Love Unscripted (59 page)

“
Was that your first time, Dear?”

“
First time?”
First time for what? Spending his money?

“
To be recognized, without Ryan being with you?” Ellen said.

“
By a stranger, yes.” I swallowed hard from the excitement.

She laughed softly. “I never deny it when people ask if he’s my son. But I’m sure you know that I never say anything beyond that! After a while you’ll get used to it, that and the cameras.”

“
I wish you would have let me use my card to pay for the clothing. It bothers me to spend his money,” I grumbled.

Ellen smiled and slipped her hand around the inside of my elbow. “Do you know that you are the first girl he has introduced us to in over five years?”

“
Really? I find that hard to believe,” I muttered, completely astonished. I thought maybe her memory was fading. “Surely you met the girl he was dating when the first
Seaside
movie started filming? Wasn’t she from Pittsburgh?”

“
What girl from Pittsburgh?” Ellen asked.

“
The girl he was dating from the amateur theater? He said she visited him in Maine when he was there filming.”

“
Oh, yes, I remember now. That one… her name was Brooke. She was the girl who tried to use him to further her acting career. We did meet her once, but that was when he was in a stage play with her back in Pittsburgh. She ended up moving to California and she hunted him down. He told us about her but we never met her when they were together. She made quite a mess for him in the papers too with her lies,” she said, slipping her purse strap back over her shoulder.

“
No, the last girl he introduced us to was the girl he was dating his second year in college. Her name was Mandy, but they broke up when he started performing with the theater troupe. Actually she broke up with him come to think of it. That’s right… she left him for someone else. Anyway, I hung up on her when she called the house after
Seaside
premiered. All of a sudden he was good enough for her again.”

“
But I’m sure he’s dated a lot of women since then?” I stated the obvious.

“
Oh well, yes, I suppose he’s dated quite a few. But that was all before he became well-known.” The expression on her face turned to sadness.

“
He lived in California for a while and he met a lot of girls. I heard all about them – well at least the ones he told me about, but we never met any of them. All users and takers if you ask me. He was pretty serious with this one girl he met in Los Angeles, but that ended quickly when she forged one of his checks to pay for a boob job.”

She shook her head; the memory seemed to anger her. “But since
Seaside
premiered, it’s been tough for him. Ryan dated this actress a few months ago but she broke it off with him so she could date another actor. The papers sure had a field day with that one too.”

I wondered if she knew about Lauren or was she referring to someone else? She left me no time to ask.

“
But you, my dear, he can’t stop talking about you! You have captured his heart! As his mother, I see he is at a different stage of his life now. He’s finally growing up. I think he is realizing that his dreams of being a famous actor come along with a lot of pain and heartache.”

“
He and I have had quite a few talks about that,” I admitted. “And honestly, I think things would be fine if the media just left him alone. I just wish I knew how to protect him without making things worse.”

“
Well, maybe you won’t have to. He told me several times that he is not sure if this is what he wants to do for the rest of his life. I think other priorities are presenting themselves since he has met you. He just about gave up hope finding someone who would love him for
him
. Do you know what I’m trying to say? He’s already told me that you’re the one he wants to…”

“
There they are!” We heard several young women shout, interrupting our conversation. The girls were walking fast down the sidewalk towards us with smiles on their faces.

“
Is he here? Where is he?” one of the girls asked exuberantly. Her eyes were desperately searching in the store windows.

“
That
is
her! And his mother!” Another girl was almost running down the walkway. She had a cell phone up to her ear.

“
Ellen, let’s go.” I grabbed her arm and we dashed out into the parking lot.

What did he tell her? I’m the one he wants to what? So much for knowing; now his fans were chasing us.

We stopped at the grocery
store on the way back to the cabin. I convinced his mom that it would be easier to cook than to go out and have his whereabouts known to the public. I wanted the cabin and surrounding area to be our safe haven, if such a place could exist for us. Having his mother and I recognized was bad enough.

While we were in the checkout line, I noticed that
my
face, along with Ryan’s, was now on the front cover of two gossip magazines. A large photo of us covered the entire front of one of them. I recognized that it was a photo of us taken on our way to Cal and Kelly’s. The large headline announced: “Gone Public! Ryan’s new love.”

There was my face and his, less than two feet away from where I stood. I slipped my sunglasses out of my purse and put them on. I nudged his mother; she had already noticed the pictures herself. She took a deep breath and sighed. I could tell she was disgusted.

I wanted to pick up the magazine and see what else it had to say but I fought off the urge. I knew it would upset me if they printed lies. Besides, I didn’t need to read a magazine to tell me what was happening in my life. I was living it.

Ryan and his father were still out on the lake fishing when we returned. I could see them from the back of the cabin. We waved to each other when he saw me on the embankment.

Ellen and I unloaded the car and spread the food out on the kitchen island. She was specific with the items we purchased at the store; she wanted to show me how she makes Ryan’s favorite meal.

“
He asks for this every time he comes home,” she said while browning beef tips on the stove.

Ryan and his father carried their fishing poles and gear into the house and he gave me a quick kiss before going to wash up.

“
Mom, what are you making?” he asked, even though I think he knew what she was up to. “Is that what I think it is?”

“
Your mom is showing me the secret family recipe.” I uncorked one of the bottles of wine that I had packed.

Ryan warned me, “Now you know you can never divulge this information to anyone. This recipe was my grandmother’s. It can only be passed down.”

