Page 44 of Beneath the Fame

“No, it’s not like that,” I quickly assured, dropping to a seat across from him. “Neither of us was filming today, so we were getting some time in. But I know you and Mom need a driving break, so I insist—stay.”

My parents weren’t typically road-trip kinda people, though they did like to travel. For some reason, they’d decided it was a good idea to do a cross-country trek. They’d actually flown to South Carolina to visit family, and instead of simply hopping a plane back, had been intent on “seeing the country.” For weeks now, they’d been on the open road, stopping to random stuff like the largest ball of string, a big-ass chair, and a mosaic of other pictures they’d shown me.

Arriving in Vegas brought them close to home, finally—the home they’d raised me in, in Los Angeles, was just another several hours’ drive away.

“We picked up Beauchamp’s from the strip on the way in—your lady friend doesn’t have any food allergies or anything, does she? You know your mama is about to try to fatten her up for a grandbaby?”

My eyes went wide. “Huh?” I laughed. “It’s not like…that. Not yet.”

“Notyet, exactly,” my father chuckled. “But she’s already making her preparations.”

Like we’d talked them up, the back door opened, and my mother stepped out, followed by Vee. She didn’t look as worried and nervous as she had going in—my mother’s welcoming energy had already worked, apparently. They were both all smiles as they headed toward us with containers of food, drinks, and plates.

I couldn’t front…it felt…right.

Especially once we were all seated, plates fixed, and had fallen into a natural conversation. I caught Vee’s gaze and raised an eyebrow at her, hoping she’d pick up on what I was asking.

You cool?

A moment later, her hand found mine under the table and squeezed, giving me the answer I was seeking.

Yeah.

ChapterTwelve

VANESSA

“Wait—you met hismama?”Elodie whisper-yelled, reacting to the information I’d dropped on her mid-episode break.

I popped a mini pretzel in my mouth, using the need to chew as a moment to drag out my response, making her wait before I nodded. “Yep. And shelovesme.”

Elodie squealed, holding on to my arm in a death grip as she practically jumped up and down in front of me. All I could do was smile, glad I was able to share my excitement with someone who’d understand how big of a deal it was to me.

While I was still coming to terms with how big of a deal it was to me.

Despite his insistence that it was cool—mainly because it washishouse, and his parents were guests—my personal rules about respect wouldn’t allow me to stay overnight with him while his folks were under the same roof.

Sleeping alone had provided me an opportunity though—a chance to quietly bask in how unexpectedly good it had felt to not only be tolerated, but whole-heartedlyacceptedby Alec’s parents.

I…hadn’t realized it was something I desired.

Or hell…maybe evenneeded.

From pretty much the moment I hit the music scene, one of the most common narratives around me was that a man would never be able to take me home to his mama.

As if that was something I was seeking.

Because the idea that it mattered had been so ridiculous back then, in those super-early twenties, it had been easy to adopt a “wasn’t nobody trying to meet your damn mama anyway!” attitude.

And that attitude had prevailed because it was true—I wasn’t trying to keep a single one of my flings around long enough for something like that—meeting and bonding with his family—to even be put on the table.

And I didn’t want my family subjected to any of those men either.

I was young when my own mother passed, and my father had never been in the picture—until he tried to get money out of me and I sent his trifling ass on his way—but I was very much a family kinda girl. I’d been lucky enough that if theywerejudging me for my music or appearance or notoriety, they kept it to themselves.

Likely in no small part to my Auntie Cheyenne—Teagan’s mom. She was my mother’s sister and didn’t play about me, just like she didn’t play about her own child.

So for all the anti-whore rhetoric people tried to throw at me, I liked to believe that anything implying non-acceptance by people outside the industry just bounced right off me.

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