1st of September, 2021 was the morning of Denise's last pre-screening, and the morning she received a phone call from none other than Ellen DeGeneres herself. She and Chris were making pancakes for breakfast when her music stopped playing through her Bose speaker and started ringing. "Call from '(213) 962-2543,'" her speaker announced as the marimba ringtone echoed throughout their house. "Call from '(213) 962-2543.'" Neither Chris nor Denise recognized the number calling her. He raised an eyebrow at her and she raised one back. "Call from '(213) 962-2543.'" The robotic female voice repeated. Calls from from unknown numbers made Denise nervous so she was glad her hands were sticky with pancake batter, otherwise she would've had to answer it herself rather than delegate the job to Chris.

"You're going to have to get over your fear of picking up phone calls from unknown numbers, Nise."

"I don't have a fear of picking up phone calls from unknown numbers," she lied and he rolled his eyes as he made his way over. He grabbed her phone and slid to answer as she said, "I just can't pick my phone up when my hands are sticky with pancake batter." She giggled when he shook his head, chuckling in disbelief.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Chris. It's-"

"Hi," the air was knocked from Chris' lungs. He knew there could only be one reason Ellen was calling Denise, but the fact that she was personally making the call made that particular reason all the more special. "Um- I'm sorry, could you just give me a second?" He didn't wait for her answer, he pressed the phone to his chest and turned to Denise with a huge grin. "Wash your hands." He told her, beckoning his head at the sink when she looked over at him. "Wash your hands right now 'cause you need to take this call."

"Why, who is it?"

"Just-" he chuckled. "Wash your hands."

She eyed him curiously then turned to the sink to do as she'd been instructed. Chris slid his own phone off the kitchen bench and into his hand, preparing to record Denise's reaction when she found out who was on the other end of the phone. She was going to flip out, there was no doubt about that. "Here," he handed her phone over when she'd dried her hands. "Smile, you're on camera," he told her as he began to record her.

"What are you doing?" She laughed.

"Filming you," he maneuvered for a better angle.

"Obviously. But why?" She asked. "Who's on the phone?"

"Just answer and pretend I'm not here, but also look over here."

"I think I'm just going to pretend you're not here," she told him as she lifted her phone to her ear. "Hello?" She tried to block Chris' shot with her hand; tried being the key word as he reflected it quite easily. She could only assume from what he was doing that the person on the other end was either someone she'd been dying to speak to, someone with great news, or someone incredibly important. And because it was Ellen DeGeneres on the phone, who wanted Denise to come onto her talk show as a guest- she fell under all three categories. "Who am I speaking with?"

"Hi, Denise." Ellen didn't have to say more than that for Denise to recognize her distinct voice. Chris sniggered at Denise's widened eyes and dropped jaw. All the poor girl could do was gape until she could find the words to respond to the amazing Ellen DeGeneres. "How are you?"

"I- I um-" Denise stuttered. She physically could not get a coherent sentence out of her mouth. Her hands were shaking, her heart pumping. "I-" She stuttered again and immediately, slapped a hand against her mouth, shaking her head at Chris who was mouthing "say something" at her. "I- I- I can't speak, Chris. It's Ellen!" She whispered-shouted at him when she pressed her phone against her chest. "Ellen DeGeneres is calling me, Chris." She was trying her best not to start hyperventilating. "Oh my God, oh my God." She excitedly bounced. "This is amazing!"

"I know, baby. It's very, very exciting," Chris chuckled. "But you need to try 'cause Ellen is waiting." He pointed at her phone and she nodded eagerly, pressing the phone to her ear again. "Breathe," he whispered his gentle instruction.

Ellen was trying hard not to laugh because despite Denise's phone pressed against her chest and their attempts to whisper- she could hear everything. "Denise." Ellen chuckled when she heard Denise's slow breaths on the other end of the phone. "You should really save some of that excitement and enthusiasm for my show." An excited whimper escaped Denise and she quickly pressed her hand to her mouth. "That's actually why I'm calling, I was wondering if you'd like to-"

"Yes, please." She blurted before Ellen could finish her sentence.

"Alright," Ellen laughed. "I'll have my people arrange a date with your agent."

"That sounds great," she managed to speak normally for the first time since the conversation began. "I am really looking forward to meeting you, my mom and I have been fans of yours for so long. This is- wow, thank you so much for this opportunity, Ellen. I'm just- I'm having trouble breathing right now," she admitted with a nervous chuckle. "I am so excited to meet you that I can't promise I'd be less of a mess in person."

"That's okay," Ellen chuckled. "And just for the record, I'm very excited to meet you too, Denise. And please, bring your mom along. She's more than welcome, as are Chris and Jack. You're all welcome. In fact, I'm going to need Chris to come along with you because I'd like to ask him a few questions too. That is if the two of you don't mind discussing your relationship with me."

"Of course not, we'll be there."

"Alright, I will see you all soon."

