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He stood in front of the couch. The frown evaporated. “You look gorgeous.” He shifted my hair to one shoulder. “There. Just like that.”
“I tried on a hundred different outfits. You’re sure this is ok?”
“You look like a fitting newlywed. So sweet and virginal.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“Something upset you. Want to talk about it before we head downstairs?” I prodded.
He shook his head. “No. I have to change. The press is already in the lobby. The crowd is only going to get larger. I’ll be right back.”
I waited while he dressed in the bedroom and returned a few minutes later, smelling incredibly delicious. I loved his cologne.
He held my hand as we descended to the lobby in the elevator. Jeremy leaned toward me. “I’ve got you. Ok?”
I nodded.
“Just smile and keep that left hand out front.” He winked and the doors retracted.
I wanted to hold my hand up to block the flashes from blinding me. It was overwhelming and scary. Jer squeezed my palm as we approached the podium. He wanted me to stand next to him. I was just to his left, so everyone could take pictures of the diamond he bought me.
I didn’t know how he fielded the questions so easily. Years in front of sports reporters and TV cameras helped. They wanted to know if we took classes together in high school. They asked how long we dated before Jeremy proposed. Someone wanted an answer about how we would split our time between Newton Hills and New York.
Jeremy seemed happy. He wasn’t as tense as when he first arrived home. There wasn’t a question he couldn’t answer.
Until the last one.
“Ok. I’ll take one more.” He grinned his million-dollar smile. “Jolene in the back. Haven’t seen you in a while. What do you have for me?”
The reporter smiled. “Where are you taking Mrs. Hartwell on your honeymoon?”
Jeremy froze. I looked at him. It was the first time I had seen him go pale. Every answer flowed off his tongue until now.
I squeezed his hand three times, tugging him back to the room. There were fifty people waiting for his response.
His eyes moved to mine. I shrugged. “Say something,” I whispered.
“She likes things very hot.” He smiled, facing the crowd. My eyes bulged. That seemed awfully personal to announce to a room full of strangers. “We’re leaving in the morning for Tahiti.”
I formed a huge O with my mouth, but Jeremy immediately kissed me, dipping me in his arms. He whispered, “Throw that rock around my neck.”
I nodded, drinking in his lips and flashing my ring for the cameras.
“Tahiti?” I whispered.
“I panicked,” he admitted. “We can pack tonight. It will be fun, right?”
“It will be perfect.” It was unexpected. My heart hammered under my ribs.
We turned toward the reporters together. I knew the press conference was for show. It was part of his plan to throw the investigative attorneys off our scent, but I couldn’t help feel like we were a team. It was us against them.
“Thanks for coming. We’re glad we could share the news with everyone.” He waved and shuffled me back toward the elevators. But before they closed, Jeremy held the button.
There was a tall curvy blonde in front of us.
“Sasha.”
I had only seen a picture of her on Jeremy’s phone. That picture didn’t begin to show how beautiful she was. I wanted to shrink in the corner of the elevator.
“I wanted to meet your wife.”
