Chapter 4: All the Candy, All the Love

Harper took my hand and led me to her room upstairs.

She handed me a thick photo album, gesturing for me to open it.

I flipped it open, stunned at the first page.

It was full of photos of me—at events, on set, on the red carpet—almost every activity I'd ever done.

I just stared, totally floored.

She stood beside me, explaining, "After my mom saw you on TV, she looked into it and learned you grew up in foster care. The details matched, so she made me join showbiz—said it would help me chase my wife."

"I didn't care at first, but after we started doing events together," she hesitated, suddenly shy, "well, it was love at first sight."

When I didn't respond, she cleared her throat, suddenly serious. "Riley Lane, let me do this right—will you be my girlfriend?"

I grinned. "Does being your girlfriend mean I get unlimited candy?"

She caught on right away, getting flustered. "You can have all the candy you want—seriously, the whole chain's yours."

I kept smiling. "Well, I guess I can make that sacrifice."

When I confirmed, she picked me up and spun me around, planting a kiss on my forehead. "Thank goodness, my little guppy still swam my way. We're family now."

My heart felt warm, my nose tingled. "Yeah."

From that day on, I was never alone—not once.

For the first time, the noise online felt like background music.