As soon as Ellen hung up, Denise flung herself at Chris, arms wrapped tight around his neck. He laughed and caught her in his arms, hugging her as she squealed with immense amounts of joy and excitement. "Oh my God!" She laughed in disbelief, thinking she needed to pinch herself because- "I'm going on the Ellen Show!"

"Congratulations," Chris pressed a kiss to her head, laughing.

• • • • • • • •

When the day arrived for Chris and Denise to appear on the Ellen show, her mom and Jack went along with them. Chris, being an Ellen show regular, didn't feel the same excitement as his wife and mother-in-law. For the ladies, the experience was surreal even before they arrived at Paramount Studios. Then they met and hugged Ellen and Chris thought they were going to pass out. If he was being honest, their reactions- especially Denise's- were what made his experience exciting. He'd been in the industry for decades, even if there were certain moments in his career that still floored him- he'd developed an immunity. But seeing his wife as happy as she was, so wide-eyed and bushy tailed- it felt like it was his first time on the Ellen show all over again.

"Up next, I have a very special guest." Chris looked up at the TV when he heard Ellen's voice come through the surround sound system in the green room. He knew Ellen was talking about Denise because she was escorted side stage about two minutes ago by the AD. "She is new to Hollywood with her screen writing and directing talents, her movie 'Fated' debuts on the twenty-fifth of this month, and Chris Evans was lucky enough snag her as his wife." Realization washed over the crowd and they began to clap and cheer. Chris smiled then looked over at his mother-in-law and son, feeling that smile reach his eyes. "This is her debut on talk show television so please give the very talented, very beautiful, adorable, and excitable Denise Hogan a big, warm welcome!"

Ellen rose to her feet, joining the audience in clapping for Denise as she walked out onto the stage. Denise could feel her heart pounding against her chest. She was trying to hide how nervous she was, but her clammy palms were giving her away. With each step, she kept repeating to herself in her head, "don't fall, don't fall, don't fall." She couldn't believe where she was. Just looking out at that audience, she was in awe. If she had to be honest, she was sure she'd wake any second now. For her to be a guest on the show- that was another check off her bucket list.

"Don't be nervous," Ellen whispered into Denise's ear when they hugged. The smile that she had on her face widened when she saw Denise nod in response to what she'd just said. "Have a seat," she said and Denise waited until Ellen lowered herself into her chair before she followed suit. "Hi, Denise. It's good to have you on my show."

"It's so good to be here," Denise agreed with a huge grin.

"Can I just say that I am appalled that this is the first time we've met in person?" Ellen said then chuckled. "I mean- Chris has been here multiple times since the two of you became a couple. And if I'm being honest, I expected a wedding invitation." Ellen joked and Denise laughed along with the audience. "Clearly it got lost in the mail."

"I'm sorry, Ellen," Denise giggled. "We would've invited you if we knew you were interested in attending. We probably would've asked you to join Robert in performing our ceremony, double the awesome." She said and Ellen chuckled. "We'll be sure to add you to the guest list for all future events, I promise."

"That sounds good, I'll be there." Ellen nodded and Denise smiled, making her smile. "Alright, so let's have a quick chat about your upcoming movie, 'Fated'. For the past week, Sony Pictures has been hosting pre-screenings for your movie." She stated and Denise nodded. "Portia and I happened to have been invited to one of those said screenings and- I'm going to be honest with you, we walked out of that cinema with hearts so full." The crowd cheered and Denise grinned. "It is such a wholesome film, there is so much hope and innocence in your portrayal of love and- really, that's the kind of thing the world needs today."

"Thank you, Ellen," Denise felt her eyes well a little. "That means so much to me coming from you."

"How would you describe the experience as a first timer? It must've been very intimidating for you."

"It was-" Denise sucked air through her teeth, then chuckled, "nerve-wrecking. I think even saying that is a huge understatement, I was barely keeping my head above water. The people I worked with were professionals whereas I was fresh out of college. I had no experience, no clue, and- to be honest, Ellen, I was just lucky. I was lucky to have Chris, I was lucky to be hired by Sony Pictures. Things fell into place because of the people I had in my life. The head of production, Emilia- she helped me recruit my fantastic cast and crew. Without them, I would've failed hard. I am so grateful for their trust and faith and willingness to accept my directions. If they're watching right now, thank you all so much."

Ellen smiled, shaking her head in disbelief at how modest Denise was. She looked out at the audience, commenting, "you can see why I'm already so fond of her." Denise chuckled in response. "Denise," Ellen turned back to her. "I think you need to give yourself a little more credit than that. You did a great job, the storyline was so heartfelt and the whole movie so well put together. If that was your debut, I can't wait to see where time and experience will take you."

"Thank you."

Ellen nodded then turned to the camera, "we're going to take a quick break and we'll be back with Denise, and Chris," she added after a momentary pause. The audience cheered, making her and Denise laugh. "We're going to pry a little into the relationship, so stay tuned."

