“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 nonripped 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.