While the idea had been tempting, she couldnât quite walk down that road.
Using Mitchel as a prop, especially if she couldnât accept him wholeheartedly, was unfair.
It was a move that might end up wounding him.
She exhaled and typed another text: âJust kidding.
â
Holden responded, âQuite the jest.
â
Navigating the chat waters with Holden after that felt like skating on thin ice, so Ariana made a few mundane comments before ending the conversation.
âs
As she was about to set her phone aside, it buzzed with a call from Jayson.
âAriana, are you available recently? Iâm in a bind and could use a hand,â Jayson said, anxiety evident in his voice.
âWhat happened?â Ariana inquired.
âIâm slated to film a parenting show, but one of the participants had a mishap during another project and is a no-show.
Iâm striking out left and right trying to find celebs with children.
Either theyâre booked, or their kids are too old for our criteria.
Can you swing by with Melon to join the program?â
After hearing Jaysonâs pitch, Ariana paused, deep in thought.
Melon was still so young, and she was wary of how he might handle the limelight, especially with school right around the corner.
Sensing her reservations, Jayson said, âLook, we only need you for this one segment.
Weâre on the hunt for another guest to take your place afterward.
This gig is just for three days, so Melonâs school schedule wonât be affected.
Plus, the music show is in five days.
â
Weighing Jaysonâs predicament, Ariana felt she could step in to help him.
But she didnât agree immediately.
âIâm okay with it, but I want to ask Melon about this.
Iâll loop you in soon.
â
âAlright, Iâll wait for your reply.
â
Once off the phone, Ariana found Melon engrossed in playing toys.
Kneeling beside him, she ventured, âHoney, Mr.
Spears has a cool TV project and wants us to be a part of it.
Weâd have to be away for three days.
Fancy a mini adventure with Mom?â
Melonâs eyes lit up.
âYep!â Always game for something new, he was onboard.
The following day, having juggled her commitments, Ariana brought Melon to the showâs location.
On set, there were six celeb parent-kid duos, including them.
Ariana recognized the other faces from entertainment headlines she had seen.
Melon was the youngest.
And the eldest kid was eight.