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DESCRIPTION & CHAPTER ONE

Olivia Bryant has spent years preparing for the role of a lifetime...

Starring in her first major motion picture should be a dream come true, especially since Valiant tells the powerful true story of her sister Natalie's courageous fight to bring a predator to justice. Produced by her brother-in-law, Oscar-winning actor Flynn Godfrey, and Quantum Productions, the project means more to Olivia than fame or awards. Failure isn't an option.

The last thing she expects is for her irresistibly charming co-star, Larkin Wilder, to turn her world upside down at the film premiere.

After ending his high-profile engagement, Larkin confesses he fell for Olivia while they were filming, and he's determined to convince her they're meant to be together. With a worldwide press tour and glamorous international premieres ahead, he sees the perfect opportunity to prove they're Hollywood's next great love story.

Olivia sees a potential disaster.

The film's message is too important to be overshadowed by tabloid headlines, and Flynn and the Quantum team won't tolerate anything that threatens the movie they've poured their hearts into. Olivia has barely had time to sort out her own feelings, let alone survive a relentless media circus fueled by Larkin's persistent pursuit, not to mention a furious ex-fiancée who wants him back.

Meanwhile, Olivia's sister and manager, Candace, is hiding a scorching secret of her own. Her forbidden romance with a Quantum employee could cost him everything if Flynn finds out what's going on behind the scenes.

The final book in the Quantum Series brings the full cast back together one last time with Natalie’s little sisters all grown up and ready to fall in love. But with Flynn and the Quantum Productions team fighting to protect the most important film of their careers, their timing couldn't be worse.

Chapter 1

Olivia

I can’t believe this is happening. Four hours before the biggest night of my life, and I’m hanging over the toilet in my suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel, puking up my guts. I haven’t been sick like this in years, not since the bad stuff happened with my sister Natalie. Valiant, the feature film about her life that I starred in, is premiering tonight, and I can’t stop throwing up.

Between waves of vicious nausea, I wet a washcloth with cold water and press it to my face. Hair and makeup people are due in an hour, along with the stylist who’ll make me look like the superstar I’ll allegedly be after tonight—if I can stop vomiting, that is. I’m wrapped in the plush robe the hotel provided and lying on the bathroom floor when my sister/manager Candace comes looking for me.

“Livvy, what the hell? What’re you doing on the floor?”

Before I can answer her question, I’m lunging for the toilet again. Since I haven’t eaten much today, I’m down to violent, painful dry heaves.

“Oh my God,” Candace says. “How long has this been going on?”

“Hour.”

“I’ll call for a doctor.”

“No, not yet.”

“We have four hours, Liv.”

“I’m aware.” I’m back on the floor, in the fetal position, clutching my stomach, while she stands over me, hands on hips.

“Let me call for help.”

I understand it’s her job to hover over me and solve all my problems, but I suspect this has more to do with nerves than sickness. “It might be over.”

“What if it’s not?”

“Give me a few minutes. Please.”

“I’ll get you some water.”

“That’d be good. Thanks.”

I’m about to launch the movie that tells the story of our older sister, Natalie, being kidnapped and sexually assaulted by the former governor of Nebraska, who was our father’s close friend and boss. Our parents chose preserving their relationship with him over their own child. Natalie has done everything she could to move on from the nightmare, beginning with testifying against the man who attacked her, securing his conviction, changing her name, going to college and later, marrying superstar Flynn Godfrey.

Candace and I hadn’t seen her for years, until after she married Flynn. The lawyer who handled her name change sold her out to the media, and the sordid tale Natalie had tried so hard to leave behind had been the biggest story in the world for a few days. Those days changed her life forever and led to the reconciliation with us that Candace and I had longed for during all the years we missed her so deeply.

Fast-forward… The three of us are now inseparable, Flynn is like a brother to Candace and me, we have the code to their home and are helping to raise our precious nieces and nephews. After the original actress they’d cast to play Natalie was forced to drop out, Flynn asked me to take her place in the lead role of his passion project.

He promised to protect me every step of the way, and he’s more than lived up to that vow. But after tonight, after the film we made together is launched into the world for mass consumption…

Everything will change.

Flynn and his team at Quantum have spent months trying to prepare me for what to expect, but even he says nothing can adequately prepare me to be thrust into instant worldwide fame.

That’s probably why I can’t stop throwing up.

Last night, Candace and I had dinner with my costars, including Larkin Wilder, who played Flynn, and toasted our last moments of normalcy. I’ve been queasy ever since that toast and nauseated all day today as people and publicists and demands circled around me like locusts buzzing in my ears. More than one person asked me what was wrong.

Gee, I wonder…

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m honored and thrilled to portray my amazing sister in the story of her life and to shine the spotlight on her astonishing victory over a predator. There’s no one in this world I admire more than Natalie, for how she survived the unimaginable to go on to have a triumphant life with Flynn and their kids while bravely advocating for victims of sexual assault.

