Page 74 of Better than Famous

"It’s perfect." She laid her palm flat over my heart. "My house in LA is ten thousand square feet of sterile perfection, and I was miserable in every single room. I hate the marble and the white. I hate the quiet."

As she scanned the bedroom, her eyes caught on the battered wooden dresser and the simple, unadorned walls. "I love the squeaky floors in the hallway. I love the small kitchen because it means you have to stand right behind me when I show off my mad garlic chopping skills. I love the dead-end road. This is my sanctuary, Ben. Please don’t try to turn it into a mansion."

The fierce sincerity in her voice silenced my lingering insecurities. She didn’t want the billionaire lifestyle. She wanted the grounded, messy, authentic life we had built in the span of a single week.

"Okay," I relented, a massive smile breaking across my face. "No remodeling. Yet. But we are buying a bigger mattress. My feet hang off the edge of this one. It’s never bothered me until now."

"Deal." She grinned, settling back down into the crook of my arm.

The air conditioner hummed a steady, comforting rhythm. Lying there with her in the golden light of the bedside lamps, the future laid itself out in front of us, vast and infinitely possible. The fear of dragging her into my darkness was gone. The threat of her world swallowing me whole had vanished. Los Angeles and New York were just locations for business. Dove Key was our anchor.

Chapter Thirty-One

SUTTON

The roar of a packed room was a sound buried in my bones, yet the noise vibrating through the floorboards of Tidal Hops tonight was different. In arenas across the globe, deafening screams always demanded a piece of my soul. Here, the overlapping chatter of Dove Key patrons simply sounded like a welcome mat.

Not long ago, a wall of noise this thick would have sent my nervous system into lockdown. Tonight, the chaotic hum of a Friday night fundraiser provided the perfect baseline. Across the packed room, Ben navigated the space behind the mahogany bar. He moved shoulder-to-shoulder with Braden, bumping elbows and laughing out loud as he pulled a tap handle. Foam spilled over the edge of a pint glass to coat his knuckles. He just wiped it away on his jeans, completely in his element. The tap handle he’d just pulled featured a glowing heart wrapped in a treble clef. Neon Heart IPA was currently selling faster than the kitchen could fry conch fritters.

Three months after my jet landed in Key West, I was here to stay. It had taken two of those months to settle things in LA, promoting Mindy to production manager in the process. I knew I could count on her to act in my best interests. Now easily assimilated into the Coleridge clan, I was swept up in Tessa and Braden’s conservation efforts. When they were planning their latest fundraiser at the pub, I’d suggested naming a new beer after my chart topper. Seeing the couple’s eyes light up at the prospect had been all the thanks I needed.

A sharp whine of microphone feedback sliced through the classic rock playlist.

Tessa stood on the small wooden stage in the corner. She wore a sleek emerald-green dress, her dark red hair falling over her shoulders as she tapped the mic. "Can everyone hear me?"

A cheer erupted from the dense crowd.

"Good. I promise to keep this short so you can get back to emptying Braden’s kegs." Tessa beamed as she held up a piece of paper. The rowdy crowd quieted down, waiting for the verdict. "Thanks to the silent auction, the bar proceeds tonight, and a certain guest singer, we didn’t just meet our funding goal for the new coral nursery. We completely doubled it. The Dove Key Marine Conservation Center is officially fully funded for the next two years!"

The pub exploded. Cheers, whistles, and the stomping of boots on the wood floor rattled the windows.

Tessa pointed straight at the bar. "A massive thank you to the Coleridge family, and specifically to my love Braden, for hosting us tonight and donating the space. You guys are the absolute heartbeat of this island."

Braden raised a pint glass in the air, his face flushing a deep, satisfying red as the crowd applauded him. Ben clapped him hard on the back.

As I squeezed through the dense, vibrant crowd, people naturally parted for me. The locals and tourists both stared at me with a touch of shock, and I made sure to smile reassuringly back. Moving through the fundraiser crowd was an exercise in navigating the Coleridge family ecosystem. They occupied a massive cluster of high-top tables near the windows, forming a wall of cheery chaos.

Harper was currently engaged in a high-stakes negotiation with her oldest son over a plate of French fries. Chase stood next to her, simultaneously balancing the twins, Cameron and Claire, on either hip.

"Don’t throw fries at your brother, Finn," Chase ordered effortlessly. He shifted Claire’s weight before she could grab his drink from the table.

"You guys need backup?" Passing their table, I offered a sympathetic smile.

"We need a vacation," Harper said with a laugh before pressing a kiss to Finn’s messy hair. "Glad you’re here tonight, Sutton."

As I moved past them, a blonde whirlwind blocked the aisle. Iris balanced a silver platter in her hands, navigating the crowd with terrifying speed.

"Out of the way, everybody." Iris shoved the tray directly between Austin and Eli, who were locked in a debate near a structural pillar. "I am busier than a mosquito at a nudist colony tonight, but these cookies won’t eat themselves. Take one."

Austin grabbed a cookie shaped remarkably like a sea turtle. A relaxed smile graced his features. "Is this bourbon glaze again?"

"It’s a fundraiser, Austin. We have to give the people what they want." Iris winked as she offered the tray to me. "Sutton! Eat a turtle. You need fuel, girl." Her eyes widened to huge proportions. “Oh Mylanta! Tell me I did not just call the biggest superstar on the planet girl.”

“Last time I looked, I was still a girl, so it fits.” I had yet to succeed in getting Iris to view me as just another member of the extended family, but I loved her personality. As I accepted a cookie and took a bite, the sugar and bourbon hit my bloodstream instantly. "These are incredible, Iris."

"She’s a menace to my waistline," Eli joked as he took two turtles. Next to him, Jules cradled Alana in one arm while sipping a glass of wine and rolling her eyes affectionately at her husband.

Glancing past the bickering brothers, my gaze landed on the quiet corner booth. Helen sat beside Brenna, and across from Hunter and a sleeping Colton. The matriarch of the family didn’t wave or shout. She simply looked around the packed pub, observing the noisy, thriving chaos of her six children.