrobes.”

  Callie exhaled heavily and took her mom’s hand, letting the woman pull her to her feet. “Fine. I’ll go get ready. I don’t understand why you’re being so pushy today.”

  “’Cause it’s time.”

  Reluctantly, Callie did as her mom requested. She showered, dressed, and even put on a little mascara just to surprise her mom. Not knowing where they were going, she’d put on a simple sundress and a jean jacket with a pair of sandals. Wherever they went, she wouldn’t stand out too bad.

  Her sisters would meet them in Wilmington, so she and her mom loaded into the car and spent the
next hour keeping the chat light and away from anything Tucker-related. Even the thought of his name caused tears to spring to her eyes.

  Once they reached Wilmington, they met up with her sisters at a small café. When they entered, Callie immediately noticed the small stage and smiled. It reminded her of several of the little bars back in Nashville. The kind that welcomed new talent to sing. Just like the one where she’d first heard Tucker sing. Her heart squeezed at the thought, and it took a lot of effort to keep it from showing on her face.

  A waiter came to the table and took their order, and Callie allowed her gaze to roam over the place. It had such a warm and cozy feel. The place felt intimate, and she could imagine a newcomer sitting on the stool, pouring his heart out and hoping to find a welcoming audience.

  Their drinks arrived just as a man took the stage. “We have a super treat for you folks tonight.”

  Singing? Well, as long it wasn’t—

  Before she could complete the thought, Tucker stepped onto the stage and immediately locked gazes with her.

  “No,” she said breathlessly. “Mom, you didn’t.”

  “Just listen.”

  Callie felt sick. She didn’t want to hear a song about how she’d broken his heart. As she started to bolt, her sisters held her in place.

  Tucker strummed his guitar and began to sing. “Just when I’d given up finding love that gave unselfishly. You walked back into my life and breathed hope into me. I found you, and everything changed.”

  Slowly, Callie stopped trying to break free and listened to the words.

  “You are my star, my lighthouse at sea, when the world is crashing around me.”

  Tucker slipped off the stool, and still singing, he walked to her and stopped, pushing his guitar behind his back and finishing the song acapella. “I promise to love you, hold you, and never let you go.”

  “Hi,” he said after he’d finished.

  Callie felt winded. “Hi.” Her heart was hammering against her ribs, and she could barely hear him above the whoosh of blood in her ears.