It’s just that now that the world will see Valiant, I’m scared shitless of what happens next for me. Not to mention having to spend the next few weeks in close proximity to my sexy costar, Larkin, who treated me like I had rabies the whole time we were filming as I fell into an impossible crush on him. He’s engaged to his longtime girlfriend and getting married this summer, so no wonder my stomach is in full protest mode since I’ll be spending the next few weeks working closely with Larkin to promote the film.

I’m sorry now that I asked my friend Teddy to come to the premiere with me, because it’s given him hope that something might happen between us. I wanted an arm to cling to, and his was handy. I hate that I’ve given him false hope by making the premiere of the biggest movie in the world our first public date when I have no intention of ever being more than friends with him.

Ugh, my judgment has been whacked lately.

Candace knocks on the bathroom door. “Livvy, Nat’s here to see you.”

“Give me a minute. I’ll be right out.”

I pick myself up off the floor, wash my face with blissfully cold water, brush my teeth and run a brush through my long, dark hair. The face of the girl staring back at me in the mirror is ghostly pale, and her dark eyes are haunted. What the hell is wrong with me? I’m in a position other actresses would kill for, despite the nepotism claims that’ve been levied against me because my sister is married to Flynn.

That shit got old really quick, and when Flynn tried to shut it down by saying they’d cast the actress best equipped to play Natalie because I’d lived through her story, that only added to the online discourse. It didn’t matter that I’ve spent years working on shows and small-budget films with no connections to my famous brother-in-law. Flynn urged me to ignore the bullshit and stay focused on the task at hand, which is launching this film we worked so hard on and giving it the best possible chance for success.

I take a series of deep breaths as my stomach continues to churn. With what, I can’t imagine, because there can’t be anything left in there.

“Take this day and night one minute at a time,” I advise the girl in the mirror. “Flynn, Natalie, Candace and the rest of the team will be right by your side through the whole thing. Just breathe, girl. Breathe.”

When I’m as ready as I’ll ever be to face this huge day, I open the bathroom door and immediately encounter a scent that makes my stomach growl in a good way.

“Nat brought you chicken soup from a deli down the street.”

At the words chicken soup, my stomach stands up to applaud. It’s one of my favorites even when I’m not feeling like shit.

“Thank you.”

Natalie comes to hug me. “Livvy, you’re so pale. Are you okay?”

“I’m better than I was half an hour ago.”

“Do you feel like you could eat something?” Candace asks.

“Maybe a little.”

My sisters set me up at the massive table in the elegant suite I was assigned as a full-fledged movie star. I’m a movie star. Hahahahaha. That will never stop being funny to me as a girl from small-town Nebraska who finds herself on the verge of superstardom.

I take a tentative taste of the soup and wait to make sure it’ll stay in my stomach before I take a second spoonful.

“You guys can stop hovering. I’m not going to fall apart. At least I don’t think I am.”

They sit at the table, each of them with their own soup orders, and I feel better knowing that whatever happens next, they’ll be with me. There’s so much comfort to be found with them, and I know they feel the same way. After years of being separated from one another, all we want is to be together.

Natalie hands me a packet of crackers to go with my soup. “I remember making chicken noodle out of the can for you when that was the only thing you’d eat.”

“It was a phase,” I tell her, smiling at the memory of our former life before it all blew up after our father’s “friend” and boss attacked her and ruined everything. But he didn’t win. The lives we’re leading today are proof that we prevailed. That we’re together every day is a victory in and of itself.

“How’s your stomach?” Candace asks, her brows knitted with concern.

I’ve told her to quit constantly looking at me like that or she’ll need Botox. “It’s better. I think.”

“Anything I can do?” Natalie asks casually, as if everything isn’t riding on me pulling myself together in time for the biggest night of our lives. Well, of my life and Candace’s, anyway. Natalie has certainly had bigger nights.

“I’m okay, you guys. Just a case of nerves. Try not to worry.”

“What?” Candace asks in a light, airy tone that belies her true feelings. She’s been on edge the last few days, too, rechecking every detail to make sure today is flawless for me. “Me worry?”

“I’m worried,” Nat says tentatively.

I sit up straighter. She’s the calm, cool one. After what she’s been through, it takes a lot to ruffle her. “About what?”

“I’m afraid,” Natalie says, “that you’ll regret taking this role.”

I cover her hand with mine. “No matter what comes next in my career, no matter what I get to do or where I get to go, nothing will ever be more important to me than telling your courageous story in Valiant. Nothing can top this.”

Nat blinks back tears. “I’m so, so proud of you, Livvy.” She reaches for Candace. “Both of you.”

“Not as proud as we are of you, our fearless leader,” Candace says.

We’re a puddle of sisterly tears when Flynn comes in, looking for his wife. He’s tall, dark-haired, ridiculously handsome and the sweetest man any of us has ever known. Candace and I call him our brother-in-love, and the title is well earned. He’s proven time and again that there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for any of us.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing at all,” Natalie says with a smile.

“Why the flood of girl tears?” He shudders dramatically. “You know how I feel about them.”

Natalie holds out her hand to him, and the way he looks at her as he crosses the room to her is aspirational. If I ever get married, it’ll have to be to someone who looks at me the way Flynn looks at my sister. “Everything is fine. We’re just a little emotional about tonight and turning our story loose on the world.”

