Six weeks later
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Greenly. I know it’s really early, but I’m so glad you could take Lily.” Autumn deposited her sleeping daughter on one of the couches in her elderly neighbor’s home. At six in the morning.
“It’s not a problem, dear.” Mrs. Greenly, the trademark grandmotherly type woman, fussed around the baby, tucking a blanket around her and brushing the dark curls off of Lily’s forehead. She’d volunteered to babysit Autumn’s daughter when the baby had been three months old and was the only one outside of Autumn’s closest friends who knew that Lily existed. And Autumn couldn’t be more grateful that the woman was so accommodating and kept the secret.
Autumn hugged the older woman and headed back to her house, two homes over. She couldn’t believe the things she had to do for friendship. At the crack of dawn, she was about to go grocery shopping with Nick and Liz, who’d begged her to come along. They were adamant about keeping their fledgling relationship quiet and used Autumn as a cover. After all, Nick and Autumn were rumored to be dating, and the latest pictures in tabloids supported those rumors. The fact that Liz was in every picture with them did nothing to detract from the media’s frenzy over the idea that the silver screen’s newest darling was dating a washed up Backstreet Boy and new reality television star.
But Liz was happy with Nick, and that alone quelled any complaints Autumn may have had. They’d been dating for over a month, and it was the first time in the nearly seven years Autumn had known Liz that Liz seemed truly happy with a man. The hearts that seemed to float above her head were evidence to the fact. And Nick seemed equally thrilled to be with Liz.
Liz and Nick had spent Christmas together, and New Year’s Eve had been a smoochfest between the two of them. If it made her want to gag seeing them sometimes, the feeling disappeared whenever Autumn saw her best friend’s face. And, despite the fact that he was taking over Liz’s time and thoughts, Autumn couldn’t deny that Nick was fun to be around, too. So they were all a big, happy family.
When the car horn beeped outside, Autumn grabbed her wallet and locked up. If it wasn’t for the fact that she needed to get groceries anyway, she would’ve managed to find some way to get out of going. Unfortunately, or fortunately—depending on how you looked at it—her star had risen to the point where she had to be careful in her quiet neighborhood, too. Paparazzi were beginning to swarm her in shopping malls, restaurants, and it was no longer safe for her to take Lily outside with her. So it was probably better all around that she was going to go grocery shopping at the crack of dawn. The less people around, the better.
“What took you so long?” Nick complained from the driver’s seat when Autumn slid into the back of his car.
She shot him a dirty look. “Some of us don’t live in gated communities, Nick. We have to lock up our homes.”
“Whatever.”
Liz turned around in the passenger seat to shoot Autumn a sympathetic look. “Don’t mind him, Autumn. He’s just cranky this early in the morning.”
“It’s not that early,” Autumn replied. “After all, I’m sure he’s had to get up much earlier for his work.”
“Well, yeah. But he’s on a break right now from the heavier traveling and recording sessions,” Liz replied. “So it’s just a little more difficult to drag him out, you know.”
“Can you quit talking about me like I’m not here?” Nick asked irritably as he turned into the shopping mall’s parking lot.
Liz patted his hand on the gearshift. “It’s okay, Nick. Once you’ve got food in you and your refrigerator, you’ll feel much better.”
He looked over at her, ready with a snide remark, but his mood changed when he saw her smiling face. He didn’t know what it was about her that made him so much happier when she was around. She had become his little ray of sunshine in the midst of a professional cloud he carried over him constantly. Whenever he was pissed that Brian or Howie had scheduled something that made them miss recording or whenever his siblings irritated him to his wits’ end, he knew that, if he called Liz, just hearing her voice would cheer him up. She was his new best friend—a fact that had annoyed Chris, until he’d met her.
It had only been six weeks, he thought as he parked the car, but he could see himself with her for a long time. Maybe even forever.
“Thanks,” he murmured, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her lips. He ignored Autumn’s resigned sigh as she got out of the car.
Liz leaned back and grinned. “Any time, Nicky. Let’s get you food.”
They got two carts, one for Nick and one for Autumn. And, though they didn’t touch each other, Liz stayed at Nick’s side as they negotiated their way through the various aisles of the supermarket. Occasionally, Nick would pick up a food item, Liz would moan about how bad it was for him, he’d put it back, they’d continue on…and the cycle would begin again. Autumn was deathly glad she’d never been like that with Jack.
“Oh, wait,” she muttered to herself as the lovebirds argued over Liz’s suggestion of oatmeal as a healthy breakfast food. “Jack was never around long enough to go grocery shopping with me. Duh.” And then she wanted to kick herself for thinking of him.
When a young woman headed their way in the aisle and gave Liz and Nick a strange look, Autumn noted the look of recognition in her eyes and sighed. She leaned over and covered Nick’s hand with hers.
