If Alex had his way, by the time the wedding ceremony began, Zach would be ready to make their case to StreamUs. And if all went well, Wren would never need to know her appearance had been a topic of discussion.
She’d said that kind of scorn didn’t hurt her, but it had to, at least a little. He also didn’t want to give her a bad impression of her future employer, because he intended to make this deal work. For her. For them.
Even if he had to take on an entire fucking streaming service and his own agent to do it.
LAUREN DIDN’T WAKEup worried.
Not with the memory of a long night’s intimacy, Alex’s unmistakable ardor and affection, so fresh. Not after he’d suggested a trip down the Florida coast someday, including a stop for her to meet his mother in person. Not given the way he’d slept cuddled around her.
And especially not when he’d left her a note on the nightstand.Meeting with agent. I’ll be back soon, so you might as well stay in bed, Wren.
He’d signed it with a heart and a bold capitalA.
No, she wasn’t worried.
Only … he didn’t come back soon. He didn’t even come back that morning. After she finally left their bed and showered, she sent a worried text. To his credit, he responded right away with an apology, but not much of an explanation.
Things taking longer than expectedwas all he wrote.I’m sorry.
By the time he returned, the wedding was happening in half an hour, and she was pulling her black lace dress over her head. His eyes cloudy and distant, he dropped a kiss on her mouth, apologized again, said her dress was pretty, and hustled to the bathroom for his own shower.
They half jogged to the ceremony—held in a lovely riverside clearing, with the redwoods soaring overhead and an aisle lined with flowers—and made it just in time, with no opportunity to do anything but get themselves settled in their last-row seats before the music began.
He put his arm around her shoulders and played with the ends of her hair, but his eyes were on the ceremony, his jaw was tight with tension, and his attention was …
She didn’t know. She honestly didn’t.
What in the world had his agent said to him?
When the wedding ended and all the guests began heading for the expansive hotel ballroom, the site of the reception, he still didn’t offer much information.
“We have a possible offer, but there are things to negotiate.” He was holding her hand and walking slowly for her sake, but he didn’t look at her. “I hope to hear more soon.”
She would have asked for details, but the other wedding guests had finally noticed his presence, and a steady stream of fans and friends and Hollywood power brokers descended on him. Some offering seemingly sincere good wishes, others obviously looking for gossip.
He greeted them with a charming smile and kept her by his side in the ballroom, his thumb sweeping over her knuckles. But after all their time together, she recognized signs of his distraction.
His usual knife-edged humor had blunted, and he didn’t seem to notice the incredulous looks she received, or the way a handful of his admirers simply ignored her, even after he introduced her to them.
Normally, he’d make them pay for that. Which would cause a scene, so this was good.
Wasn’t it?
Another hour of schmoozing and occasional slights she swallowed in silence, and then the happy couple arrived, and everyone found their seats at the lavishly decorated tables. That was when the gorgeous bride—Stacia, apparently an award-winning actor on a sitcom Lauren had never seen—appeared nearby and tugged at Alex’s arm. He twisted toward her, startled.
“There’s room at the table next to mine for my favorite ex.” She offered a cheerful but unapologetic smile to the rest of the table. “Come up front, Alex.”
His face creased in a grin, he stood to gather her into an enthusiastic hug. “Congratulations, Stace. I couldn’t be happier for you.”
She hugged him back fiercely, then raised her brows in faux hauteur. “So are you going to rescue me from boring small talk or not?”
“Only if there’s a spot for Lauren too.” Alex slid a hand down Lauren’s lace-covered upper arm. “If not, I’ll keep enjoying the good company at this table.”
Stacia’s smile didn’t falter. “Lovely to meet you, Lauren. Of course there’s room for you both.”
No. No, that wasn’t happening. Not when that other table, given its prime position, would probably be full of Hollywood’s most beautiful and powerful people. If someone insulted her, Alex might emerge from his abstraction and ignite, and then they’d be positioned next to the head table, where everyone of importance could see and hear.
Whatever possible offer he’d received might be withdrawn.