“Your story will change the world.”

“That’s what we’re afraid of,” Candace says with a touch of sarcasm that makes us laugh.

“Where’re my babies?” Natalie asks.

“Visiting Mom and Dad in their suite, where they’re allowed to order whatever they want from room service.”

“Oh jeez. I hope your mom is limiting the sugar, or it’ll be a wild day.”

“She will. She knows how Rowan gets when he’s powered by sugar.”

Their older son is a madman when he’s not hopped up on sugar but add sugar to the mix and he becomes a bit savage. He’s also the funniest kid any of us has ever met. He drives his big sisters, Cece and Scarlett, crazy with his antics as their baby brother, Bennett, watches everything his brother does, taking it all in for when he’s mobile. Any minute now…

With my sisters and Flynn by my side and the kids nearby to help keep things real, I might just get through this surreal day. I feel much better since I ate the soup and crackers. My stomach has stopped gurgling, and the nausea is gone. For now, anyway.

We go across the hall to Max and Stella’s suite to see the kids for an hour before my glam squad arrives. I’ve arranged to include Cece and Scarlett in the festivities, but I haven’t told them yet. At six and four, they’re girly girls and will love having their hair and nails done and just enough makeup to make them feel included. They adore their aunties, and we love every minute with them.

I’m in denial that we’ll be away from them for weeks promoting the film around the world, and while I’m excited to see places I’ve dreamed about visiting, such as London, Berlin, Paris, Tokyo and Sydney, I already miss the kids, and we haven’t even left yet. Natalie is attending the New York and London premieres and then going home to the kids while Flynn does the full junket.

We’re back in our suite when Liza, the head publicist for Quantum, comes in. She’s a tiny dynamo with short, glossy dark hair and the red lipstick and nails she never leaves home without. “Olivia, I need you for press.”

She’s got back-to-back interviews lined up for me in the final hour before I have to start getting ready for the red carpet, which begins at six, with the film rolling at seven fifteen. Over the next sixty minutes, I do five call-in interviews that I agreed to do by phone since hair and makeup comes later. Going forward, I’ve been advised to never do official public appearances without professionals tending to me first.

Since everyone around me knows better than I do about the best way to present myself to the public, I intend to follow their advice as closely as possible. Thus, the call-in interviews when they requested video. They all ask the same questions.

How are you feeling ahead of the premiere?

Is your sister nervous about how her story will be received?

What was it like to work with Larkin Wilder?

Are you excited to travel to the upcoming international premieres?

Who will be accompanying you to the premiere tonight?

My answers are the same each time.

I’m excited for the world to see Valiant.

Natalie is also excited and not nervous at all.

Larkin was a wonderful partner in this journey.

I can’t wait to fly around the world in support of Valiant.

My friend Teddy Abrams, along with my sisters, will be coming with me tonight. No, Teddy and I are just friends. Nothing to see here.

He’d like it to be more, but so far, our “relationship,” such as it is, has consisted mostly of texts, calls and pizza at my place one night when Candace was home, in case it got weird. We had a good time together, and after pining over Larkin for months, even though he’s engaged, I found it nice to be with someone who’s truly into me rather than seeming to barely tolerate me the way Larkin did between steamy scenes while filming the movie.

The highs and lows of that experience left me with whiplash. Once, after filming a particularly heated scene between “Flynn” and “Natalie” that involved deep kissing and caresses that set me on fire, he’d released me so suddenly, I’d nearly fallen before snapping out of the fever dream to save myself from stumbling.

He doesn’t give a shit about me, and he’s proven that repeatedly by refusing to do press with me, preferring to “go it alone,” as he told Liza, who’s annoyed by his diva behavior. After tonight, he’ll have no choice but to deal with me, as we’re booked for many joint interviews over the next few days. That ought to be fun.

Not.

Teddy is the sweetest guy and makes me feel seen in the midst of the maelstrom my life has become lately. As an actor himself, he gets how freaked out I am by the idea of international fame and the loss of anonymity and privacy that comes with it. While it’s supposedly the dream come true for many actors and actresses, some of us aren’t as excited about it as others seem to be. In five years of acting in small roles and modeling for several major brands, I’ve been recognized three times on the street and once in an airport.

Thus far, I’ve been able to work and have a life and not be impeded by things I’ve seen Flynn and Natalie deal with in public. They can’t go anywhere without security. After tonight, I won’t be able to either, and that’s the part that had me vomiting earlier, knowing I can’t walk out of this hotel, or any other public place, and go grab a coffee without having to fear for my safety.

Flynn says it’s an “adjustment,” and once I get through the initial phase, it’ll become routine. I’m not so sure about that. I love coffee runs and yoga classes and rollerblading on bike paths and boardwalks at the beach. Natalie and Flynn’s friend Addie, who’s married to Quantum director Hayden Roth, got me hooked on rollerblading when Candace and I first moved to LA, and now I’ll need security to chase after me? That sucks.

Hair, nail and makeup queens arrive in quick succession, forcing me to end my brooding to focus on the task at hand—turning myself into the superstar I’ll officially become tonight.