God. I hate when he does this. Say something that, on the surface, seems fine, but when you look deeper, it’s clearly a dig at me. It’s what he did for our entire relationship. Part of me wants to lash out at him for suggesting I’ve moved on too soon, but that won’t help me get what I need from him.
I swallow hard, pushing all my frustration down and plastering a polite smile on my face. “I understand it might be asurprise. I’m sorry in advance for any intrusion that happens to your life as a result of mine.”
Brian furrows his brow. “What do you mean? How will this impact me?”
I grimace, realizing he hasn’t connected the dots. He doesn’t understand that people will find out we were engaged last year and be curious about him. “I can’t be certain, but Jake’s publicist anticipates you might get some calls about our engagement. When it ended. What it was like. WhatI’mlike. The media will look for anything to drum up a scandalous story.”
“Oh,” he replies. His face drops, the reality of what could be headed his way finally hitting him. A feeling I’m very familiar with right now. “When do you expect to go public?”
“Thursday. However, there are some photos and videos circulating already. No one has been able to identify me yet.”
“What do you need from me?” His face softens, and he looks at me like the man I knew when we first met. The one who was kind and caring, not the man he became as our relationship progressed. “I know I wasn’t the best version of myself when we were together, so I’ll do whatever you need. I owe you that much.”
I exhale the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “I appreciate it. I need you to tell the truth about when our relationship ended. Don’t let anyone spread lies to stir up drama. Jake’s team warned it might be a little chaotic for a week or two, then it should die down.”
“I’d be happy to do that.” He pauses for a moment before locking eyes with me. “Tell Jake I hope he doesn’t screw up the best thing that ever happened to him like I did, because he’ll end up regretting it for the rest of his life.” Brian swallows hard, then excuses himself from the table and leaves.
One down. Only the whole world left to go.
CHAPTER NINE
jake
“Isit wrong that I hope she doesn’t answer?” Kate asks, tapping on her phone.
I chuckle. “Not one bit.”
With my arm wrapped around Kate’s shoulder, I pull her closer to me on the couch as we wait for her mom to answer. It’s Thursday morning, the day we’ve agreed to officially go public, and according to Anna, there’s a shit ton to do, starting with telling Kate’s mom. My chest tightens slightly, thinking about how she’ll react, considering she wasn’t pleased to learn Kate and I were dating in the first place, claiming it wouldn’t last long.
Fuck. I love proving that woman wrong.
Besides marrying Kate, there isn’t a much bigger way to say I’m serious about her than making it public and dealing with the impending shitstorm.
“Hey, Mom,” Kate says politely on speakerphone. “I’m here with Jake. We’re on the bus and wanted to give you a quick call to share some news.”
“Go ahead,” Kate’s mom replies begrudgingly.
It wouldn’t surprise me if she’s sitting in the navy recliner in her living room with a scowl plastered on her face. Thank God this isn’t a video call.
Kate turns to me and grimaces. I mouth, “It’ll be okay,” and squeeze her shoulder.
She takes a deep breath. “We’re announcing our relationship this afternoon. Although Jake’s team doesn’t anticipate it will impact you, we didn’t want you to be surprised. You may get a few calls from the media.”
“How would the media get my number, Katherine? Also, I don’t understand why the two of you feel the need to make an official announcement that you’re dating. Is thatreallynecessary?”
Gritting my teeth, I urge myself not to raise my voice or yell at her about how the fucking internet works. Why in God’s name doesn’t she realize it would take literallyanyonea few minutes to find her phone number? Or how millions of people are interested in every single thing I do, for some reason, and me having a serious girlfriend is a big fucking deal to them—and to me. But I don’t say any of that. Instead, I choose honey rather than vinegar to make the situation easier on Kate.
“Unfortunately, it’s necessary, given my career. My team would like to make it a much bigger deal than we’re allowing,” I reply calmly with my eyes locked on Kate, allowing her presence to center me. “I apologize in advance for any unwanted calls you might receive. It won’t take long for people to find your number. Let me know if the calls become overwhelming, and my team will secure a new number for you.”
Kate flashes me a grateful smile, melting my heart. Even after months together, she’s still surprised every time I stand up for her or put her first. It’s something she’d better get used to because I have no plans of stopping.
“That’s appreciated, Jake. When will thisso-called newsgo out?” Kate’s mom asks with slight disdain in her tone.
This woman is fucking impossible to please, unlike her daughter.
“Later this afternoon. I’ll text you once it happens,” Kate answers, shaking her head.
We spend a few more minutes listening to her mom drone on about the latest Southmount gossip—who knew a single rooster could cause so much drama in a small town—I didn’t until today. Finally, we’re able to end the call, both letting out a deep exhale, grateful to be done with that task.
