“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little shocked. That’s a bold move, even for you.”Even for you.Alec just had to get in his digs. “Do you want to tell me why you chose this particular method for getting pregnant?”
Oh, my God.Was this an interview? “If you’re going to ask it like that, I have no comment.”
“Don’t treat me like I’m a member of the media.”
“But you are a member of the media. One who has millions of viewers every morning. I’m not telling you anything.”
“I’m not calling to put you on the spot, but I’m hearing that nobody can get you on the phone. Are you refusing interviews?”
Word sure got around quick. “I’m not taking calls. That’s as far as I’ve gotten.”
“But you took mine.”
Brooklyn let out a silent groan. Why did she have to have any weakness at all for Alec? It always ended the same way—badly. “That’s different. And why would I do an interview? People are making fun of me. They’re turning me into memes. I can’t fight that. If I try to, I’ll look even more pathetic.”
“All the more reason for you to get your side of the story out there.”
“What are you saying?”
“Come on the show. Let me interview you.”
“I have two words for you. No. Way.” The answer had just tumbled out of her mouth. She might have answered the phone, but her natural instinct with Alec right now was to put up a very tall wall.
“Don’t you want to stand up for yourself? Defend yourself? This is a serious issue. You want to have a baby, and I’m sure we have a lot of viewers who have been in this situation, or maybe they are now. You should come on the show and talk about your predicament.”
“This is super weird coming from you, especially considering the way you acted after our dinner date.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I was wrong when I asked if you were trying to trick me. I was just thinking one thing and it turned out to be something else.”
Brooklyn couldn’t help but notice that edge of sadness in his voice. Did he regret pushing her away? Or was that wishful thinking on her part because she’d been so hurt by it? “If I come on the show, can you leverage it with the news division? If I’m going to consider humiliating myself, someone should get something out of it.”
“Funny that you mention it, but yes, it could help me. They’ll give me a shot atThe Sunday News Hour, which would be amazing timing. I’m not ready to be put out to pasture and I’m also not ready to spend the rest of my life fending off advances from Tilly Ann.”
“She did get pretty hands-y with you during that guacamole demo.”
Alec snort-laughed. “You saw that?”
Brooklyn sat back in her chair and twirled halfway around until her back was to the door. She didn’t want anyone to see the way her cheeks had just plumed with heat. “I still watch the show sometimes. You know I get up at the crack of dawn, and I still like seeing your face. Even if I don’t always like the words coming out of it. At least not when they’re directed at me.”
A few painful seconds of silence played out between them. “I’m sorry about the other night. Deeply sorry. And I’m sorry that I never told you all that other stuff about what really happened when we broke up.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry, too.” Hedidsound sincere.
“Please come on the show. Tell your side of the story. I think it’ll be really good for you. And you know you can trust me.”
Did she know that? Did she really? Could she go on national freaking television and tell all? Because the reality was that this wasn’t about that idiotic letter. That was just the punchline to a very real story about a woman trying to make her life into what she’d always dreamed of. About a woman accidentally telling the world that she would pretty much do anything to get what she wanted—a baby. “You can’t make me cry.”
“I never intend to do that. It just happens.”
Likely story. Brooklyn was certain that Alec knew exactly how to get to the heart of all matters. It was part of what made him so damn good at his job. It was part of what made him an amazing boyfriend, butsoeasy to disappoint. “Okay then. I’ll do it.”
“Yeah? Really?”
“Now is not the time to ask me that question.”
“Can you be on set tomorrow morning? They’ll want to run it in the last hour so they can hype it before then.”
“Oh, God. The marshmallow factory? That’s when all the goofy stuff happens.”