“
I’m under contract, remember? Sworn to secrecy.” I twisted my fingers over my lips.

We were enjoying the bottle of wine when Ryan decided to check his messages. He turned his cell phone on and soon after that he looked perturbed.

“
Twenty missed calls,” he groaned. He scanned through his messages, deleting one after the other.

“
Holy shit!” he said excitedly. “Honey, pen, paper!” He was grasping at the air.

“
You know that script I read a few weeks ago? They want me for the lead!” he said confidently. Ryan grabbed me by the waist and spun me around in the air. He was elated.

“
Honey, that’s fantastic!” I hugged him as he twirled me in a circle. Just as I had suspected all along, these studios and movie moguls were all going to strike while Ryan was hot. His parents were thrilled.

“
Hey Aaron.” Ryan called his agent. “I’m taking some time off with my family this weekend,” he informed.

Ryan’s mouth hung open as he wrote the number nine on the paper and drew circles around it several times. “Hell yeah I’m in! David assured me that I could make the schedule dates. I’ll see you in L.A. in a couple of weeks.” He ended his call and looked around at all of us.

“
They’re offering me nine million to do
Slipknot
,” Ryan said proudly.

“
My God, Son! This is truly a weekend full of celebrations!” His father pulled him in for a hug and a manly pat on the back. I was so happy for him, for his success, for the joy this news brought to him.

I walked outside for some wood to start a fire. Ryan, of course, followed me. I had two logs in my arms when Ryan stopped me with his body. He took the logs out of my arms and set them on the ground. He was holding his phone to his ear.

“
Hey David! Yes, I got the call from Follweiler. I already talked to Aaron. I’m clear on the dates in April, right? Thanks, David! It’s
great
news! All right, I’ll talk to you soon.

“
I want you here when I make this next call,” he said, touching my cheek. “Stay.”

“
Mr. Follweiler, it’s Ryan Christensen. Yes, sir. I just got your message. Thank you for this opportunity! I’m looking forward to working with you too. It’s an honor.” Ryan was ecstatic.

“
I’m still in Rhode Island; we’re almost wrapped on the second film and then I’ll be in Scotland for ten days in the beginning of December for final scenes. No, I’m living in Rhode Island now. Yes, that’s correct, with Ms. Mitchell. No, she’s not an actress. No, she’s not a model either!” Ryan laughed briefly.

“
Oh? Yes, of course!” Ryan glanced up at me with a surprised look on his face. “
We’d
love to meet you for dinner. I’ll be in L.A. the third week of December for the
Seaside
wrap party.

“
I have the script. Yes sir, I’ll call your office on Monday to coordinate a meeting. Thank you
so
much!” He beamed at me.

“
Mr. Follweiler has invited
us
to dinner!”

I couldn’t believe that some director even knew Ryan’s personal business. Hollywood was worse than the NSA. There were no secrets.

After our delicious meal, we decided to play a game of cards. We were drinking wine and had a nice fire burning in the fireplace. Everything was peaceful.

“
Mom, did you have fun today?” Ryan asked.

“
I was clothes shopping, Honey.” She winked at him. “Taryn was recognized by the one young cashier. The girl knew that she’s dating you. She even asked us to pose for a picture.”

“
Her picture is plastered all over the Internet with me, Mom. You know how it is. This week she’ll be in every gossip magazine in print. I was worried how it would affect her, but she seems to be handling it very well.” I noted the sound of pride in his voice. It made me smile.

“
Just as long as you don’t
read
the garbage they print with the pictures, we’ll be fine.” He kicked my foot so I’d get the point.

“
I hate to break it to you, Son, but the two of you are already on the cover of the magazines. There’s a big picture of you and Taryn on the cover of the Weekly Reporter. We saw it at the store today.” Ellen’s expression was a mix of unhappiness and pride.

“
Your mom and I also got chased by some of your fans at the Outlet. Either I was recognized or that cashier called some friends. I think they were hoping that we would lead them to you but we gave them the slip!” I told him.

“
Welcome to my world.” He frowned. “So, what did you buy today?”

“
She bought you new jeans,” Ellen quickly tattled on me.

I saw him look over at me, even though my eyes were still staring at my cards. I knew I was going to get scolded, so I held my index finger up and stopped him in his tracks.

“
Ah, before you complain, I’d just like to say that I’ve personally washed all the pants that you own, and you were desperately in need of a non-ripped pair. I only got you three pair – and one is just like those old favorites you’re wearing right now with the button fly.”

“
Please tell me you bought yourself something,” he groaned, obviously displeased that I spent his money on him.

“
Yes, I did. I got a couple of new shirts and some pants. Thank you for buying them.” I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.

“
Thank you for thinking of me, too.”

“
Well, I can’t have my boyfriend walking around with his underwear showing through the holes in his back pockets. The color and style of your underwear needs to remain a closely guarded family secret,” I snickered.

His mom started laughing at me. “Why are all these fans so desperate to know what kind of underwear you have on? They ask you that question every time you get interviewed.”

“
He’s a movie star, Mom. All women have fantasies about what their favorite actor looks like... somewhat naked,” I answered.

“
All women?” Ryan questioned, raising an eyebrow at me.

I looked at him, knowing exactly what he meant. “I’m sure you have your fantasy list too. But I don’t want to know who’s on that list in case you ever have to work with one of them.”

“
Who’s on your list?” he goaded.