“Baby,” she began, squeezing his fingers. “Please don’t argue. We’re trying to be normal here, remember?” She widened her eyes and moved them sideways to indicate that there was someone watching.
After a moment of confusion, he nodded. “Right. You’re right.” Nick tugged playfully on one of her dark curls that had popped loose from under her hat. “I’ll take the oatmeal.”
“Great.” Autumn sighed as the woman smiled at them and continued on. Once she was gone, Autumn tugged her hand away from Nick’s and glared at the couple. “Seriously, guys. It’s six-thirty in the morning, and you’re making enough racket to wake the dead. I’d rather finish my grocery shopping without being attacked by a reporter, thanks all the same.”
Liz smiled apologetically. “Sorry. We’ll be better now. I promise.”
“Good, great.” Autumn sighed again. “Listen, I’m going to head over to the magazine and book section. There’s a book that just came out that I really want. Will you two behave while I’m gone?”
Nick shuffled his feet at her tone of voice but nodded. “Yeah. We’ll catch up with you at the ice cream section. Is that okay?”
“Sure.” She pushed her cart off and shook her head. The two of them were older than she was, and yet, they squabbled like they were two years old sometimes.
Of course, she thought wryly, if they weren’t arguing, then they were making up and making out. She might have been happy that they made each other happy, but she didn’t have to like watching them play tonsil hockey.
Autumn found the book section and picked her copy of the newest bestseller out. As she dropped it into the cart, her gaze was drawn towards a tabloid with her face on the cover. It was still weird to see herself on magazines, even though she should’ve been used to it by now. Sometimes, the pictures were grainy, and other times, they were so clear that she could see the pesky acne that still occasionally popped up on her face.
And the stories, she thought. Some of those stories were ridiculous. Although, lately, most of them were about how she and Nick had done this or gone there. How Nick was in love with her and had been spotted in a jewelry store, poring over the engagement ring selections. The best had been the one where they’d played with her picture to make it look as though she were pregnant and then claimed that she was pregnant with Nick’s baby. It was hard not to laugh at those stories, and she and Nick often did.
Before he went to go make out with Liz, of course.
Her eyes drifted from the first tabloid to the next. And the small smile on her face froze.
Five minutes later, Nick and Liz found her standing in front of the magazine racks, her eyes glued to it. Her face was deathly pale.
“Hey, we decided not to meet you at the ice cream section,” Nick announced. “Liz won’t let me get ice cream, so we figured we’d catch you here.”
“Ice cream’s bad for you, Nick,” Liz chided before turning to Autumn. “Hey, did you find your book?” When there was no reply, she frowned and put a hand on Autumn’s shoulder. “Autumn? You ready to go?” She looked from Autumn’s pale face to the magazines. “Sweetie, you shouldn’t read those. You know they make you out to be a monster to sell their papers. Come on, Autumn.” She tried to tug the younger woman away, but Autumn was frozen in place.
“Liz. Look.” Her voice was a shaky whisper as she pointed a trembling finger at the rack.
“Autumn. No. You don’t need to…Oh, my god.” Liz stared, horrified at the headlines that splashed across several of the magazines.
Nick, now bored and impatient, stepped over to the two women. “Ladies, do you mind? I’ve got to be at the studio in an hour and a half, so it would be great if I could get home. Soon.” When they didn’t respond, he followed their stunned gazes to the words gracing the covers of the tabloids.
At first, they didn’t register. When they did, his brows shot up, and he turned to look at the two women.
“What the hell is this?” His voice was quiet but conveyed his anger well.
Autumn swallowed. Hard. Summoning up her voice, she turned to look at Nick. “It’s true. What they say is true, Nick. I’m so sorry.”
He wasn’t sure what she was apologizing for, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the papers.
Autumn Evans Has Daughter with Her Twin’s Fiancé, one read.
Another one simply stated, Autumn Steals Sister’s Man! Exclusive Interview Inside!
The last, and most painful, Autumn thought, showed a crystal-clear picture of her with Lily in their front yard. They were playing, and mother and daughter grinned at each other. Their grins were identical. The headline read, Perfect Mother? Or World’s Best Cheat? Imminent Oscar-Nominee Caught in a Tangled Web of Lies, Deceit, and Fraud. What Will Nick Say?
Afraid of what he would say, she couldn’t look at him. When Liz touched his arm, he yanked it away and shoved his cart down the aisle. As her best friend’s breath hitched with shaken sobs that she tried to control, Autumn put her arms around Liz, and they leaned against each other.
The road to hell, she thought dimly, was paved with good intentions. And wasn’t she the best example?
Author's Chapter Notes:
OMG! Guess what's back?! That's right! Proving Them Wrong is back, and I do believe you're in for a surprise. Like I said before, this story is about to undergo some dramatic changes...So enjoy, fellow readers (and don't forget to review!) Thanks for reading it!