• • • • • • • •

Chris stood side stage, waiting for Ellen to announce his name and bring him onto the stage. He was excited. He couldn't wait to sit next to Denise and kiss her head and tell her how well she was doing, because she was doing great and he was so proud of her. He was also excited because Ellen was going to show the video he'd filmed of Denise's reaction when Ellen called. If anyone hated Denise before, no one was going to hate her after they saw her adorably modest reaction.

"C'mon out, Chris."

Chris heard his name being called and walked out towards the stage. He smiled at his wife before he waved at the audience. "You're doing so good, baby." He whispered into Denise's ear when he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "It's good to see you again, Ellen." He proceeded to hug Ellen before they all descended into their respective seats.

"Before we start, I believe Chris has a video to show us."

"Oh God," Denise buried her face in her hands, blushing deeply.

"Yes I do," Chris laughed, running his hand up and down Denise's back to soothe her. "Here's the context you need. It was a Wednesday morning, Denise and I were making pancakes for breakfast when Ellen decided she'd personally call Denise to invite her onto the show. The rest- well, you'll see it," he chuckled when the video popped up on the big screen behind them.

Denise shook her head at Chris, suppressing her urge to laugh. She turned to the screen and watched with everyone else. She most definitely freaked out, and though it wasn't the coolest reaction- it was pretty cute. And if Ellen and her audience enjoyed the video, perhaps Chris did the right thing handing it over to her for the world to enjoy.

"I could actually hear everything y'all were saying, so I'm really glad I'm getting to see how you were reacting." Ellen informed them and they laughed. "I'm very flattered, Denise. And like I'd already said, it is so good to have you on my show. I'm also glad that you brought your mom and your son too. How are they doing in the green room, by the way?" Ellen asked as a live-feed of the green room replaced Chris' video on the big screen. The audience unleashed a wave of "awww" upon seeing Jack wave at the camera upon his grandmother's instructions, and Chris and Denise chuckled. "Do they need anything?"

"I think Tina might need another box of tissues 'cause she is getting very emotional seeing her daughter on your show," Chris joked and Tina looked up at the camera, laughing. "No, they're doing great," Chris chuckled. "They're enjoying themselves. Jack is loving the attention he is getting from your crew members."

"Do you think he's going to be an actor when he grows up?"

Chris and Denise looked at each other then laughed. "Maybe," Denise shrugged. "I don't know, um- we both think he is more made for Hollywood than we are. He doesn't mind the limelight at all. Even just pulling up outside, there were a group of paparazzi that he could not stop waving at." Ellen and the audience laughed. "So maybe."

"He's adorable and I'm sure he'll be a success if he becomes one." Ellen complimented, drawing smiles from Chris and Denise. "Alright, let's do a little bit of prying now. I think as much as my audience loves Jack, they would like to know a little bit more about the two of you." The audience cheered, and Chris and Denise laughed. "I don't think everyone knows this, but 'Fated' is inspired by how the two of you met and fell in-love, yes?"

"Mm hm," Denise nodded then looked over at Chris, smiling. "Who would've thought that Chris Evans reads fan fiction, right?" She teased. The audience laughed and Chris shook his head, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. "But I could not be more grateful that he does. Since meeting him," she slipped her hand into Chris' and squeezed gently, "my life has unfolded in a series of fortunate events."

"Awww," the audience cooed.

"She says that like my life isn't better without her."

"Awww," the audience cooed again.

"That's so sweet," Ellen smiled. "Y'all are a cute couple, really." Chris and Denise shared a smile. "And with that adorable son of yours, you make a wonderful little family. But is that it, or are you two going to have another child?" The audience cheered, making Chris and Denise chuckle. "'Cause Jack's a gem, surely you'd want another one after seeing how precious your first one is. And Chris, you've been known to want a big Boston family. So is that the plan still?"

"It was the plan, but I think now two is as big as we're planning to go. 'Cause I mean- I love Jack, but man, being a parent is hard work," Chris chuckled when the audience voiced their agreements. "Being an uncle is one thing, but a parent- yeah, I can't hand Jack back to his parents when he's kicking and screaming 'cause I am his parent."

"Two is our limit," Denise nodded. "I don't think I can handle more than two pregnancies, that's- mm mm," she shook her head, laughing. "But that's a while away, I think. We've got too much on our plate at the moment, so we're going to hold off on the second child for a while."

"Well, you have a movie premiere coming up." Ellen said and Denise nodded, smiling. "That is huge and I wish you all the success. It truly is worth watching and all of you," she turned to her audience, "you need to go see it when it comes out. If you're in-love, you're going to come out of that cinema feeling more in-love with your partner than you already are. And if you're not, I'd still recommend it because it's going to teach you to hold out for something special. Thank you for coming on the show, you two," she turned back to Chris and Denise, smiling. "'Fated' will be in the cinemas on the 28th of September," she turned to the camera, "don't miss it. Denise Hogan and Chris Evans, everybody!"